An hour later, Bill and Penny arrived at the hospital.
Who knew! It wasn't long before Penny (who thought for sure she could hack it) was begging for medication for the pain. IV meds worked for a while, but in the end, Penny was so incoherent from the pain that an epidural was given.
Around 5 PM Penny was fully dialated and ready to push. The epidural was turned down so that she could feel and work with the contractions.
Three hours later (so they say), Penny was still pushing. Evan had crowned, but was going no further. Without the assistance of the epidural, Penny was in agony with each contraction.
Evan was stuck in the birth canal. He was not in the correct position. Even though he was head down, he was oriented with his face pointing up, as Penny lay on her back (usually babies are born face down). There was plenty of room for Evan in the birth canal, if he had only been oriented correctly.
The OB tried using vacuum extraction (the Kiwi) to deliver Evan. Penny recalls hearing the sucking sound. Unfortunately, the Kiwi failed, and Penny was prepped for a C-section.
Even with the epidural, Penny still felt far too much pain, so general anesthesia was called for. Bill, in scrubs and ready to support his wife in surgery, was not allowed into the OR.
Evan was delivered at 8:43 PM. Though at the beginning of labor the amniotic fluid was clean, by the time he was delivered he had had a bowel movement in utero. He was also a little oxygen deprived (he had purple arms and legs). His initial APGAR score was fairly low.
He bounced right back, however. This kid did not lose a single ounce in the days following his birth.
Now he's a strong, healthy, vibrant little boy. And his parents couldn't be happier.
Papa: William Bishop
Born on: July 31, 2004, at 8:43 PM
at: Blake Memorial Hospital (Bradenton, FL)
Weight: 7 lbs., 4.7oz. Height: 19.5"
Hair Color: Brown
