**Warning: This is a birth story. There are some details that may be considered TMI. If you're squeamish or don't want to know the intimate details of childbirth, you might want to skip this post. It is also VERY VERY long.**
I had a ultrasound scheduled to measure the baby. My belly was measuring ahead by 2 weeks, and the doctor was concerned that Vicki was very large. At the ultrasound, the measurements indicated that Vicki weighed 8lbs 15oz and was the size of a 40 week old baby. The nurse practitioner told us that the OB would likely suggest induction at our appointment the following week. She did and internal, and my cervix was soft, but still closed, maybe a fingertip dilated.
I was planning on a medication free birth, so the idea of an induction was NOT how I wanted to have my baby. My husband and I decided to do everything possible to try and get labor going.
Over the weekend, we went for a lot of walks, took the stairs two at a time, ate spicy foods, and a few other old wives' tales to get labor going. I had contractions every night, but they always went away when I went to sleep. Cory kept telling me, "I think it's going to be tomorrow", but I was preparing myself to be waiting for another week or two.
Tuesday, September 21 - 38 weeks
Having had contractions for the past 3 days, off and on, I was expecting more. But instead there were none. I went out for lunch to a local Mexican place, where the hostess told me, "If you eat here today, you're going to have that baby tomorrow." I laughed that right off.
Wednesday, September 22 - 38 weeks 1 day
7:30 am - woke up with contractions again! This was new - I had never woken up with them before. I tried not to get too excited. We were both working from home that day, and I was very glad Cory was there and not in NH.
8:30 am - Cory and I decided to take a long walk to see if we could get this labor going. The contractions felt different than before. They were in my lower back instead of in my lower abdomen region. When I felt each contraction coming along, I would ask him to put counter pressure on my lower spine. It really helped to alleviate the pain. During our walk, the contractions picked up in intensity. At this point, they were about 6-7 minutes apart and lasted for 1 min each.
9:30 am - We got back to the house. I was still not convinced that this was "it", but I figured I should tie up my loose ends at work anyway. I spent the next few hours standing over my laptop sending emails as it hurt to be sitting during a contraction. Whenever I felt one coming, I ran over to Cory so he could push against my back. Once it was over, I ran back to my computer to get more work done before the next one came along.
11:30 am - I called my mom at work and told her I had a question. Before I could ask, she said, "If you think you're in labor, then you're in labor." She encouraged me to call the doctor, but I had an appointment at 4:00 pm anyway, so I figured I'd just go to that unless the contractions got really painful.
1:00 pm - We ate some scrambled eggs and got things ready to go, just in case. Cory ran out and put gas in the car. I finished packing my hospital bag, and he put that and the carseat in the car. My mom continued to try and convince me to call the doctor. I continued to refuse.
3:00 pm - I finally called the doctor's office. They told me to come in before my appointment and get checked. At this point, the contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and lasted 60-90 seconds. We got in the car and headed to the doctor's office.
3:30 pm - My doctor was so excited to see me and to hear that I was having contractions. She checked me and said that I was 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and told us to head over to Labor & Delivery. I turned to my husband and gave him a high five.
4:00 pm - We arrived at Labor & Delivery. They put us in a small room, until my lovely husband asked if we could have a room with a tub. The nurse came in and started asking all the admittance questions, but said I wouldn't be admitted until after the on call doctor came in to see me. However, they let me order dinner, saying that they allow moms to eat during early labor. I was so happy to learn that I could eat!
I changed into the johnny and got hooked up to the monitors for 20 minutes to record the contractions and Vicki's heartbeat. Those 20 minutes in bed were wicked uncomfortable, so I was happy to be able to stand up again. Cory made a trip to the car to carry all of our stuff in.
5:30 pm - We ate dinner in the hospital room, and starting calling people to tell them what was going on. I called my boss to let work know I wasn't coming in the next day, and Cory called his parents & his work. He also had a quick phone interview with a new employee of his, hahaha. All of this was done in between contractions, which were now about 4 minutes apart.
I tried sitting on the birthing ball through contractions, but that was an awful idea. The best way to get through each contraction was to stand up, put my hands on the wall in front of me, and have Cory push on my lower back. What had started earlier in the day as light pressure had turned into him putting all his weight against my spine.
6:15 pm - I went to the bathroom for the millionth time that day and discovered that I had lost my mucous plug! I yelled to my husband the good news and gave him another high five (once out of the bathroom). I was so excited that my body was making progress.
7:00 pm - The on call doctor finally came in to check me. The 2 or 3 contractions I had to spend on the bed, flat on my back, were awful. She said that I was still around 2-3 cm dilated, and that labor could possibly stall or stop and they would send me home. From this point on, I referred to her as "Dr. Bitchface". She also told me that since I was early and didn't want medication, there was nothing we could do to move things along, and that she would be back in 2 hours to check me again. I was so disappointed that she was so negative and discouraging.
Once she left the room, the nurse told us not to worry, that I was definitely in active labor and would not be going home tonight. We decided to walk the halls to try and move things along.
The Labor and Delivery floor at my hospital isn't very large, so we walked 1/3 of it between each contraction, then I would stop and lean against the wall while Cory pushed on my back. The final stop was in the room, where I would pee each time before heading back out to the halls. The entire labor, I was chugging water so I wouldn't have to get an IV. I guess it worked because I peed every 10-15 minutes.
8:14 pm - (I only know the time because my husband looked at the clock) I was having a contraction in my room when I felt a pop and gush, and suddenly my feet were soaked. I said to Cory, "There goes my water." I was so happy to only be wearing flip flops! He called for our nurse to come in and I concentrated on not slipping on the huge puddle and falling down. I said to Cory, "Take that, Dr. Bitchface, we're having this baby tonight."
8:45 pm - The nurses came back in and cleaned up the floor. I got hooked up to the monitors again, and asked to go in the tub. They kept telling me that all I needed to go in the tub was the waterproof portable monitor, so they were looking all over the ward for it. In the meantime, I put on a pair of mesh underwear with a pad in it. I didn't realize that once your water breaks, you keep leaking amniotic fluid until the baby is born.
9:15 pm - The on call doctor came back in and was shocked that my water had broken. Her exact words were, "You did this all by yourself?" I was pissed - of course I did, women have been having babies for thousands of years without an OB who breaks their water for them.
She gave me another internal and said I was now 4-5 cm dilated. I again asked to get in the tub, but was denied as there is an infection risk once your water breaks. No big deal, but I wish the nurses had mentioned that the first time I asked. I also asked to be taken off the monitors, but they require constant monitoring from the time your water breaks until birth. Fortunately, they gave me a portable monitor so I could get out of bed. We hung the monitor and our Camelbak on the IV pole and paced back and forth throughout the room.
A side note about the Camelbak - best. idea. ever. It was the most useful thing we brought for labor, hands down. As I mentioned, I didn't want an IV, but obviously needed to stay hydrated. In between contractions, I would grab the spigot and take a quick drink without needing to uncap a bottle or pick up my head. This became even more key as labor progressed, and Cory would put the spigot in my mouth for me to take a drink. As Dwight Schrute would say, "Those of us who are busy require hands-free hydration."
10:00 pm - The doctor returned to check me again, and found me standing and leaning against the wall. She expressed her concern that all this standing would wear me out, saying, "I am tired just seeing you standing there." I agreed to get into the bed and labor on my side.
At this time, I was about 7 cm. Since I was in bed anyway, I decided to forego the mesh undies and just have the puppy pad beneath me. This was the point in labor where all modesty went out the window, as I was naked from the waist down. The contractions in bed were a lot more painful, but I was able to rest a little more in between them. Somewhere in this time frame, I felt the need to puke. Fortunately, they grabbed the bucket in time and I threw up the entire cheeseburger and fries from dinner. I was happy because I knew puking was a sign of transition, which meant that it was almost over.
11:00 pm - Someone came over the intercom and said I had visitors, would I like them to come in? It was my parents, so I said yes, they can come in to say hello quickly in between contractions, while I covered up. I was happy to see them, and they said they only wanted to be there in the hospital when she was born and the nurses were the ones who asked for them to come in. They left for the waiting room.
The nurse then check me again and said I was at 8 cm. I felt like the side position wasn't doing anything for me, so I kneeled on the bed and leaned over the raised head of the bed. This way, gravity was on my side. Cory was a rockstar through all this, holding a wet cloth to my forehead, and helping me visualize a sailboat on the ocean to keep my breathing slow and controlled.
11:30 pm - Shortly thereafter, I felt the urge to push. I told the nurse, and got checked again. I was at 9.5 cm, with just a little lip of cervix in the front. That lip was the bane of my existence. My body was trying to push for me, so in every contraction I would involuntarily convulse and my body would bear down while I tried to hold back from pushing. I must have asked to be checked 3-4 times in the next half hour, convinced that I would finally be at 10 cm, but that lip would not go away. At one point, the nurse tried to push it out of the way, but it slid right back over the baby's head.
This was the worst part of labor for me, where I wasn't sure if I could keep going without drugs. I looked at Cory and said, "I would like to be done with this now." He was so encouraging, telling me how amazing I was doing and how proud he was of me. He gave me the strength to stick to my guns and persevere.
Thursday, September 23 - 38 weeks 2 days
12:15 am - The doctor came back in and checked me again. She then told me that she was going to hold the lip out of the way while I pushed the baby down, which would then get Vicki by it and I would be ready to deliver. My husband grabbed my left leg, the nurse grabbed my right, and I started pushing at 12:20. The first few pushes were ineffective, but then I got the hang of it.
Pushing. felt. awesome. I loved pushing. Nobody ever told me that when you're pushing, it doesn't hurt anymore. You can still feel the contractions, but pushing makes them not painful. It's amazing.
After 10 minutes or so, the doctor told me that they could see about 3 inches of her head. I didn't believe her, so I asked Cory what color her hair was to make sure the doctor wasn't lying. The doctor then told me I would need an episiotomy to get her out, as she was too big to fit. Although this wasn't the ideal, I said, "Do what you have to do to get her out."
A few more pushes, and the doctor then tells me to stop pushing. I yelled, "Are you KIDDING me?!?!" Apparently, the doctor wasn't ready and had to put on her gown and gloves. Less than a minute later, I pushed one more time and Victoria was born, screaming her head off. They took her over to the incubator to get checked out while the doctor did the cord blood collection and stitched me up. In the end, I didn't have an episiotomy as everything "went too fast", so I ended up with a small 2nd degree tear.
Victoria Claire was born at 12:43 am after 23 minutes of pushing. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.
No comments:
Post a Comment