Ok, so since people have been asking, here is our birth story!
This past Monday morning, the 16th, we headed into our OB for our 38 week check-up and a non-stress test. I had started to dilate a little bit and my blood pressure was fine, but the NST indicated that the baby's heartbeat kept dropping. After an hour on the fetal monitor, our doctor told us to go ahead and head to the hospital for fetal monitoring for the rest of the day and night, and to start some 24-hour lab work. So we did, and we waited.
And waited.
The baby's fetal monitoring was fine at the hospital, and by Tuesday afternoon, my blood pressure stabilized enough for me to go off the medication I'd been on for it. Tuesday night our OB came by to let us know our lab results and that he wanted to go ahead and induce me, for a couple of reasons. First of all, she was measuring big via our ultrasound, but most importantly, I was doing well in the hospital and he didn't want to see me go home and go back to where I had been physically.
So that night I was given a gel internally that would help my body get more ready for labor (cytotec), ideally that I would start dilating more or at best, go into labor naturally. Come six o’clock in the morning, I was started on a very low dose of pitocin. Within fifteen minutes or so, the contractions started. They were mild for the first couple of hours, more like cramps than contractions. Our doula, Fran, arrived at about eight, and got settled in with us for the long haul to delivery.
Thus this is how our day started and progressed; I was having contractions about every two minutes, but they were manageable. I spent some time rocking on a birthing ball, or sitting upright in the labor/delivery bed (I was not allowed to walk or do anything of that nature to help baby drop more naturally). We saw some progress at 1:30 in the afternoon when my water broke, and labor got a lot harder after that. At one point, I did get a shot of a narcotic to help take the edge off, and to let me rest a bit between the contractions.
When the doctor came by to check me at six p.m., I was very hopeful that we were near delivery. I was super disappointed to find that I was only 2 cm dilated at that point, and also a little nervous. I knew if we didn’t make some progress in the next couple of hours, we would be looking at a c-section. Instead, I was given one more chance and the medication turned way up. Within an hour I was at 5 cm, but physically, I was falling apart and just could not stay on top of the contractions, especially as they were now coming a minute and a half apart. So yes, though I had wanted a natural birth without an epi, I asked for one at this point; I knew there was no way I would have any strength left to push if I had to endure these type of contractions for much longer.
We had to wait for the epidural though – it was eight o’clock before the anesthesiologist came in and I though I was fully dilated, I still wanted and needed it. I had the urge to push, but was so wiped out and could not handle the contractions any more. I have since found out that Jonathan and my doula were started to get worried about me; I was not handling it well, throwing up and shaking violently. I am not and never was a screamer, or even a moaner, but when I started to cry and sob that I couldn’t do this any more, Jonathan knew I needed something at that point. So in went the epidural – it was torture to stay curled in a ball for four minutes when contractions were tearing me apart, but it was worth it in the end.
Though I was ready to push by the time the epi kicked in, I decided not to and just wait and rest for awhile, which we did for about forty-five minutes. In the meantime, the nurses and techs turned our LDPR (Labor, Delivery, Postpartum Recovery) Room into a sterile birthing environment and broke the bed down for delivery. At 8:45 I started pushing and with seven or so pushing sets later, little Emily was born at 8:58. I was immediately allowed to hold her, and did so for a few minutes before the nurses took her over to the baby warmer and started on their procedures while the doctor stitched me up. I’d torn in two places, so the stitches took a little while, but everyone was very calmed and laid back. Emily scored an 8/9 on the apgar scale, and is such a pretty newborn; I fully expected the red, wrinkled baby, but she was a cutey! We didn’t get to bed until about one a.m., when the nurses were all finished with her and me, and our room cleaned up. We were one tired, but happy, family!
This past Monday morning, the 16th, we headed into our OB for our 38 week check-up and a non-stress test. I had started to dilate a little bit and my blood pressure was fine, but the NST indicated that the baby's heartbeat kept dropping. After an hour on the fetal monitor, our doctor told us to go ahead and head to the hospital for fetal monitoring for the rest of the day and night, and to start some 24-hour lab work. So we did, and we waited.
And waited.
The baby's fetal monitoring was fine at the hospital, and by Tuesday afternoon, my blood pressure stabilized enough for me to go off the medication I'd been on for it. Tuesday night our OB came by to let us know our lab results and that he wanted to go ahead and induce me, for a couple of reasons. First of all, she was measuring big via our ultrasound, but most importantly, I was doing well in the hospital and he didn't want to see me go home and go back to where I had been physically.
So that night I was given a gel internally that would help my body get more ready for labor (cytotec), ideally that I would start dilating more or at best, go into labor naturally. Come six o’clock in the morning, I was started on a very low dose of pitocin. Within fifteen minutes or so, the contractions started. They were mild for the first couple of hours, more like cramps than contractions. Our doula, Fran, arrived at about eight, and got settled in with us for the long haul to delivery.
Thus this is how our day started and progressed; I was having contractions about every two minutes, but they were manageable. I spent some time rocking on a birthing ball, or sitting upright in the labor/delivery bed (I was not allowed to walk or do anything of that nature to help baby drop more naturally). We saw some progress at 1:30 in the afternoon when my water broke, and labor got a lot harder after that. At one point, I did get a shot of a narcotic to help take the edge off, and to let me rest a bit between the contractions.
When the doctor came by to check me at six p.m., I was very hopeful that we were near delivery. I was super disappointed to find that I was only 2 cm dilated at that point, and also a little nervous. I knew if we didn’t make some progress in the next couple of hours, we would be looking at a c-section. Instead, I was given one more chance and the medication turned way up. Within an hour I was at 5 cm, but physically, I was falling apart and just could not stay on top of the contractions, especially as they were now coming a minute and a half apart. So yes, though I had wanted a natural birth without an epi, I asked for one at this point; I knew there was no way I would have any strength left to push if I had to endure these type of contractions for much longer.
We had to wait for the epidural though – it was eight o’clock before the anesthesiologist came in and I though I was fully dilated, I still wanted and needed it. I had the urge to push, but was so wiped out and could not handle the contractions any more. I have since found out that Jonathan and my doula were started to get worried about me; I was not handling it well, throwing up and shaking violently. I am not and never was a screamer, or even a moaner, but when I started to cry and sob that I couldn’t do this any more, Jonathan knew I needed something at that point. So in went the epidural – it was torture to stay curled in a ball for four minutes when contractions were tearing me apart, but it was worth it in the end.
Though I was ready to push by the time the epi kicked in, I decided not to and just wait and rest for awhile, which we did for about forty-five minutes. In the meantime, the nurses and techs turned our LDPR (Labor, Delivery, Postpartum Recovery) Room into a sterile birthing environment and broke the bed down for delivery. At 8:45 I started pushing and with seven or so pushing sets later, little Emily was born at 8:58. I was immediately allowed to hold her, and did so for a few minutes before the nurses took her over to the baby warmer and started on their procedures while the doctor stitched me up. I’d torn in two places, so the stitches took a little while, but everyone was very calmed and laid back. Emily scored an 8/9 on the apgar scale, and is such a pretty newborn; I fully expected the red, wrinkled baby, but she was a cutey! We didn’t get to bed until about one a.m., when the nurses were all finished with her and me, and our room cleaned up. We were one tired, but happy, family!
1 comment:
Hey, there is NO shame in an epidoral. I'm not sure how I could have made it thru without mine. My contractions had been awful. First, they had to give me medicine to start the contractions, since my water had broken. I would have contractions 30 seconds, then only have 30 seconds to 'recover' before the next one came.
I was gonna say something else... Can't remember what now. Umm...
Oh yeah... I had thrown up also. HeHe, and it was on the nurse. I hadn't liked her very much, so I didn't feel too bad about it.
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