47-Hour Labor!!

danielle1290

This is my first time sharing my birth story other than with friends and family, so here it is:

My due date (Sunday, April 19) came and passed with no signs that my little man was ready to make his entrance. I had a doctor's appointment on the following Tuesday (4/21) where my doctor said I was only dilated to 1 maybe 2. She tried to strip my membranes to get my labor moving, and scheduled an induction for the following Monday. The next day I decided it was time to try to get things moving along on my own, so as silly as I may have looked I started dancing around my basement. That seemed to have done the trick because at 3:00 on that Wednesday I started getting mild contractions every 5-10 minutes. By that night they had gotten stronger and closer together so we decided it was time to head to the hospital. When we got there (around midnight) I was told that I was only dilated to a 2, but my contractions were so close together (about 2-3 minutes) that they gave me some fluids to slow them down. A couple hours later and I had not progressed any, so they told me that I was just in the early stages of labor and sent me home.

Once we got home I tried to get some rest, but could only doze off for a few minutes at a time between contractions. I suffered through contractions that were less than 8 minutes apart all day Thursday, and finally by about midnight I had had all I could take, so off to the hospital we went... again. I think I prayed the entire way there that I had dilated more because I couldn't stand the thought of being sent home again. Luckily, I was at a 4 when they checked me this time, so I was officially in active labor! I got some pain meds right away, which was a life-saver because they helped me sleep for an hour or 2 (I hadn't slept since Tuesday night... it was now Friday morning). After those wore off the contractions got almost unbearable, and I was still exhausted and I think only dilated to 6 or maybe 7, so I decided it was time for the epidural. I know the epidural is not for everyone, but for me it was the exact right choice! I was able to get some more rest before my delivery and was actually able to somewhat enjoy the rest of my labor instead of focusing on the pain. At just past 2 PM on Friday, April 24, Chase Andrew entered the world, screaming, pooping and peeing all at the same time. That first moment that you see your first child is indescribable. I would go through it all over again, all 47 hours, just to have that moment all over again.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

almakie

@danielle1290 You poor woman! I thought 29hours was long enough.