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December 2015 Moms
Bombmom3
member
What My Contractions Felt Like/Our Birth Stories (LOOK HERE BEFORE ASKING ABOUT CONTRACTIONS)
Bombmom3
member
Hey all. Wasn't sure if you guys wanted a thread like this - I *think* someone tried to do something similar and the thread got buried. But the Good Idea Fairy bit me in the rear between my super early, early, morning, and mid-morning nursing marathons and I thought since more and more of this group are starting to have their littles and we are having repeat threads asking about low back pain, non-progressive contractions and "How To Know If It Is Finally Time To Front Poop My Kid", maybe a sticky post where new comers and dedicated members can scroll through what members who have delivered experienced, pose questions and maybe get some insight without chapping people's nipples (or flooding the board).
So, couple of things:
1). These are *our* individual birth stories and experiences. No woman is ever going to labor the same way as any other. STM and beyond moms may have similar birth experiences with their labors, but almost everyone will tell you there were (at the very least) subtle differences from one child to the next
2). Contractions are like orgasms: if you're wondering if it was one or not, it most likely wasn't.
3). No one here can or will diagnose anyone asking questions as to being in pre-labor, labor, crowning, guess your dilation/effacement/station. We *can and will* commiserate with prodromal (non-productive) labor lasting days/weeks as well as chronic low back pain and will always advise you call your care team if you are unsure whether to make a run to L&D or not.
4). Mucous plugs and bloody shows are, quite frankly, gross. But we are mature adults and can talk about these things. Most of the ladies here, however, are not fascinated by our changing bodies enough to want to see it to confirm whether you have had/had not had either of these signs that your body is prepping for labor. Good rule of thumb here: if it looks like a thick wad of snot and doesn't have a foul odor to it or isn't a weird color (like black or orange) it's probably your plug. If it has streaks of bright red blood in it but you aren't bleeding heavily it is most likely your bloody show.
If this is something we all agree to, I will be happy to give the nitty gritty about my labor experience this time around with numbers, times etc for those who like to contrast/compare birth stories and FTMs who want to read about contractions and what they feel like as you progress all the way through pre, active, transitional, delivery and post partum stages of labor. And I would love to read about what the other December mom's have experienced so far! I love a good play-by-play in the L&D room!!
So, couple of things:
1). These are *our* individual birth stories and experiences. No woman is ever going to labor the same way as any other. STM and beyond moms may have similar birth experiences with their labors, but almost everyone will tell you there were (at the very least) subtle differences from one child to the next
2). Contractions are like orgasms: if you're wondering if it was one or not, it most likely wasn't.
3). No one here can or will diagnose anyone asking questions as to being in pre-labor, labor, crowning, guess your dilation/effacement/station. We *can and will* commiserate with prodromal (non-productive) labor lasting days/weeks as well as chronic low back pain and will always advise you call your care team if you are unsure whether to make a run to L&D or not.
4). Mucous plugs and bloody shows are, quite frankly, gross. But we are mature adults and can talk about these things. Most of the ladies here, however, are not fascinated by our changing bodies enough to want to see it to confirm whether you have had/had not had either of these signs that your body is prepping for labor. Good rule of thumb here: if it looks like a thick wad of snot and doesn't have a foul odor to it or isn't a weird color (like black or orange) it's probably your plug. If it has streaks of bright red blood in it but you aren't bleeding heavily it is most likely your bloody show.
If this is something we all agree to, I will be happy to give the nitty gritty about my labor experience this time around with numbers, times etc for those who like to contrast/compare birth stories and FTMs who want to read about contractions and what they feel like as you progress all the way through pre, active, transitional, delivery and post partum stages of labor. And I would love to read about what the other December mom's have experienced so far! I love a good play-by-play in the L&D room!!
Re: What My Contractions Felt Like/Our Birth Stories (LOOK HERE BEFORE ASKING ABOUT CONTRACTIONS)
With DD this time. The contractions only felt like mild cramps. When I got to L&D, and was laboring the contractions that got me to 7cm were uncomfortable, but nothing like when I was laboring with DS.
Like everyone says, every pregnancy is different.
This is Colette's birth story I posted the other day:
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12643484/colettes-birth-story/p1
ETA: with DS I was 32w4d pregnant so when I went to L&D the following morning they tried to stop contractions at least so I would be able to get two rounds of steroid shots. They put me on the maximum amount of mag possible, but I still contracted regularly albeit much slower. By the time I hit 5cm (about 28hours after I first started having contractions at home) they realized baby was going to arrive less than 24 hours after the first shot so there was no slowing things down. I went ahead and got an epidural so I could get some rest. Two hours later I was 10cm and ready to push. Since there was so much blood, my OB had me push even when I wasn't contracting just to get DS out. He came out quickly and I tore.
DS was premature due to placental abruption.
@BumpAdmin @BumpTara
Background information:
This was pregnancy #3. Pregnancy #1 I was induced at 39wks because of rising blood pressure starting at 36wks - negative for pre-eclampsia. The induction did not go smoothly and baby and I were both very jacked up after the delivery. Pregnancy #2 I was induced at 39wks for chronic hypertension and type I I diabetes controlled by Glyburide (oral medication) and higher risk for placental abruption and pre-eclampsia. Pregnancy #3 was labeled "advanced risk" because of chronic hypertension and type II diabetes that needed to be controlled with insulin and higher risk for placental abruption and pre eclampsia.
I went in for a routine 37wk check to be followed by my second biweekly NST on 11/20 (I was 37+3). My BP at the clinic was way high (even for me, I get super stressed at the OB clinic) at 162/90. They rechecked it twice fifteen minutes later and it was 150/87. The OB was concerned about it but everything else looked great with the baby. We agreed to send me to Maternal Fetal Medicine for my regular NST since my BPs there were always great with the understanding that if it was still high I would trot on down to L&D triage for a pre eclampsia work up. The doctor happened to be the same one who took over my care with my second pregnancy after I saw several several doctors who (as early as eight weeks along) were insisting upon a c-section no later than 37wks based off of my first delivery experience. I trusted her judgement implicitly and she suggested that she check me so L&D triage wouldn't get "handsy" with me before my bloodwork came back (assuming I needed to go). I was between 1-2cm, 50% effaced and at minus three station.
Well, my BP at the NST was still in the 150's/high 80's and even though it eventually dropped to 140/82 everyone thought it best to run the lab work. So I headed over to triage and got all checked in. The staff were extremely nice to me but I was pretty adamant about not even discussing an induction until the labs came back - my first two pregnancies weeks 36 thru 39 were stippled with high BP but negative pre-e lab work so I knew it wouldn't be an issue this time around. I was wrong, womp womp.
The triage midwife and doctor on duty came in and explained my kidney function was declining (it is a creatinine protein level that indicates stress on the kidneys - 0.3 and up are pre e levels and I was at 0.4). Minutes later my playlet count came back and they had tanked since my last round of blood work two weeks ago. I was officially diagnosed with pre eclampsia and told we were going to have to deliver the baby tonight. I had a minor panic attack/melt down - inductions have always scared me, especially before reaching full or post term, and my experience with my first labor/induction was so traumatic that I had PTSD like flash backs and anxiety attacks from the date of my delivery in 2012 right up until I delivered my second child in 2014. At 39wks, my first baby was not ready to breathe and was placed on a high frequency ventilator for over a month so the thought of delivering a baby at 37+3 scared the crap out of me. The staff was amazing, calmed me down and said they would ensure my wishes were 100% respected and that this time for SURE I had pre eclampsia and needed to have this induction ASAP. I pulled it together and called DH to tell him the "good news".
While I sat in triage waiting for a room to get prepped for me in the L&D ward, I started getting pre labor contractions combined with BH spaced between three and five minutes apart - most likely due to my cervical check earlier in the afternoon and high stress levels. The pre labor contractions felt like mild pressure throughout my abdomen, which would start to get tight from along the sides and then ball up around my fundus. The pressure would increase in my pelvic floor and then relax. They were not increasing in intensity or frequency. The BH in between felt like your standard BH - just tight and a little uncomfortable but no pressure at all.
I had explained to the L&D triage team that I react very strongly to pitocin and end up with cascading, back to back to back contractions that become unmanageable and would prefer to use the lowest dose possible and stop it completely (like they did during my second labor) once my contractions were on a good roll. The midwife suggested Cytoyec (which I immediately declined based off of research I had done on that drug) and then switched to offering Cervidil along with a Foley bulb to get my cervix dilated to 4cm and get the ripening process started. We decided to try that route in hopes of not having to use pitocin at all (or if so, just enough to tip my body over the edge).
By 7:30pm, I was fully checked in to a room with the Foley placed as well as the Cervidil. I had an IV bag of fluids hooked up that was being mixed with a bag of penicillin to treat my GBS.
The Foley placement was uncomfortable - it's a long tube that they insert through both the external and internal openings of the cervical neck. After the provider inserts it manually, a syringe with saline or water is placed at the external end of the tube and then the fluid is placed in the bulb. The bulb reaches between 3-4cm in diameter. Once the midwife placed my Foley, the nurse tied a long price of string to the tube portion of the bulb and attached a full IV bag to the other end. With me lying on the bed, she made the string taught and gently dropped the IV bag off the foot of the bed. So, not going to lie, that sensation was pretty uncomfortable to have the weight pulling on me that way but the staff swore it helped get the cervix dilated well and acted like the weight of the baby's head against it once they started to engage. The Cervidil comes in a little fabric "tampon" and they just crammed that up close/behind my cervix. The Foley is designed to fall out once your cervix dilated to the diameter it's been filled to and I was told the Cervidil stays in for 12hrs.
My contractions picked up and became regular within ten minutes of them placing the bulb and medication in. The pressure I had from the pre labor ones increased by about 50% and they were mildly uncomfortable but I was still able to talk through them. I would describe them like the intestinal cramping you get with diarrhea - crampy, uncomfortable and your lower abdomen feels "sick" and tight along with pressure to the pelvic floor. They were spaced out between three and four minutes apart.
At this point I also rubbed some Clary Sage essential oils on my bump as well as sniffed it from the bottle for a few minutes. Smelled like fresh cut hay to me (DH said it smelled earthy with some citrus notes to him and then freaked out that it was going to make him have gut cramps or some weird equivalent of male contractions lol). This EO has been known to strengthen and regulate contractions and is used in birth centers for stalled labors and with help delivering the placenta. Let me tell you, that stuff immediately strengthened my contractions. But I felt like I had rolled in a hay field after just a few minutes and all of my senses were super heightened due to being in labor so I wish I had inhaled less of it and just rubbed it in my belly.
Around midnight the Foley bulb fell out (intense relief when that happened). My contractions where still "conversational" but painful enough I couldn't sleep through them. I had had less than two hours of sleep the night before (I was in pre term labor and felt like it would turn into real labor at any moment - obviously it didn't and had stopped around 2am) and I was having trouble staying awake for the two to three minutes I had in between contractions. I decided to take a narcotic, Nubane, to take the edge off and get some sleep because I knew I'd need to be able to concentrate when the contractions cranked into high gear and I would need my strength for the delivery. I was offered Staydol as an alternative but it would have made me feel drunk and I just wanted to sleep and not be muddle headed. The drug kicked in within a minute of administering it and while I still felt pain with the contractions I just didn't care at all. I woke up at around 4am.
I got up to pee and my contractions had become what I call "serious". I had to focus on my breathing and my body to get through them and could not talk or walk during them. I found that keeping my jaw relaxed and making low moans (lots of "ooooooooooohhhhhhsss" and "oooooouuuuuuuuusss") allowed me to stay loose and not fight them but work with them as they came along. They were about one to two minutes apart, demanded my full attention and I could feel my pelvis/hips spreading along with the intense pressure on my pelvic floor and the menstrual type cramping with each wave. At this point they hurt but were still manageable. We called our doula to come join us and she arrived at around 5am.
The nurse came in and checked me then. I was at 5cm, 75% effaced and still at -3 station with a bulging bag of water. It was a miserable exam - I suspect the nurse was trying to stretch me out at the same time. I had to ask her to stop twice and it took forever. The midwife suggested I consent to an AROM and I hesitated a bit because of my GBS status and fear that once the bag was broken I was on the clock and would need a c-section if I didn't progress or developed an infection. The midwife, nurses and my doula all felt that my concerns, while valid, were based off of fear of what happened my first delivery rather than the fact that my labor was well established and I had three rounds of penicillin on board already (one round is enough to protect the baby from the GBS). I consented and then I heard the midwife mutter to the nurse that she wanted the delivery table set up prior to the AROM. I thought that was strange since at 5cm and the baby not engaged at all it would still, in my mind, be hours before I delivered, especially since my two previous labors followed "text book" 1cm per hour dilation tables.
To do an AROM (artificial rupture of membranes) the practitioner uses what looks like a plastic crochet hook to loop in and break the bag of waters. The midwife waited until my contraction had passed, inserted the amniotic hook and broke my water at 5:30am. It was painless and the water didn't gush like my last two did (I had extra fluid with both of my girls and it was intense how much water came out). Just felt like a warm rush of fluid between my legs. I was a little anxious because once your water breaks the contractions tend to crank up a notch in intensity. But they stayed the same for a few minutes.
When the contractions got bad about thirty minutes later (6am), I was up and down and moving in whatever position felt best at the time. I tend to moan and "moo" my way through them. I felt very out of breath this time around, though, and started to feel like I wasn't getting enough air. By about 6am, the pain was getting away from me and I was fighting the contractions instead of just letting them happen. The pain was beyond intense - I could feel not only my hips spread with each peak of every contraction but I also felt my tailbone start to open/shift out of the way. The pain was hitting a 9-10 on the "scale" they use to gauge where you are at and I just wanted to run away from my body. The contractions were hitting me between every thirty seconds to a minute and I barely had time to catch my breath before another one would come. At this point, I was all over the place and couldn't keep my feet still. I started to feel flighty, panicky and so very hot. When I said that the nurses and midwife and my doula were like, "Ok, get naked, then." I ripped my gown off Superman style and rocked my birthday suit for the rest of my labor (trust me, at that point modesty is the last thing you even care about).
The pain level and intensity became unbearable in a matter of minutes and I begged for the epi. The nurse checked me; I was at 7cm, still 75% effaced and still -2 station - barely engaged at all. I lost all control of myself and started clambering for the drugs. I knew that I had gotten the epi at 7cm with #2 and I had labored for over three hours before I delivered her. I knew I wouldn't last three hours of this - I didn't think I could manage three more minutes of it. DH and the doula talked calmly to
me about how great I was doing, how strong I was, how this was normal and not to fight it and I was almost there. And I begged, and I pleaded and I bargained for the epi. And then I started screaming and shrieking mindlessly for it. I didn't know the nurse was shaking her head to them - the contractions were too close together and there was no way anyone could keep me still long enough to place the needle and catheter.
I stood up from a squat mid shriek and suddenly felt like I needed to push (around 6:30) The nurse got the midwife to check me - they thought maybe I had just transitioned very hard and fast which was why I was so panicked and acting the way I had been. The midwife kind of looked at me while I forced myself to lie still long enough for the exam. She said I hadn't changed - 7cm, 75% effaced and -2 station. I came unhinged. I realized I couldn't get the drugs (suddenly it was clear to me the contractions were just too close together to make it work) and I knew I couldn't manage another hour let alone three or four in the condition I was in and the pain I was feeling.
6:32am I was standing up, shrieking mindlessly and not trying to control anything - not working with it or fighting it - and my husband and the doula were trying to calm me down and bring me back to earth. I suddenly felt like I needed to push or crap or both but I *knew* it wasn't time because the baby was not engaged (I knew from research that mothers can dilate in huge jumps - from 2 to a 6 or an 8 in a matter of minutes or from a 5 to fully dilated in one contraction but never had I seen or read anything saying you could go from -2 station to pushing). I thought, "If I tell the nurse I need to push she will just say it's not time yet and try and talk me out of it." - not true, by the way, but it's what I was thinking - I announced I had to crap to the room. According to DH everyone just kind of looked at me weird. They knew something was up. I scuttled to the bathroom (really, scuttled is the right word - DH said I crab walked like Dr Zoidberg from Futurerama on some sort of grim mission). My grand plan: I was going to try pushing by pretending to "crap" and if the pushing gave me relief I was going to get back out there and push whether they wanted me to or not. I don't know why I had it in my head that they would fight me on that pushing thing - I just did. Anyways, I gave one small push during the contraction and my body took over and it turned into a Herculean effort. And it felt wonderful in the sense that I had focus and purpose and felt no *pain*.
So, at 6:36 (roughly) I announced calmly to the bathroom and my baffled DH that I was going to push, now. He and the nurse helped me to the bed and I just planted my feet about six inches away from it and squatted a bit. I had not planned on that. Just felt right. I heard the doula say, "Good." The nurse fussed a bit and said I needed to get in the bed if I wanted to push. DH was at my shoulder and said, "Do you need help getting into bed?"
I calmly replied, "No, I need to be here." I had such intense focus at this point that it was surreal. According to my DH, the nurse was nicely, but forcefully, fussing and insisting I get into the bed when I started pushing with all of my strength in a power Sumo squat. The midwife apparently piped up at this point and said, "She's fine! I love delivering babies like this!" DH said she was acting beyond thrilled about it. I was too focused on pushing to even register this exchange.
Three intense rounds of pushing - and when I say intense I mean I was truly in some primal place where my body took over and I was working as hard as I could to deliver the baby. I felt him move down with every push, and yes that was intense but nothing compared to the contractions. I felt out of control with the contractions - I felt entirely in control of the pushing. The burning was there as well as the stretching but it wasn't excruciating- it was almost irritating because it was taking focus away from feeling him move down while I power squatted him out of me.
The relief when he delivered was indescribable. He came out in one push and the midwife just caught him and passed him right to me between my legs. It was 6:42 - twelve minutes from when I was told he was still high up in my pelvis and not dilated or effaced enough to deliver (at least not in my mind).
So, after the delivery I still had contractions (still had to deliver the placenta). I requested delayed cord clamping so I just stared at my son while they chatted and waited for the pulsing to stop. The contractions were painful again but like bad stomach cramps - no pelvic discomfort at all. DH cut the cord when it was ready. Five minutes later I felt like I had to push again (and it HURT - I wasn't expecting that since if always had an epi placed by then) but one push and the placenta was out.
It's end of day two and I get horrid cramps when the Little Man nurses (totally normal) and mild cramping through out the day. My tail bone rebroke from my first delivery (boo) and I have a mild re-separation of my pelvis (also courtesy of #1, also boo) and two very minor tears that needed no sutures.
The staff all comment about my son's perfectly round "c-section" head. Since he never engaged and then came out so fast his head never molded. I've been warned if we ever go for a fourth baby I will unlikely make it to a hospital of my water breaks before I get there.
I have to be monitored for pre eclampsic symptoms for three days after delivery so we are just hanging out and bonding
I am sorry this was so long - I wanted to give as much detail as I could remember. I am happy sharing in post partum care and experiences as well if folks have questions!
Much love to you ladies. I'm excited to read everyone's labor and delivery stories over the next few weeks!
OMG girl you had me cracking up!! LoLoLoLoL but seriously, that's sound advice! I'm a FTM (36 weeks) and have been thinking about labor lately wondering how in God's name I'm going to determine how physical sensations I've only ever heard about but never experienced are the correct sensations that actually mean "Yes, now is the time to go to the hospital"
Hey ladies,
My daughter was born August 16th 2014 she was due that day. I had never had BH the whole pregnancy i pretty much never felt pregnant and only gained 10 pounds. They day of my 40th week I had my regular appointment with my doctor. She offered to strip my membranes and said because my pregnancy was so good and i was already 2 cm dialated and 60% effaced that it was time.. I immediately felt slight cramps but that was all i felt for the next 7 hours untill my husband got home from work.. The cramping started to hurt and i figured that this was it! Got to the hospital and i was 4 cm dialated. The midwife told me to walk for 2 hours and drink cranberry juice which they gave me. And within the next 2 hours i was at 9cm and ready to go! The contractions felt like menstrual cramps but worse... And then i pushed at 9 cm somehow that was ok woth the doctor. I got stiches in two places and they were pretty deep! But ehh what can you do. I did it all natural as i desperately wanted to
P.s to me the contractions felt like BH but they werent! So everyone is different.. Only time will tell you what they are... And you will know! Dont guess just wait and relax.
I went to the hospital around 7 pm on Sunday 11/15. I had already been in the hospital for some time and got sent home on bedrest for pre eclampsia. When I got to the hospital my blood pressure had gone way way high. The doctor came in and said I needed to be induced because pre eclampsia was getting out of control and starting to shut my liver down. I was so upset. I was only 33 weeks. I had to get magnesium to prevent a seizure. I didn't think it was so horrible it just made me super tired and nauseated. My water broke around 2:30 am.. My mom and SO were with me, SO was asleep and me and my mom were watching TV. I had a catheter because of the magnesium, and all the sudden felt like I peed myself. I labored until 9 pm the next night. I started seeing double of everything. It was such a horrible feeling. I called the nurse who then called the doctor and said I needed an emergency c section because it was all just getting too unsafe. At 10:22 pm my little Landon came into the world. He is 1 week old today. He's in the NICU but is doing really well and the anticipate he will be home in time for Christmas!! Being a NICU mom has been hard, I cry every time I leave. Luckily, the nurses and doctors have been amazing and we have access to the NICU at any time. He will be home before I know it! Good luck everyone!
Beginning note: when I made my post in the birth thread I was not entirely with it.
Ok so on October 3 I was home alone and had gotten up to go get food. I was standing at the table when I started feeling really weird and I thought I saw my owl cookie jar out of the corner of my eye which is impossible because that's where my fridge was supposed to be. Then I remember being on the floor screaming and I managed to dial my dad from my emergency contacts who called my husband at work. He came immediately and when he got there he said I screamed at him to get away from me because I don't know him. He tried to tell me we were married, but I didn't remember anything. So he called the ambulance while I told him nothing is where it's supposed to be, but at this point my eyes were swollen shut so it didn't make sense. While we waited for the ambulance he sat beside me while I screamed at the pantry because I thought there were people coming out of it to get me. The ambulance arrived and I freaked out again, but they lifted me on the stretcher and got me to the hospital. When we got there I wasn't aware of anything. My husband sat beside me and talked to me to try to keep me calm and then I had a seizure. During this Grace's heart rate dropped to 60 and mine dropped to 35. I became unresponsive. After that they called my midwife and ER doctor and they gave me a medicine to try to stop the seizures and my midwife came running into the room. She kept me calm for a while until the on call OB got there, which took three hours. In that time I had another seizure. When she got there she decided they wouldn't be able to care for me the way I needed it since I was only 28 weeks and I had developed severe eclampsia. So the ambulance drove us to Highland where we got airlifted to St Louis. There they prepped me for an emergency c-section while I waited for them to be ready my family, his mother, and one very amazing friend who ride up with my husband all came in to wish us luck and give me their love. I didn't remember any of them except my mother. They came and took me back my husband says when he got back there I was telling everyone how amazing they were and how proud of myself I was because I didn't cry when I got my spinal for the c-section. So they got Grace out of me at 3:37 am on October 4 weighting two pounds two ounces and measuring in at fifteen and three fourths inches. Part of Grace's lung collapsed so she was transferred to a different hospital with a better NICU. They tried to let me see her, but my eyes were so swollen I couldn't. During my hospital stay I got a uterine infection so I had to be in the hospital for an extra three days, for a total of six days. I finally got to see Grace when she was four days old and I got to touch her tiny little hand. She is currently doing much better! She eats on her own and breastfeeding is a dream! She is breathing on her own and in a bassinet. Gaining weight like a champ so we are talking discharge in a couple days!
So glad to hear your little babies are thriving after such scary deliveries. My first baby was in the NICU for over a month, most of which hooked up and sedated to a high frequency ventilator where we were not allowed to touch or hold her (the stimulation was too much for her and would cause her O2 to tank). I know how hard it is to leave your baby in the NICU at night (or whenever your body says you gotta sleep) - you girls are fighters and strong mommas for being there with your littles! Once they are home and you are settled the NICU days will seem like a blurry bad dream. Lots of love to you, your SO's and your precious babes!
Hoping this time for a VBAC but we shall see!
The next few hours were spent trying to get baby to descend. I was fully dialated, but he just wouldn't come down. They started me on a pitocin drip and had me labor with a big ball between my legs. Hours passed and I never got the urge to push. Finally I was tired of waiting and lied saying I was ready to push. They got everything ready and away we went! I ended up pushing for about 2 hours. My nurse kept yelling at me telling me I wasn't pushing hard enough and that I needed to try harder. I was pushing so hard!!! Turns out he was sunny side up and his poor head was stuck on my pelvis. Well when she finally saw that she was much nicer to me! I still think she's a bitch!!! Haha. Anyways, the Dr was able to finally get him out and it was amazing! His poor head and face was all bruised and he had a major cone head. But that all healed very quickly and they put a hat on him right away so it wasn't so bad to look at. I also was lucky enough to not tear.
With my recovery, my jaw was locked shut for about 2 weeks afterwards. I was pushing so hard that it just locked up! I asked the nurses at the hospital what to do, but they were no help at all. Said they had never heard of that happening before. I spent a lot of time trying to stretch it open, and little by little it opened up until it was back to normal. One major piece of advice I have for every mom is to stand up for yourself!!! I wish I had been more assertive about certain things. I hope my story can help you FTMs!!! XOXO
I had a pretty great and easy first experience.
I had a scheduled induction for my son Oct 2011, 1 day past DD. I came in around 10am. They started me on a pitocin drip, a few hours later broke my water with a crochet needle looking contraption (didn't hurt). Water just seeped out for quite some time. Once my contractions started getting painful I got an epidural. Hardest part was keeping still for it - as I was having painful contractions while he was doing it.
Once my epidural kicked in, I felt great!!! I relaxed, watched movies, rested etc.. Until the nurse told me I was dilated enough and ready to start pushing. Started pushing and it took about 20-30 mins for the little guy to come out. Which was about 6pm. I did tear pretty bad, my husband said that both his shoulders came out at the same time.. I feel my Dr. should have slowed him down and guided him out a bit better. Once the epidural wore off I was in quite a bit of pain down there for a week or so - THAT was honestly the worst part of the whole experience. The labor seemed to be easy!! My nurse was awesome! She was there from start to finish, and guided me through the whole process. My dr. was there literally to catch the baby and stitch me up.
I hope this delivery goes as smoothly. Due date is Dec 28th. I do want to try to go into labor naturally this time. I am a bit worried about tearing again this time.. Not fun at all!! I'm curious to see if I can go without an epidural this time- maybe it will help with tearing..? We'll see.
The beginning hours are kind of a haze but I labored most of the day the 13th went into the doctors to get checked and was sent home by about 10 pm my contractions were close enough together to make our way back to the hospital. I was admitted, they immediately gave me medication to help me sleep. I woke up around 6 the next morning and made my way to the birthing suite and contractions really started to kick in. My water broke as I was roaming the labor wing trying to get labor started and that's when all the fun began! The intensity of contractions after my water broke was unreal. I screamed my way through some of them (it honestly helped), I just didn't care anymore, I wanted this baby out! I was back and fourth from the jacuzzi and rain shower (amazing!) until it was time to push which took all of ten minutes to get her out. My little girl was born at 1:00pm on her due date. She was 8lbs 8ozs and I had VERY minimal tearing. I didn't need stitches and I walked from my birthing suit back to my hospital room. My recovery time was a good hour snuggling my beautiful baby. Besides the contractions the only thing I really remembered bothering me was the burning while you pee after.
This time I'm really hoping for a shorter labor but I want every single thing to be the same (super unrealistic) but I look at other women's birth stories and mine was so easy! I would change delivering naturally for anything and I really plan on doing it again unless medical intervention is necessary.
I remember that shaking from my first induction/epi. Hang in there!! I promise all the misery fades away once that baby is in your arms.
@Taylovesbrad I hope things have progressed by now & you got some rest & maybe are even meeting your little one right now!
The shaking really doesn't have a hard and true medical explanation. Theories range from your nervous system getting a weird message that you are super cold, a reaction to the hormones coursing through your body from the labor, the adrenoline rush etc. Women can have the shakes during labor even without the epi. I had them bad with #1 and not at all with #'s 2 & 3.
*edited because I apparently don't know how to spell words larger than three letters
I've had painful periods my entire life because supposedly my uterus is small and docs said it was like going into labor every month. So I figured I may be able to do this birth thing without meds.
Umm..no.
Woke up with cramping at 4 am, and happened to have a doctors appointment that day at 10:45. My contractions actually started 8-10 minutes apart and grew further apart before my appointment. I had a cervix check at the appt and the doc said I was 3 cm, and if I was in pain, I should get admitted. I was fine...just felt like bad menstrual cramps...so Indecided to go home. At that point, I thought I was a champ because I'd made it that long without meds.
The contractions got stronger, with varying times in between. At 7pm they were pretty bad, so I was sure that it was almost go time. Went to L&D and I was only 4 cm! The nurse said 4 cm was typically when people start asking for pain relief. She said if I wanted to go natural, she'd recommend that I go back home and labor there and when it was time, I'd know.
We went home and my water broke an hour later and the contractions were even more intense. We then went back to L&D, was checked again and I was a 5. After being in early labor for about 17 hours at that point, and knowing the pain would only get worse, I opted for an epidural.
I was obviously in so much pain, that they admitted me without all of the official paperwork, just so they could get an anesthesiologist to me. It was an almost instant relief -- I was able to sleep for a few hours. The down side was I was stuck at a 6 for a few hours so they gave me pitocin. My only concern with the pitocin was that I'd start feeling intense contractions, but luckily it didn't feel any different. Slept some more, woke up and I was at a 10! Pushing was a piece of cake compared to the pain Id experienced earlier, but without the rest, I'm not so sure it would have been so easy.
I didn't go in wanting to go natural for any "brave" reasons. It was important to me that I didn't have to be constrained to a bed -- I wanted labor options, and the thought of the urinary catheter and the inability to walk scared me. But after experiencing a med-free labor for 17 hours, I realized that I needed the pain relief to function.
I have so much respect for you med-free ladies, now!
@VegDumpling I'm with you. I would have just given up and died without the epidural. Just save the baby and let me RIP.