Share with me your birth stories!

Stankonia2014

I lurve to read birth stories, so please, share with me.

Stankonia2014

Since I have three, I'll keep it short and sweet.

DD1 - induced at 41 weeks, dilated 0. Went in at 7pm the previous night, started cytotec, the following morning at 7 am started pit, pushed for 2 hours, ended up using forceps because I was an awful pusher and had her at 7:33 pm. 3rd degree tear.

DD2/3 - nearly identical birth stories. Induced with DD2 due to GD and IUGR, induced with DD3 due to GD. Dilated 2ish. I went to the hospital at 5 am, started pit at 7 am, broke my water around 10 am (at 6 cm) had baby at 10:45 am. I progressed from 6 to 10 in about 15 mins. I would've had DD3 sooner, but I had to hold her in and resist the urge to push because my doc left to take a shit assuming it would be awhile before I was ready. I pushed 3 times and had minimal tearing.

ladylolly89

DS was induced at 39+6 (doctor was concerned about his growth). I went in dilated to a 5 (up from 4 the day before). Water was broken at 10 AM, pitocin started very shortly after. I was GBS positive so was on penicillin as well. Contractions started at around 10:30 and started to get more intense around 12:30. By 1 I was still at a 5 (not what I wanted to hear!) but by 2:30 I was at an 8. I was at a 9.5 and ready to push by 3:20, and after three pushes (and an episiotomy and vacuum) DS was born at 3:47! I had second degree tearing in addition to the episiotomy and required stitches.

I'm not violently opposed to pain meds, but never felt that I needed them. Except for maybe the stitches. Ouch. 

daniev825

I love hearing birth stories too! My son came early and fast. I was 36 weeks and 5 days. Went out to dinner with my family that night and my step daughter gave me a massage until I fell asleep. I was feeling great and no signs that baby was coming. Woke up around 1:30 am with pain. Did not think anything of it and tried to go back to bed. I couldn't and the pain got worse so I woke my husband before getting in the bath and then felt intense contractions. My husband laughed at me and told me I was fine (what an ass!) We started timing contractions and they were getting closer so we called the nurse at 4:00 am and she told us to get to the hospital ASAP. I got to hospital around 4:45 and was fully dilated. I gave birth at 5:28 am. I don't know when my water broke (maybe in bath) but It was a whirlwind and such a surprise!

LMMama

I've only had one but it's not super exciting  

I was induced at 41 weeks and 0 cm. Went in at 1:00 pm Monday and started cyotec. That did basically nothing. I can't remember what the next method was called but it involved inserting a balloon via catheter to try and stretch the cervix. That was painful, had some wonderful morphine. Around midnight I was 4cm so they let me get an epidural and started pitocin. I'm all about the drugs. Broke my water around 6am. Was 10cm around 7am. Felt like I needed a brand new epidural and they were like "no this is just really painful." Pushed for an hour and had her at 8:30 am Tuesday. Minimal tearing, I think I got like 6 stitches. Isn't it crazy the small details we remember? 

Despite the many induction methods and general time frame I would totally do that birth all over again if I could have the same minimal issues with pushing and tearing. 

mirdamae03

DS1 I was induced with at 38.5 weeks due to PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) and signs of developing pre-e. I was on bed rest for a few weeks and once I started having really high bp consistently, headaches causing blurred vision, etc. my OB decided induction was best. I came in on Feb 15th evening to begin with cervidil insertion (think tampon type contraption that helps ripen cervix). They placed it and left me to rest overnight until 5:30am when they would remove it. Around 4:45/5 I woke up a tad uncomfortable and got up to use the restroom. My water broke when I stood up (thought I was peeing myself), I scurried to the toilet and couldn't stop "peeing". It was early so that it took a while for my foggy brain to realize that is what was happening. The nurse came in and checked me and got the pitocin started. It was relatively uneventful, a little uncomfortable for a few hours until I decided to get the epidural and shortly after they fully broke my water. A few times his heartrate dropped, so they had me on oxygen sporatically and I had a bp cuff on the whole time going off every so often. That bp cuff left the most god-awful bruising afterwards... Once I got to a 9.5 I stalled a bit but finally the nurse decided to push through the 9.5. I think I pushed 5 minutes and they called my OB and another 5 minutes of pushing once she arrived and he was out. Delivery 1 lasted from 5:30-5:30 so 12 hours.

DS2 I sat up in the bed at 39w6d and had a little bit of "pee" come out, didn't have it happen again until later when I got up out of the recliner. Thought it was strange but wasn't too concerned. The next morning, same thing happened so I had a suspicion it was my water. I went to my 40w appointment at noon with a few minor contractions and let my doctor know. They did the swab and sure enough, baby time. I wasn't having contractions hard enough or fast enough so they hooked up the pitocin and cranked that sucker up. It hurt like a bitch. My contractions were coming so hard that there was no peak/trough, just pretty much a flat line of holy shit. I got the epidural at 4 and it only took to one side. They tried several boluses to see if increasing it would help get the epidural kicked in but no luck. 2.5 hours later they decided to re-place the epidural and it finally took. I had about 30 minutes of sweet relief before it was baby time. I pushed for 10 minutes max and he was out. Delivery lasted from 1:30-7:30 so 6 hours.

delujm0

With DD I remember (beginning here might be TMI) waking up at like 2am feeling crampy like I needed to poop, so I went to the bathroom and pooped (pretty odd in the middle of the night) and when I was wiping I noticed a large amount of mucus plug had come out.  So I knew something was up.  I was 39+6.  I had a couple of random cramps for the rest of the night, nothing major, but then I started timing them around 9am and realized they were 7 minutes apart.  Just felt like period cramps, no biggie....until about 11am when they moved 100% into my back (I am told this is bc DD was sunny side up).  It was brutal.  I crammed a sandwich down my throat because I knew I wouldn't be allowed to eat again until she was out of me, and we headed to the hospital when my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, around 1pm.

When we got to triage, the asshat nurses told me they "couldn't find" my cervix so "it must still be closed."  My blood pressure had started to elevate around 38.5 weeks, so they wanted to do bloodwork real quick.  They came in to give me the "sometimes first time moms don't realize they're not really in labor" speech, while contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and I was SCREAMING through them, and my husband was like "yeah I'm not bringing her home without a baby, so."  They said to wait on the bloodwork, the doctor may want to induce me, and I was like WHY WOULD YOU INDUCE A PERSON WHO IS CLEARLY ALREADY IN LABOR, but when the actual L&D nurse came down with the bloodwork results, she checked my cervix, pronounced me 5cm, and admitted me. 

 

I desperately wanted drugs by then but I was GBS+ so they made me get a dose of penicillin first.  The kind nurse said she would really slam it in so that I could get the epi.  I went to pee right before the epi, and as i was walking back to the bed my water broke all over the floor.  Got the epi around 5pm.  I was 6cm at the time.  About 10 minutes later I had a 5 minute long contraction where I went from 6cm to 8cm, and DD's heart rate dropped, so they had to give me a shot of something to slow labor down a bit.  I was 10cm around 9pm, but they needed to slam in the second dose of penicillin real fast before they would let me push.  Turns out they had plenty of time because due to being sunny side up, DD got caught in my pelvic bone for a WHILE.  I pushed for 2.5 hours and they didn't need to use any instruments fortunately.  Finally when she dislodged herself, she came out and left behind only a minor tear...somewhere between first and second degree.  And no hemorrhoids, woohoo!

 

If I had the chance, I'd go back there and slap those triage nurses upside the head though.  Couldn't find my cervix?  Seriously?  It had been checked at least 4-5 times at doctor appointments by then and they had never had any trouble finding it.  I never dilated at all before I was in labor, FWIW, so that is basically meaningless as to how much longer you have to wait I guess.

jc_twomamas

I absolutely love reading birth stories! 

Mine was was a long trek to get to 37 weeks and deliver via c section...I guess I'll share my story but I will give a *TW* for some details...

27 weeks I was at work, had felt a little off and less baby movement but I chalked it up to being busy. Once finished with my morning therapy appointments I was at my desk, stood up and *TW* began gushing blood...soaked everything around me, boots, pants, floor...called 911 and was taken in an abulance to the hospital, straight up to OB triage. 

*TW*
Once in triage it was a blur of contractions, more bleeding, ultrasounds, shots for DS lungs and was hooked up to magnesium (which makes you feel like hell, BTW). Diagnosed with preterm labor and severe placental abruption (8-10cm). At one point in time I had 3 IV's, two baby monitor strips, BP cuff, bilateral leg compression wraps and a catheter...for almost 72 hours straight...we met with the NICU multiple times the first 3 weeks of my hospital stay, as no one through I would make it anywhere near 30 weeks. 

I stayed on magnesium for 3 days as my contractions slowed and bleeding slowed they allowed me to come off to see how things went. Eventually I moved over to "OB special care" and stayed there for 9 weeks, in between was various bleeds and some labor progression and very close to delivery at 35 weeks BUT DS always looked (fairly) good on the monitors and in our ultrasounds...so we just rode it out until 37 weeks! Which was a literal miracle. 

DS was born April 2015 via c section. We were able to bring in a small speaker and play our "delivery playlist". DS was born to "Two coins" by Dispatch. I had the mirror set up and watched his entire delivery which was AMAZING!!! He went over to the warmer briefly, but we didn't get weight or height as I wanted skin to skin ASAP if all looked well. He came right over and never left me. Stayed on my chest till and through recovery. I think we finally weighed him sometime in recovery... 7lbs 7oz 19 1/2 inches long. 

The sweetest relief to have that dude in my arms. Absolutely crazy journey but worth every single second. 

awoodruff27

DD1: Went into labor at 39 weeks exactly. I went to the hospital and was only 3 cm with bulging waters. So I walked, and walked for 3 hours. Finally at a 4 I was admitted. I told them I didn't want an epidural. Labored fine until I hit 7 cm. Stuck at 7 for 3 hours. They pushed me into an epidural. Then my contractions slowed so they started pit. It made them stronger but it took me 6 hours to go from a 7 to 10. Once it was time to push it only took 25 min and we watched a car chase. Then DD was born, she wasn't crying, which is terrifying. She was breathing but just chilling. She's always been a chill kid. 

DD2 I labored at home for 3 hours before I went in. After we dropped DD off at the sitter's I had a 20 min drive, and that was rough I just wanted to stand! Got to the hospital at 6:30 am and was already a 6. Labored great was able to move around and felt good. Hit lucky # 7 again at 7:30 am and stalled out. At 9:45 I was still a 7 and had horrible back labor. I started saying I might want the epidural, to which my nurse told me no. (I had told her not to let me get it, and she listened!) She said "let's change to the chair" (I was on the bed). She walked out the room I had a wave of pain and pressure and my body just started pushing. I thought DH was going to faint. He ran after my nurse and 5 seconds later the room was full. The doctor had to go elbow deep and stretch my cervix because it was still a 7. Apparently my body doesn't communicate well. DD2 was born 15 min later. SO bruised she couldn't open her eyes for almost 2 days. I would like to not have the epidural, but the thought of hurting this baby like I did to Lillian kills me. 

kfry22

On a Sunday I started having contractions at about 5pm. They became regular and I had them timed at every 5 minutes by midnight. I decided to go to the hospital  We got to the hospital and I was at 3cm but the contractions really slowed down. I didn't make any progress so I was sent home. By the time we got home and I slept for a bit the contractions started up again and were every ten minutes. That lasted all day Monday and Monday evening. At some points they would get to every 5-7 minutes and lasted about 1:30 each time.

By Tuesday morning I hadn't slept or eaten in a while and was feeling pretty awful. At 8am I had a bloody show and was on the phone with the doctors at 8:30. They got me scheduled to see a nurse practitioner at 10:30. I spent some time in the showe until hubby made it home from running an errand and we went to my appointment. The nurse practitioner checked me and my cervix was at 8cm. She sent us directly to labor and delivery and I checked in there at 11:30 when I was at 9cm. The triage nurse didn't realize I was the one sent from the hospital so she was more concerned about giving me a water jug and getting my husband his meal cards. I was pissed. 

My doctor came in finally and they decided my son wasn't positioned right. We tried some rolling back and forth, hands and knees, and a lot of back pressure from hubby's hands. By 3:15 I felt like I needed to push. That was the worst part. Once he started crowing I got really tired. By 3:55 he was born. The nurses and medical students and hospital staff were all amazed that a first time mom had such a big baby after laboring so much at home and having no pain medication or epidural at all. I has a nasty third degree tear as well. 

FSUNole31

My son:  My water broke a little over 37 weeks.  I was GBS positive for him so we headed to the hospital at st about 355 AM.  I had no idea (first child and all) that fluid just keeps leaking out and had to walk into the hospital with soaked shorts.  I had an epidural with him and pushed for about 2 hours before they decided to do the vacuum assist to help me get him out.  I had 3rd degree tears with him (ow) but healed up pretty nicely.  It just took about 8 weeks instead of 6.  

My daughter:  Two nights before 39 weeks I had contractions on and off, but they picked up the night before 39 weeks and we headed to the hospital at about 5 AM (my kids like me out of the house early).  I labored pretty quickly with her.  I had an epidural with her too and she was much easier to push out.  She came out in about 2 pushes.  I still tore a bit, not as bad as with me son, but it was pretty much along the same areas probably because they are close together.  She was born at 4:20 and my husband still giggles about it.  

Elyse1384

DS:  On my EDD appointment (St Patrick's Day - one of my favs!), I was barely 1cm dilated and my OB did a membrane sweep late morning.  I went into labor that night.  Actual contractions began at 11pm and I did circles around my couch for about 4 hours before finally waking up DH.  After trying not to murder DH on the drive in (how many times do I need to remind the man not to ask me a question in the middle of a contraction), we arrived to find I was still only 1cm!  WTAF.  I walked the hallway for an hour and was checked again at 4cm!  I could have managed through the contractions, but it was my first and I deferred to the nurse on when to get the epidural (I had no clue).  Boy did things come to a grinding halt!  It took me almost half a day just to go another 1-2cm. They had to give me pitocin since things had slowed so much.  I was finally fully dilated and ready to push around 5pm.  I pushed for just under an hour and out came my handsome, monster baby - 21.5", 9lb.  At first we were so happy and in awe that neither DH nor I thought to notice/ask boy or girl.  Then I heard my mom from the corner "Whelp!  That's a boy!".  The nurse had to explain to her that swelling is normal and won't harm the baby haha (ladies expecting boys... there will be swelling of the testicles due to hormones passed during labor - it's OK!).  It was a long day (19 hours in labor).  I had a level 2 tear which wasn't that bad.

DD:  I walked around for weeks at 2cm and starting to efface.  At my EDD appointment we had no luck with sweep #2.  At my post EDD appointment, the biophysical noted low amniotic levels so my OB wanted to induce that day. Luckily my cervix was favorable (2.5cm, 80% effaced) so I only needed Pitocin.  It took me 8 hours to get to 4cm at which point I got the epidural as contractions were 2-3 minute apart and really hurting. I was shocked I was only 4cm (what the hell is it with me and 4cm!) given how close and strong the contractions were.  I again loved my epidural and relaxed for a bit, but 1.5 hours in I really thought I was breaking through as I began feeling the contractions. The doctor check me and sure enough I was fully dilated and ready to push!  6cm in less than 2 hours - no wonder I was breaking through the epidural! I pushed for about 30-40 minutes and out she came. We were shocked to hear "it's a girl".  Another level 2 tear.  I just kind of expect them at this point, but recovery was soooo much easier.

I have to say to all FTM, nothing beats the moment you and your baby first lock eyes.  That is true love at first sight.  I wouldn't trade that feeling of holding my LO close in those first moments for anything in the world.  Even though both my kids took a major shit on me during the first 30 minutes of life.  It's kind of a tradition I guess.  I expect #3 to poop all over me too and I'll still love every minute of it.    

roo1381

With my first I was induced on my due date bc my blood pressure shot up for the first time in my whole pregnancy. I was on pitocin and she still wouldn't come. 42 hours later after they broke my water I asked for an epidural but THEN she was ready so it was too late.  5.5 lb baby girl and the best OB nurse ever!! 
2nd time around I stated getting contractions at the grocery store 2 days before my due date.   By the time I finished shopping I was in labor and headed straight to the hospital.  It was about 2.5 hours start to finish before I had 7.5 lb baby girl in my arms. 

awoodruff27

@FSUNole31 my daughter is born on 6/9.. and I was so upset. Now I'm just glad it's a really easy date to remember haha. 

lmc929

DS was born 11 days early. We watched a movie and went to bed on a Saturday night. Maybe an hour later I woke up with pretty intense contractions. I am not sure that I ever really experienced much "early labor" because my contractions were already lasting over a minute and 3 minutes apart from the start. I let my husband sleep thinking that I read that the average FTM is in labor for 17 hours and I would need him to have energy later on.

 After trying to eat a sandwich, take a shower, sitting on a yoga ball, etc. to stop what I still thought could be false labor - I realized this was the real deal. Mind you, this was probably 5 hours of me laboring on my own. I decided it was time to wake up my husband and tell him. He told me to let him know when we had to leave for the hospital -- I said "now".

We got there and I went to triage where they told me I was only dilated to a 3 - insert a moment of panic. I must have gone through transition in that room because less than an hour later I was a 7 which made way more sense for how I felt. I was then allowed to go to my room where I got in a bathtub for a while until I had to push. 

9-10 hours of labor (ts a mystery because it was daylight savings time) and I had DS! It was a goal of mine to go med-free so I told the nurse not to even offer me anything the entire time and I would ask if I was interested - which worked. She never offered and I never asked. I had a minor tear to my labia actually which I guess is not where women typically tear so I had stitches but not to any "degree". 

Happy to talk through coping strategies and encourage any moms trying to do this without an epidural!

Xath

I don't really love any of my birth stories...  ***Trigger Warning -- Loss***

DS1 was a planned cesarean because he was breach, and hadn't really shifted positions in 3 months.  It turns out he was wedged into my pelvis and had low muscle tone so he couldn't move.    We went in at 39+3 for the cesarean.  The anesthesiologist gave me an anti-nauseal injection from a family I'm allergic to, after my OB told him not to.  I started to have a panic attack as part of the reaction.  They had to put me under general, so I don't actually remember the delivery because I was unconscious. The nurses said it was the fastest c-section they'd ever seen; my OB was in a rush to get DS1 out before the general anesthesia hit him.  When he cut into my uterus, he also sliced DS1's tushy because it was wedged so far down.  He needed 2 stitches at birth.  (My husband didn't tell me this until it was nearly healed. "Oh it was just a tiny scrape" he said). I woke up in the PACU and got to see my baby for the first time.  DH had stayed with him, and he was perfect, but I spent some time very afraid that I wouldn't be able to bond with him because I hadn't been conscious for the birth.  That fear was unfounded and ridiculous.  DS1 was 7lbs 14 oz.

I went into labor with DD1 at 24 weeks.  We were able to manage the contractions with medication, and a few trips to the hospital.  At 35+6 the medication was no longer working.  I went to the hospital and was already dilating, so they had to deliver. We prepped for a second cesarean (it was only 17 months since DS1, so not enough time to try for a VBAC).  Once I was on the operating table, my OB realized that my uterus was rupturing along my previous cesarean scar because of the prolonged contractions.  Thankfully she was able to save the uterus because we were already in the OR and on the table.  DD1 was born a beautiful 7lbs 0oz, but had to go to the NICU because she had trouble breathing.  I got to hold her for a few minutes in the PACU before they took her away. That was the only time I ever got to really hold her while she was alive.

I went into labor with DS2 at 22 weeks.  Between progesterone and nifedipine, we managed that pretty well.  But when I went for a NST (non-stress test) at my MFM (maternal-fetal medical specialist) they noticed heart decelerations at 30w+1.  He sent me to the hospital to "check in" with my OB and get a second opinion.  Then he called my OB and told her to deliver the baby before a clot broke off of my calcifying placenta and he was stillborn.  I was admitted to the hospital, got another round of steroids, and was hooked up to the monitor.  They wanted to wait at least 2 days for the steroids to take max effect, but his heart rate kept dropping, so they decided to deliver at 35+2.  DS2 was 6lb7oz.  He also wasn't breathing well, so they took him to the NICU while I was still in the OR. My husband went with him. Then I smelled burning. It turns out it was me.  My OB was doing a very thorough job at clearing the tissue out of my uterus before closing (and apparently that involves searing?).  My spinal hadn't taken completely, so I could still feel movements just below my rib cage, which was like being punched in the stomach from the inside-- super weird.   But absolutely worth it.  I had almost no PP bleeding, and it was one of the easiest cesarean recoveries I had ever had. DS2 spent 2 weeks in the NICU, where he learned to breathe and eat, and to get over his jaundice. It took him a while to figure out the eating, but he hasn't stopped since.  

 

Elyse1384

@Xath  If you don't mind my asking and it's not too difficult emotionally for you to detail,  what happened to your beautiful DD?  Your last line in that story had me tearing up.

Xath

@Elyse1384 She was doing really well in the NICU and then her heart stopped unexpectedly during a pneumothorax. Pneumothorases are pretty common and treatable, but they couldn't restart her heart and were never able to determine why it stopped.  The doctor said from the first sign of anything being wrong, her heart had completely stopped within 7 seconds, so for her it was peaceful like going to sleep.  They tried for over an hour to resuscitate her. 

They said 99.999999999% of babies born at her gestational age are just fine; many don't even have to go to the NICU at all.  We were that .000000001%.  But she did a lot in her short life.  Because I went into labor and started dialating when I did, I was already on the operating table when my uterus ruptured.  If I hadn't been, we both could have died right then and if we hadn't it's likely I would have at least lost my uterus.  But we were there and I was able to conceive DS2 and this baby because of that.  She saved me and them.  

When she died, I called my parents and my dad had a heart attack from the stress of the news.  It was mild and he's fine, but they found an underlying condition that would have easily killed him if the stress heart attack hadn't revealed it.  So they were able to fix it and my dad is still here.  She saved him too.

We try to find as much positive as we can.  When I see a babies with .00001% chance make a miracle survival, I like to think Ellie is looking out for them in some sort of karmic swap.

MrsCaliRN

@Xath I am so sorry for your loss and reading your post in the Late Term Loss board about your precious baby girl, I hope you are doing well with her birthday having just passed a couple weeks ago. So many hugs to you right now.

My birth summary with DS is as follows:

Diagnosed with gestational hypertension at 26 weeks, put on nifedipine, given betamethasone and once weekly NSTs. Spontaneous labor at 38weeks 4days. Felt all contractions in my back with nothing up front. Felt like a tightening but was regular so I counted and they were every 15 minutes for the first day. Decided to start walking around and they picked up in intensity and frequency. Labored through the night, sleeping in between contractions every 10 minutes. Next day, decided to go to triage, they confirmed I was in labor but was only dilated to 4cm. Decided to go home and labor on my birthing ball and walk around my backyard. DH did nipple stimulation which intensified contractions and my membranes ruptured ~2 hours after getting home, but not completely, just dripping contraction peaks. Took a hot shower with water hitting directly on my lower back where contractions were the worst and the pain went from an 8/10 to 0/10! Lost my mucus plug in the shower, too.

My mom, who is a worry-wort, wanted us to go back to the hospital after about 4+ hours at home. Went back and I was at a "loose 6" cm. They admitted me. I refused IVs and only accepted intermittent fetal monitoring. Labored for another 5 hours at hospital and asked to be checked. Midwife said I was still at a 6, but "with a lip" meaning my cervix was beginning to swell due to unintentional bearing down during contractions. I had been awake for 36+ hours and was exhausted. Had the epidural put in ~2 hours later. Slept for 3 hours, woke up to extreme pressure. OB checked me and baby's head was past my cervix. Delivered DS in 4 minutes with 2 pushes at a healthy 6lbs5oz, 19.5in. He is now 19 months old and into everything!

swanbrooner

I don't have a story of my own yet, but I loved reading these. I love lurking current BMBs for birth stories more than I do for drama llama fodder...which is a lot.

swanbrooner

@Xath Thank you for sharing Ellie's story and what an impact she had in her life.

heath313

DS1: induced at 40 weeks 2 days because it was offered to me as an option. Did the foley bulb the night before (the pain may have been worse than labor). Came in the next morning to start pitocin. Labored all day, ended up pushing for 3.5 hours, had a vacuum assisted birth. DS ended up with an abrasion on his head from the vacuum and we later found out had broken his clavical. We were discharged on the third morning. He was readmitted for jaundice for an additional three days.

DS2: went in on my own at 41 weeks, 1 day. Pushed for 20 minutes and DS2 had no complications. Left the hospital after 24 hours.

leason learned, its better to wait!!! Night and day experiences.

awillis13

With DS I was put on bedrest for BP issues and possible Pre-E at 35wks.  At my 37 week appointment, I was told I was checking in and being induced because my BP was still elevated, plus I was having headaches and spots in my vision.  I was already dilated a bit (2 or 3 maybe, I can't remember).  I was hooked up to pit and induction started around 1:30pm.  Around 11:30, they broke my water.  About 1/2 hour after that, I was convinced to get an epidural (I didn't really want one, but with the pit I couldn't get any break from the contractions once my water broke).  Pretty sure I got a few hours of sleep at that point.  I started pushing sometime after 3am, and pushed for almost 3 hours (we were very close to the threshold where they were going to push for c-section - my OB will allow 3 hours of pushing when you have an epidural before going to c-section).  DS was delivered 6:10am, born at 37w1d 6lbs 11oz, and 20.5 inches.  Smooth delivery with no complications (I did have to get an episiotomy and had second degree tearing.  There were a lot of stitches).

After delivery, I developed a spinal headache from the epidural.  That was the most excruciating pain I have ever dealt with.  I literally could not sit up without a headache, and I felt like I couldn't bond with DS if he was fussy because it was like the worst migraine x1000.  I ended up needing a blood patch 2 days later to patch the epidural site and stop the spinal fluid leaking.  This time around, I am going to do everything in my power to avoid the epi and prevent that.  I think if I had been able to move around while laboring, I would have been able to power through the pain.  But because of the BP issues, I needed continuous monitoring of me and baby, so I could only labor in bed.

Other than that I had the quickest recovery.  I was up and walking the mall 8 days later (I had to get Christmas shopping done) and back into my pre-pregnancy clothes 3 weeks later.  I had gained almost 30 lbs, but most of it was water retention from the BP issues.

harpyogi

DS was born prematurely, but his birth was still empowering and as I had hoped. 34 weeks 5 days I woke up at 6am needing to pee, the second I sat down on the toilet my water broke and contractions started (didn't feel like anything beyond period cramps). Midwife on call from birthing center told me to get to hospital asap. I had just had my baby shower 2 days prior so both my mother in law and Mom were still at the house. Headed in and I was at 2cm, 90% effaced with midwife able to feel a full head of hair on DS. They gave me pitocin and antibiotics concerned if my water broke from an infection. Only needed 4ml of pit before my body took over. Went from a 2 to 7cm in 2 hours thanks to all my yoga breathing and moving about while in labor. Quickly went from 7 to 10cm. Midwife told me to start pushing but I didn't know how, she coached me through it and 1.5 hours later DS was born at 3:03pm on May the 4th (Jedi baby) 5lbs 12oz 18.5inches. NICU team assessed him while I got one stitch for a very minimal tear. He was having trouble breathing but pinked up once put on my chest. However 20 minutes later he still was struggling with breathing so he was whisked off to the NICU where he stayed for 2 weeks. Had a rough first year but he's now a healthy happy rambunctious 20 month old!

Elyse1384

@xath thanks for sharing Ellie's story.  What a beautiful baby girl.  She accomplished more amazing things in her life than many have accomplished in a life spanning decades. Saving 2 people... Wow!  What an angel.  An amazing little girl and you are such a strong woman.  

flyingncmama

@Xath, I was feeling a little sad reading all these birth stories, because I've had three C-sections.  But your story put things in perspective for me.  It breaks my heart that you had to experience the loss of your daughter.  Thank you for sharing your story with us.

c1tym0m22

With DD, my water spontaneously broke as I was going to bed at 39+2 (12 hours after my ob declared DD wasn't going to appear anytime soon). A check at 2am showed minimal dilation, so the pitocin and epidural went in. 

The series of L&D nurses kept raising the pitocin over the next day - a few checks showed I was dilating super slowly. Late afternoon they realized that DD was likely sunny side up, potentially a bit stuck, and bigger than anyone expected, so they had me switch positions and increased the pitocin (to the point that my ob came in and didn't believe the levels - or the fact that DD's heart rate was remaining steady). I finally progressed far enough to start pushing around 8pm, and DD appeared (at 8 lbs 4 oz) around 10pm (after an episiotomy and then a boatload of stitches upon appearance). Given how long it had taken for her to appear, they had a NICU nurse in the room to confirm she was fine (she was). 

The real "fun" began 5 days later when I returned to my ob's office with a UTI, mastitis, and popped stitches (which had to be redone). But that's a saga for another thread....

jc_twomamas

@Xath thank you for sharing your birth story of your daughter and beautiful angel in your life. 

doodleoodle

I called my OB on call line the night before I delivered and told her I thought my water was slowly leaking. I described what I was experiencing, a small amount of fluid leaking with white specks when I stood up or made sudden movements. The OB said that it sounded normal to her. Luckily I had my 39 week check up the next day because my water WAS leaking. The OB then mentioned, that even though I had been told my baby has been head down for weeks that she's actually breech. As my water had broken they couldn't attempt to turn the baby oh, AND baby had a bowel movement. I was told to go directly to the hospital for a c-section. I was so upset because I was worried about the baby's health and this was not at all how I envisioned giving birth. I was at the hospital maybe 30-45 minutes before being taken back and prepped for surgery. As soon as I was given the pain medication the baby's heart rate dropped and they had to start surgery before DH was even in the room. Despite all of that baby was born perfectly healthy and beautiful ❤️

daniev825

@Xath You are so strong! I got goose bumps reading Ellie's story and how she has touched so many people's lives. Thank you for sharing and so sorry for your loss!

Stankonia2014

@Xath, thank you for sharing Ellie with us. I got goosebumps hearing about her saving your dad.

keniialise

DS1- Doorbell rang, I bent down to pick up a package and bam my water broke... buckets worth of fluid, I couldn't believe how much liquid was exiting me! This was at noon, called my DH who was at work 40 mins away and he rushed home to get me! We finally got to the hospital and the nurses didn't believe I was in labor, when they finally checked me after sticking me in a room to wait because I was screaming I was almost a 8. Admitted me and called for the epidural. My epidural went awful, took thirty minutes 5 sticks and it still failed. The only thing my epidural did was turn baby sunny side up... worst back labor ever! My nurses sucked like I said and forgot to call my ob, until I was all ready to start pushing. My ob hauled ass to the hospital but got pulled over on the way. They had me start pushing maybe 10 mins and then realized baby was coming to fast so they told me to close my legs and wait for my ob (why I listened I will never understand) a hour later my ob got there and it took ten more mins to get baby out. It was a effing nightmare, I'm sure if I had just not listened my husband could have just caught baby and it would have been fine! DS's head is deformed, and I was supposed to have him fitted for a helmet but we decided it wasn't horrible enough to make him wear a helmet for a year straight for 23 hours a day. 

DS2- I was induced at 39 weeks due to him being stuck in my pelvis, I had been 2cm since 31weeks. Pretty fast induction and labor.. tried another epidural.. failed (I was already told during my first birth that my body rejects them, but I wasn't convinced) pushing lasted less than 7 minutes and he was out. Here is the kicker, I kept telling my ob that I was sure he was coming out my bottom instead lol.. turned out you can totally rip the inside of your butt if you push too hard and too fast. It's super fun when doctors ever ask if I had previous surgery and I have to say yeah I had to have a rectal fissure repair (have I mentioned how I grew up a prude, this is like hell for me!) 

DD3- I had a precipitous birth so it was a whirlwind. Laid down for a nap at 3pm a little bit after my water broke (line your beds ladies!) decided I'd take a bath thinking I had some time because my previous two births were 9 and 7hrs long, horrible idea. Finally got to the hospital and again the nurses didn't think I was in labor, they checked me to basically tell me I wasn't and I was almost a 9 got me in my room and into the bed! This whole time I'm frantically trying to call my husband who was deployed overseas so that he could FaceTime, he had his phone on silent for the first time ever and was fast asleep!! My FRG (family rediness group for the military) sent like every soldier possible to go knock on his door and got him up merely minutes before she came flying out. My birth photographer showed up during my last push! She was born in less than 3 hours from when my water broke. It was crazy. No IV, nothing... I joke I came to the hospital just to use the bed and then catch her. 

edited because I wrote my birth stories before I read the others and I used a phrase that I didn't want to come off as insensitive! 

joannabergeron

DS1 came a week early at exactly 39 weeks. My water broke while sleeping around 11pm, I called my doctor around midnight and he said that it's ok to wait to go to the hospital since I had such a smooth pregnancy. I woke up my husband to just let him know. I tried to lay back down and go to sleep but labor started around 1-2am, I ended up shaving my legs, washed and dried my bathroom towels, did a little bit of cleaning, and ate breakfast. Around 3am is when I couldn't take the labor anymore. We got to the hospital and I was 4cm dialated and we found out that the baby had produced his first malconium (first poop just cause I don't know if I spelled that right) and that he would have to be immediately suctioned after coming out to make sure none got in his lungs. We called my parents to rush over here (they live 2 hours away) thankfully they ended up getting here an hour before it was time to push! At 6cm, I decided on the epidural, I had extremely bad back labor. After the epidural I knocked out but ended up needing an oxygen mask because the baby was losing oxygen, all I had to do was switch positions but they left it on for pro caution. After 5 hours of labor it was time to push. I immediately started panicking! I wasn't ready to have a baby (a little too late I know!) thankfully I had my amazing family surrounding me to encourage me and help me through that time. I pushed for about 40 min and out came my amazing little boy! I got to hold him for 5 minutes before they had to take him to nicu, he was having some breathing issues. He stayed in nicu for a day. The next day, we were able to have him in our room with us and we got to spend our first night with him. The next morning we found out he had jaundice, such a miserable experience, he hated being under those lights. We spent one more night at the hospital and was finally released. 

jesselayne8

DD1 I tried everything I could to start labor because I knew I was facing induction and the whole "cascade of intervention that leads to csection." After walking a million miles, having sex too many times, and drinking a bottle of castor oil.  Still nothing.  At 8 days past my due date I went for my induction.  I got a Foley bulb placed.  I had contractions every 2 min for 24hrs and didn't progress past 1cm.  So I agreed to an epi.  My water broke on its own and I quickly moved to 4cm.  18hrs later my epi was no longer working, I couldn't stop vomiting and I was still stuck at 4cm.  I agreed to a csection and cried all the way to the OR.  DD came out perfect and I feel so lucky she never left my sight.  

DS I spent 9 months crying over how badly I wanted a VBAC.  I got to 39wks with no signs of labor and reluctantly scheduled a csection for 40wk4d with the only OB in the group who would induce a VBAC attempt.  Went in at 40wk4d and asked to be induced instead of going to the OR.  She agreed to break my water and within 40min of walking I was in active labor.  I labored in the rocking chair for 5hrs and made it from 1-6cm.  I thought my VBAC was going to happen.  Within one contraction the pain was unbearable and I asked for an epi.  I got the epi and never progressed anymore past 6cm despite strong consistent contractions which were too close together to administer pitocin.  After 14hrs at 6cm I agreed to another Csection.  That second csection was kind of a healing for me and I am so glad I attempted the VBAC.  

DD2 was a scheduled csection at 40wk2d.  This time I got to see everything.  I watched from the first cut and got to see her coming out with no drape.  It was really cool.  I held her all the way to recovery.  

mombod

I knew something was up the day before bc I lost a whole lot of my mucus plug and had some bloody show. I went to bed early fully expecting to wake up in the middle of night with contractions. I actually slept better than I had in months but woke up disappointed I wasnt in labor. I took a shower to decide if I should just go to work, got out, decided to do some squats and my water broke all over the bathroom floor. DH asks whether we are still going to work.. nope honey not today lol. Decided to send some work emails, called my mom to tell her not to hurry this will probably be all day. 45 mins contractions started. Sent DH to get some breakfast and he came back to me saying call the midwife bc these contractions are less than 3 mins apart. Went to the office to be checked and was 6+ and was sent to the birth center. At the birth center I was 9+. I labored in every position possible. Apparently I was so focused and seemed to want silence but at 10 cms my mom burst through the door yelling We're having a Baby! Total tension breaker. She was relieved to make it after a 3 hr drive and me telling her no need to hurry. I pushed for about an hour and then Everett was born into his fathers arms at 1:29 pm on April 1st, 2015 just under 7 hrs from when my water broke. He nursed right away and we had about an hour of uninterrupted family time before anyone asked to do anything. It was exactly the birth I had hoped for. I had no tears and a very easy recovery. Praying for a repeat experience.

mishmosh26

At 36+5 I went to my regular scheduled appointment and they weren't happy with my BP so they sent me over to triage for another NST.  When I arrived in triage they were busy so I had to wait around about an hour.  Finally got a room and was told they would be admitting me as soon as a room was available.  That night I was just being monitored.  I was woken up early by the doc who said they weren't happy with my blood pressures over night so instead of waiting until that night to start cervadil I was put on it mid morning.  Nothing had really been happening so I told my husband he could leave the hospital to eat something.  Of course 30 min after he leaves I started getting really painful contractions right on top of each other.  I felt a lot of the contractions in my back.  I also started feeling a burning from being irritated from the cervadil.  I had the cervadil taken out about an hour early and was given some pain medication I think.  I then had nice regular contractions on my own but when they started slowing down I was put on pitocin.  I was able to get a couple hours of sleep.  When the doctors came in very early the next morning to check on things they thought I should start the epidural.  The epidural mostly took except there was one spot in my groin in my left side that was super painful every contraction.  Early afternoon doc came in to check me and said I was 2cm 30% effaced.  Shift change happened shortly after that and my primary doc wanted to see how I was.  He disagreed with the other doc and said I was maybe 1 cm and not effaced at all and recommended a csection. Was pretty upset with the news so had my awesome OB nurse checked me, she agreed with the second docs measurements and that a csection was best.  I was then moved into the OR as soon as one was available.  At that point I was just excited to meet my baby.  Everything was great with her and I feel like they got me to recovery fast.  She was a champion nurser from the start. The rest of that evening was great.  Around 3 am I felt a gush and knew something wasn't right.  I had hemmoraged.  The whole team of nurses was in there fast pushing on my uterus, inserting a suppository, and restarting me on pitocin.  I was very out of it the next day but was trying to go through the motions.  I had a second hemmorage that afternoon while I had visitors which gave them quite the scare.  Things got better after that though.  I was put on a med for BP.  Nurses messed up and missed giving me a dose. Another doc thought I wasn't responding well and switched the med instead of increasing the dose which kept me in the hospital an extra day.  After 6 days in the hospital I was finally able to go home with my baby!  This was my first time time actually writing this his all down, sorry it was a lengthy story!

JessyKV

@Xath thanks for sharing your story with us and sweet baby Ellie.  I got chills reading about your dad.  She certainly is a gaurdIan angel! 

MotherofDragons

I was 40w1d and we had just gotten settled into bed for the night around 11pm (this was Monday). I had told my husband that I felt like I was wasting maternity leave (I stopped working at 40w) and that I was going to call and see if I could do a half day the next day. A few minutes into our silence before falling asleep I felt what was like a period cramp and tensed up. A few minutes later, same thing. My husband asked if he should time them and I said, "no, they're just Braxton hicks." They weren't. I just assumed they were because I had no idea and had had no cramps or contractions until that moment. My contractions started 4-5 mins apart right out the gate. 

After about 3 hours of these contractions/cramps where my husband ran around like a crazy person while I told him it was nothing and to come to bed 800 times, my water broke. 

Got to the hospital about 3am, confirmed it was amniotic fluid and was said to be 5cm and 60% effaced. I was admitted and told to rest and relax if able. 

Did you guys know your baby can "reseal" your water bag? Yea, I definitely didn't. That's what happened. Labor stalled. When I was rechecked around noon the next day (very hands off approach at my hospital) the OB informed me that the reason my contractions had stopped was due to a forebag forming. They had to re-break my water. Around 3pm pitocin was started. 

I asked for the epidural around 8pm when the nurse checked me and I was just 6cm. The epidural didn't work. At all. In any capacity. So I was worried that I was heading towards a fully unconcious c-section since I had been ruptured for close to 18 hours at this point. 

Around midnight (now Wednesday) I started showing signs of infection. My temp was 104, my HR was elevated, and my bp was rising. They started antibiotics for me. An hour later I told my husband that my pelvis was broken and I was certain it had shattered. He went to get the nurse to tell her my findings. Sure enough, I was 10 centimeters.

The nurse had wanted me to labor down for an hour but first had me practice push. I was so done with labor that I pushed with every last bit of force in my body and she said, "nevermind, we are going to go ahead and do this."  45 minutes of pushing later and my sweet boy finally made it to us. 

26 hours from first contraction to birth. I am just hoping for a slightly shorter labor this time and no NICU stay (my son bought himself a 5 day stay for a few reasons). But I know what I'm capable of so I'm excited for the challenge. 

huskermom14

@Xath Your story about your daughter is just amazing. That baby girl accomplished so much in her short little life. What a blessing to have such a great guardian angel looking out for you and your family. Thank you for sharing her story with us.

My story: I was 40+2 and went in for my regular weekly appointment that Tuesday morning. Got there and my BP was elevated. My OB told me to go home and relax a little and come back in the afternoon for a recheck. I went back at 4 and it was up even more, so he told me he'd give me 24 hrs since he knew I didn't want to be induced, but at that point I was so miserable and didn't think my body was gonna magically go into labor in the next 24 hrs so I told him we might as well just get the show on the road. 

Called DH, went home and grabbed our stuff, called my brother to have him come hang with our dogs, and headed in to the hospital. I was dilated to 1.5-2 so they went straight to pitocin and started it at 6. The OB came in around 9 to break my water, but failed. So he came back after doing a c section to try again around 11 and failed again. So they said they'd just let me labor through the night and try again in the morning. 

I had terrible back labor and bounced on the ball and walked to relieve some of the pain/pressure. By this point I was at a 3 and had been for a while. Finally at 5 I called the nurse to ask for a shot of fentanyl in attempts to sleep, which must've relaxed me just enough because my water broke 5 min later.

Then I was in one long contraction because of the pitocin and asked for an epidural at 6. After I got that bad boy I was able to rest and went from a 3 to a 10 by 1045. I started pushing at 11. I had asked my OB if I could pull a Kourtney Kardashian and pull baby out as long as everything was going well, so when I had his head and shoulder out I got my hands under his arms and pulled him onto my chest. It was so exhilarating, but then they had to take him and suction him out because he wasn't breathing. They got him breathing and gave him back to me and all was right in the world again. All in all I really loved how my labor went, even if I didn't get to go into labor on my own. 

helloaustin123

DD - I went in at 40 weeks, 5 days for a scheduled induction since she had not arrived yet. Up until that point, they were checking me and I was showing no dilation or softening of the cervix. My doctor said that that happens for some people until the last minute so she was assuming it would happen to me. She also told me at my 36 week appointment that I would most likely have a 6-7 lb normal size baby. I honestly do not think she saw my 36 week ultrasound because she was measuring at 7 lbs then (I know that's not completely accurate but it gives you an idea). I went in to the hospital and they started the cervidil overnight and pitocin the next morning. I was having contractions before I got to the hospital (6 minutes apart), and at the hospital with the medicines they gave me I was having them 5 minutes apart or less for 36 hours. During that long time period, they kept increasing the pitocin and tried cervidil overnight again and after checking what seemed like a million painful times, I was still not dilating. After 36 hours I said I could not take it anymore and I opted to have a c section since I showed no progress. I was exhausted but my baby was born fast with the surgery and I got to see her a couple hours later. She ended up being 9 lbs. 5 ounces and healthy precious girl. Our experience with the doctor we had was horrible and since then we have switched to a new doctor, who has said will not let me go through that again since my body can't dilate, and scheduled me a c section for may 30th for this DD#2. 

allywat

At 32 weeks 5 days my husband had just returned from a 3 day work trip and I had a routine visit that also included a ultra sound because I had measured big last visit. The previous night I had had some lower back cramping but hadn't thought anything of it. We got to the ultrasound first and we're so happy to see baby, the ultrasound tech told us he had a ton of hair and that everything was measuring fine I just had a high but still within normal level of fluid that was making me measure ahead. I then went to give a urine sample for my ob appointment and when I stood up I still kept feeling like I was peeing. Not a ton at first but I was getting really embarrassed because I seriously thought I kept peeing myself. Every time I would stand up a little more would come out. I finally told the nurse and she told the doctor who I could hear was one room over. I got into the exam room and felt a large gush come out. My water had broke on its own at the office. The office is attached to the hospital so they wheeled me down. I got pregesterone for baby's lungs and magnesium which made me vomit a good 3 or 4 times and made me feel like I was on fire. Then the contractions started to come. I honestly wasn't prepared and mine were way worse than I ever could have imagined. I got an intravenous painkiller that helped for about 3 minutes lol,  I begged for and got an epidural which finally allowed me to take a breath from all the commotion. I had dilated from a 1 to a 10 in less than an hour. Because of the epidural though I had a tough time pushing, I pushed for close to 3 hours, poor kid was in the birth canal so long his head was cone shaped. I delivered my 4 lb 9 oz boy about 6 hours after my water initially broke. He spent 4 weeks in the NICU, and had to have hernia surgery but he is perfect.