My birth experience

ANowitzky · February 2009

The last few couple of weeks of my pregnancy were very frustrating. I felt like my baby would never come out! My cervix wasn't cooperating very well, so we had set up an induction date for February 10th. My last doctor's appointment fell on my EDD, February 5th. I wasn't expecting much out of the appointment since I was not feeling any contractions at all and only rarely had any BHs. Sure enough, when I arrived at the doctor's office at 10:15, he informed me that I was only 2 cm dilated and that my cervix was VERY posterior...most likely I would have to be induced.

I arrived home about an hour later (11:15am) and immediately got online and sent out a mass email to friends and family stating that my baby was not going to be putting in an appearance for a few days at the earliest. Then I got on the 3rd tri board and posted basically the same thing.

Wow, did my baby make a liar out of me! Only a half hour later (about noon), I was walking through our apartment and my water broke! At first I wasn't sure because I DEFINITELY wasn't expecting to go into labor, but I had just gone to the bathroom. Plus, I still wasn't having any contractions. It was a huge gush of water, like someone exploded a water balloon in my lap, and then it stopped. So, I called my doctor's office and was told to head to the hospital to be checked out. Calling my husband to meet me while I was on my way (the hospital is right around the corner, thankfully), I was then certain that I my water had broken because the gushing started again and this time didn't stop.

Upon walking into the main entrance, the lady at the information counter immediately hung up the phone she was on and brought a wheelchair to whisk me up to L&D. It wasn't until I was changed into the hospital gown that I started experiencing contractions. They decided that because my blood pressure was a bit high that they would give me Pitocin to speed up the contractions---that was all well with me, because I sure as hell didn't want to be in labor for 20 some hours! I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I managed to ride out a few hours without a problem (to me, they just felt like bad period cramps) before asking for my first dose of painkillers. Let me tell you that whatever they gave me worked like a charm. They made me drowsy and all I could feel was a little pressure, but no pain. I think I slept through a few hours of contractions! When those wore off, I tried to wait awhile before asking for the next dose of painkillers, but it wasn't long before I needed them. Very soon after my second dose, my doctor went ahead and ordered the epidural.

Around 7:10pm, I was ready to start pushing. My husband was down in the cafe with my parents to grab a quick bite to eat (I had only been 4 cm dilated when he decided to go) so I had to call his cell and urge him to get back upstairs. That was probably the longest five minutes of my life waiting for him to get back upstairs. While I couldn't feel any pain, there was a LOT of pressure. It felt like I had to take a huge crap and that if I didn't start pushing soon, I was going to explode! When my husband got there, we began the pushing. The contractions came one right after the other, so I didn't even really have time to get tired or catch my breath...I just kept pushing. After 45 min. of pushing, baby Noah popped out (more like ripped out) at 8:01pm, weighing a whopping 9 lbs, 7 oz!

All in all, it was a very easy labor. As punishment, I got a nasty tear and apparently gave myself hemorrhoids from all the pushing. Fun times. I think I am still in shock over the whole experience, even after a week---everything happened so fast...has still been that way. I can't believe my baby is already a week old!