Had my baby

jewelbride07 · March 2009

I'll try to make it short! Emma Jewell was born 3/3 at 3:56pm (10 days before her due date) after 20 hours of labor.

Water broke at 8pm on Monday 3/2, waited for contractions to be 4-5 mins apart for an hour before heading to the hospital. Got to the hospital around 2:45am and contractions were 2-3 mins apart but I was only 2 cms dilated! Long story short, I had planned to go natural but was progressing wayyyy too slow so I started pitocin around 8:45am when I was still only 3 cms! Went without pain killers for 14 hours and after nearly losing consciousness during contractions and throwing up constantly I took the epidural around 11:45am. Didn't progress to 10cms until 3:30pm and after being awake for almost 48 hours I'm so glad I got to rest before pushing. Pushed for 20 mins and she came sliding out! One small tear but recovery has been very easy.

My piece of advice is TAKE a breastfeeding class! Forget preparing for labor - that's quick compared to breastfeeding! We took a very intense class and still felt uneasy. We are feeding amazing after 2 days and are so glad we were prepared. Take full advantage of the nurses in the hospital - they are all a wealth of knowledge and all have different advise so ask them all. Meet with the lactation nurse before you go - try to meet with as much as possible - they are free in the hospital and helped me so much! Don't over pack, I never wore anything but the nursing bra I brought and never even showered (gross, but seriously there's no time!).

Good luck!