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3rd Trimester
mandilou221
member
Birth story (kind of long with PIP)
mandilou221
member
Ok so it's been a while.
I just wanted to stop back on the 3rd tri board to share my story for those of you on the fence about getting the epidural.Our baby boy was due November 28th, but because I've been measuring small my whole pregnancy, my OB wanted me to schedule an induction for the 1st of December just in case things didn't happen on their own. When I went past my due date, I got a call to be in the hospital Tuesday morning at 5:30.I didn't end up getting to the hospital until around noon (because they didn't have a room ready) and I didn't actually get into my room until around 1:30 (because of all the paperwork and stuff. Apparently my preregistration form never got there?)After meeting my nurses, I was asked whether or not I planned on having the epidural. By this point, I didn't feel strongly either way. I feel that my body was made to do this drug-free, and some ladies even say they didn't think they needed it, so I told them I wasn't sure. I met with the anesthesiologist anyway and he explained how everything works which was super helpful. He also told me that my doctor had no specifications as to when I could get it -- all I had to do was ask. (Most doctors make you wait until you're 4-6 cm dilated, but my doctor only recommends it.)At this point, I started having regular contractions on my own, but at 2:30 I was given the smallest dose of Pitocin to get things going. A few minutes later, my OB came in to break my water. I was a little concerned with how uncomfortable that part would be, but I didn't even know she was doing it until I felt the warm water! Yuck.My boyfriend stayed with me the whole time and we had frequent visits from my parents, his parents, and his brother and SIL. Everyone had left for dinner around 5:30, so my boyfriend and I started watching a movie to pass the time. We assumed it would take a long time and we wouldn't have our boy until the next morning or afternoon. At this point, my OB was called to do an emergency c-section across the hall, but my nurse told me she should be done shortly and would make her way over to check my progress. I was having some pretty painful contractions (maybe a 7 or 8 on the 0 to 10 scale) and I was starting to want that epidural, but I at least wanted to wait until my OB checked me so I could know how dilated I was.The c-section across the hall was taking longer than expected. At 6:30, my contractions made my body start pushing. Honestly, I thought I just had to poop. After only 4 hours, nothing too interesting could be happening, right?I was in enough pain to have a shaky voice, so I asked my boyfriend to call my nurse. He pushed the button on the side of my bed (he said later that I looked pale and he didn't want to leave me alone.) I don't remember the nurse coming in on the intercom to ask what we needed, probably because Andy was a little too concerned to say anything, so they sent a nurse whom I'd never seen before into my room.One of the monitors was going nuts, and I never found out what it was doing, but it could have been the monitor being moved on my belly when I turned to my side. The nurse was checking that when I told her that my last few contractions made me want to push, so she grabbed a glove and checked my dilation and said, "Oh, that's because you're full."Full? Of poop?
Then it hit me that she meant fully dilated.She ran to get my nurse. My OB was still in that emergency c-section, but she showed up just in time. I remember laughing at my boyfriend for asking, "Is it too late for that epidural?" and the nurse and I said, "Oh yeah," at the same time. I pushed for 10 minutes, and little Luke Anthony was born at 6:46pm on December 1st.I think my only complaint for not having the epi is my frustration -- feeling the baby's head sink back into me when I stopped pushing. Luke was 8 lbs. and 21 inches long, and apparently I'm not a very stretchy person, so I left with a pretty nasty tear. I think peeing for the first few days after delivery was worse than the delivery itself.________________________________________________Before:
After: 
I just wanted to stop back on the 3rd tri board to share my story for those of you on the fence about getting the epidural.Our baby boy was due November 28th, but because I've been measuring small my whole pregnancy, my OB wanted me to schedule an induction for the 1st of December just in case things didn't happen on their own. When I went past my due date, I got a call to be in the hospital Tuesday morning at 5:30.I didn't end up getting to the hospital until around noon (because they didn't have a room ready) and I didn't actually get into my room until around 1:30 (because of all the paperwork and stuff. Apparently my preregistration form never got there?)After meeting my nurses, I was asked whether or not I planned on having the epidural. By this point, I didn't feel strongly either way. I feel that my body was made to do this drug-free, and some ladies even say they didn't think they needed it, so I told them I wasn't sure. I met with the anesthesiologist anyway and he explained how everything works which was super helpful. He also told me that my doctor had no specifications as to when I could get it -- all I had to do was ask. (Most doctors make you wait until you're 4-6 cm dilated, but my doctor only recommends it.)At this point, I started having regular contractions on my own, but at 2:30 I was given the smallest dose of Pitocin to get things going. A few minutes later, my OB came in to break my water. I was a little concerned with how uncomfortable that part would be, but I didn't even know she was doing it until I felt the warm water! Yuck.My boyfriend stayed with me the whole time and we had frequent visits from my parents, his parents, and his brother and SIL. Everyone had left for dinner around 5:30, so my boyfriend and I started watching a movie to pass the time. We assumed it would take a long time and we wouldn't have our boy until the next morning or afternoon. At this point, my OB was called to do an emergency c-section across the hall, but my nurse told me she should be done shortly and would make her way over to check my progress. I was having some pretty painful contractions (maybe a 7 or 8 on the 0 to 10 scale) and I was starting to want that epidural, but I at least wanted to wait until my OB checked me so I could know how dilated I was.The c-section across the hall was taking longer than expected. At 6:30, my contractions made my body start pushing. Honestly, I thought I just had to poop. After only 4 hours, nothing too interesting could be happening, right?I was in enough pain to have a shaky voice, so I asked my boyfriend to call my nurse. He pushed the button on the side of my bed (he said later that I looked pale and he didn't want to leave me alone.) I don't remember the nurse coming in on the intercom to ask what we needed, probably because Andy was a little too concerned to say anything, so they sent a nurse whom I'd never seen before into my room.One of the monitors was going nuts, and I never found out what it was doing, but it could have been the monitor being moved on my belly when I turned to my side. The nurse was checking that when I told her that my last few contractions made me want to push, so she grabbed a glove and checked my dilation and said, "Oh, that's because you're full."Full? Of poop?
Then it hit me that she meant fully dilated.She ran to get my nurse. My OB was still in that emergency c-section, but she showed up just in time. I remember laughing at my boyfriend for asking, "Is it too late for that epidural?" and the nurse and I said, "Oh yeah," at the same time. I pushed for 10 minutes, and little Luke Anthony was born at 6:46pm on December 1st.I think my only complaint for not having the epi is my frustration -- feeling the baby's head sink back into me when I stopped pushing. Luke was 8 lbs. and 21 inches long, and apparently I'm not a very stretchy person, so I left with a pretty nasty tear. I think peeing for the first few days after delivery was worse than the delivery itself.________________________________________________Before:
After: 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Birth story (kind of long with PIP)