Birth Stories
Options
My 11 pound baby (LONG)
We went into the hospital at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 23. I was 41 weeks 1 day (same exact as Jayden) so we were going in to meet with the on call OB and my MW to have an NST and choose a plan of action. Earlier that week (3 days earlier) my MW had done a stretch and sweep and I was 1 fingertip dialated...but only on the outside. I had no contractions, no show, nothing, even after the sweep. Not a good sign as I was hoping for a VBAC!
So when we got to the hospital, my MW was waiting for me, and asked me how I felt. I told her if there was even a sliver of a chance that an induction would work, I wanted to try it. She asked me if I thought there was a sliver of a chance, and as much as I wanted to say yes, I knew the truth. I knew it was smartest not to try. But to pacify me, she said we'd wait for the OB and see what she thought.
The OB came in a few minutes later and basically confirmed everything the MW said. It wasn't really smart to try, since I was measuring ahead and had no progress whatsoever. I was upset, and cried, knowing that I had no chance of having the VBAC I wanted. But, in the same measure, I got excited because I knew I'd be meeting my little girl and that was what mattered most. Since we weren't an emergency, and we weren't scheduled for that day, we had to wait. And wait. And wait... which wouldnt have been too bad, except the MW already had me not eat after midnight, so I was starving and couldn't even have water. Ugh!
Finally at 6:00 p.m. the MW came in and said that they were getting the OR ready. By 7:15, they were wheeling me downstairs. The doc who did my spinal was extremely OCD and took forever to ask me all his questions and get the spinal in, but finally Jason was able to come in the room and they got things going. I never had any problems during my section with J, so I expected this to be the same, and it pretty much was, except at one point I started to get super nauseaus. I looked over at Jason to tell him I was going to be sick, and his eyes got super wide... he was already nervous enough, poor guy doesn't do well when I am getting cut open
So apparantely my blood pressure dropped really really low, and the doctor said I did the equivalent of fainting on the table. He added something to my medication and I was fine in seconds.
As soon as that situation passed, I heard the OB say she was ready to get the baby out. DS came out super easy with my first section, so I thought DD would also. I honestly thought that she was smaller than DS, because my belly was smaller, but boy was I wrong! The doctor and her assistant had to work so hard to get her out.... it honestly took them 2 minutes of pushing, pulling and tugging to get her head out (they timed it!). My body was rocking and moving all over the table. DH kept asking me if this was normal, and if I was ok. I thought the whole thing was funny, because I could see my body moving but couldn't feel anything at all, and I couldn't imagine why they were working so hard to get out my *little* girl.
Finally, they got out her head, and my midwife whispered in my ear to savor the moment- I was giving birth my way. I appreciated her doing that, because she knew how badly I wanted a VBAC. A few minutes later they managed to get the rest of her out, and everyone started oohing and aahhhhing and saying she was huge. Mariela Victoria was born at 8:00 p.m. on the dot The pedi checked her, and she was perfect, so they handed her to Jason who put her on my chest. I could not believe how heavy she was!!! Everyone started guessing on her weight, and I remember thinking wow, she might even get to 10 pounds! (HA!) So I kissed DH and DD, and they went off to the room while I got stitched up and went to recovery. While they were stitching me up the OB mentioned that she had never seen a bigger placenta, so I asked to see it, and it was huge!
Anyways, while I was in recovery, one of the OR nurses came by and said "wow, 11, 5!" I said, "what's 11, 5?" She said "your baby!" Ummm... what? I asked "what do you mean my baby is 11,5? What does that mean?" She laughed and said "your baby! She's 11,5." I said "11 POUNDS??????" I was sure she had to be talking about another baby!!! There was no way little me grew such a giant! I am only 5 feet tall and have a small frame... where was all this baby hiding? LOL
I had to stay in recovery till about 10, and it was 10:30 by the time I got upstaris to my room, and while they wheeled me in the first thing DH said was "did they tell you how much she weighs???" It was true- my "little" girl was born at 11 pounds, 5 ounces. She was only 20.5 inches long, a full inch shorter than DS, but 2 full pounds heavier (DS was only 9 pounds 7 oz). She is a little butterball, with the biggest cheeks I've ever seen, and a full head of black hair. She looks exactly like me when I was born, only I wasn't quite so round.
She is an amazing baby, loves to sleep and sleep and sleep. I have to wake her to eat, otherwise she'd just sleep all day. Her blood sugar was low when she was born, so we had to put her on formula right away to get that corrected. My MW said she is about the size of an average 6 week old, so it was going to take my body some time to be able to produce enough milk for her, so I am BF and pumping and we supplement now and then too. I am being so laid back about the whole thing, since BF was such a huge stress with Jayden. I am trying to just enjoy every second with her!
I have been feeling incredible, getting around pretty well and healing great so far. I am trying not to think about the whole VBAC thing because I am afraid of getting upset again, but I think I am feeling ok about it. It would have been impossible for me to have delivered her vaginally, and I know that. She is here safe and we are both healthy, and that's what matters. I will have to take some time to mourn the loss of birth experience I always thought I'd have, but those feelings will pass. I am also feeling strange knowing that I will never be pregnant again, or bring home a newborn, etc.... but I feel like our family is complete now, and I am content with my two wonderful babies.
Ok well this turned into a book! Thanks for reading if you got this far!!!
So when we got to the hospital, my MW was waiting for me, and asked me how I felt. I told her if there was even a sliver of a chance that an induction would work, I wanted to try it. She asked me if I thought there was a sliver of a chance, and as much as I wanted to say yes, I knew the truth. I knew it was smartest not to try. But to pacify me, she said we'd wait for the OB and see what she thought.
The OB came in a few minutes later and basically confirmed everything the MW said. It wasn't really smart to try, since I was measuring ahead and had no progress whatsoever. I was upset, and cried, knowing that I had no chance of having the VBAC I wanted. But, in the same measure, I got excited because I knew I'd be meeting my little girl and that was what mattered most. Since we weren't an emergency, and we weren't scheduled for that day, we had to wait. And wait. And wait... which wouldnt have been too bad, except the MW already had me not eat after midnight, so I was starving and couldn't even have water. Ugh!
Finally at 6:00 p.m. the MW came in and said that they were getting the OR ready. By 7:15, they were wheeling me downstairs. The doc who did my spinal was extremely OCD and took forever to ask me all his questions and get the spinal in, but finally Jason was able to come in the room and they got things going. I never had any problems during my section with J, so I expected this to be the same, and it pretty much was, except at one point I started to get super nauseaus. I looked over at Jason to tell him I was going to be sick, and his eyes got super wide... he was already nervous enough, poor guy doesn't do well when I am getting cut open
So apparantely my blood pressure dropped really really low, and the doctor said I did the equivalent of fainting on the table. He added something to my medication and I was fine in seconds.As soon as that situation passed, I heard the OB say she was ready to get the baby out. DS came out super easy with my first section, so I thought DD would also. I honestly thought that she was smaller than DS, because my belly was smaller, but boy was I wrong! The doctor and her assistant had to work so hard to get her out.... it honestly took them 2 minutes of pushing, pulling and tugging to get her head out (they timed it!). My body was rocking and moving all over the table. DH kept asking me if this was normal, and if I was ok. I thought the whole thing was funny, because I could see my body moving but couldn't feel anything at all, and I couldn't imagine why they were working so hard to get out my *little* girl.
Finally, they got out her head, and my midwife whispered in my ear to savor the moment- I was giving birth my way. I appreciated her doing that, because she knew how badly I wanted a VBAC. A few minutes later they managed to get the rest of her out, and everyone started oohing and aahhhhing and saying she was huge. Mariela Victoria was born at 8:00 p.m. on the dot
The pedi checked her, and she was perfect, so they handed her to Jason who put her on my chest. I could not believe how heavy she was!!! Everyone started guessing on her weight, and I remember thinking wow, she might even get to 10 pounds! (HA!) So I kissed DH and DD, and they went off to the room while I got stitched up and went to recovery. While they were stitching me up the OB mentioned that she had never seen a bigger placenta, so I asked to see it, and it was huge! Anyways, while I was in recovery, one of the OR nurses came by and said "wow, 11, 5!" I said, "what's 11, 5?" She said "your baby!" Ummm... what? I asked "what do you mean my baby is 11,5? What does that mean?" She laughed and said "your baby! She's 11,5." I said "11 POUNDS??????" I was sure she had to be talking about another baby!!! There was no way little me grew such a giant! I am only 5 feet tall and have a small frame... where was all this baby hiding? LOL
I had to stay in recovery till about 10, and it was 10:30 by the time I got upstaris to my room, and while they wheeled me in the first thing DH said was "did they tell you how much she weighs???" It was true- my "little" girl was born at 11 pounds, 5 ounces. She was only 20.5 inches long, a full inch shorter than DS, but 2 full pounds heavier (DS was only 9 pounds 7 oz). She is a little butterball, with the biggest cheeks I've ever seen, and a full head of black hair. She looks exactly like me when I was born, only I wasn't quite so round.
She is an amazing baby, loves to sleep and sleep and sleep. I have to wake her to eat, otherwise she'd just sleep all day. Her blood sugar was low when she was born, so we had to put her on formula right away to get that corrected. My MW said she is about the size of an average 6 week old, so it was going to take my body some time to be able to produce enough milk for her, so I am BF and pumping and we supplement now and then too. I am being so laid back about the whole thing, since BF was such a huge stress with Jayden. I am trying to just enjoy every second with her!
I have been feeling incredible, getting around pretty well and healing great so far. I am trying not to think about the whole VBAC thing because I am afraid of getting upset again, but I think I am feeling ok about it. It would have been impossible for me to have delivered her vaginally, and I know that. She is here safe and we are both healthy, and that's what matters. I will have to take some time to mourn the loss of birth experience I always thought I'd have, but those feelings will pass. I am also feeling strange knowing that I will never be pregnant again, or bring home a newborn, etc.... but I feel like our family is complete now, and I am content with my two wonderful babies.
Ok well this turned into a book! Thanks for reading if you got this far!!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: My 11 pound baby (LONG)
IVF#1 gave us a BFP on 8/24/09, DD born May 2010
Surprise, natural BFP July 2012 ended in miscarriage 9/4/12 at 10w4d
FET#1 January 2013
I have been thinking about you and am so happy to hear your girl arrived happy and healthy. Congrats on your baby girl!
Congrats on your *little* girl
I am sorry that you were not able to have your VBAC as planned. I know how you feel. My med-free birth ended up as an emergency c-section after 6hrs of pushing at my birth center.
Thanks for your story. I wish you a speedy recovery and time to enjoy your beautiful little girl