Birth Stories

My Team Green/ No Progress/ First Time Delivery

I have been debating telling my story, becuase it was very traumatic for me.  It's so bad that I can't really talk about it, or even watch A Baby Story anymore.  I read everyone's story when I was pregnant, and I remember one girl who had some similar problems.  Her story helped me understand what was happening, so I hope that my story has a similar positive effect.

As a first-time mom, I was not at all afraid of labor and delivery, but looking back, I did underestimate the intensity.  I was due on May 17th, and had no progress at my appointments at 36, 37, and 38 weeks 3 days.  My doctor at the last one said "No progress." And I said, "but Dr. M said last week that I was starting to efface."  And he looked pityingly at me and said "He just felt sorry for you."  Fantastic.  I glumly made sure to make a 41 week appointment, because everyone *knows* first timers go late.  My 38 week appt was on Thursday.  That weekend, I was busy hand-sanding my front staircase.  (Yes, my "nesting" instinct was more like "remodel the house"...)  On Sunday night (Mother's Day) at around 11 pm, I was puttering around while DH watched TV and I felt something weird.  It was not a Braxton Hicks-- it was just different.  I wish I could describe what made it different, but I can't.  I told my husband that I thought I had just had my first real contraction. 

Knowing that contractions can start and stop for days or weeks, I thought nothing of it and went to bed.  I slept for a little while, but woke up with intense pain in my back around 1 am.  DEFINITELY contractions....  Again, thinking this could go on for a long time, I moved down to the couch to try to work through the contractions.  I was in no shape to locate the computer, turn it on, and time them, but they were coming roughly every 15 minutes, and I would doze between.   By 5 am, I was crying out with the intensity.  Breathing and visualizing wasn't working with the back labor... my husband was woken by my screams and having him push really hard on my back helped *some*.   He booted up contraction master and began timing.  The pains were about 8 minutes apart now, and he was ready to leave for the hospital right then.  :)  I guess he was a little anxious.  By 9 am, contractions were 4 minutes apart.  I cheated a little.  They said not to call until they were 5-1-1, and they had only been 4 minutes apart for 45 minutes when I called the doc.  I was exactly 39 weeks.  I explained what was happening, and the nurse said I should report to my hospital 45 minutes away.  I could HEAR the "you're a first-timer and this is a false alarm" tone in her voice.  I kept telling my husband all the way to the hospital that they were probably going to send us home.  He may not have heard me over the adrenaline pounding through his brain. 

We got to the hospital (5 construction zones later) and were triaged.  I had dilated from 0 to 3 cm and 100% effaced and was still progressing, so they admitted me.  I thought I was going to be brave and go without the epidural (because I feared it would stall labor), but after the back labor, I totally caved and got the drugs.  I also had to get antibiotics so an IV was started.  THIS is the moment that I would change if I could.  My nurse put the needle in the crook of my elbow and I remember wondering how I was going to push.  Make the nurse put the IV somewhere out of the way, like your hand or forearm!

I progressed well through the day, and was surprised to feel the baby rolling around.  She must have flipped at some point because she delivered normally, not sunny-side-up.  As a side note: my pregnancy and labor were really textbook, and I was truly blessed.  This is not to say that they were free of discomfort, but I had no serious medical issues that so many others experience.  When I got to 8cm (and was throwing up), my epidural had worn off, and the nurse didn't want them to restart it because I had to feel to push.  THIS is the second moment I would change if I could. 

I pushed for 3 hours with no pain meds.  The feeling of "pressure" that I was expecting was more of a "just-got-kicked-in-the solar-plexus-and-it-hurts- and-makes-you-want-to-throw-up" feeling.  Pushing is hard work.  Holding my breath, tucking my chin, and pushing for so long actually burst every blood vessel in my face, back, and shoulders.  My eyes looked like someone had POURED blood into them-- they took 10 days to heal down to merely looking a little bloodshot.  After two hours of pushing (28 hours with no food or drink of any kind), I cried, told them I was exhausted and asked for the vacuum to help me get her the rest of the way out.  Let's just say that the nurse was a jerk to me and leave it at that.  They said no, that I was moving the baby on my own, and they refused to help.  I was pushing 3 times with each contraction, and after I would stop, my body would push uncontrollably without me-- like a reverse throw-up.

So, I pushed for another hour before my baby girl was finally born!  8 lbs, 5 oz, 23 inches.  I tore (2nd degree) and threw up on myself at the moment she came out.  They laid her on my chest for a second.  My eyes were so swollen that I could barely see her, but I put my hand on her.  She was all hot and slippery. 

They whisked her away to do newborn stuff, and also because I was in trouble.....  a lot of it.  I was bleeding "like a garden hose."  The IV in the crook of my elbow had become blocked while I pushed, so they weren't able to get me any pitocin to help my uterus contract and stop the blood loss.  They jammed a second IV into the back of my hand, but they missed and the meds just made my hand puff out like a catcher's mitt.  So they ended up trying to stop the bleeding manually.  It was pure AGONY-- worse than giving birth.  One doctor was pushing down as hard as he could on my belly, and the other was putting her arm in me up to her elbow (through a second degree tear) and pulling out tissue and such.  After 20 or 30 minutes of this, they stopped the bleeding, but I am still anemic and dizzy 2 months later.  (And completely, utterly traumatized.)  The doctor apologized and said that they couldn't wait for anesthesia before doing that, but they would numb the daylights out of me before stitching me up.  So they gave me rhinoceros meds, and patched me up.  Then they thought that the burst blood vessels were hives, so they gave me a double dose of Benadryl.  I was having delirious conversations with people who weren't even in the room.  The nurse tried to get me up to pee right after, but I tried to faint, so they left me alone until morning.  It was okay, except they took the baby to the nursery, so I didn't really get to hold her until the next day-- about 12 hours after she was born. 

At my 6-week visit, my doctor told me that I had the "unmedicated birth you didn't want."  No kidding.  Next time I will speak up at the critical points, and I hope you ladies do too!

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Re: My Team Green/ No Progress/ First Time Delivery

  • OMG! I am so sorry for you. But I also want to say THANK YOU for telling your story even though it was a horrible one. Now I know a couple more things to keep in mind when I'm in there. Good luck and I hope you have a better experience next time (if your not scared for life).
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  • I am so sorry. I had a similar hemorrhage experience only mine was several hours after delivery. Anesthesia was in another surgery and I was out of luck. Luckily I have managed to forget most of my hospital stay so I guess I can thank th blood loss for something.
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  • I'm glad that someone will gain something positive from my war story. 

    Lambie-- Thank goodness you and I and all the other mamas (I read two stories scarier than mine yesterday) pulled through.  And forgetfulness is a good thing......  :)

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers BabyFruit Ticker image image
  • Congrats on your little girl!  I ended up with a c/s after a week of labor and I also couldn't watch A Baby Story for well over a year b/c it made me so sad to see all these vaginal births.  I think it's also harder when people tell you that you should just be happy b/c you have a healthy baby and minimize the real feelings, so I'm glad you shared here.  It will get better, I promise (I'm watching all those baby shows again!). 
    DS born via c/s 11/08 and med-free GD VBAC DD 3/11! Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • thanks for the encouragement chicsub.  congrats to you, and i hope you get the birth you want this time around. 
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers BabyFruit Ticker image image
  • God was with you when you delivered. I am so glad you're ok.

     

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