Emerson has arrived! - Birth Story(VERY long)/Update!
Thanks D for updating the boards, and for all the well wishes ladies!!
I missed you all!
So, my labor and delivery was quite rough, I started having contractions on Thursday and then they stopped later that night. I had been having contractions on and off for a few days, but it was all just prep time! On Saturday(My due date), at about 1am I started having contractions again and this time I knew it was the real deal. My MW and I discussed I would do most of my laboring at home and then call her as soon as they were very painful and 5 minutes apart, and she would make a judgement call as to whether or not she felt I was active enough to come on in to the hospital. I wanted to head to the hospital at the last minute to avoid all the annoying hospital interventions and protocols, and basically just be there to push. So I labored and labored and contractions started getting more intense, about 7-10 minutes apart for a loooong time, so I got in the tub, bbounced on the ball, watched some movies, walked around, rocked with the DH, anything and everything I could possibly think of to get through each contraction. About 24 hours later I started having unbearable contractions at 3-5 minutes apart, my DH called the MW since I could barely breathe let alone talk, and she said, "Come on in!" I didn't think once about any kind of pain relief, I actually really made an effort to turn the pain into enjoyment (impossible..LOL) knowing what the outcome would be. With that mindset, I made it through each contraction calmly and persisted on! When we arrived at the hospital, my MW brought me right into the L&D room, checked me and said I was only at 3cm!!!!! So at this point it is past the 24 hour mark, it was about 2am on Sunday and I felt totally discouraged but just kept laboring. Walked around, got on the ball, got in the birthing shower, rocked with DH..EVERYTHING! lol. So not it is 7am, 5 hours later and there I was still at 3cm! At this point, The pain was nothing because my body was naturally exhausted, started getting the shakes and puking. My MW felt it best to get me on a pitocin drip and take an epi to just let me sleep a bit so my body could regain it's energy because my contractions were ineffective and my body was too tired to dilate my cervix..ughhhh I cried! However, I trusted my MW, and I wanted to just do what was best for me and baby. SO I got hooked up to the pit drip, got the epidural and IT DIDN'T TAKE! However, my left leg was numb and that was it. So there I was laying in a hospital bed, with one leg numb, still feeling the contractions which weren't too bad, so I guess the numbing helped a bit, but I couldn't do anything to relieve my discomfort. at around 6pm that night I dilated to 5cm! At this point, my MW brought up the possibility to have a c-section especially since I was past the the hospitals protocol of after 10 hrs of laboring with no progress, a c-section is mandatory. I of course cried again, but got over it quickly because once again,if that's what it took for my LO to arrive safely and soundly than so be it! My MW gave me 2 more hours to see if my cervix would dilate, and if not I was going in for the section! She allowed me to wait so long because the baby's heart beat had not dropped once! There was no signed of distress for mom or baby so my MW felt the surgery unecessary and had high hopes. So within about 2 hours, I felt a ton of rectal pressure, I was examined and fully dilated! Every painful contraction I pushed 3 times and at 10:54 pm our beautiful little girl came into the world! No episiotomy, but she scratched my on the way out so I had a stitch thrown in. With tears in my DH's eyes, and I overcome with exhaustion, my DH said, "We have a daughter!" and laid her on my chest. At that moment, I cannot even remember all the pain staking moments of that labor, she was worth every moment!
So after about 40 hrs of labor, if not more, here is the end result (I will post better pics shortly!):
Still a little puffy in her face from her trip down LOL
Re: Emerson has arrived! - Birth Story(VERY long)/Update!
I'm hanging in there, DH is a God sent! Thanks a lot!
You are so close, it is going to fly by for ya!
She's beautiful! Congratulations--you're a trooper!!