Labor story -- moral: don't listen to the dr on-call?

Water_Wedding

I've enjoyed reading labor stories so I'll post my own. I woke up sometime after 4am Sunday (day after I was due) with the first contractions ofthe pregnancy. They were so light and I felt them on my lower abs that I guessed that was described as being like cramps. I played on the Wii because i couldnt sleep...........................................The pain later came from my lower back and I knew they were contractions. I told DH at 8:30 and he started getting things ready around the house. Timing them was very confusing. They were every 4.5 minutes pretty much from the start and about 30 seconds so I thought I was timin wrong. At 10:30am the contractions were making me nauseous so I called the doctor on-call thinking that must mean they are strong enough that I should come in He said I would probably be like that for a few days and didn't sound like labor?!??................................ Like as @$$ I stayed home and didn't do anything I learned in childbirth Ed classes expecting it to last forever. I was throwing up from the contractions that came after 1pm so we went to the hospital and I didn't bother calling the doctor again. We arrived at 2pm and they finally finished the initial checks at 2:30 when the doctor announced I was 4 cm and it would be a very long day ahead for me..................................... They walked me to the next room over and my water exploded just as I was about to sit. They had to draw blood, put on my bracelets blah blah and then my lab work had to come in before calling te anesthesiologist for the epidural. At 3:30, I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO PUSH. Nurse wanted me to hold it in?!? while the OB was called and got his stuff together. Twenty minutes later the baby was born.................................. It was the natural child birth I never wanted. I had no idea how slow they are to get things done at the hospital. I suppose I wouldn't have been as frustrated if I had gone when I first called the doctor and the pain was more manageable. I know it's unusual to deliver less than 12 hours after the first hint of any contraction and to go from 4cm to 10th in one hour, but if I had gone to the hospital when I wanted to I would have had 2 hours to get settled. I hope all you December mommas do a better job trusting yourselves then I did............. I'm nursing my beautiful baby boy right now. I'm so happy to be home with him. I wish all of you the very best!

tlcondon

I had almost the exact same thing happen. Although I trust the doctors on call at my OB practice. I had been having contractons since 25w, so it felt like a normal day. On Monday, the 22nd, I went to the OB for my weekly check and I was still 2cm and 90% effaced (had been this way for 2 weeks). He wanted me to come back on Wednesday and said if I changed at all, he would admit me. Went home, all disappointed, and had Sex.. I was ready to get the show on the road. On Tuesday, at 2:30pm, my water broke when I stood up from laying down. I freaked a little, called DH and told him to return home quick..(he was headed to woods for hunting), called the doc and waited. The contractions immdiately got stronger when my water broke. Doc called back and said they wanted me to come to office to get checked (office is right next to hosp). I was mad, but did it anyways. Got to office at about 3:15pm, on call doc checked my, mine was not in the office, and I was 4cm and completely effaced. He said to go on to hosp and get epidural and the LO should come rather fast. Got to the hosp at about 4pm, they had a ton of questions and tests for me.. Why in the world would you try and ask a contracting woman a ton of questions... all I wanted was epidural. Said they had to do bag of fluids and bloodwork first. At about 4:30 the anesthiologists came in to do the epidural. He was a grampa, moving around slow as xmas. I had to get help to get on my side and situated and couldnt hardly breathe. About the time he was getting ready to do it, I had this STRONG desire to push, the nurse checked me and said I was complete, so I couldnt get an epidural. I asked for anything, they said they couldnt do it. They called the OB on call and told him to come on, that I was complete and ready, he said it would be 5 mins... Seemed like a life time.. They told me also to NOT push.. Were they crazy??? That was the absolute worse thing was not pushing. I was shaking, sweating and had a death grip to DHs hand. Doc finally got there and dressed all up and I started pushing. LO was born at 4:51pm.  It was hard as hell, but my recovery has been great. No tearing, so down there has recovered quickly. My DH had always told me I should go natural, and I would tell him he was crazy. Never in a million years did I think I could do it.

Water_Wedding

You're right. I completely understand your experience once in the hospital. I couldn't answer all their questions either; DH had to do it. They also told me it was too late for meds because it would affect LO. You're so lucky to have no tears. I had the best case scenario for a tear- some minor tearing on the labia but four days later it's still killing me.