Birth Stories

Super easy birth story

My kiddo is 21 months old now.

I felt my first contraction while driving to work.  It was 5:23 a.m.  I was 37w1d.

I really didn't think that it was a real contraction.  I figured it must be BH (which I hadn't experienced yet) because it didn't hurt.  The painless contractions continued throughout the morning and went from about 10 minutes apart to five minutes apart.  I put in a call to my doc and got VM, so I stayed at work and waited for a nurse to call me back.  By 10 a.m. I still hadn't gotten a returned call, so I called back again and talked to a nurse who advised me to go to the hospital.  She asked if someone at work could drive me to the hospital, and I told her I wasn't in any pain and would drive myself.  As I was leaving I had like 12 people offer to drive me, and they were all freaking out because I guess they figured I was hurting and needed the help.  I assured them all that this couldn't possibly be real labor and that I'd probably be back in a few hours.  I texted DH saying I was going to the hospital, but not to leave work unless they kept me there (he'd just started a new job and had no PTO, so I didn't want him to leave unless necessary).

It snowed on the way to the hospital.

I got to L & D and told a nurse that my doc's office had sent me over.  She literally RAN to get a quick sign-in sheet, then ushered me into a room.  I was checked soon thereafter, and I was dilated to 3-4 cm (I'd been at 1 at my check-up two days prior.  She put in a call to my doc and returned to my room to announce that I'd be staying and having a baby.  I was shocked.  I still didn't believe that the painless tightening of my stomach could possibly be true labor.  I texted my DH again and told him to come to the hospital.

I had been a total slacker and hadn't even packed my hospital bag yet, which wouldn't have been a big deal except we had no camera, video camera, etc.  So, DH drove home first (50 minutes) to pack my bag and get the cameras.  He changed his clothes, took care of the dogs, and did a few other things, then drove to meet me (another 45 minutes), so he didn't make it to the hospital until about 2:30.  He stopped to get food on the way and asked if he should eat it in the car.  I said no, I just wanted him there, so he brought his food into the L & D room, which I immediately regretted because the smell made me want to puke.

To back up a little...my doc came to check me for the first time at 2:00 p.m.  She said I was at 6 cm and she wanted to break my water and start pitocin.  I still couldn't believe that I was in labor, as I had experienced ZERO pain up to that point.  So my attitude was like, okay, whatever.  She broke my water (VERY uncomfortable) and left the nurse with instructions to start the pitocin.  And then, very suddenly, I felt my first pain.  And it got worse.  And worse.  And worse.  No one had told me that breaking my water would probably throw me into full-on labor, and since I'd dilated to 6cm without any pain, I didn't expect it at all.  I tried the breathing techniques that I'd learned, but found out that relaxation breathing is kind of hard to do when you literally can't breathe because you're in so much pain.  I wasn't crying, but had tears streaming down my face.  I guess it was just my body's way of dealing with the pain.  I tried to tough through it, but gave up and got an epidural at about 3:30 p.m.  I was very disappointed because I had really wanted to go natural, but oh well.  Plans change. 

At first the epi only worked for half of my body, and even the half that it "worked" on wasn't entirely pain-free.  I kept pushing the manual pump button but nothing helped, so a nurse checked it and found out that the pump was broken, meaning I hadn't gotten any medication since the epi had initially been put in.  So, the anesthesiologist came in and switched out the pump, and from then on I was blissfully pain-free.

At about 6:00 p.m. a nurse checked me one last time, then asked me if I was ready to push.  I felt a lot of pressure in my left butt cheek, but that was it.  I gave my husband a wide-eyed look and shook my head.  At this point I was still in complete shock that we were having a baby that day.  This particular hospital had you push until the baby crowned, and THEN they would call the doctor to come deliver the baby.  Apparently a lot of people take forever to get the baby to crown.  It took me two pushes.  Thank God I had an epi, because it took the doctor 45 minutes to get to the hospital!  I felt very awkward sitting there in stirrups with a baby crowning, waiting for the doc for 45 minutes while various nurses and techs came into and out of the room, but at least it didn't hurt. 

Once the doc got there, it took three more pushes to birth my son.  I did have an episiotomy (I have this horrible memory of my doc saying, "Sorry, I'm gonna have to cut you" and hearing SNIP!), but thank goodness I didn't feel it. Seeing my baby for the first time was the most amazing feeling.  I was so in love.

My recovery was very quick and easy.  I never felt any pain after labor and delivery.  Ever.  I never needed pain meds or anything.  The episiotomy never bothered me, nor did the swelling and inflammation that ensues post-labor.  I breastfed my son with some difficulty at first, as he was always too tired to wake up and eat, but soon his voracious appetite kicked in and he fed with ease.

I lost my 23 pounds of baby weight in two weeks. 

My son was 7 lbs, 15 oz and 20 3/4" long.

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