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April 2012 Moms
jsillyfun
member
XP Team green turned pink-natural hospital birth
jsillyfun
member
y birth story. Sorry if it's a little long:
Tuesday night (or rather, early Wednesday morning) I woke up at 3 am to a contraction (after dreaming that I was in labor). It felt just like a bad menstrual cramp. I relaxed my stomach and breathed deeply (I was doing Bradley method) and the pain was gone. I figured it was a Braxton Hicks. 15 min later, I had another one. Hm, I still thought probably it was nothing. Then, like clockwork, I continued to have one every 15 minutes. I thought this might be it! I told DH what was going on and said I'd wake him if I needed him. I could no longer sleep through the pain, so I got up and baked oatmeal cookies (and ate about 10 of them!) and then took a shower and straightened my hair just in case. Unfortunately, at 7:30 am, contractions totally stopped. I was so disappointed! We went to my regular mw appt. at 11:30 and she said it was probably just Braxton Hicks and that this could go on for days. Boo! However, right after I left the appt., contractions began again, still like clockwork 15 min apart for 30 seconds each. DH and I went out for spicy Thai food, went to the library, ate pineapple, and finally went out to dinner with friends at this pizza place where the salad dressing is famed for causing labor!
Well, after dinner, like clockwork, the contractions sped up, going to 10 minutes apart and getting increasingly more intense. I bounced on the birthing ball, danced to some music, and we packed our hospital bags in case tonight was the night. Around midnight, I got to 8 minutes apart and was finally having medium sized contractions. These actually were quite painful. I could not get through them without backrubs and coaching from DH, but I was handling them pretty decently. I labored in bed and in the shower and tub. DH and I were so tired that we both slept between each contraction. It was like torture then to wake in agony, often forgetting what was going on. I would yell, "Go!" and DH would shoot awake and rub my back and time the contraction. It was so stressful, but neither of us could stay awake between contractions. In the end, though, thank goodness we got that rest, because labor continued to progress very slowly.
I was instructed not to call the midwives until contractions were 5-1-1, which was not until 11:00 am on Thursday, almost 24 hours into labor (although the first twelve hours were light labor). When I called, she said she didn't want me coming in until I was 3-1-1. So, I continued to labor at home. In the next hour and a half, labor went into overdrive. Every time I tried to stand up, I would have a contraction and end up on all fours. At this point, I realized we had better get to the hospital, since I literally couldn't walk. I was still scared that I would get there and and only be 3 cm or something and they won't admit you until you are 4 cm. There was no way I could go back home! Luckily, they checked me and I was 5 1/2 cm!
I was in so much pain that I really really wanted an epidural, but when I got there, the mw was sooo supportive and told me I could do it and was doing amazingly and that DH and I were an incredible team. She gave me confidence and knowing how far along I was, I thought I'd give it two hours and see how I felt. Plus, I was ashamed to admit I couldn't handle the pain. I wanted the mw and DH to be proud of me, so I didn't tell anyone I was considering meds. Anyway, 2 hours later, I was 8 1/2 cm! At that point, I knew I was so close there was no way I was giving up on my birth plan now! I labored in the shower, but now the contractions were so intense that I was vocalizing loudly through them, breathing deeply and moaning low in my chest. I was also shaking violently. A half hour later the mw checked me and I was 9 1/2 cm and wanted to push so bad!! She said if she broke my water, I might progress to 10 cm, but I was scared and said no.
Then, I started having 2 min long contractions with only a 30 second break between them and I freaking lost it! I had done so well with Bradley up until then, but I just couldn't take it. I started crying, saying "I can't do it! I'm dying! Help me God!" I was so dramatic, that I kept apologizing in between contractions for being a big baby and a difficult patient, but then the next contraction would come and again, I'd be just yelling and saying, "This is the only kid I'm having." and stuff like that. Finally, the mw offered to break my water again. This time I said maybe. She said, "Maybe? Ok!" and she broke my water. It poured out in a gush (and was clear, luckily) and I literally felt the baby move down lower. Now, she said I could push.
Again, I freaked out, saying that I couldn't do it and saying, "It's going to break my butt! I know it!" Dh and the mw were laughing at me and they reassured me that my butt wouldn't break. Then I was like, "I had no idea it would hurt this much." And the mw said, "Who told you it wouldn't hurt. Anyone who said that was lying to you." And I said, "It was those hypnobirthing people!" and she and the nurse cracked up laughing. Anyway, they told me to push through the pain and when I actually pushed, it relieved a lot of the pain. I told them I needed to hug DH while I pushed, so he sat on the edge of the bed and I hugged him and he kissed me while I pushed. The mw said we were the cutest couple she'd ever seen.
Anyway, as soon as I started pushing, it was clear that I was an awesome pusher! The baby came down very low immediately and the mw said I was making incredible progress. I pushed for 1/2 hour and then she said I was crowning. I felt the ring of fire, but it wasn't even as bad as I imagined it would be. She asked if Dh could look and I said "NO!" and she asked if I wanted to look or feel and I screamed ,"NO!" (Even though in my birth plan I wanted DH to help catch baby and I wanted to feel and see it. Not in the moment though! I also wouldn't let DH video it like we originally planned.) Finally, I felt the baby coming out and the mw told me to stop pushing. I couldn't really stop, but I slowed down and then plop! the baby was out. I screamed out "Sweet Jesus!" and again everyone laughed at me. They then put the baby on my chest and said, "What is it?"
I said, "I don't know!" But then I really looked and it was a girl! I was so happy. Dh and I both cried and I told them that her name was May Rose. She immediately rooted around for my nipple and started nursing. Meanwhile, they cut her cord, gave me a shot of pitocin, and tugged the cord. I had forgotten about the placenta and I said, "Why is there so much stuff inside of me?!" I got laughed at again....
So, the placenta came out, ouch! But then I felt soooo empty, the best feeling I've ever had. Except, I was also in pain because I had a second degree tear. I was numbed and stitched and then we got to go to our room with our sweet baby.
In the end, even though the delivery was quite difficult for me, I am so so proud of myself for doing it med free. I feel like I can do anything now and I almost start to cry every time I think of how I went through something so painful and difficult and how empowered I feel by the experience. I am absolutely in love with my baby girl and I wouldn't change a thing about the choices I made.
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Re: XP Team green turned pink-natural hospital birth
lol Me too!
Great job mama, what is the name?
What a great birth story! thank you for sharing! It gives me hope..
congratulations on your sweet baby girl!
#1-BFP 08-22-09 ~ M/C 08-31-09 at 5 weeks 6 days
#2-BFP 08-6-11 ~ Due 04/18 ~ born via c-section April 22, 2012
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