Felicity May's Birth - Positive Induction Story
LER091811
member
So we inserted it at about 7 and my mom and my husband and I just hung out. After an hour I was allowed to get out of bed and walk around. I had to stay monitored, but they switched me to the wireless monitors whenever I wanted to move far from the bed or walk. The midwife came back and said she had ordered Ambien for me and it would be best to take it cause it would be our last chance for sleep. So I took it, my mom went home and DH went to sleep on the couch.
I slept through the night and when the midwife checked me in the morning I was 2 cm and 80% effaced so they were happy. I was also contracted fairly well on the monitor so at 10 am the midwife said she wanted to try breaking my water to see if that wouldn't just get me on my way naturally. I was worried that that would put me on a timer for a c section and she said she wouldn't be running any kind of clock, so I agreed to it. She broke my water and I started walking the halls trying to get contractions going regularly.
While I was walking I had good strong regular contractions but then they would stop. After a while labor had even slowed down to less than what it was before she broke my water. I was pretty disappointed. At 4 pm the midwife came back and made the call that it was time to start the pitocin. Contractions started coming back well again, and I kept walking the halls.
Things were getting more and more uncomfortable. After a few hours I asked to get into the labor tub. They filled the tub for me and I got in with the wireless monitors. It felt great, my contractions were quite painful but I was still pretty laughing with my mom and husband. I stayed in the tub for a long time. Finally I was really moaning and uncomfortable. The midwife and nurse asked why I was holding back from the epidural, and I was afraid it would slow me down. I also was afraid to be checked because i know how common it is to labor in pain for hours and only have accomplished a little dilated. But things were getting painful fast.
The midwife said we needed to check to see where I was at, and I finally agreed. I got out of the tub and my fears were confirmed, since that morning I had only dilated to a 4 and almost fully effaced. I was very discouraged. The midwife said she believed I needed the epidural to allow me to continue to dilate. So I agreed. It's not that I didn't want the epidural, I always knew I wanted it, I was just afraid to get it to early. So it was placed and I felt a lot better and got a bit of sleep.
When I woke up at 4 am I was really in a lot of pain again. They had to called the anesthesiologist back to top off the epidural. The midwife checked me again and I had gotten to 7 cm! I was so happy. The epidural really worked wonderfully to let my body work with the contractions. Even with the booster to the epidural, the pain was coming back after a few hours. It was really quite terrible, all in my tailbone and vagina. I was shaking and panicking and crying.
The
problem is I had wrongly believed that an epidural takes away all your
pain. It only took away the pain in my belly and back. I could still
feel everything from the hips down, and I was in no way prepared for
that. I was so upset and screaming that epidurals were a lie. haha.
By dawn I was really freaking out from the pain and the midwife came back and worked to make me relax. She found that I was at 9 and a half cms. Suddenly I fell into the weird state where I was basically hypnotized and sleeping in between contractions and intense pelvic pressure. I was like that for hours I think. At 9:40 it seemed to be time to push and everyone came in to get ready.
I was an absolute mess because what i was feeling was unmedicated from the hips down and I NEVER wanted to be able to feel all that. I was screaming and sobbing that I couldn't do it and wanted more epidural. They explained to me that wouldn't be possible, and finally I couldn't take the pressure anymore and started pushing.
Turns out I'm a great pusher! It was AGONY, unbelievable horrific pain and misery but that motivated me to push as hard as I could. I was screaming my head off and probably terrified everyone in L&D. At 10:22 she was born! I saw my mom and DH crying and it was so sweet. She is the most beautiful baby ever.
I'm so happy I got to have a vaginal birth, it's all I wanted out of the whole thing besides a healthy baby. The midwives were so relaxed and great and really made it possible by not pressuring me and letting me follow my instincts. I had 2nd degree tearing and I'm still in just a little pain but breastfeeding is going quite well! I will try to get a pic up here.
Re: Felicity May's Birth - Positive Induction Story