Update: Just had to be an Oct. baby (PIP)

CLLDLL · October 2012

As promised, pictures and a birth story I'll try to keep short! Big Smile

DS1 was born at 35 weeks. With DS2 at 36 weeks I was already 2cm dialated and 75% effaced. At that time my Dr. said she thought my time was limited. Then came 37, 38 and 39 week check-ups and no baby. I was starting to worry that labor wouldn't start on it's own. Last weekend I tried all the OWTs except castor oil. I at lots of spicy food. I walked 2 miles in the morning and two miles at night both Sat. & Sunday. We tried sex Sunday night.

Then about 11 PM Sunday night I was lying in bed and got the worst back ache ever. I move around, tried the heating pad, tried the trusty recliner that usually helped my pregnancy back pain. Nothing helped. I told DH I thought something was really wrong & I needed to go to the hospital. I didn't think it was contractions because the pain didn't come and go. It was constant.

DH called the Dr., the hospital and my Mom to watch DS1. Around 12:30am we headed to L&D. My back hurt so bad I didn't think I could sit in the wheel chair. So I walked myself up there! By the time I got checked in it was 1am. The nurse (who'd been working L&D for 35 years and had helped deliver DS1) took one look at me and said "Yep you're definitely in labor. The last woman who looked like you and refused the wheel chair delivered within an hour. I think you'll deliver by 3:30am.

She checked me and said I was a good 8cm. They got antibiotics started (GBS+) and put it on high. It burned going in. Then I labored on my hands and knees in the hospital bed. DH used counter-pressure on my back with and ice pack. That worked AWESOME by the way. I breathed through each contraction, and was feeling pretty confident. The nurse and I even had a good conversation about cancer. (we both lost a dad too early to cancer.) Then my Dr. showed up, bed head and all. She was a real trooper though, and was willing to be patient and let me do what I wanted. She said the back pain was due to baby being face up instead of facing downward like "normal". She was confident he'd turn by birth.

Eventually I asked her to break my water when I was 9cm because I wanted to get things moving. Almost immediately after that I felt DS move down and start to turn. The contractions got much worse and almost on top of each other. They offered me IV pain meds, but I refused. Then I had this huge urge to push. They set up the bed and trays they needed. I pushed once and the Dr. said she thought baby would come with the next push. He almost did, but the ring-of-fire hurt so bad I lost it for a minute and had too re-group. The third push did it. He came out crying. I was so happy, but then immediately hot and shaky. They gave me ice.

I had a small tear, got two stitches, and held Grady Craig for the first time. Amazing. 8lbs 3 oz. 20.5 inches, born at 2:55 am October 1st. I'm so happy I did it pain med free. He scored a perfect 10 out of 10 on the AGPARS both times they did it. The nurse said that was kind of rare. I'm so proud.

Things are going well now. We've been breastfeeding with mostly success. He's already been to the pedi and only lost 6 oz after birth. He's even sleeping about 2 1/2 hours at a time during the night which is awesome!!

And now the fun part.

First bath at home!

With big brother:

Going home from hospital: