Birth Stories
My not-so-natural birth story.
So as many of you probably don't know, I wanted a totally and completely natural birth. It didn't happen that way. I don't regret how my labor went and I am just happy that I was able to give birth to a healthy baby girl. Oh, and if you don't like bloody details, you should probably not read this b/c I am going to be completely honest and blunt as to how my labor and delivery went!
Ever since the 14th on friday I started getting contractions. It was early labor probably brought on by my doctor stripping my membranes. On monday night the 17th, Isaac and I just got done watching the first Lord of the Rings movie. At 9:20 p.m. I felt a sort of weird pressure down in my pelvis and then a pop! At first I was like what just happened! Then it felt like I was peeing on myself so I called Isaac and I went to the bathroom to go pee and told him to smell the liquid to see if it was pee or what. I know, tmi. I warned you. Anyway, he confirmed that it was not pee. So I called my doctor and she said that yes my water has broken and that I didn't need to rush but should start getting ready to go to the hospital. Wow, this was it! I panicked a little, got happy, nervous, anxious, excited, and overwhelmed! At 9:30 p.m. I started to getting contractions that were a little harder than before and felt like they were coming closer together. So we started timing them and at first they were everywhere but then they were a regular 5 minutes apart. We called our moms saying that I was in labor and to be ready to meet us soon at the hospital or at home. My mom came around 11:30 to help Isaac and I and stay with us for the long haul. By 2:30 am my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I couldn't talk through them. I couldn't really breath through them either. When one would come I would try to breath in slowly and out slowly but it would make the contraction more intense. I still did it anyway knowing it was the only way to breath without throwing up. Contractions feel like at first a menstrual cramp in your lower abdomen and then get more intense with sharp pains that go all the way around to your lower back. Like a very sharp dual achy kind of cramp. We finally headed to the hospital since they were three minutes apart and getting more and more painful. When I got in they checked me and I was only 3 cm dilated 80% effaced and in -2 station. If you don't know what that means, go look it up. I was very disappointed b/c at my last appointment I was 2-cm dilated already. I felt like I labored for 5 hours with no progress even though there was some, as little as it was. The doctor came in and said that they were going to keep me here since my water has broken, they didn't want to risk me getting an infection. From the very beginning they started talking about pitocin to help keep my labor in progress, since I got to the hospital my contractions slowed down to 5 minutes apart. I was not happy about this. I wanted to do this as natural as possible and already the doctors were starting to talk about using medication! Argh. By the end of it I agreed just for the sake of progress. They started me on pitocin which seemed to take a while to start working but once it did I could totally feel the difference. They came every 2 minutes apart and the pain got worse with every contraction. I think I would've done better if I was able to at least move around, walk or something! The nurse and doctors said I couldn't and that really sucked. I stood for a couple of the contractions leaning on Isaac and it really did help me get through them better. Then the nurse came in and said there wasn't enough squiggly lines on the babies monitor and that I needed to get back in the bed. Ahh! Im really frustrated at this point. So I get back in the bed and put the bed up in a sitting position so I could try to labor that way with my legs in a frog position. That felt a little bit better but no the nurse came in again after a while saying the baby was not getting enough squiggly lines again so I had to lay on my side, which hurt the most for me! Finally after 12 hours of doing that I couldn't take it anymore. They were too painful, too close together, and still no big progression. I asked for an epidural. I sort of felt like a failure for asking for it but knew I couldn't labor like this for another 8 hours or however long it was going to take! I think it was around 9:30 am once they gave it to me, and it actually wasn't bad at all. It was just like getting a little pinch when they put in the numbing stuff. The actual epi you don't feel them put in since they numb you first. Right away I felt a difference! The pain was gone from everywhere and all I could feel was pressure. This is when I finally realized how tired I was and I fell asleep. My heart-rate slowed which is normal with this so they gave me oxygen. They baby however seemed to be doing well. I started to feel warm which only made me sleepier. They took my temperature and found out I had a fever. From this point on they kept really close watch of me and the baby. After four hours of sleeping on and off I started to feel the urge to push and a lot of pressure. By the way, the nurses and helpers in this shift were much more nice to me and great to be with! I told the nurse what I felt and she got someone to come and check me right away. I was 9 cm! Woot! Finally the progression happened in the last 4 hours! They waited just a little longer for me to get to 10 and then they got me ready to push.I put up my bed to a sitting position to get ready. They started me on practice pushes and called the doctor in right away! They said that I was a really good pusher and that she will be here soon! I remember just giving it my all at each push, each time I tried to push harder and harder. I started to feel her head and they told me to stop pushing, wow, a lot of pressure there! They suctioned her a little bit and then told me to do one more push and I just felt her slide out! After less than 30 minutes of pushing she was here at 12:48 p.m.! She weighed 7Ibs 1.5oz and 19-in long. They put her right away to my chest and she started to cry just a little. Oh at that moment and time you forget about everything else that is happening in the room, it was just me and her, for the longest time it felt like. I fell in love instantly and forgot about all of the pain and stress instantly. I knew there was a God right when I saw her, I thanked him so much for giving me such a beautiful gift, the gift of life. They had to whisk her away after that moment b/c she also had a fever. For 2 hrs after her being born I didn't get to see her, it was so hard not to see her! I wanted to get up walk or crawl if I had to to see her. Isaac was able to stay with her they whole time so that made me feel better. Finally they wheeled her in and told me how they started her on antibiotics b/c of the fever but that the her temperature was normal now. We have been together ever since. I think within 48 hrs of both of our temps going down we went home. I love her so deeply, this love is like no other love I have ever felt. This love flutters, hiccups, cries, gazes, smiles, frowns,poops, pees, and needs to say nothing, for this love is too deep for words to hold on to.
Ever since the 14th on friday I started getting contractions. It was early labor probably brought on by my doctor stripping my membranes. On monday night the 17th, Isaac and I just got done watching the first Lord of the Rings movie. At 9:20 p.m. I felt a sort of weird pressure down in my pelvis and then a pop! At first I was like what just happened! Then it felt like I was peeing on myself so I called Isaac and I went to the bathroom to go pee and told him to smell the liquid to see if it was pee or what. I know, tmi. I warned you. Anyway, he confirmed that it was not pee. So I called my doctor and she said that yes my water has broken and that I didn't need to rush but should start getting ready to go to the hospital. Wow, this was it! I panicked a little, got happy, nervous, anxious, excited, and overwhelmed! At 9:30 p.m. I started to getting contractions that were a little harder than before and felt like they were coming closer together. So we started timing them and at first they were everywhere but then they were a regular 5 minutes apart. We called our moms saying that I was in labor and to be ready to meet us soon at the hospital or at home. My mom came around 11:30 to help Isaac and I and stay with us for the long haul. By 2:30 am my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I couldn't talk through them. I couldn't really breath through them either. When one would come I would try to breath in slowly and out slowly but it would make the contraction more intense. I still did it anyway knowing it was the only way to breath without throwing up. Contractions feel like at first a menstrual cramp in your lower abdomen and then get more intense with sharp pains that go all the way around to your lower back. Like a very sharp dual achy kind of cramp. We finally headed to the hospital since they were three minutes apart and getting more and more painful. When I got in they checked me and I was only 3 cm dilated 80% effaced and in -2 station. If you don't know what that means, go look it up. I was very disappointed b/c at my last appointment I was 2-cm dilated already. I felt like I labored for 5 hours with no progress even though there was some, as little as it was. The doctor came in and said that they were going to keep me here since my water has broken, they didn't want to risk me getting an infection. From the very beginning they started talking about pitocin to help keep my labor in progress, since I got to the hospital my contractions slowed down to 5 minutes apart. I was not happy about this. I wanted to do this as natural as possible and already the doctors were starting to talk about using medication! Argh. By the end of it I agreed just for the sake of progress. They started me on pitocin which seemed to take a while to start working but once it did I could totally feel the difference. They came every 2 minutes apart and the pain got worse with every contraction. I think I would've done better if I was able to at least move around, walk or something! The nurse and doctors said I couldn't and that really sucked. I stood for a couple of the contractions leaning on Isaac and it really did help me get through them better. Then the nurse came in and said there wasn't enough squiggly lines on the babies monitor and that I needed to get back in the bed. Ahh! Im really frustrated at this point. So I get back in the bed and put the bed up in a sitting position so I could try to labor that way with my legs in a frog position. That felt a little bit better but no the nurse came in again after a while saying the baby was not getting enough squiggly lines again so I had to lay on my side, which hurt the most for me! Finally after 12 hours of doing that I couldn't take it anymore. They were too painful, too close together, and still no big progression. I asked for an epidural. I sort of felt like a failure for asking for it but knew I couldn't labor like this for another 8 hours or however long it was going to take! I think it was around 9:30 am once they gave it to me, and it actually wasn't bad at all. It was just like getting a little pinch when they put in the numbing stuff. The actual epi you don't feel them put in since they numb you first. Right away I felt a difference! The pain was gone from everywhere and all I could feel was pressure. This is when I finally realized how tired I was and I fell asleep. My heart-rate slowed which is normal with this so they gave me oxygen. They baby however seemed to be doing well. I started to feel warm which only made me sleepier. They took my temperature and found out I had a fever. From this point on they kept really close watch of me and the baby. After four hours of sleeping on and off I started to feel the urge to push and a lot of pressure. By the way, the nurses and helpers in this shift were much more nice to me and great to be with! I told the nurse what I felt and she got someone to come and check me right away. I was 9 cm! Woot! Finally the progression happened in the last 4 hours! They waited just a little longer for me to get to 10 and then they got me ready to push.I put up my bed to a sitting position to get ready. They started me on practice pushes and called the doctor in right away! They said that I was a really good pusher and that she will be here soon! I remember just giving it my all at each push, each time I tried to push harder and harder. I started to feel her head and they told me to stop pushing, wow, a lot of pressure there! They suctioned her a little bit and then told me to do one more push and I just felt her slide out! After less than 30 minutes of pushing she was here at 12:48 p.m.! She weighed 7Ibs 1.5oz and 19-in long. They put her right away to my chest and she started to cry just a little. Oh at that moment and time you forget about everything else that is happening in the room, it was just me and her, for the longest time it felt like. I fell in love instantly and forgot about all of the pain and stress instantly. I knew there was a God right when I saw her, I thanked him so much for giving me such a beautiful gift, the gift of life. They had to whisk her away after that moment b/c she also had a fever. For 2 hrs after her being born I didn't get to see her, it was so hard not to see her! I wanted to get up walk or crawl if I had to to see her. Isaac was able to stay with her they whole time so that made me feel better. Finally they wheeled her in and told me how they started her on antibiotics b/c of the fever but that the her temperature was normal now. We have been together ever since. I think within 48 hrs of both of our temps going down we went home. I love her so deeply, this love is like no other love I have ever felt. This love flutters, hiccups, cries, gazes, smiles, frowns,poops, pees, and needs to say nothing, for this love is too deep for words to hold on to.
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Re: My not-so-natural birth story.
Congrats!
My story is similar, wanted completely natural birth, water broke before labor really began, doctor ordered pitocin- me got epidural! Damn_ pitocin!!