Had my baby! Birth Story inside

Mrs.JRF · March 2009

Hello - I didn't end up posting that much in the end but I wanted to share my birth story for anyone who was interested. This was a 2nd baby for me. Total labor about the same - 8 hours - but very different.

Natalie Marie was born at 39 weeks on Thursday, March 5 at 1:12am. She weighted 6 lbs 2 oz and was 20 inches long.

My water broke at home around 4:30pm on Wednesday afternoon. I called my DH to come home and get me and the neighbors to come stay with my DD. We arrived at the hospital and went straight to L&D where they confirmed it was indeed my water and admitted me around 6pm. Unfortunately, I was having no contractions and had not progressed from 2cm where I had been for over a week. My doc suggested I have Pitocin to help me get things started but I was hesitant. She said I could walk around for a while but gave me only 18 hours until the baby had to come out.

So I walked the halls and bounced on a birthing ball for almost 5 hours and still no progress - I was only at 2.5 cm. I finally decided I needed to get help so they started the Pitocin for me around 10 or 11pm I think. The contractions got closer together and then started to get really strong. I asked for the epi and had a great anestethiologist who was there within 10 min and was very quick. Within 15 min of getting the epi, I felt sooo much better. I could feel pressure and mild pain. The nurse checked me at that point and I was only at 3cm. I started to feel really discouraged thinking it was going to take me forever to fully dilate, but the nurse reassured me that since I had a quick active labor the 1st time, and now that I could 'relax' thru the contractions, I would go quick again. She was right. 40 min later, I was at 8cm, and 10 min after that, I was at 10cm and ready to push. I pushed a few times thru 3 contractions and Natalie was born! I had no tearing this time and felt pretty good after.

Natalie came out screaming - a wonderful sound, esp since my first DD didn't at first... - and then I was able to hold and breastfeed her in the labor room. She latched on right away. I was amazed at that.

We got to our recovery room around 3:30am and tried to get some sleep. We could have stayed until Sat but opted to go home early on Friday afternoon. We're doing well at home now. Here are a few photos: