- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
3rd Trimester
Jen&Joe06
member
Birth story: Home birth -->Induction -->c/s
Jen&Joe06
member
We had planned on at a minimum labouring at home and had hoped to deliver our LO at home. On Tuesday I was 42w and our MW scheduled me for an induction. This meant no home labouring or birth. This was probably the one scenario we had not prepared for so it was hard to wrap our heads around the whole thing.
I was induced at 12:30PM and my contractions started right away at 45 sec long and 4 minutes apart. I was not able to eat or use any of the tools we had learned (shower, tub, exercise ball etc etc). I was basically stuck in the bed due to the IV and the monitors.
At 4:30PM our MW checked my progress and I had gone from 2cm dilated and 50% effaced to 4cm dilated and still 50% effaced. So some progress. The contractions at this point were 55 seconds long and 2 minutes apart. They were manageable though and we used our breathing techniques to get through them.
After that they really started to pick up. They started to get very sharp to the point where I could not sit up anymore, I had to lay on my back to even make it through them. I was given the "gas" to take the edge off the contractions and it worked well. At around 7PM I had another internal and had no progress at all since my 4:30 internal. The contractions however had picked up in intensity. The MW was also unable to determine the position of his head (face up or down). She broke my water and my contractions went to 1 minute long and only 1 minute apart. I felt intense pressure and the urge to push. The contractions were in front and in the back. At this point I was in a horrendous amount of pain and was getting no break between contractions. I asked for Morphine and laboured through another hour of contractions while the morphine did nothing to lessen the pain but did make me loopy.
At 8:15 I had another internal and knew by the look on my MW's face that something was wrong. My cervix had started to swell and move back to the posterior position. The monitors were unable to distinguish my heart rate from the baby's. Despite my desire to not have one I asked for an epi. I was unable to continue on knowing that I was making no progress.
I received the epi at 9:15 and instantly felt better. I could not feel anything but a bit of pressure with each contraction. This also gave me the opportunity to fully understand what was going on. The OB and the MW (since I asked for an epi my care was transferred to the OB but the MW stayed to help us through everything and take charge of the baby once it was born) talked to me about the distress the baby was under. Apparently the baby was trying to come out of my cervix through the side of its head. This was causing pressure on my pelvis and cervix and was leading to the intense pain I was feeling with each contraction. They also determined that my body was not in labour at all. It was the oxytocin that was keeping me in labour.
I was put on oxygen and continued to be monitored. Labour slowed to contractions every 8 minutes. At 10:45 the OB was rushed back in due to them being unable to find LO's heartbeat on the monitors. Mine was all over the place too. The decision was made to do an emergency c/s.
At 11:19PM our LO (Benjamin Jospeh) made his entrance into the world at a whopping 8lbs 8oz. Both of us are doing well and were released from the hospital yesterday.
Now while the birth is probably the exact opposite of what our original plan was and we actually only got to do one thing on our rough birth plan (Joe got to go with LO the entire time) we still had some fantastic moments that we wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I realized how strong I was for making it through everything I did. I am amazed at how together Joe was for me during the whole process. I loved the moments before Ben was born when Joe and I were talking about our life and everything that was happening and both of us were crying with excitement that we were about to meet our baby. Joe was able to watch them pull Ben out of me and tell me that it was a boy (we were on team green).
In talking with our MW today we went through the whole day again and she told us that at my last internal before the epi she knew that I would never had delivered Ben vaginally. She was about 5 minutes from suggesting the epi (knowing it was going to go to a c/s) when I asked for one anyways.
So my advice would be that things can go exactly as you plan but things can go in the exact opposite direction. Just keep an open mind for all the possibilities and know that in the end it doesn't matter how your LO arrives, it just matters that they come out safe and healthy.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Birth story: Home birth -->Induction -->c/s
I agree. I fully trusted our MW and any decision that she and any medical professional she consulted made. I know the decision to do a c/s was not taken lightly by anyone involved and that makes me happy. I am glad that it was done because it was needed not just "because".
Yay Jen! I am so glad to hear that everyone is happy and healthy. It seems as if you are quite content that you made the best decisions possible. Sorry that the original plan didn't work out.
Welcome Benjamin!