Sean's Early Arrival

With this pregnancy, I had a rough time.  I bled at 18 weeks (and we thought we might lose him) due to marginal placenta previa, and then I had lots of pre-labor contractions that didn't progress.  At about 35 weeks, I started having different contractions, so we went to the hospital and they stopped the labor.

Well 6 days later we were back, and I was dialated 3 cm and 70% effaced.  I had been in labor since 2am (and it was now noon).  THey had me walk around for a while to move things along.  An hour later, I was still 3cm but 80% effaced.  They decided to talk to the doctor on call to see what to do next.  I waited an hour and a half just to have this foriegn Dr. that didn't even check me AT ALL tell me that I was having braxton hicks contractions.  I was FURIOUS!  I knew it was real labor, and he never even looked at me or examined me.  I was having strong contractions every 3-5 minutes and he told me to go home and offered a pain killer, which I of course refused, and told me that I could have these for a few weeks before I actually had the baby.  

Well after he left, the nurse came in and I was bawling and told her what happened.  SHe said "honey, your  in labor.  Just go home for a few hours, eat, and come back in".  So we left (my husband and I) and ate, bounced around on a ball for a few hours.  Then I felt a gush.  It was not my water breaking but rather a large amt of blood.  So we went back!

We got checked back in and we found out that I was finally 4 cm and fully effaced (it is by now 6pm).  Over the next 6 hours, i only moved 2 more cm, with no epi or pain meds.  So I had been up for almost 24 hours, and I was exhausted and in pain.  I wanted an epi at this point but since I told my husband I wanted to go natural previous to the actual labor, he wouldn't "let" me get one The resident broke my water shortly after midnight, and they gave me some nubain to take the edge off.  I expected the nubain to make labor a little less intense so I could sleep.  SOOO not the case!

The nubain didn't work at all...probably just because my water had been broken and everything went crazy fast.  I went from 6 to 10 in a matter of about 1 and a half hours.  They wouldn't let me push until my doctor got there, which was unbearable!  That last hour was the most painful of my life, mostly because I was tense and tired.  When I got to push, though, it was amazing.  It was almost pain free until he crowned!  After 20 short minutes of pushing, 24 hours after first being awakened by contractions, Sean Patrick was born at 2:20 am at 36 weeks.  He was 5lb, 15 oz and 20 inches.  He had a few problems with breathing, so after I cuddled with him for a minute, they took him to the NICU to be put on the CPAP.  

He came home 1 day after I did and is now 15ish lb and about 27 inches! Healthy as a horse   I would, even after all that, still go natural on the next one.  You feel amazing afterwords!