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No pain meds VBAC...long but amazing!

mwlynnmwlynn
in Birth Stories

I woke up around Midnight Sunday night/Monday morning of November 23, 2009.  I didn?t think much of it?I had woken up countless times in the night over the last months of pregnancy for the bathroom run.  So, I went to the bathroom and got back in bed.  But, I couldn?t get comfortable.  I tossed and turned.  After about an hour, I started noticing contractions.  I was surprised because they came so close together.  I had expected 10 minutes apart but instead started with 3-5 minutes apart.  After about an hour, I woke up Kevin.  We didn?t really know what to do.  So, we finished up our packing for the hospital.  We decided to start calling parents and our doula around 4AM.  We knew it would take a little while for anyone to arrive and wanted to give them a heads up before traffic got too bad.

 

Upon calling our doula, we found out she had just gone to bed from attending another birth.  She called her back up to give her a heads up and let her get some rest since we were still in early labor.  The back up arrived between 6 and 7AM, I think.  She was very nice and was timing contractions.  They were fairly close together and I started to get concerned that I would be riding to the hospital during some substantial labor.  I decided to take a bath.  I had tried the bathtub just after I woke up Kevin but did not find it comfortable.  I didn?t want to be on my back at all.  But, I decided to give it another try.  I was able to relax and even napped between contractions.  The contractions got somewhat sporadic while I was in the tub.  I got out when they got regular again.   

 

I think it was around 9:30 when the back up doula decided we should probably head to the hospital to avoid active hard labor in the car.  I was really nervous about having contractions in the car but thankfully, I only had about 3 and managed to get into a comfortable position straddling the back seat.

 

When we got to the hospital, we were the only ones in L&D.  This was good and bad?a lot of personal service and quick attention to needs?but I had to deal with the monitor nazi?s.  Because Gretchen was a VBAC, the hospital required continuous monitoring.  Side note?there is a business opportunity here?those monitors DO NOT stay in place unless you lie down the whole time.  As previously mentioned, this was not comfortable.  We spent most of the day trying to get the monitor to stay in place and keep it there so the nurses would leave me alone.

 

Anyway, our midwife came in and checked me at 10:30?I was expecting 5cm?.well on the way.  Nope?sorry.  3cm, 80% effaced at -1 station.  I had some work to do.  I spent the next few hours laboring in various positions, walking the hall, birth ball, etc?.anything we could think of?checked around 1:30PM and I had progressed to 5 cm.  I was surprised it wasn?t more but labored on.  The intensity definitely increased in the afternoon.  I pretty much lost track of time and labored on the toilet or on my side for hours.  I was loosing my sense of humor and was getting very tired.

 

Around 5pm, I was checked again.  Much to my dismay, I was only at 6cm and she had not descended at all.  Side note ? get checked for dilation when your baby is still high is painful.  I had begun to dread it but later learned that once she descends it isn?t nearly as uncomfortable.  The mid-wife presented a few options?continue to labor with our doula and try some different techniques to get the baby down, break my water (she did not want to do this b/c Gretchen was still pretty high) or get an epidural so I could relax and let her descend?this would also help me to rest since I had been awake since Midnight.  After the midwife left the room, I broke down.  I was so discouraged and afraid I was not going to get the birth I wanted that we had planned.  Our doula was great and suggested doing some lunges and squats during contractions to get the baby down.  I was reluctant?squatting is not exactly comfortable on a normal day?and I was so tired.  But, we did manage to do some lunges and squats for about an hour.  Then, I went back to the toilet.  It was the most comfortable.  I didn?t have to support myself but also felt like I got the most out of each contraction.  Kevin was wonderful the whole time?supporting me as I worked through what was now intense pain.  I had underestimated the amount of pain but still powered on.

 

I remember reading about losing modesty?.I was definitely in this place now as the hospital gown was ?getting in my way?.  All I had on was socks and the annoying monitor?.how entertaining a site this must have been!  The funniest thing was the bruise/chapped skin I created on my forehead.  I would lean/rub my head against Kevin?s stomach or the side of the bed with each contraction.  After hours of doing this, my head was sore.

 

Thankfully, the next time I was checked, I had progressed significantly in only 1.5 hours.  The midwife suggested we just keep doing what we had been doing.  The next couple of hours are a blur.  I am fairly certain I just went back and forth between squatting and laboring on the toilet.  Maybe around 9PM, I was very tired and wanted to try and lay down.  After lying on my side for a while, I was checked and happy to learn I was at 9.5? ?. Just a rim of my cervix remained.  The midwife suggested that she break my water.  I don?t recall much suggestion around it ? I was VERY ready to be done with labor.  I do recall being utterly shocked at the amount of fluid that came out when she broke my water.  It was somewhat of a relief and a humorous few minutes as the midwife created a barrier with towels so she wouldn?t get drenched.  Finally?10cm?time to push.  I think it was around 10PM. 

 

I had always heard that it would feel good to push.  It did not.  I found it awkward and difficult.  But, I did as I was coached and pushed with each contraction.  The problem was that my contractions had spaced out so much?5 to sometimes 7 minutes apart so any progress I made pushing was lost with so much time in between.  She would just creep back up.  So, after about an hour of my dozing off between contractions and listening to the midwife telling stories of recent births, she suggested a small amount of Pitocin to get the contractions closer together.  I was initially nervous about this idea since I had always heard how Pitocin made contractions so much more intense but I was assured that at this stage they would not be more intense just closer together so I agreed.

 

That definitely sped things up.  The contractions seemed to be on top of one another now and my body was pushing automatically.  The further she descended into my pelvis, the more intense the pain?screw ?pressure??it was pain.  But, I was doing it.  The birth team was phenomenal and between contractions, our doula was applying icy washcloths to my chest and head.  They felt fantastic as I had never been so hot in my life! 

 

As I got closer to her birth, my body seemed to push on it?s own with each contraction.  I was so tired and ready for it to be over.  Everyone kept telling me that she was ?so close?, ?right there?.  I remember telling them that I didn?t believe them?not sure why.  They got a kick out of it?glad to provide some comic relief.  Burning?intense burning.  The midwife told me open my eyes and look down.  I was afraid.  I don?t know why.  I grabbed her and brought her to my chest.  The tears came instantly.  I couldn?t believe I had done it?nearly 24 hours after the first contraction, our daughter was here and our family was complete.  Gretchen was 8 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches at birth and nursing within the hour.

 

With the assistance and patience of our midwife, I was lucky enough to only have a very small tear that she felt would heal on it?s own in just a day.  So, no stitches for me.  I was thrilled.  The recovery was a breeze and I felt great within just a couple of days.

 

Gretchen?s birth was AMAZING!  I will never forget it and am proud that I was able to bring her into this world without any pain medication and minimal medical intervention.  I could not have done it without the support on Kevin and a fantastic birth team!

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