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Eloise's Birth Story - Natural birth plan gone awry
MrsStu
member
I had wanted to have an intervention and med free birth, so of course I
actually had almost every intervention out there and multiple (failed)
pain medications. Even though this was almost my "worst case scenario" birth, I don't have any regrets. Eloise is here and we are both healthy and in one piece.
For about a week and a half before I went into labor, I had regular contractions that were about 5-7 minutes apart almost everyday for sometimes up to 6-12 hours. Since I was told to not go into the hospital until contractions were 3-5 minutes apart, this was very frustrating. Added to that, at my 37 week appointment, I was dilated to 2, almost 3 centimeters and 50% effaced. At 38 weeks, I was at a 3 and 75% effaced, and at my 39 week appointment on February 4, I was dilated to 4 centimeters and 80% effaced. At this appointment, I told my doctor about the crazy contractions I had been having, and he told me if and when it happens again to just go into the hospital. Even though I am a first time mom, he said I wasn't acting like a first time mom. First timers do not walk around at 4 cm and 80% effaced.
At about 6pm that night, contractions started up. They were about 5 minutes apart for about 5 hours when we finally decided to go into the hospital. I was a little nervous to go in because I thought my contractions were going to magically stop the second I walked in the hospital and I would just be sent home. I wasn't nervous about being in labor or giving birth... I was nervous about looking silly and being sent home if I wasn't in labor.
We got to the hospital and I was checked and put on a monitor for about 20 minutes. Upon first checking, I was still at 4 cm and 90% effaced. After the 20 minutes on the monitor (and contractions continued about every 5 minutes) I was rechecked and was 5 centimeters. This was like music to my ears. I was so happy that this late night trip to the hospital wasn't in vain! I was in labor!
Our L&D room:
I was admitted and moved into a L&D room. They asked me a bunch of medical history questions and got me hooked up to an IV. At my 36 week appointment, I tested positive for Group B Strep, so IV antibiotics had to be administered every 4 hours while in labor. I wasn't really excited about this because I didn't want to be tied down to an IV pole. I wanted to be able to walk around and use the nice big tub in the room if I wanted to. And let me just say... IV's SUCK! When I was about 4, I was in the hospital and had to be on an IV and I apparently ripped it out daily. Now I know why I did that. They are uncomfortable and itchy and hurt if you bend your wrist the right way. Oh, and the antibiotics that they used BURNED all the way up my arm if they used too high a dosage. It literally felt like someone poured boiling water into my veins.
It was about 1am when the nurse suggested that we try and get some sleep while in the early stages of labor so I would have energy for active labor and pushing. I tried to sleep, but was woken up at least partially with each contraction, so the little sleep I got was not quality. Plus, I was woken up at 4:00am for my next round of antibiotics. Yay! Ben slept on the little bench in the room and was able to get at least a few solid hours. We woke up sometime before 7am and I was put back on the monitor. By this time, my contractions had decreased to one about every 10 minutes. Ugh. I was so disappointed. The nurse said this was pretty normal after getting some sleep and that they should pick up as I'm able to walk around, etc. I also had not made any progress overnight. I was still at 5cm, 90% effaced. The nurse told me my doctor would be in at about 8:00am to check in on me and he would likely break my water to try and help things move along.
When 8:00am rolled around, I was started on my 3rd round of antibiotics (oh joy) and my doctor came in soon after. After checking me, he decided to put an internal heart rate monitor on the baby's head, which creates a pinprick hole in the amniotic sac, which would let my water break slowly. He said he didn't like to use the amnihook because there is a greater risk of cord prolapse and therefore a need for an emergency c-section. After the monitor was in place, I put on one of those massive hospital pads/mesh underwear and laid in bed to finish my round of antibiotics. While laying there, I could feel liquid trickling out slowly. It kind of felt like I was peeing a little, but I knew it wasn't pee. When I sat up after I was unhooked from the IV, I felt a larger gush. I went to the bathroom to pee and there was an even larger gush. So, my water had officially broken. I had to change the massive pad twice before I could start wandering the halls.
Ben and I walked the halls of the birthing center from about 9am until about 1pm. My contractions increased to about every 5 minutes again after walking around for a short time. They felt pretty strong towards the end and I had to stop and breathe through them. At about 1pm, I was checked again, and I hadn't made any progress. My nurse said that my contractions weren't close enough together to cause the cervix to dilate any more. She called my doctor and got his okay to put me on pitocin. This was NOT in my birth plan. I wanted to avoid pitocin like the plague. My main goal in my birthing experience (besides avoiding a c-section) was to go pain med free, and I knew if I was put on pitocin that the chances of that happening dwindled to almost zero. Also, being on pitocin means that the baby has to be monitored constantly because the drug can cause the baby's heartrate to go down. But, since my water was already broken and my uterus wasn't cooperating, we didn't have much choice. I asked the nurse if we could try prostaglandins first, but she told me that it was difficult to control the dosage of prostaglandins and I was too far along touse them safely. So, that was the end of walking around for me. I was confined to a 3 foot radius around the monitors. All dreams of laboring at all in the tub also died with the onset of pitocin.
I was started on a very low dose of pitocin, and the nurse kept upping the dosage until I wanted to die. Literally. About an hour after the pitocin started, I was no longer able to breathe through the contractions. It felt like my pelvis was ripping apart with each one, and I was fighting the urge to push. The pressure and pain was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I tried different positions to see if it would help at all. I tried laying on my back, laying on my side, bending over the bed, leaning on the birthing ball, on all fours... Nothing was giving me one iota of relief. At this point the contractions were happening about every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, and lasting about 1 minute, so they were right on top of each other. There was no real break in between and I was quickly becoming exhausted and overwhelmed. Everytime I heard the pitocin drip, I would curse it. With every contraction, I would scream and curse so loud that I'm sure they heard me in the lobby. In the hour between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, I had progressed from 5cm to 7 cm.
Around 2:15pm, between contractions, I looked at Ben with tears in my eyes and said "I think I need the epidural." I felt like a failure. He read my mind and told me that I wasn't a failure if I got one and that I should do it if that's what I needed to do. I was so relieved when he said this. When the nurse came in the next time, I told her that I thought I needed the epidural. She agreed that it would probably help me relax enough for my cervix to finish dilating. I was too tense during the contractions at that point for them to do their job. She also offered IV pain meds first to see if that was enough to take the edge off so that I could possibly still avoid the epidural. I agreed and she gave me a dose of fentanyl. The drug made me feel a little drunk, but didn't do anything to take the edge off the contractions. They were still just as painful and intense as before, the only difference was that I relaxed a little more in between contractions because I felt all doped up. I asked for the epidural.
The anesthesiologist came in at about 2:30 to administer the epidural. I had to sign a release form, and I remember thinking, "This is going to be the worst signature ever. I am delirious with pain and I'm doped up on narcotics..." The nurse checked me one more time before the epidural and I was at 9 cm. YES! Progress. Apparently the fentanyl made me relax more than I thought it did. The anesthesiologist had me lie on my side so he could administer the epidural, and let me tell you, having pitocin/transition contractions while trying to lay still is soooo hard. Ben and the nurse were practically holding me down helping me stay still. After the epidural was in, I continued to have pretty monstrous contractions. I kept asking how long it takes for it to kick in. Their answer of course was "Just a few minutes". The epidural didn't seem to be working. A little later, the anesthesiologist came in and asked me if I needed more. He gave me another dose of the epidural and the contractions finally decreased slightly. He told me that he gave me enough that I should now be able to take a nap and rest up for the pushing stage. Ha! The contractions were still incredibly intense. I was able to (barely) breathe through them and there was no way that I'd be able to nap. My legs never got numb and I could still move them just fine. So, either the epidural wasn't administered correctly or it just didn't work right on me. The only thing it seemed to do was give me the shakes.
At 4:30pm, I was finally at 10 centimeters and ready to start pushing. Ben wasn't sure if he wanted to watch things or if he wanted to stay near my head away from the action. He ended up watching the whole thing, and he actually seemed to enjoy it. The nurse grabbed one leg, Ben grabbed the other and I pushed... and pushed... and pushed. For 2 hours. I could still feel my contractions fine and was able to push effectively, but the baby was getting stuck behind my pubic bone. Her head was cocked at a funny angle as well, so it wasn't the narrowest part of her head coming through first. My contractions were still coming about every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and lasting about a minute, so I wasn't getting much of a break between pushes. Between every contraction I was demanding water or ice chips and a new cold rag for my forehead because I was sooo hot. After about 24 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing and not having had anything to eat for about 29 hours, I was getting exhausted. The nurse said they would probably have to help me and use the vacuum to get the baby out. At this point all dreams of an intervention free birth had flown out the window and I just wanted to get her out.
The nurse called in the doctor and about 3 more nurses for the big moment. The doctor got all set up and attached the vacuum to the baby's head. And then I pushed. And he pulled. And I felt her starting to crown. I could feel myself stretching and I was sure I was tearing, but that just made me want to push harder so it would be over faster. I felt the head come out and I laid back to rest a minute before pushing the rest of her out, but the doctor told me to keep going, don't stop pushing. I just thought "WTF, I need a break!" but I kept going. I found out later that her hand was up by her face when she came out, so the doctor had to pull her arm out first (this is what caused all the damage). It took a couple more pushes and at 6:41pm she was out. Oh, sweet relief. He put her on my chest for a minute while Ben cut the cord, then the nurses took her away to get suctioned. The doctor told me to push one more time to get the placenta out (I didn't realize I'd have to push it out) and I finally laid back totally spent. It was over and the sense of relief was astounding. All the pain and pressure was gone in an instant.
When I heard Eloise cry for the first time, it was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. The nurses weighed her and cleaned her up a bit while the doctor stitched me up. I remember him saying before he started stitching "I'm not sure how numb she is..." and I just blurted out "Not at all!" So he numbed me up a little before suturing. Even though I supposedly had an epidural and he gave me a local anesthetic on top of that, I could still feel the needle occasionally. I asked him where I tore and how bad it was, and he said it was a second degree sulcus tear. I had no idea what a sulcus tear was (I later found out it is a deep internal tear), but I knew second degree meant that the tear went into the muscle tissue.
Once I had my baby in my arms, I knew it was all worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The biggest surprise for me was her full head of dark hair. Most babies in my family come out bald (me included) and I was expecting a blondie or a redhead, not a brunette. She was so beautiful and alert and was just a tiny little peanut at 6lbs 9.6 ounces, 19.5 inches long. I couldn't believe that my husband and I had made this little person. I was so happy that after all that work, our baby was finally here!
Here is Eloise being weighed for the first time (and none too happy about it):
And Mommy and Eloise about a half hour after birth (even my hair is still a crazy mess :P)
For about a week and a half before I went into labor, I had regular contractions that were about 5-7 minutes apart almost everyday for sometimes up to 6-12 hours. Since I was told to not go into the hospital until contractions were 3-5 minutes apart, this was very frustrating. Added to that, at my 37 week appointment, I was dilated to 2, almost 3 centimeters and 50% effaced. At 38 weeks, I was at a 3 and 75% effaced, and at my 39 week appointment on February 4, I was dilated to 4 centimeters and 80% effaced. At this appointment, I told my doctor about the crazy contractions I had been having, and he told me if and when it happens again to just go into the hospital. Even though I am a first time mom, he said I wasn't acting like a first time mom. First timers do not walk around at 4 cm and 80% effaced.
At about 6pm that night, contractions started up. They were about 5 minutes apart for about 5 hours when we finally decided to go into the hospital. I was a little nervous to go in because I thought my contractions were going to magically stop the second I walked in the hospital and I would just be sent home. I wasn't nervous about being in labor or giving birth... I was nervous about looking silly and being sent home if I wasn't in labor.
We got to the hospital and I was checked and put on a monitor for about 20 minutes. Upon first checking, I was still at 4 cm and 90% effaced. After the 20 minutes on the monitor (and contractions continued about every 5 minutes) I was rechecked and was 5 centimeters. This was like music to my ears. I was so happy that this late night trip to the hospital wasn't in vain! I was in labor!
Our L&D room:
I was admitted and moved into a L&D room. They asked me a bunch of medical history questions and got me hooked up to an IV. At my 36 week appointment, I tested positive for Group B Strep, so IV antibiotics had to be administered every 4 hours while in labor. I wasn't really excited about this because I didn't want to be tied down to an IV pole. I wanted to be able to walk around and use the nice big tub in the room if I wanted to. And let me just say... IV's SUCK! When I was about 4, I was in the hospital and had to be on an IV and I apparently ripped it out daily. Now I know why I did that. They are uncomfortable and itchy and hurt if you bend your wrist the right way. Oh, and the antibiotics that they used BURNED all the way up my arm if they used too high a dosage. It literally felt like someone poured boiling water into my veins.
It was about 1am when the nurse suggested that we try and get some sleep while in the early stages of labor so I would have energy for active labor and pushing. I tried to sleep, but was woken up at least partially with each contraction, so the little sleep I got was not quality. Plus, I was woken up at 4:00am for my next round of antibiotics. Yay! Ben slept on the little bench in the room and was able to get at least a few solid hours. We woke up sometime before 7am and I was put back on the monitor. By this time, my contractions had decreased to one about every 10 minutes. Ugh. I was so disappointed. The nurse said this was pretty normal after getting some sleep and that they should pick up as I'm able to walk around, etc. I also had not made any progress overnight. I was still at 5cm, 90% effaced. The nurse told me my doctor would be in at about 8:00am to check in on me and he would likely break my water to try and help things move along.
When 8:00am rolled around, I was started on my 3rd round of antibiotics (oh joy) and my doctor came in soon after. After checking me, he decided to put an internal heart rate monitor on the baby's head, which creates a pinprick hole in the amniotic sac, which would let my water break slowly. He said he didn't like to use the amnihook because there is a greater risk of cord prolapse and therefore a need for an emergency c-section. After the monitor was in place, I put on one of those massive hospital pads/mesh underwear and laid in bed to finish my round of antibiotics. While laying there, I could feel liquid trickling out slowly. It kind of felt like I was peeing a little, but I knew it wasn't pee. When I sat up after I was unhooked from the IV, I felt a larger gush. I went to the bathroom to pee and there was an even larger gush. So, my water had officially broken. I had to change the massive pad twice before I could start wandering the halls.
Ben and I walked the halls of the birthing center from about 9am until about 1pm. My contractions increased to about every 5 minutes again after walking around for a short time. They felt pretty strong towards the end and I had to stop and breathe through them. At about 1pm, I was checked again, and I hadn't made any progress. My nurse said that my contractions weren't close enough together to cause the cervix to dilate any more. She called my doctor and got his okay to put me on pitocin. This was NOT in my birth plan. I wanted to avoid pitocin like the plague. My main goal in my birthing experience (besides avoiding a c-section) was to go pain med free, and I knew if I was put on pitocin that the chances of that happening dwindled to almost zero. Also, being on pitocin means that the baby has to be monitored constantly because the drug can cause the baby's heartrate to go down. But, since my water was already broken and my uterus wasn't cooperating, we didn't have much choice. I asked the nurse if we could try prostaglandins first, but she told me that it was difficult to control the dosage of prostaglandins and I was too far along touse them safely. So, that was the end of walking around for me. I was confined to a 3 foot radius around the monitors. All dreams of laboring at all in the tub also died with the onset of pitocin.
I was started on a very low dose of pitocin, and the nurse kept upping the dosage until I wanted to die. Literally. About an hour after the pitocin started, I was no longer able to breathe through the contractions. It felt like my pelvis was ripping apart with each one, and I was fighting the urge to push. The pressure and pain was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I tried different positions to see if it would help at all. I tried laying on my back, laying on my side, bending over the bed, leaning on the birthing ball, on all fours... Nothing was giving me one iota of relief. At this point the contractions were happening about every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, and lasting about 1 minute, so they were right on top of each other. There was no real break in between and I was quickly becoming exhausted and overwhelmed. Everytime I heard the pitocin drip, I would curse it. With every contraction, I would scream and curse so loud that I'm sure they heard me in the lobby. In the hour between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, I had progressed from 5cm to 7 cm.
Around 2:15pm, between contractions, I looked at Ben with tears in my eyes and said "I think I need the epidural." I felt like a failure. He read my mind and told me that I wasn't a failure if I got one and that I should do it if that's what I needed to do. I was so relieved when he said this. When the nurse came in the next time, I told her that I thought I needed the epidural. She agreed that it would probably help me relax enough for my cervix to finish dilating. I was too tense during the contractions at that point for them to do their job. She also offered IV pain meds first to see if that was enough to take the edge off so that I could possibly still avoid the epidural. I agreed and she gave me a dose of fentanyl. The drug made me feel a little drunk, but didn't do anything to take the edge off the contractions. They were still just as painful and intense as before, the only difference was that I relaxed a little more in between contractions because I felt all doped up. I asked for the epidural.
The anesthesiologist came in at about 2:30 to administer the epidural. I had to sign a release form, and I remember thinking, "This is going to be the worst signature ever. I am delirious with pain and I'm doped up on narcotics..." The nurse checked me one more time before the epidural and I was at 9 cm. YES! Progress. Apparently the fentanyl made me relax more than I thought it did. The anesthesiologist had me lie on my side so he could administer the epidural, and let me tell you, having pitocin/transition contractions while trying to lay still is soooo hard. Ben and the nurse were practically holding me down helping me stay still. After the epidural was in, I continued to have pretty monstrous contractions. I kept asking how long it takes for it to kick in. Their answer of course was "Just a few minutes". The epidural didn't seem to be working. A little later, the anesthesiologist came in and asked me if I needed more. He gave me another dose of the epidural and the contractions finally decreased slightly. He told me that he gave me enough that I should now be able to take a nap and rest up for the pushing stage. Ha! The contractions were still incredibly intense. I was able to (barely) breathe through them and there was no way that I'd be able to nap. My legs never got numb and I could still move them just fine. So, either the epidural wasn't administered correctly or it just didn't work right on me. The only thing it seemed to do was give me the shakes.
At 4:30pm, I was finally at 10 centimeters and ready to start pushing. Ben wasn't sure if he wanted to watch things or if he wanted to stay near my head away from the action. He ended up watching the whole thing, and he actually seemed to enjoy it. The nurse grabbed one leg, Ben grabbed the other and I pushed... and pushed... and pushed. For 2 hours. I could still feel my contractions fine and was able to push effectively, but the baby was getting stuck behind my pubic bone. Her head was cocked at a funny angle as well, so it wasn't the narrowest part of her head coming through first. My contractions were still coming about every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and lasting about a minute, so I wasn't getting much of a break between pushes. Between every contraction I was demanding water or ice chips and a new cold rag for my forehead because I was sooo hot. After about 24 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing and not having had anything to eat for about 29 hours, I was getting exhausted. The nurse said they would probably have to help me and use the vacuum to get the baby out. At this point all dreams of an intervention free birth had flown out the window and I just wanted to get her out.
The nurse called in the doctor and about 3 more nurses for the big moment. The doctor got all set up and attached the vacuum to the baby's head. And then I pushed. And he pulled. And I felt her starting to crown. I could feel myself stretching and I was sure I was tearing, but that just made me want to push harder so it would be over faster. I felt the head come out and I laid back to rest a minute before pushing the rest of her out, but the doctor told me to keep going, don't stop pushing. I just thought "WTF, I need a break!" but I kept going. I found out later that her hand was up by her face when she came out, so the doctor had to pull her arm out first (this is what caused all the damage). It took a couple more pushes and at 6:41pm she was out. Oh, sweet relief. He put her on my chest for a minute while Ben cut the cord, then the nurses took her away to get suctioned. The doctor told me to push one more time to get the placenta out (I didn't realize I'd have to push it out) and I finally laid back totally spent. It was over and the sense of relief was astounding. All the pain and pressure was gone in an instant.
When I heard Eloise cry for the first time, it was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. The nurses weighed her and cleaned her up a bit while the doctor stitched me up. I remember him saying before he started stitching "I'm not sure how numb she is..." and I just blurted out "Not at all!" So he numbed me up a little before suturing. Even though I supposedly had an epidural and he gave me a local anesthetic on top of that, I could still feel the needle occasionally. I asked him where I tore and how bad it was, and he said it was a second degree sulcus tear. I had no idea what a sulcus tear was (I later found out it is a deep internal tear), but I knew second degree meant that the tear went into the muscle tissue.
Once I had my baby in my arms, I knew it was all worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The biggest surprise for me was her full head of dark hair. Most babies in my family come out bald (me included) and I was expecting a blondie or a redhead, not a brunette. She was so beautiful and alert and was just a tiny little peanut at 6lbs 9.6 ounces, 19.5 inches long. I couldn't believe that my husband and I had made this little person. I was so happy that after all that work, our baby was finally here!
Here is Eloise being weighed for the first time (and none too happy about it):
And Mommy and Eloise about a half hour after birth (even my hair is still a crazy mess :P)
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Re: Eloise's Birth Story - Natural birth plan gone awry
Sure did.
Thank you for posting - it was very well-written.
Your daughter is lovely.
yes it was long, but very interesting.. im glad everything turned out ok for you and the baby!!! she is beautiful! Congrats on your new bundle of joy!