Birth Stories
Options
Olivia Katharine's story...
Olivia arrived 6/5/08 at 10:28pm after 24 hours of labor. Here is my story: I will warn you...it got pretty scary for DH and I. I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible.
6/4 10:45pm: My water breaks. I called MW and we decided I sure labor at home as long as possible.
6/5 6:00 Head to hospital in hope of avoiding rush hour Boston traffic.
7:00 Admitted to L&D. Was 3cm 80%. Contrax start to get regular (5-7min apart) and pretty intense.
10:00 I am laboring on my own with no drugs with the birthing ball and by taking showers. I am experiencing pain that I never thought was possible.
11:00 I fold and request epidural. I am 5cm and 100%.
Things continue to go smoothly.
4:00 I get checked again...I am barely sleeping, which means that I have not slept since the night of 6/3
I am 9cm and 100%! We are psyched, and call family to tell them that it will be anytime now.
7:00 I get checked again. I am 9.5 with a lip. They decide to put me on my right side to try and get that side to dialate completely. However, my epidural is positional, which means when I lay on my right side, the epi does not work on my left side. I am left having a few shots of extra medicine, as I can feel every contrax on my left side.
8:30 It worked! I am 10cm and 100%. Time to start pushing. This is where things begin to go wrong. Liv's heartrate begins to climb. At first, it would go to the mid-170s, but come back down in between contrax. No one is really concerned yet.
9:30 Still pushing. Liv is pronounced to be "sunny side up" and coming down at an angle, which is going to make it this much harder to get her out vaginally. MW suggests we consult OB for his opinion.
9:45 MW says that if she is not born by 10:00, we are going to use the vacuum, as her heart rate is now in the 190s, and no longer coming down in between contrax. I am ok with this...I just want this to be over, and I know how to read the tracings (from nursing school) and I know that this situation is getting worse.
10:00 Liv's heart rate is now 210. OB says he feels more comfortable with forceps...again, I am ok with this. he has been doing this for 30+ years.
10:15 I am told I have two more contrax to push through. If she is not out, I will be forced to have an emergency c/s. I am feeling like the OB doesn't think I can push her out...because the anesthesiologist comes in and pushes a TON of medicine into my epi. I know he just made my epi a spinal in preperation.
10:28: I push like there is no tomorrow....I am so dead set against wanting a c/s.
She is born!!!
Liv was 6lbs. 14oz and 20 inches long.
I suffered an episiotomy with a 3rd degree tear.
I really credit my MW with my avoiding a c/s...I know from experience that OBs are more quick to jump into the OR. I also feel that if I was at any other hospital (than a major Boston hospital) that I def would have had the section.
The recovery hasn't been easy...I'm still on pain meds every 4 hours, and have had visits from VNA. She cannot believe I was able to avoid the section. Even my pelvic bone is bruised from the outside...from where her head was stuck.
I hope this helped more than scared...I always found the birth stories really interesting!
6/4 10:45pm: My water breaks. I called MW and we decided I sure labor at home as long as possible.
6/5 6:00 Head to hospital in hope of avoiding rush hour Boston traffic.
7:00 Admitted to L&D. Was 3cm 80%. Contrax start to get regular (5-7min apart) and pretty intense.
10:00 I am laboring on my own with no drugs with the birthing ball and by taking showers. I am experiencing pain that I never thought was possible.
11:00 I fold and request epidural. I am 5cm and 100%.
Things continue to go smoothly.
4:00 I get checked again...I am barely sleeping, which means that I have not slept since the night of 6/3
I am 9cm and 100%! We are psyched, and call family to tell them that it will be anytime now.
7:00 I get checked again. I am 9.5 with a lip. They decide to put me on my right side to try and get that side to dialate completely. However, my epidural is positional, which means when I lay on my right side, the epi does not work on my left side. I am left having a few shots of extra medicine, as I can feel every contrax on my left side.
8:30 It worked! I am 10cm and 100%. Time to start pushing. This is where things begin to go wrong. Liv's heartrate begins to climb. At first, it would go to the mid-170s, but come back down in between contrax. No one is really concerned yet.
9:30 Still pushing. Liv is pronounced to be "sunny side up" and coming down at an angle, which is going to make it this much harder to get her out vaginally. MW suggests we consult OB for his opinion.
9:45 MW says that if she is not born by 10:00, we are going to use the vacuum, as her heart rate is now in the 190s, and no longer coming down in between contrax. I am ok with this...I just want this to be over, and I know how to read the tracings (from nursing school) and I know that this situation is getting worse.
10:00 Liv's heart rate is now 210. OB says he feels more comfortable with forceps...again, I am ok with this. he has been doing this for 30+ years.
10:15 I am told I have two more contrax to push through. If she is not out, I will be forced to have an emergency c/s. I am feeling like the OB doesn't think I can push her out...because the anesthesiologist comes in and pushes a TON of medicine into my epi. I know he just made my epi a spinal in preperation.
10:28: I push like there is no tomorrow....I am so dead set against wanting a c/s.
She is born!!!
Liv was 6lbs. 14oz and 20 inches long.
I suffered an episiotomy with a 3rd degree tear.
I really credit my MW with my avoiding a c/s...I know from experience that OBs are more quick to jump into the OR. I also feel that if I was at any other hospital (than a major Boston hospital) that I def would have had the section.
The recovery hasn't been easy...I'm still on pain meds every 4 hours, and have had visits from VNA. She cannot believe I was able to avoid the section. Even my pelvic bone is bruised from the outside...from where her head was stuck.
I hope this helped more than scared...I always found the birth stories really interesting!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Olivia Katharine's story...