Birth Stories
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Hailey's Birth Story(LONG)
Just as an introduction -- I am the biggest chicken in the world and if I can do anyone can. I knew before I was even pregnant that the only way I was going to make it was to get an epidural.
I had walked around 2 cm dialated and 100% effaced for 2 weeks and even though my doctors were amazed that I hadn't went into labor yet, I was convinced that I was going to be overdue. I was 39 weeks exactly and around 2 am I got up to go to the bathroom and when I got back in the bed I felt a small warm gush. I went back into the bathroom and examined my underwear when I felt another small gush. I went in and woke up my husband who was sure that I had just had peed my pants. I decided to take a shower and then see how I felt. Once, I got out of the shower I kept on feeling small gushes. Everytime I moved it trickled more. After waiting for an hour and no contractions yet--I finally convinced my husband that we needed to go to the hospital.
Once I got to the hospital they called my on call OB and he said to go ahead and start my pitocin and that he would be in later to check me. They started my pitocin around 5, but my contractions still weren't regular. The OB came in around 7:30 and checked me and I was 3 cm. He decided to up my pitocin and keep on uping it every 20 minutes. Around 9:30 I decided to go ahead and get the epidural. I was in pain, but it wasn't unbearable pain, I was just more worried about the pain I had yet to feel. The first epidural was in my bloodstream and when they shot the test medicine in my heartrate skyrocketed, so they had to take it out and redo it. The epidural was a breeze. It was hard staying still during contractions, but I knew relief was on the way. I could feel the pressure and knew something was in my back, but it did not hurt. It took about 10 mins for the epidural to take effect. But once it did I could not stop shaking. I was shaking like a mad woman. They even tried putting hot blankets on me, but nothing worked.
This was around shift change, and my new nurse, who ended up being the absolute best thought that I needed to be checked since I had not been checked since 7:30. The drs also had changed and around 11 am the new OB came in to check me and OMG I was a 10. I was in shock because I had thought for sure that it would be after dinner before I had this baby.
He decided to go ahead and let me start pushing with the nurse, but Hailey was sideways so I had to push on my sides for a while. Again, I cannot tell you how much this nurse helped my husband and I. She was so amazing. My husband was extremely nervous and she just helped keep him and I both calm. At first I could not feel the contractions or when I needed to push and they had to tell me, but it wasnt long before I started feeling the pressure. They had turned up my pitocin even more and my contractions still weren't in any pattern. It wasn't really pain, but extreme pressure. Finally after about an hour of pushing she was beginning to crown and the doctor came in, but right after he came in they had to come and get him for an emergency delivery. So for 30 minutes I had to sit there with her crowning and not being able to push. This was probably the roughest part of all. I was in pain now probably just from trying to hold her in. The OB finally came back in and within a couple of minutes she was out. The put her on my chest and my husband cut the cord. She came out face up which caused me to tear up instead of down, but it was still only a first degree tear. I also tore inside both of which requred some stitches. I could feel him stitching me and as soon as I told him he gave me a numbing shot and I did not feel a thing. She weighed 8 lbs even and was 20.5 inches long. She scored nines on her apgars. She is absolutely amazing and being a mom is the greatest thing in the world. My husband was truly changed by this and now is just amazed by women. I am sooo ready to do it again. Good luck to you all!!!
I had walked around 2 cm dialated and 100% effaced for 2 weeks and even though my doctors were amazed that I hadn't went into labor yet, I was convinced that I was going to be overdue. I was 39 weeks exactly and around 2 am I got up to go to the bathroom and when I got back in the bed I felt a small warm gush. I went back into the bathroom and examined my underwear when I felt another small gush. I went in and woke up my husband who was sure that I had just had peed my pants. I decided to take a shower and then see how I felt. Once, I got out of the shower I kept on feeling small gushes. Everytime I moved it trickled more. After waiting for an hour and no contractions yet--I finally convinced my husband that we needed to go to the hospital.
Once I got to the hospital they called my on call OB and he said to go ahead and start my pitocin and that he would be in later to check me. They started my pitocin around 5, but my contractions still weren't regular. The OB came in around 7:30 and checked me and I was 3 cm. He decided to up my pitocin and keep on uping it every 20 minutes. Around 9:30 I decided to go ahead and get the epidural. I was in pain, but it wasn't unbearable pain, I was just more worried about the pain I had yet to feel. The first epidural was in my bloodstream and when they shot the test medicine in my heartrate skyrocketed, so they had to take it out and redo it. The epidural was a breeze. It was hard staying still during contractions, but I knew relief was on the way. I could feel the pressure and knew something was in my back, but it did not hurt. It took about 10 mins for the epidural to take effect. But once it did I could not stop shaking. I was shaking like a mad woman. They even tried putting hot blankets on me, but nothing worked.
This was around shift change, and my new nurse, who ended up being the absolute best thought that I needed to be checked since I had not been checked since 7:30. The drs also had changed and around 11 am the new OB came in to check me and OMG I was a 10. I was in shock because I had thought for sure that it would be after dinner before I had this baby.
He decided to go ahead and let me start pushing with the nurse, but Hailey was sideways so I had to push on my sides for a while. Again, I cannot tell you how much this nurse helped my husband and I. She was so amazing. My husband was extremely nervous and she just helped keep him and I both calm. At first I could not feel the contractions or when I needed to push and they had to tell me, but it wasnt long before I started feeling the pressure. They had turned up my pitocin even more and my contractions still weren't in any pattern. It wasn't really pain, but extreme pressure. Finally after about an hour of pushing she was beginning to crown and the doctor came in, but right after he came in they had to come and get him for an emergency delivery. So for 30 minutes I had to sit there with her crowning and not being able to push. This was probably the roughest part of all. I was in pain now probably just from trying to hold her in. The OB finally came back in and within a couple of minutes she was out. The put her on my chest and my husband cut the cord. She came out face up which caused me to tear up instead of down, but it was still only a first degree tear. I also tore inside both of which requred some stitches. I could feel him stitching me and as soon as I told him he gave me a numbing shot and I did not feel a thing. She weighed 8 lbs even and was 20.5 inches long. She scored nines on her apgars. She is absolutely amazing and being a mom is the greatest thing in the world. My husband was truly changed by this and now is just amazed by women. I am sooo ready to do it again. Good luck to you all!!!
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Re: Hailey's Birth Story(LONG)
I haven't had a baby or even gotten pregnant yet but my husband and I are going to start TTC soon (once he takes the bar exam next month). But in the meantime I love reading birth stories and I had to comment on yours because I thought it was so interesting how you said you couldn't stop shaking once you got the epidural. I had a similar experience recently when I got a severe case of hives. I ended up going to the hospital because it got so bad and they started me on an IV with some steroids and antihistamines. As soon as the nurse put the Benadryl in the IV I started shaking uncontrollably. I didn't feel like I was cold but they thought that might be why and also covered me with hot blankets. I did a lot of deep breathing and tried to relax and stop shaking but it was quite awhile until it stopped. It felt really scary. Anyway, I wonder what's up with that??
I got an epidural with the birth of my son and also shook like mad. It was so weird to be completely unable to control yourself. The doctor said that it happens to some people.
While I admit that the epidural was glorious relief, I am going to try and deliver this baby without one. I was able to get fully dialated without any pain relief. The doctor literally gave me the epidural, checked me out and said, yup, time to push. And then I pushed for 2 hours. I think if I had just gritted through it the pushing would have been much more productive from the beginning.