Birth Story (Methodist Hospital) (long)

A couple months late, but I thought I would share with anyone interested!

I delivered my first baby (boy) 12-3-10 (6 days late) at Methodist Women's hospital in medical center. I started feeling crampy/like I had to go to the bathroom about 5:30 am, starting having regular, non-painful contractions (didn't even realize they were contractions)  about 11 or 12... I had a Dr. appt later that day, but actually had a family member go to the ER earlier that morning, so we went by the hospital to see her and that's when I really started believing they were contractions. I went ahead and went to L/D, they checked me and I was 3 cm, and contractions were staying about every 10 mins apart, so they went ahead and let me stay. I was really planning on trying to go med-free, but they automatically hook you up to an IV and a monitor for baby, so walking around really wasn't a feasible option... My OB came by after he got off, so around 5:30, he checked me and I was about 4cm, he broke my water. There was mild meconium in the water, so he told me that there would be Neo-natal doctors there when he was born in case baby inhaled it. He also notified me at that time that he wasn't on call so he wouldn't be the one delivering me.... (another downside of spending hours waiting in a Dr's office to be seen for 5 mins for the past 7 months as opposed to using a midwife)... 

So now, this is one of those things that no one really tells you... as I'm having a contraction after my water is broken, and I'm feeling more liquid coming out... I'm trying to hold it (like you would if you were peeing) and it's not stopping (while there are about 3-4 family members in the room). This is a horrible sensation... and I tried to get to the bathroom because I thought I was peeing, but it was just more fluid from my water being broken, so then I was leaking all over the floor.... and this kept happening for a good 45 mins with every contraction. 

Anyways, I got an epidural about 7 pm, it relieved most of the pain, I still felt some discomfort, but we started pushing about 3:30 or 4, he was born about 5:30. ( I had to have an episiotomy because he was a 10 lb 3.3 oz baby). He was breathing a little fast, and his glucose was low, so they took him to the transitional area of the NICU (they observe them and decide whether or not they need to be put in NICU). His glucose level was fixed after his first feeding, but his breathing still continued to be fast, so he was admitted to NICU. 

I was walking down to the NICU by the late evening, so we could feed him and just be with him. ( I was really adament about breastfeeding, but my milk hadn't come in yet, so he was being formula fed). By the third day, my milk had come in and we started to try and breastfeed... he latched beautifully the within the first 10 mins, but I wasn't producing enough milk yet, so he was still getting  formula as well.

The nurses who took care of me were all really wonderful, and most of the nurses in the NICU were good also, but the stress of having a baby in the NICU is hard to explain. He was only in there for 5 days, and it was nothing life threatening, but each shift we tried to breastfeed, each nurse had a different opinion about how to do it, how long to try, and it got really frustrating. We also felt like he was ready to be out by about day 2.5, but he threw-up after one of his feedings (not spit-up, but a scary, coming out of his nose throw-up) so they wanted to keep him longer to keep observing that. We wanted what was best for him, but having to sit in this wing of the hospital, listening to all these monitors going off, constantly making sure it's not your baby, sitting in uncomfortable chairs, sleep deprived because you don't want to leave your babies side,leaving only to pump, and get gross cafeteria food..... made it a way less than happy experience! 

I just wanted to share, I know there are other people out there that may go through something like this or have gone through a similar experience, and we gotta support each other!!