Benjamin's birth story

Pamela05 · January 2011

We're home and settled in. Things are going pretty well. Benjamin and I almost have the breastfeeding thing down, although he needs to work on staying awake through a feeding. He had his first checkup with our local pedi and had gained 2 oz in the last 2 days since leaving the hospital so it looks like all is good.

Here's his birth story.

Had my 38 week ob and MFM appointments on Monday. They did a growth scan, biophysical and NST. Everything looked pretty good, even though he was sleepier than usual (he usually moved nonstop for the NST). I then went over to my ob's office for the regular appointment. I was 2 cm, 75% and baby at 0 station. He also had the recommendations from my MFM and that since it appears the baby was growing well and I had been off my blood thinners for a week, we should induce. Wednesday. WHAT!??!

I was a bit nervous because I was thinking it would be the following week, but decided we should do this because it got riskier by the day for both mom and baby for him to stay in. So we rushed back to town to get things straight at work and took the next day off to get the house ready.

Wednesday at 3am we were to call the hospital to check that they had a room for me. All good. I made myself breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast and orange juice) and we headed out the door to make it to the hospital by 5am. We checked in, filled out all the paperwork and they got an IV in me and started a saline/glucose drip. At about 7am they got the orders from my doctor to start the pitocin at 2 and increase it by 2 every 15 minutes.

Around 9am my doctor came in and broke my water. My contractions were really nothing at that point. Considered upping the Pit more quickly, but decided to see what the water breaking would do.

After that my contractions started getting stronger. They felt like a strong menstrual cramp + the urge to pee + the urge to poop all in one. However, the external monitors were hardly registering them. And the external monitor for the baby kept falling off. I had been trying the Bradley side lying position and standing/leaning on my husband to work through the pain, but being tied to machines on both sides of my bed was making this difficult. Once they rushed in, put an oxygen mask on me, rolled me on my side, and were frantically trying to move the heartrate monitor to find him. At this point I was told I would have to stay in bed and still or they would have to do internal monitoring. That was the end of attempting to go drug free. Without the ability to move freely to work through the pain, it wasn't happening. I was barely at 3am at that point (noon). I agreed to internal monitoring of me and the baby (scalp probe) and the epidural.

One last trip to the bathroom (with 2 contractions while I was on the toilet).

I cried during the epidural insertion. Not so much that I felt I had failed, but I was scared and it felt so incredibly weird. I could feel the pressure increase down my spinal column as he inserted the needled and started to put in fluid. They helped me lie back down and get situated so they could insert the monitoring equipment and the catheter.. It took about 10 minutes before I wasn't feeling contractions anymore, but the probes showed they were definitely there and strong. And baby heartbeat was doing just fine during them. See nurse, I told you it was just your faulty equipment. It was now about noon.

For the next 3 hours I could have totally checked out of the process. Yes, I posted on here. Checked facebook. Talked with my husband about what was to come. I refused however to turn on the t.v. Just seemed too wrong. I spent a lot of time watching the monitors because otherwise I really couldn't tell what was going on. All I felt was heaviness in my legs (had to keep having my husband put my foot back on the bed) and a numbness in my butt. My only complaint in that time was that my butt was sore from sitting in the same place for so long.

At 3pm my parents called to say they were getting to town. I told them to go shopping because it didn't appear he was going to show anytime soon. Right after that my dr called to check on my progess. The nurse asked if I was feeling any pressure to poop and I said no. The crampiness had sort of returned, but not really, Apparently, that was a cue for her to check me. Sure enough, 10 cm. I had no idea. Called my parents back while she got things moving to get the room ready for delivery.

The nurse had me start some "practice" pushes to help me labor down. Apparently I'm a pretty good pusher (asked by a couple of nurses if I was a first time mom). She and DH each handed me a leg as a contraction started while I sat in a semi-reclined position. I focused on pushing towards a point that she was pressing on on my bottom and trying not to push from my face. 4 pushing contractions later, I could feel something was different down there and DH thought he saw hair. Nurse said to stop and called for the doctor. He was there within 10 minutes and we were ready to continue.

As he got into position, my contractions slowed way down. Everyone had a good laugh that I really was ready, but apparently most labors have white coat anxiety and slowup when the dr arrives. When the next one came, I felt it before they saw it on the monitor and said it's time. I think he crowned on that push. On the next contraction he slid right out. DH told me the baby came so quick the the ob actually bobbled him a bit trying to catch him.

They put him right on my belly (his cord didn't reach very far). He was still covered in vernix and was crying well, but not screaming. They suctioned his nose/mouth and wiped him down while I got to hold him and look at him. After a minute or so, ob asked DH if he wanted to cut the cord. I didn't even ask, but he had let the cord finish pulsing before clamping. DH commented that it was much whiter than he imagined because in all the tv shows it's always still purple and full of blood.

After that they took him to the bedside warmer and began to clean and warm him up. DH stood right there with him while the ob fixed me up. I do not know if I had an episiotomy. With how quick he came out, maybe I did. Either way I had a 2nd degree midline and then needed a single stitch up towards my urethra. I actually don't know when I delivered the placenta. I just saw it in the container on the table and heard the dr give orders for it to be sent for testing (due to my loss history).

During the stitching my parents had arrived at the hospital and tried to walk in the room. They were quickly run out and told we'd send for them when ready. DH and I got some time to spend with Benjamin and nursed him for the first time. He latched on pretty quick and the colostrum was definitely there for him.

We had a good night in the hospital rooming in. He's a good eater and sleeper. The first night at home was a bit rougher, maybe due to my milk coming in and his poops and such changing. Last night and during the day today however he slept in 2.5-3 hour stretches.

And for reading all of that, here are some pictures.