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June 2011 Moms
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Birth Story (long) and Pics

LauraOTRLauraOTR member
in June 2011 Moms

Liam Jacob was born yesterday morning at 8:17. He is 5lb11oz, and 18 inches long, just a little peanut! Here's my birth story if anyone is interested. Oh, and a preface - I was 0cm dilated and not at all effaced (cervix was soft, though) on Monday of last week. It goes to show that even if you're not showing progress, it can change quickly!

I was having contractions around 7pm Sunday night, but they weren't super close together (8-12 min), and weren't getting any closer together or stronger, so I thought they were just braxton hicks (but with minor pain/discomfort, which I'd been having since Thursday). I went to bed around midnight that night, not thinking anything of it, because they had slowed to about every 20 minutes apart. The contractions woke me up again around one...braxton hicks had never woken me up before, so I started timing again.

At around 2am, they started coming closer together, about 4-5 min which is the point that I realized I was in labor, and by 3:30am, they were close enough and strong enough, that I called the doctor and came to the hospital.

By the time I got here and they hooked me up to monitors and finally checked me, it was around 4:30 and I was already 6cm. I was having horrible back labor by that point, with contractions every 2 minutes. It all happened so fast...if I had known I was in labor earlier in the night, I would have come in sooner so I could get the drugs before contractions became that strong and close together. I actually got to 8cm before they gave me the epidural...almost didn't get it since I was so close, but SO glad I did b/c they had to do some really painful repairs to me after he was born. I was at 10cm by 7:30 and started pushing. I pushed for about 45 minutes. I was surprised at how much I could still feel, even with the epidural..not pain, but enough that I was able to catch on to pushing after just a few tries. And yes, I did poop on the table...several times...what people say is true. You really don't care in the moment. The nurse and my DH both didn't tell me, but I was curious and asked.

The recovery has been really tough. I had only a tiny tear in the perenium, but a pretty bad "sulcus" tear, meaning inside the vaginal wall. Mine is up near the urethra. It is still hurting pretty bad. I haven't been able to urinate b/c the swelling was so bad....yesterday they put a catheter in b/c my bladder was so full, it was causing me to bleed more (displacing my uterus, so it wasn't clamping itself properly). The catheter took 5 different nurses before one could get it in, b/c the swelling was so bad. Cath came out today, and I still haven't been able to go. I'm completely frustrated, but finally got some narcotics (was trying to avoid), to see if that might help relax things down there. If I can't go, they'll have to re-cath me, which I do NOT want.

Anyway, of course it's all worth it, and I'm completely in love. He's in the nursery now, so I can deal with this bathrooming stuff. Trying to relax and let the drugs kick in before trying again. Liam is working on breastfeeding, and is getting it...but he likes to suck once and then fall asleep, or will latch, then not suck. I think he'll get it, but I asked to see the lactation consultant later today to make sure I'm doing everything right.

Here he is!

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