Birth Story...LONG

mandy0505 · July 2011

Hey everyone! No more Tummy Thursday for me! I'm so proud to announce the birth of our newest addition, Emilee. Here is the short, or maybe a little longer version of the birth.

I went in to the doc's office on Tuesday (7/5/11) at 9:45 after having excruciating upper back pain for the previous five days. My 40 week appointment was the next day but I called and asked the doctor to see me that day instead just one day shy of my due date.

I was previously dilated to 3cm and 75% effaced at my 39 week appointment. Doc checked me and said I was at 4cm and probably a little more thinned out. He asked if I wanted to induce the next day and because of my discomfort I said yes but thought it would be better to just get the show on the road and do it asap. He called to the hospital and they had a bed waiting. I walked over and was started on pitocin at 11:30am.

I started to feel cramping at noon. It didn't feel like how they were described to me, no tightening just cramping. They broke my water before 1 pm and I was dilated to 5-6cm around 4. I asked for some phentonol (sp?) and was able to get a dose, it totally made me loopy for about twenty minutes at most. At this point the contractions were not too bad and I was able to breathe through them.

The nurse came and said the anesthesiologist was on the L&D floor and was checking in to see if anyone wanted an epidural. I told her I wasn't interested (didn't get one with the first and didn't think I wanted one with dd#2). Well after a long conversation with dh, he told me he really thought it would be a better choice. The conversation went on for about a good 45 minutes and eventually I caved. My contractions weren't too bad but then they sat me up to perform the procedure and they were coming harder and quicker. The timing could not have been more perfect. I was at 7 cm at the time of the epi.

They finished up the procedure and about 45 minutes later an alarm went off and the nurse came in. E's heart rate dropped significantly, so she checked me and I was "complete". Only 45 minutes to go from 7-10, flippin nuts.

Since I had just been given a dose of meds for the epi, I was unable to feel much and couldn't push. We tried but nothing. E's heart rate continued to have drops so they shut off the epi altogether, totally a tease because the contractions were horrendous without any meds.

Dh continued to coach me through pushing and I wasn't progressing much no matter how hard I tried. Doc said he was going to assist with the vacuum and a bunch of nurses came in and the pediatrician was called. Dh took dd#1 (who was in the room the whole time, she's 12) out to my parents in the waiting room at that point because he said it was getting "scary". I'm so happy he did.

Doc did one assisted vacuum technique and she was out with the first contraction. E had her cord around her neck and had meconium on her from the waist down. She thankfully didn't poop until her head was out, likely the pressure from the cord being around her neck. They cleaned her up after they put her on me and she measured 18 inches and 6 pounds 14 ounces.

One of the nurses went and got dd1 as soon as E was born. dd#1 was the first to even hold her after she was cleaned up! Here is a pic!

We are absolutely in love!