My natural birth story - repost from 3rd tri

Hi all -

I was more of a lurker than a poster, but I always loved reading these, so here goes...

On Sunday Nov 9 I told my sister I was DONE being pregnant, even though I was only 38 weeks 2 days.  I had resigned myself to being pregnant through Thanksgiving (41 weeks), figuring that at least that way if the baby came early or on time, I wouldn't be TOO disappointed!  My husband's brother and dad came over for dinner that night, and then they went to the Eagles game in Philly.  DH got home around 12:30 am, and I was still up, which totally surprised him and me, since I had been exhausted lately...

At 4:30 am on Nov 10, I was fast asleep and dreaming, when I heard a pop that sounded like "ker-chunk!"  and then felt the beginning of a gush.  My eyes flew open, I gasped out loud, sprinted down the hall to the bathroom - and gushed fluid right in the toilet!  I guess all those Kegels did something, because all I got in the bed was a few drops.  I yelled down the hall to DH "I think my water just broke... either that or I totally peed myself!"  As I stood up and sat down again, all this clear fluid rushed out, and I began to think this was the real thing....

I asked DH to get me some undies so I could put a pad on, and with his characteristic sense of humor, he shows up at the bathroom door with a thong!  I started cracking up, and as I'm laughing I'm gushing all over the floor and telling him "You're going to have to clean this up!"

I jumped in the shower, shaved, got dressed... and waited.  Nothing happened.  I ate a light breakfast, and called my doctor at 8:30 am when her office opened, and she told me to call her back after lunch.  I hung around the house all morning, no contractions... just a few light cramps throughout the morning.  I lost my mucous plug around 11 am.  Around noon, I had a light lunch and began to have what felt like menstrual cramps, but nothing timeable or with a definite beginning or end.  

By 2 pm I was having more regular cramp like feelings, but they were still pretty mild and I could walk and talk through them.  I called the doctor, and she said since she knew I wanted to go med-free, she would let me labor at home until 8 pm.  At that point, if I still wasn't progressing, I would have to come in to the hospital for antibiotics.  I started worrying about what would happen if I never really progressed... would I need pitocin?  A c-section?  Then suddenly, everything changed.

By 2:30 pm I was pacing the floors of my house and breathing through timeable contractions, around every 3-5 minutes.  They were coming from my back to the front.  I could no longer lay down or sit, just walk.  My mom called to check on my progress (we had told her my water broke) and I told her not to come yet, I was still home, this might be a while...

By 3 pm I was unable to speak during contractions, and really had to focus on my breathing to get through them.   I went to the bathroom to check my pad and was bleeding bright red - this was different than my mucous plug.  I came out of the bathroom and said to DH "How much blood is too much?"  He looked at me and said "We're going to the hospital NOW."  I said no, I couldn't possibly have dilated that much, I just started really laboring.  All the books said that for a first time mom, it would take a while.  Then I got a contraction that was so intense I could barely cope... and I agreed to go to the hospital.

After a minor freak out during which I refused to get in the car saying "I can't sit down, I can't!" - I got in the car.  I had four contractions on the 10 minute ride to the hospital.  We got up to labor and delivery to check me in... and I was so inwardly focused I could barely tell them my name.  Contractions were coming without much space in between.  They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and let me stand next to the bed, as I refused to sit or lay down.  Around this point, I had a contraction that was so intense that I completely lost focus and control. The labor and delivery nurse got right in my face and said "If you want to do this natural, you need to get yourself under control. Focus!"  And I did. 

DH got my focus object out (a toy bear for the baby) and breathed for me through a few more contractions.  I could no longer cope on my own.  The contractions were double and triple peaking - some of them were off the charts on the monitor.  Some nurses were trying to ask me questions to get me checked in, and I couldn't answer, so DH answered the best he could.  After a few minutes the nurse said, do you want us to check you?  I was so afraid that I hadn't been progressing because I knew I hadn't been in labor that long.  All the books I read said it would take hours.  I actually remember saying to DH, "what if I'm only 2 cm?"  The next contraction the nurse asked me if I felt pressure, and I said yes, I felt like pushing... she said, ok up on the table, we are going to check you.

After a brief argument in which I refused to get on the table or take my undies off for fear of getting blood on their floor, I had my first internal of my entire pregnancy... and was at 10 cm and ready to push!  I had only been at the hospital for a few minutes, and my doctor wasn't even there yet.  So DH, who swore he was NOT going to be near the "business end of things" when the pushing started, was instructed to hold my leg and help me push.  With him on one side and the nurse on the other, I started pushing... and the doctor flew in the door asking what the heck was going on!  She had just talked to me a few hours ago and I said I was having "mild cramps!"

DH tells me that baby was on the way down from the moment I got on the table.  People were still asking me questions, trying to get me checked in, and my doctor threw them out of the room, saying, "we can have a baby without the paperwork!"  DH coached me through pushing, which felt great - I actually had space between the contractions again to get myself together before bearing down.  I pushed for less than 10 min total - when the baby crowned, I remember DH looking at me with tears coming down his face, telling me "You're doing it!  You're doing it!"  The doctor looked at me and said "You are going to push this baby out!"  And I thought, hells yeah I am because I am NOT doing this any more.  Two more pushes and the baby was out!

They placed him on my chest and DH asked who was going to tell me the news - the doctor told him to tell me.  My husband looked at me and said "It's a boy!"  - just like we had guessed!

John Lawrence was born at 4:26 pm on Monday, Nov. 10 - 11 days early.  I was at the hospital for less than an hour when I delivered him.  He was 6 pounds, 12 oz, 19 1/2 inches long, and scored 9 on his Apgars.  He was just perfect, active and alert.  His daddy held him for the first hour or so while I got stitched up... because he came so fast, I had an episiotomy and a fourth degree tear, which has been pretty awful.  After I got stiched (with nothing but local anesthesia, because I didn't have an IV... ouch!) - I breastfed him for the first time, and then we took him up to the nursery to be weighed and get his first bath.

To all of you who are thinking about going natural - you can do it!  Just focus and remember to breathe - rely on your coach and keep your eyes open during the contractions.  Your baby will make it all worth it!