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Natural Birth
My mostly natural childbirth story (Long)
I went into labor on Sunday, August 19 at 8 a.m. - it was pretty mild but regular. The contractions were about 20 minutes apart but progressed over the day until that night when they were about 9 minutes apart. I continued to have contractions throughout the night, with them growing in intensity and by 5 a.m. on the 20th they were about 5 minutes apart. So we went in to the hospital (I would have waited longer but we live about 45 minutes away from the hospital). When we got there the contractions continued, they hooked me up to the monitors and did an internal exam and found that while I was definitely having regular contractions, I was only 3 cm dilated. Over the course of the next couple of hours I did not progress and so they asked if I wanted to stay or go home. They all suggested I go home since I would not be able to eat there and it looked like I was in for a long wait. I agreed, so DH and I stopped off for some lunch, and then headed home to try and get some rest (I had not gotten much sleep the night before).
My contractions got closer together and A LOT more painful over the course of the evening. That evening at about 11 I was having contractions but decided to let DH get some sleep because I knew the following day would be difficult. I continued to track my own contractions using the contraction tracker on my smart phone but at some point they started to just blend together. I was losing my ability to track them properly (and actually believed that my contractions were 9 minutes apart). At about 5 a.m. after 6 hours of incredible pain (though thankfully not back labor) I woke my DH up (by crying and saying that I can't do this anymore) and he convinced me that I needed to call my doctor - so I did (though I was crying throughout that conversation) and she told me I needed to come in right away.
We arrived at the hospital at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21 and were brought immediately to L&D - they hooked me up and checked me and I was 7 cm. But I was exhausted, I had almost no sleep since Saturday night and was in extreme pain. I asked for some stadol and they gave me some. It lasted for 1 hour and 40 minutes during which I felt like I was drunk and basically spent the entire 1 hour and 40 minutes sleeping whenever I wasn't have a contraction. It was exactly what I needed. During that process I progressed another 1 cm. After the stadol wore off I was able to be unhooked from the monitors and IV and get into the labor tub.
I spent 45 minutes in the labor tub (which was heavenly because it was big enough that I could completely stretch out and float which really helped with the contractions). I had to get out to be monitored for 15 minutes, after which I was able to get back into the tub. This time I was only in the tub for about 15 minutes before I felt an overwhelming need to push. So I got out of the tub and went to our room and told our nurse that I felt a need to push - she checked me and I was 9.5 cm. My doctor was in the middle of a c-section for another patient and so my nurse told me that once she was done she would come in, break my water, and then I would be able to start pushing.
After what seemed like FOREVER I was lying in bed on my side (which stopped me from pushing) with my dh laying behind me just holding me and telling me how great I was doing. For that period of time it was just him and me - anyone else in the room I didn't know or care that they were there. Then my water broke. It completely soaked my bedding and my clothes. I screamed "F*** my water broke", apparently pretty loudly because it brought the nurse running in. She had to put me on my back in order to strip the bedding (and me) which made me want to push. I started yelling "I need to push" and then my doctor came in and said "okay so lets push"
I pushed for 35 minutes and at 12:25 my daughter entered the world. She was plump and pink and perfect with a head full of dark brown hair. We were team green so my DH announced her name to the room and they laid her on my chest - we cuddled and talked to her and she latched on almost immediately.
Though it was not a completely unmedicated birth - it was the perfect birth for me and for our daughter. The stadol gave me the rest I desperately needed in order to get through the hours ahead.
TTC since July 2009
^Rosemary^ May 7, 2010
Holding my rainbow, Beatrix, since August 21, 2012
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Re: My mostly natural childbirth story (Long)
My super all about me birth story:
Then: Fraternal twins born at 26 weeks in 1983. Me: 640 grams. Brother: 840 grams. Family kept watch in the NICU for 5 months before being allowed to go home. On oxygen for a year and a half after being released.
Now: Me: PhD student and married. Brother: Lawyer and married.
Dad's wedding speech: Thank you to all the family who stood watch and prayed for our children's survival. Well now the little scrawny chicken is married. Who would've thought? (Thanks dad for making me laugh and cry at the same time).
My BFP Chart
Ugh, I can't imagine not pushing when my body was telling me that was what I needed to do! Why do doctors make people wait like that? It should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention.
Congratulations!
Sometimes, I'm hilarious.
I asked for the stadol - after being awake for almost 48 hours straight with contractions, I desperately needed to get some relief (and sleep) if I was going to get through transition and pushing.I think if I had not been so completely exhausted I would have tried the labor pool first, because after having been in that it really did make a huge difference. But by the time I got to the hospital I was so tired that I just needed to sleep and not be in pain for a little while, I barely remember arriving at the hospital I was so out of it at that point.
This! I totally would have told the nurse to screw off and pushed that baby out!
Anyways.... congrats to you! Your story is amazing! I love reading positive birth stories like this. It makes me feel empowered and like I can 100% do this even if it is a long labor- so thank you!
Enjoy your new LO!
Congratulations !
msodonnel --> I am stealing your pic idea
so thanks