Very Long Med-Free Hospital Birth Story

FYI - I did not do any birth classes or any type of formal preparation/study for med-free childbirth.  I read Ina May?s Guide to Childbirth and watched the Business of Being Born and both just inspired me to truly believe that our bodies were meant to do this with very little medical intervention.  

I was due on 8/23 which came and went, to my surprise.  Even though I was not having any symptoms that labor was impending, I just never pictured myself going past my due date because I went into labor the evening of my due date with DD. Well, I ended up going to 41 weeks this time and here is how it went.

I woke up on 8/29 (40+6) and felt the same as usual - big fat nothing. My MP had been slowly coming out over the past week or so but nothing substantial.  The previous day I went to my OB and when she did my cervical check she determined that I was 2-3 cm, 50% effaced and the baby was still fairly high (I had been in the office a week prior and at that time I was 2 cm and not effaced at all).  She gave me a NST, which I passed, along with a membrane sweep. The sweep didn't cause any noticeable cramping but it did make me bleed a little bit. I went home, cooked up a ridiculously involved and large meal just for me, DH and DD, and after DD and I ate, I collapsed in the living room chair leaving all the dishes still to be done and the kitchen a mess because I was exhausted.  DH was at his fantasy football draft and I knew he would help me get that all cleaned up when he got home!

As I was getting ready to put DD to bed around 9pm, I started to notice some extremely mild contractions.  As I laid her down, I thought to myself, "This could be the start of it and therefore the last time I lay her down as an only child". It was a bittersweet moment.  Even though I didn't know I really was in early labor, I just kind of had a feeling that this was it. I left DD's room and started using an iPhone app I had downloaded to time contractions - I think I did it for maybe 20 minutes and saw that I was having 20-30 second contractions every 2-3 minutes. They were still very, very mild.  I decided to get in the shower but only because I needed a shower, not to help me labor.  After I got out of the shower I noticed that the contractions were a tiny but stronger but not too bad still, so I sat on the exercise ball for a few minutes. At 9:40 I was just about to start blow-drying my hair when DH called to let me know he was on his way home. I remember he was talking about his fantasy football stuff and I was thinking, "Um, I am in labor here and could not care less about this crap right now!" but I didn't say that and waited for him to stop talking about that to tell him that I was having contractions and had a feeling that this was it. The call was about 15 minutes long and I bounced on the ball the whole time.

DH arrived home between 10 and 10:15 and he was so excited!  I told him to relax because even if this was it, we probably had a lot of time.  My last labor was 16 hours (I went into labor spontaneously but I got an epidural at 4cm, labor stalled and then I had hours of pitocin to get it going again) so I was not expecting anything to move quickly even though I had a different birth plan this time.  Anyway, I asked DH to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen because I did not want to leave the kitchen so dirty for days.

I finished blow drying my hair and chatted with DH for a little bit. I sent a few text messages to people whom I knew were dying for this baby to come to tell them that I thought this party was getting started but it would probably be a while.  I sent one to my SIL at 11:01pm that said that contractions were about 8 min apart and very mild so I was going to try to lay down.  I laid down and after a short bit had a few contractions in a row, still 7-8 minutes apart, that were quite a bit stronger.  Suddenly I was feeling the need to use the bathroom badly to go #2.  I started having very loose stools and at the same time my contractions started getting closer together.  This is where it all becomes a bit of a blur to me.  With my first labor I would say that my eyes were closed for probably 12-13 hours of my 16 hour labor and as soon as this one got intense, it was no different. While I was still on the toilet I had to have DH come in and apply pressure to my back while I had contractions. It seemed like they were getting closer and closer together but still maybe only 30 seconds long.  I told DH to call my mom to meet us at the hospital to pick up DD and also for him to get DD and all of our stuff in the car - I also told him to do this while being sure to come back to me to help with the counter pressure on my back every minute, ha!  And I was dead serious.  I would say, ?Oh God, another one is coming, please get back in here!? and he would come running from DD?s room or the kitchen or the car every time to jam his fist into my lower back.  That part is definitely comical in hindsight!  I had DH help me change my top and as soon as he had everything done, we were in the car and on our way.  At this point it was probably between 12:15 and 12:30.  DH called the doctor on the way because there really had been no time to do that yet and I also still needed him to apply that pressure for every contraction while we were driving.  We arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes later. As soon as I was in the doors I was having another contraction (they were coming no longer than every 1-2 minutes still) and I sat down in the first wheelchair I saw!  I was hearing all of the talking around me but I was in my own world.  I knew that there was a flurry of activity to get me to a room and I begged them to stop the chair for each contraction so DH could help my back but they told me no because they had to get me to a room ASAP.  Before I knew it I was in a room being undressed and helped into a gown and being asked to lay down on the bed to get a reading on the baby?s heart rate. They asked if they could give me my hep-lock and I said yes.  Someone did a cervical check and I was 7cm and 100% effaced!  I was so happy to hear that because I was so afraid that I was just being the most ridiculous baby ever and I was going to be a 3 still or something.  My mom arrived and took DD back to her house. They could not get a good reading on the baby?s heart rate so I had to stay in the bed.  I asked if I could sit up and they allowed me to but I immediately realized that it was even more intense that way so I laid back down instantly.  The contractions were getting more and more painful and it was all in my back and every time I would beg a nurse or my DH to apply counter pressure.  After the fact DH told me that he could not believe how hard I needed him to do it - he said I would definitely have been in serious pain if he had used that much strength in doing it if I was not in labor.  He really had to put some muscle into it and I would push back into his fist equally as hard.  At some point that started to not even help much and I was telling everyone that they were doing it wrong!  I think it was because the baby was moving down and nothing was going to help at that point. A few more very, very painful contractions and the OB asked if she could break my water - I said yes.  I did not even feel anything - no gush, no additional pain, probably because I am not sure I could have had much more pain or if I could have had contractions any closer together! They kept asking if I was feeling any pressure and to let them know if I started to - I am not sure how long but before I knew it I suddenly had a contraction that was accompanied my some pretty intense pressure and I involuntarily pushed a little bit.  I told them that it was happening and as they were getting ready to check me again, I had another one where I instinctually HAD to push the second it got going.  There was no fighting it!  She checked me again and told me that I was 10cm but there was still a lip of cervix and I could continue to push which would hopefully take care of the cervix.  I asked if I could stay on my side and she told me that I had to get on my back - this was disappointing but I was in no mood to argue at this point.  And as it turns out, it really wasn?t bad to be on my back.  At this point they were seeing some serious decelerations in the baby?s heart rate so after only a push or two the OB asked if she could do a small episiotomy in order to get the baby out more quickly and of course I said yes.  I had in my birth plan that I preferred to tear naturally rather than have an episiotomy (it certainly would not be at the risk of the baby but I was so appreciative of her continually respecting my wishes).  The OB actually got very serious with me at this point and made me open my eyes and look right at her - she told me that we had to get this baby out quickly and she really needed me to focus.  I was not doing so well with my breathing at this point and they gave me oxygen to help.  But after she reigned me in and she made the cut I only had to push one or two more times and the baby was out!  The excruciating pain of the stretching/burning when his head was coming through was mind-numbing, honestly, but it was SO fast!  Thank God!  The cord was wrapped around his neck twice but thankfully he came out fast enough that it did not cause a big problem. He was laid on my chest immediately and the flood of emotion was amazing!  I said, ?He looks like Josie!? to DH and I just kept saying, ?I can?t believe it? because it was such a crazy whirlwind.  I was dying to see the time because I had no idea what time it was and was sure I would find it to be 4 or 5am but Jude William was born at 1:49a on weighing in at 8lbs and 7oz and he was 20.5 inches long.  One of my worries about going med-free was actually how bad would the stitching hurt?  Well, the OB actually gave me a shot of lidocaine as the placenta was coming out so I didn?t even notice that.  There was a teeny bit of pain while they stitched but it was really nothing.  I would PIP but I cannot figure out how to get a pic in here on my Mac!  

I was highly impressed with the hospital because they had my birth plan without me even handing it to them!  They were referencing specific items on it throughout the whole labor and I could not believe it!  They mentioned right off the bat that they knew I wanted to labor freely and only have intermittent monitoring but they at least needed to get a reading of the fetal heart rate at first (which I knew and agreed to), no one mentioned pain medication, no one tried to convince me to get IV fluids, the reason for the episiotomy was explained, delayed the cord clamping without reminder, and on and on.  I have to say that I was not expecting that whatsoever - I expected to have to fight for things, especially with the OB that was on call, but it was a non-issue and I am so so so thankful for that.

All in all, I have to be honest and say that I don?t know how long I could have withstood that labor without pain medication.  On one hand, I never thought to myself that I needed something to get me through but, on the other hand, it went so fast that I don?t even know if my mind was caught up to the quickness with which everything was happening so who knows how I would have been if it had been another hour or more of crazy back-to-back contractions seizing my back.  I am so thankful that I was planning to go med-free because I don?t think it would have been possible for me to even sit through an epidural and I also don?t think we would have had time for it.  There were a few times during labor where I told myself some of the mantras I had been reading - ?I am a strong woman made to do this?, ?there are thousands of other women doing this right now, too?, ?this is pain with purpose?, etc. and I think they did work when I needed them to help me get through a contraction.  I was also sure to concentrate on my breathing and if I wasn?t doing that well, a nurse or DH or the OB would remind me.  It is actually pretty amazing to me how huge of a difference the right breathing can make.  My recovery has been so much better and quicker than the first time around but I cannot be sure how much of it can be attributed to being a second baby and how much to not having any meds/pitocin/IV fluids.  My guess is probably just a combination of both.

I wrote this story for posterity, as well, so I apologize that it is so lengthy!  I know I loved reading these NB stories when I was pregnant and I hope you enjoyed mine. Good luck to all of you!!