Valentine's Natural Birth - Long

On August 25^th I was 3 days overdue and feeling pretty miserable. We went to a friend's birthday party at his parent's house to get out of our house and hang out with someone other than our 2 year old DD. Another friend told me that the day before she had her daughter she had sat on the couch at this house and eaten brownies. She advised that I do that. So I had some of the birthday cake (and pineapple), sat on the couch and didn't really think anything else of it.

Around 4:45 A.M. on August 26^th I woke up with contractions that I knew weren't Braxton Hicks. I started timing them and they were around 5-6 minutes apart. I woke up DH and told him I thought I was in labor but was going to take a bath to be sure it was the real thing. I got in the tub and the contractions quickly got closer together (2-3) minutes. I got out and told DH it was time to go to the hospital. We called my mom and found out she was sick and couldn't watch DD1. DH's parents were out of town so that put my sister next on the list. I called and she agreed to come over. She arrived around 6:30 and DH & I were out the door by 6:45.

The car ride to the hospital was brutal. Contractions were about 3 minutes apart and very painful. I knew I was in Active Labor. We did get to watch the sunrise on the way there. We arrived around 7:15 and were admitted to Labor and Delivery. My midwife Anne checked me during a contraction and said I was 4cm but went to 5cm while she was checking me. She said she thought we'd have a baby by noon. The nurse put in the HepLock and had me sign some paperwork.

DH went out to the car to bring in our bags and let friends/family know we were in the hospital. I started walking around the room to get contractions moving along and progress my labor. After a while Anne came in and asked if I wanted a birthing ball and I said yes. I sat on that and it made contractions more intense but also farther apart. While I went to the restroom another nurse came in and setup the birthing tub. I labored for a while longer while DH did what he could to keep me comfortable.

The contractions picked up and around 10:30 Anne came back in to check me. I was at 7cm. She asked if I wanted her to break my water and I said yes. Around this point they started filling the birthing tub. Anne broke my water and noticed meconium in the fluid. This meant that I couldn't have a water birth (hospital policy); however since it was light they said I could still labor in the tub. I got in the water and contractions picked up immensely. The pain became severe in both my abdomen and back. Back labor had always been one of my fears with this pregnancy since I'd had so much back pain throughout. While contracting I started to feel some pressure in the tub.

DH called Anne back into the room and she checked me again. It was around 11:30 at this point. I was still at 7cm. This was discouraging and I was pretty upset. Anne suggested I get back in the tub since contractions were stronger there and that we try nipple stimulation. She and the nurse left and DH sat with me while I labored and tried nipple stimulation. The pain was so intense I felt as though I was being speared through the middle. My back was in agony with each contraction. I told DH I didn't think I was going to make it. It hurt so much more than my first labor (where I had Pitocin and no pain meds)! I felt very defeated; like I was letting DH and my midwife down by asking for an epidural. I again started to feel like I needed to push and DH called Anne back in.

She tried to check me in the tub but couldn't tell with me in that position. She sat there while I labored and I had a few contractions. During each one I would say I wasn't going to make it and I was afraid I needed the epidural. Basically I was super whiney. Anne said that I would need IV Fluids for 20 minutes before an epidural could be administered so if I was serious I needed to get out of the tub. I was serious and seriously afraid I would die from pain waiting 20 minutes for an epidural. She asked if she could check me one more time before we got started or if it wouldn't make a difference. I said it made a difference, so she checked and I was 10cm with a lip! She said she could massage the lip out of the way and let me push. I was so relieved! I knew that I could do it if I was that far along. I was so afraid she was going to say I was still at 7cm!

Because of the meconium in my fluid NICU was called into the room. They got everything setup and Anne told me to push. I quickly found out that this wasn't going to be anything like my first delivery. Then I felt relief with pushing. Not this time. The pain was so intense. I also discovered that having someone massage a lip of cervix out of the way was terrible; I screamed. Anne mentioned that my cervix was slipping up and had to move it back down manually. This also caused me to scream. After two contractions the baby crowned. Anne told me that if I could stop pushing she could massage me and stop me from tearing, but I couldn't wait; I pushed her head out. Her head came out in a funny position, she wasn't sunny side up, but her head was turned to one side (this was why I had so much pain pushing and why I had back labor). I pushed again and nothing happened. Anne told me and the nurses that the baby had a shoulder stuck. She told me they were going to hold my legs back as far as they could go and I needed to push as hard as I could to get her out with the next push. I gathered all my strength and pushed as hard as I could and she popped out. I heard the nurses say that she was a big baby.

She didn't cry right away and I asked why. The nurses told me they were keeping her from crying to make sure she was suctioned completely to avoid her breathing in the meconium. After a few more seconds she let out a loud scream. They checked her over completely and she had no problems from the meconium or the shoulder dystocia. She got an 8 and 9 on her APGARS! They brought her over to me and she went right for my breast. She nursed for an hour after delivery. DH had to wait an hour and a half after she was born to get to hold her as she was born hungry! Speaking of DH it was such an intense and scary delivery that he nearly feinted after she was born! It was just the adrenaline crash when it was all over, but he had to sit down and drink something.

Valentine Laurel was born at 1:05P.M. on August 26^th weighing 9lb. 3oz. and was 21?in. long! I pushed for a grand total of 5 minutes. I did tear a little (2 stitches) but overall my recovery was fast and easy compared to my first birth.