XP Nov'12: Cu's VERY Long Birth Story

My Little Cu?s Birth Story

Just some warnings/information: This is a ?pro-natural?/med-free birth story. Gestational diabetic-Diet Controlled. GBS+ so I had to be at the hospital in enough time for antibiotics, but I didn?t want to get there too soon and not progress and be pressured into interventions, since I was still going to be in the hospital). I had been taking EPO pills (500mg once after breakfast, lunch and dinner) since 36 weeks. I had also been bouncing on an exercise ball nightly since 36 weeks too.

I?ll do a long and short version.

Short version: Baby Cu EDD: 11/07/12 Born 10/27/12 (38wk3d) at 4:26AM. He weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 19 ?? long. My first contraction started on Friday 10/26/12 around noon.

Long version: Friday 10/26/12, I had my weekly appt with my midwife (I was seen around 11:30AM). She asked if I wanted to be checked and mentioned we could do a membrane sweep if I wanted (I hadn?t been checked thus far so I was curious to know if anything I had been doing was ?working?. The sweep was because of my GD? if conditions were favorable, I planned to try all natural induction methods to better ensure I wouldn?t risk going over my due date). So she checked me and did the sweep (FTR: The sweep was about a 6 on my uncomfy scale). While she was ?sweeping?, she said ?How are your contractions?? and I just said ?Meh. I think I?m having some, but none with any feeling? I still can?t always distinguish I?m having contractions.? To which my MW kind of seemed surprised IMO. She said, ?Well, you?re 2, almost 3.? I said, ?Am I soft at all?? And she laughed and said, ?Yes?VERY soft, that?s why I?m asking about the contractions?okay, do you work today?? Me, ?No.? MW, ?Okay, I want you to go walk.? So as I?m sitting on the table while she?s getting ready to leave, I asked her to feel my belly and if that was a contraction and she assured me it was and I just said, ?Well, I still don?t feel anything with them.? So I left.

I went by DH?s work and told him about the appointment and walked around the grocery store and bought some green beans and corn (Yeh?very important). Then I went to the mall and walked around (which is when I posted about the baby wrap and asking for positive labor vibes, so THANKS LADIES!!!) At this point (at the grocery store and mall) I?m noticing the contractions more, they are about 10ish minutes apart, but it?s still taking a lot of focus and attention on my part to notice them and tell if it really is a contraction. But best I could tell, they were consistent, just not getting longer or stronger.

Then I went home and had my dad come pick me up so that we could meet up with MH and eat lunch at 2PM. We ate lunch at Olive Garden. Through lunch, I used a contraction app and tried to log the ones I was noticing (it was easier there, because if I stayed close to the table when my stomach would harden I?d feel it hit the table ?but still no pain). The app at this point was logging them at 5-6 minute intervals, then my dad went home and DH and I came back to the house so we could put last minute things in the bags and he could change out of his work clothes. Then we headed back out to walk some more. We walked and shopped, and I was just casually telling DH when I was having a contraction (using his watch, not the app because it was starting to stress me out), at this point there was some menstrual crampiness to them.

Around 5:45pm, we noted they were coming 3-4 minutes apart and they were getting ?stronger? since I was finally feeling *something*. I texted my MW and asked what to do since like I mentioned, I didn?t want to get there too soon, but didn?t want to miss my antibiotics. She told me to go home, take a bath and try to rest. Ok.

So we came home. I laid down for a bit and tried to sleep, but couldn?t (not from the contractions, just from the excitement that I was still having consistent contractions). So I got up and got in the shower. Once I was out of the shower, DH took a nap and I did my hair and makeup? duh . Then I just kind of piddled around on my phone. Got up to pee a few times, watched some tv? was kind of thinking the contractions had ?stalled out? They were back to 5-6 mins apart and not getting any more pain to them. I was sad. It was almost as soon as I was thinking this that I noticed DH next to me, asleep, snoring?. And I was soo annoyed. I woke him up and told him to move!

This is where the rest of the night happens sooo fast! The contractions picked up, FAST! Around 10PM they were between 1 and 3 minutes apart and getting more painful. We decided we were going to the hospital? tonight. So DH cooked me a light dinner (tortilla pizza) and I drank (only a couple of sips) some diet coke. Then DH started trying to get things ready, but the contractions were to where I had to actually breathe through them, so I told him, ?Do whatever you want in those two minutes, but in two minutes, BE BACK HERE!? and when I?d get a contraction, I?d just lean up against him while standing.

We headed into L&D at 11:30pm. It took them 45 minutes from when we got there (11:45pm) to just check me. They started by hooking me up to the EFM (they do this routinely for the first 30 minutes) and the contraction monitor. At 12:30am (10/27/12 now) I was finally checked and was?.still a 3. *womp womp* Sidenote: Many may not believe this, but my nurse was very?unbelieving in what I was feeling and was just making me feel like she didn?t believe I was in labor, I think this made me ?close up? when she checked me. The nurse called my MW and came back and said, I was going to stay for two hours, if in two hours I progress, I stay. If not, I leave. I asked if I could just leave now then (I would be more comfortable at home) and she said, ?It would be against medical advice.? Whatever. I?ll stay. The contractions were still the same intensity from when I left the house at this point, and she said I could be off the monitors for those two hours.

When she came in to check me again at 2:30am, I was ?a 4. I cried. I had been complaining about feeling nauseated since around 2am (which I?d heard was a sign of transition)? I was happy I was getting to stay, but I felt like with the pains I was feeling, I should be farther along?. All I could do at this point was lay in bed, it hurt too much to try to move around. This coming from the girl who had asked for a room with a tub (they were trying to get one cleaned once they determined I was staying) and who had brought her exercise ball?

Anyway, I laid in bed, and during a contraction, I just kind of looked off to the side and breathed. I felt like I appeared very lethargic because I felt soo spaced out and detached, but DH said I just seemed focused. Around 2:45AM, my legs started shaking unbearably. I looked at DH and said, ?When they get my IV in for the antibiotics, I want something for pain. I mean it? and he just said ?Okay.? They got the IV hooked up, but just started the antibiotics (luckily) and then I got up to pee (3AM). While peeing, I called to DH and said ?I feel like I need to push, get a nurse?. DH said he went and got the nurse and she rolled her eyes, because remember it hadn?t even been 30 minutes before that I was at a 4. So she?s telling me to get back in bed so she could check me, but I was having a contraction and trying not to push?and she must have seen me holding my body in such a way, and she said ?Get in bed now! I need to check you.?

So I got in the bed, and she checked me and she gave the other nurse ?the look?. I said, ?What? Am I still a 4?? She said, ?No?you?re almost complete. But I?m about to tell you something very important. Your MW is 30 minutes away and you write the check to her. Whatever you do, DO NOT PUSH!? So it?s about 3:15am at this point? and I?m okay, I?m just trying not to push, and still deep breathing, but I?m okay. Around 3:45am, I?m asking ?Is she almost here? Is she almost here?? Everyone just kept saying, ?Yes? and ?Breathe and blow, breathe and blow? because I was starting to tense up during contractions. Finally I said, ?Look! If I don?t tense up, I?m going to push!? and the nurse said ?Tense up then.? I realized that I went from just the urge to push to completely trying to hold him in almost? if that makes sense.

My MW showed up around 4am and checked me and broke my water and told me to push whenever I felt like. My MW was awesome. First thing she did was tell those nurses that I didn't want to be coached into pushing (I could have used that during the "breathe and blow" nonsense, but I digress). She did exactly what I wanted. She just pulled the stool up next to me and whispered motivational things and told me to do what felt natural and everything I was feeling was right.

But nothing was changing while I was pushing. She asked a few times if I wanted to change positions. Finally, I asked ?Is he coming at all?? and she told me that I wasn?t actively pushing yet and I was seriously just like?.this is balls. What the motherrrrrrfcuckkkkk. But I said, ?I want to change positions. What will work?? They kept asking if I wanted to stay on my back but pull my legs back. Um, No. So I just said, "I want to get on my knees".

They raised up the back of the bed, so that I was on my knees, but leaning over the back of the bed and DH was there holding my hand. I pushed twice and nothing really happened. I pushed a third time, and I felt *something*; DH said it was blood and gunk. I think it was right here, that I threw up?didn?t expect it, it just came out. The fourth push, Cu?s head came out and I gave two final pushes and the rest of him came out. I just fell down onto my butt and held him and kissed him and looked at him and started rubbing the gooey stuff into his skin.

Eventually, after DH cut the cord, they turned me back around and delivered the placenta: which I must say gave me another huge relief. I still had been feeling pressure down there and once the placenta was gone, so was the pressure. They didn?t use any pitocin (or anything else) to deliver it. Then they did put a catheter in real quick to drain my bladder so that my uterus could start doing what it was supposed to? hmmm?that might have been before the placenta delivery, not sure.

Then they stitched me up- 2^nd degree tear. The stitching was the worst part for me. I read so many women say ?You don?t care because you have your fresh new baby and so you don?t notice?. Well yeh, I had my baby in my arms, but I most certainly noticed, and didn?t appreciate one bit getting the stitches. I would have much preferred to give birth to a second baby? But my recovery hasn't been bad at all. A lot better than I ever expected/imagined.

So I think that?s it? I?m sorry this was soo long and rambly?I tried to condense it, but I can?t put it off anymore. Thanks if you read all the way to this point. I had an awesome birth experience and it gave me such an adrenaline rush and surge of confidence.

For reading all the way through, here's a picture of my sweet baby Cu... I put him to sleep with this long story too.