- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Natural Birth
tbone_bride
member
M/C Nov 9, 2011 at 11 weeks.... We love you & miss you
Birth Story!
tbone_bride
member
Erik was born on Oct 23rd at 10:40pm and weighed 8 lbs 13 oz. Exactly one week after my due date, my water broke at home at about 6:15 in the evening. Contractions started pretty quickly. Had to cut DD's dinner short and wait for my husband to get home from work. My parents arrived quickly to take DD to their house. Left for the hospital at about 7:15 (couldn't talk through contractions at this point, and they were coming every few minutes). Took forever to get to the hospital due to rush hour traffic, even though we took back roads! Got caught behind two trains. Ugh! Made it to the hospital, couldn't walk & needed a wheelchair to get to PET. My doctor and doula met me in the admitting room, I was already 6 cm at this point (had been walking around at 4-5 cm for 2 weeks before that!). On the short walk from the admitting room to the L&D room, I had to stop 4 times for contractions. Pretty soon after that I was in transition. It was HARD! HD was a rockstar and really really helped me. Next thing I knew, the most comfortable position was on my hands and knees! I finished transition with my elbows on the bed and knees on the floor. Thankfully my doula brought knee pads, though I didn't notice any pain in my knees at that point.
All of my hypnobirthing training didn't help me too much - the breathing helped a little, though it all happened so fast that I really didn't have time to relax and get into a calm state. The music/relaxation tracks I brought were a huge help though. Listening to them every night really made me familiar with it and brought me a sense of calm. With each contraction I squeezed DH's hands so hard - at one point I had the doula's hand instead of DH's - I apologized profusely since I think I hurt her - LOL. Next thing I know I felt a really strong urge to push. I was 9 1/2 cm and it was 9:30pm! WOW - I pushed for an hour - I pushed really really hard - it was the strongest sensation I've ever felt in my life. The pain of the contractions went away, but the urge was so surreal and strong that it was almost as if I was having an out-of-body experience. After a while of crowning and the baby retreating, the doc moved me to the bed. How I moved to the bed with DS's head half sticking out, I will never know.
Next thing I know, the doc is calling for help. DS's shoulder was stuck! It was the scariest thing in the world. Shoulder dystocia. She pushed on my abdomen - no luck - the doula and my husband pulled my legs back and I was told to push the hardest I've ever pushed. The doc put her hand inside me and turned his head - and I pushed the hardest I ever had that night - and he was born! It was amazing - scary but peaceful all at the same time. They took him right away to be sure he was ok (since the cord and oxygen could have been compromised). After assuring me he was ok, he was placed on my chest. Within about a minute, he smiled at me. Completely amazing. Then he nursed for about an hour while I was stitched up. Thank god I didn't tear too bad, all things considered!
So, there's my med-free birth story. I wouldn't have changed it for the world, though during it I thought I might not make it. I knew it was too late for any sort of drugs, so I just kept doing what I was doing!
I prepped so much for the labor and I can tell you I never even opened my labor bag other than to get my iPod!
M/C Nov 9, 2011 at 11 weeks.... We love you & miss you
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Birth Story!
Awww... thanks ladies! I think all women who give birth, meds or no meds, are rock stars! I'm so thankful that I was able to do it med-free since I had a bad experience with meds the last time around.
And I forgot to mention how totally awesome my husband was during this. He was so supportive and amazing, he really kept me going. I feel guilty for doubting him now, but he proved me wrong! He keeps telling me how bad he felt for me and how completely amazed he was (and still is) that I was able to push out an almost 9 pound baby with no medication!
Funny story - he asked me to compare labor to a muscle cramp. I laughed and told him there's no comparison. Then he told me when I was pushing I had a huge cramp down my entire back, so bad that the doctor even asked if I was OK. I never felt a thing. That answered his question
M/C Nov 9, 2011 at 11 weeks.... We love you & miss you