Team Green No More! (PsIP) - short and long version

LollyBug18 · November 2012

Short Version

On November 12th, at 6:15pm, we went from team green to team blue with the birth of our son, William Aaron. He was 8lb, 12oz and 22 inches long and perfectly healthy. Breastfeeding is going well and big sis seams to be adjusting well. Be sure to scroll down for some pictures!

Long Version

Impatience and discomfort got the better of me and I went in last Sunday evening for an induction. We got to the hospital at 5pm on November 11th, one day after my due date, and by 7:00pm, the cervidil had been placed. I told the nurse that despite the induction, I was still hoping to go without pain meds and she said they wouldn't ask the rest of the time. Even before things started, I was having some regular contractions but they were not contributing to any sort of progress.

The cervidil quickly intensified my contractions and they soon started coming less than 2 minutes apart. I spent a couple hours on the birthing ball, bent over the foot of the bed, with DH applying counterpressure to my back. The goof kept leaving me though to go sit on the couch and I would have to yell at him to get back over to me and push with all his might on my back. I started to feel a lot of pressure in my bottom so I called the nurse in to check me in hopes that I was quickly progressing and would be able to labor the rest of the way w/o having to start the pitocin. To my disappointment, I was only 3cm and I began to doubt my ability to make it through without any pain meds. I was supposed to be spending the night getting as much rest as possible before starting the real fun of pitocin in the morning. Instead, I was getting no break at all. About an hour later, around 3am, the nurse told me they were going to remove the cervidil to give me a little bit of a break and I told her I thought I wanted something for the pain. She checked me again to find that I was at 4cm and then went to get some Nubain. The relief was nice but I could tell that I wouldn't be enough if things were only going to get more intense, especially if I was going to continue progressing slowly. I asked for an epi.

The anesthesiologist arrived about 30 minutes later, just as the Nubain was starting to wear off. Contractions still hadn't calmed down from the cervidil so I sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over, having horrible contractions as I was stabbed 5, yes FIVE, times in the back as the guy tried to place the epi. Just as he started making some excuse of having troubles because I have a curved back, he got the epi placed and I settled down into the bed. I was told it'd take 5 or 10 minutes to feel full relief and when I was still withering in pain after 15 minutes, the anesthesiologist was called back into my room and discovered that the epi had somehow moved and was no longer in the right place. I would need another one. It took everything I had not to start crying in frustration and pain at that news, let me tell you. Thankfully the guy called in his "associate", as he put it, and the new guy was able to place the epi perfectly the FIRST time around and I began feeling relief almost immediately. The stress and pain and frustration and final relief from pain got my adrenaline pumping so hard I started shaking uncontrolably and tears just started flowing. I felt absolutely ridiculous but DH calmed me down and I was finally able to get some rest around 5am.

At 7:00am, the nurse came in to start my pitocin before her shift change and check me one more time. 5cm. More disappointment. But at least I wasn?t in pain anymore ? at least most of the way. For my entire labor I felt the pressure sensation that falsely led me to believe I could start pushing sometime soon. And every time it intensified, I would call the nurse in to check me, afraid that if I didn?t, I?d give birth unsupervised. And every time I was only 1cm more at most. I should have wised up and stopped asking to be checked but I was still hopeful for more progress and to be complete.

I spent the next 10 hours going through five syringes of the epidural (I don?t remember it being refilled even once with DD?s labor, though I was much farther along when I got it the first time) and lying on my left side in bed. It was the only position that didn?t make me feel like I was going to puke. Being on my back was the worst and after only a couple minutes, I would start dry heaving and shaking. It was strange and horrible. Laying on my right side made the pressure down below almost unbearable and, again, the dry heaves would start. Eventually they had me lay in bed on my left side with my right leg in the stirrup because my cervix was complete on one side and not on the other. After about an hour in this position, right around 5:00pm, the nurse finally said I was complete and that we could start trying to push soon.

They started getting the room ready for the birth and having me give some practice pushes. My doctor arrived around 5:30, checked me, and said that baby was still not descended all the way. I was told I could wait a little longer for him/her to drop on their own or I could start trying to push them down during my contractions. At this point though I could no longer fight the urge to push and decided I was 100% done being pregnant and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. So I started pushing. It took a while for me to find my groove but once I did, the baby finally started coming down and eventually crowning. Even though we were team green, my doctor kept calling the baby ?him? and coaching me on very enthusiastically. Oh, and I forgot?at this point, I have an oxygen mask on because I was nearly hyperventilating after each push. I had an extremely dry mouth and the breathing was making me dry heave which, in turn, made pushing even harder. DH had to keep giving me ice to suck on during each push. But anyway, I finally had a couple really productive pushes and could feel baby crowning. I screamed, ?Get him out of me!!!!!!!? and my doctor replied back, ?Get him out? He?s already out!? And with that, at 6:15pm on November 12th, almost 24 hours after the start of my induction, our son was born! We then spent the next hour discussing names and looking over our baby boy while my doctor and the nurses finished things up.

We decided on the name William Aaron and call him Will for short. He was perfectly healthy and weighed 8lb 12oz and was 22 inches long. The nurse said he must have been in there cricked because of the way his head was shaped and that?s probably why it took him so long to drop down. I didn?t care anymore though, I was just so relieved to have my baby in my arms after a difficult pregnancy and L&D.

Since then, Will has been a great baby. Recovery and breastfeeding has gone much more smoothly this time compared to with DD. I don?t know if it?s because I?ve done it before or because I?m on Zoloft this time or maybe a combination of many things but we?re enjoying life as a family of four now. DD seems to like her baby brother but still has a hard time understanding when she?s being too rough with him. We think she?s done wonderfully for only being 18 months old though. She likes to give him kisses and rock him in the swing. We just have to make sure she doesn?t rock it too fast or that she doesn?t try to climb in with him.

And now, for making it through my long, non-encouraging birth story of epidurals gone wrong and hard inductions, some pictures!

sadsadie · November 2012

Congratulations! That post-birth grumpyface in the first pic is priceless.

rachael_c26 · November 2012

Aw congratulations on your baby BOY! How exciting!

I'm sorry your labor was less than ideal, but what a great prize at the end, eh!

btudorica197 · November 2012

Oh my gosh, that first picture of him is so funny. He is soooo cute. What a story! I would have been so mad to have my back stabbed 5 freakin' times! You are a brave woman- kudos to you mama! Congrats!!!