Charlottes birth story (long)

ashlo618 · June 2013

I had been having diarrhea for a few days and had been doing some natural to help labor get started - walking, evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on my yoga ball, sex and I was planning on making THE Eggplant Parmesan this upcoming week, however Charlotte had other plans.

I had been reading in bed and was pretty restless and uncomfortable. When DH came down a little after 10 we talked a bit then laid down to sleep but I was having back pain and peeing every 10 minutes. I told DH I was going upstairs to hopefully move her and sleep on the couch. After about 30 minutes on the couch I realized that the back pain was coming and going regularly. I timed the waves of back pain and it was every 10 minutes. I decided to let DH sleep in case this was the start of labor so I took a shower.

After that I went back upstairs and tried to put on some TV and relax but the back pains were coming closer and closer together. They were too intense for me to time by myself and I was wanting DH to help me get through them. I went to wake him up and he was so confused, I'm not sure if he didnt really think I was in labor or if he was having a hard time waking up but he was not on his A game at first. After explaining to him what was going on we decided to call Dr C and see if these back pains would be considered a contraction and if we should go to the hospital. The answer was a big yes to both.

Bags were already mostly packed but we threw together some last minute stuff, put the dogs away and headed over to L&D. I still don't know if I knew 100% that this was labor since it was nothing like what I had seen and planned for. We called Mama on our way out and gave her and heads up. That car ride which was probably no more than 10 minutes max, felt forever when I would have another contraction, sitting made it feel even worse which I didn't think was possible.

We got checked in to L&D at about 5:00am and I was only 4 cm. I was confused, my back contractions were so intense, I couldn't walk or talk through them. My favorite position was to either get into squat position and moan through them or lean over and hang on Tony and moan through them. They were coming 1-2 minutes apart and were not letting up. I was trying to wrap my head around everything- why did my back hurt SO freaking much?, why was I not able to feel my uterus contracting? Why were they coming so fast if I was only 4? Should I have labored at home longer? That was the last bit of time I had to actually think, while in a contraction it was all about getting to the end but after it passed it was like I wasn't even in labor, I was walking, talking and feeling normal.

That's when Dr.C got to the hospital ( around 6am) and he checked me and I was at 6cm, I was happy for progress and he said he felt I would keep going quickly. Between 6 am and 8 am are a blur, I was getting tired and needed DH more than ever. He was wonderful, he would sit on a stool while I leaned on him and grabbed his hands or back and moaned through. He was great about telling me when it was halfway over ( by watching the monitor) and encouraging me. After a little while longer of this the pain became stronger and I began shaking and crying. They checked me again, now a little before 8 am, and I was 8 cm and Dr.C wanted to break my water. This was something I was comfortable with and so I laid up on the table - most painful position yet. Dr.C broke my water and the Nile came out of me, it was a ridiculous amount of fluid. It kept coming, every time he moved his hand or if I gave a little push, DH thought it was the most hysterical thing he had ever seen

After that I was 10 cm in a matter of minutes and Dr.C wanted me to push. Pushing is hands down, no question, the absolutely physically hardest thing I have ever done. I thought I was breaking my back with every push and I felt very ineffective and like there was no end to it. I had kept it together to this point but pushing made me lose it. I was screaming, cussing, pooping, and thrashing around. Then after the 20 longest minutes of my life Dr.C said she was about to crown and with the very last of my energy I did 4 big pushes and she was out.

She came out quiet and a little purple, they laid her on me and wiped her down and then after giving her a minute, decided she needed some oxygen so they took her to the warmer, gave her some oxygen and she pinked up and started fussing right away. She came back to me and when had skin to skin and nursed for the first hour.

Here she is a few days old making one of my favorite faces

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