Sweet(pea) K's birth story and PIP

SweetPeaK26 · September 2013

Birth Story

So, this was a really interesting labor, at least to me. It was my third and I still went in not knowing what to expect! I was induced in the evening with Kaygan at 41 weeks, and started labor on my own with Karlyle at 38 weeks. So, I wasn't sure what meds we would be doing this time since it was my third delivery, Karlyle's labor was only 4-5 hours, and this was going to be a morning induction.

We got to the hospital at 5:30am on Sept 17. They checked me and told me I was 3cm and 60% effaced. I was shocked because all of my internal checks had been zero dilation. Being at 3 made me think that we were going to be in for a really quick labor!! The only thing that made me unsure was the fact that she was still super high, not even engaged at all.

They started the pitocin by 6am. I walked around my room and watched tv. Around 10am ILs and my mom and our girls got there. They had upped my pit twice, but I didn't feel my contractions were at all painful, so visitors were a welcome distraction.

By noon I still was 3-4cm. And she still wasn't dropping at all. They tried to break my water, but couldn't reach it to break it. They thought that maybe she was turned funny, preventing her from dropping, so they had me get on hands and knees and arch then dip my back for ten minutes. They also upped the pit. By 2 I was at 5cm, but not engaged. A second attempt to break my water, sill couldn't reach it.

I still didn't feel that the contractions were painful, even though the nurse kept saying that they were good strong contractions.

At 4 they had upped the pit to 14. I was 6cm. She still was too high. I walked, I bounced on the ball, I stood and did a slow belly dance/twist/hula dancer combo. Anything to try to turn her. I was still pretty comfortable. The only thing that was painful were the cervical checks, because they had to push so hard to even reach my cervix, plus by this time it was getting pretty irritated from all the action.

At 6, I was 7 cm, and they again tried to break my water. They had a second nurse hitching my leg up to try to give better access. I cried and had to hold a washcloth over my mouth to groan into. It was really painful. But guess what, another fail.

Kyndall's heart rate held steady all day, even though we were over 12 hours in. My nurse called my OB, and he said that I could take another try at walking and back arching, but if it didn't work, we were doing a c-section. I was devastated. I had a goal of epi free, a cs was really not in my plan!

I was too upset to think after my nurse told me that, but she left to give me a few minutes to absorb it. The surgical tech (who had also been helping me all day) came in and gave me a hug and told me that she was sorry and my nurse was sorry and they both felt defeated right along with me, because they didn't understand why things weren't dropping either, and they'd been so proud of me for sticking to epi free with an induction.

I told the tech that I would do whatever I had to do. I said that I would let them up the pit to anything they thought might work. I said that if I was looking at a cs (which would require an epi or block anyways), I would just get an epi and they would be able to break my water without me feeling (and not being able to handle) the pain. Anything. She went to talk to my nurse. They called my OB and he was on board with the plan.

This is where the story turns into the worst most physically painful experience of my life. You've been warned...

It was shift change, an the nurse who I'd started my induction with was put back on my service. She asked if I wanted the epi first or if I wanted her to try to break my water first. Since my contractions STILL weren't uncomfortable, I thought maybe I could still make it epi free if I could just get through the torture of breaking my water. So, dh held my hand and my leg, and the nurse say on my other foot, and I screamed into a washcloth. But, she finally was able to break it. They broke it with the internal fetal monitoring probe, and she accidentally attached it to Kyndall's head in the process. She tried to remove it, per my previous request of not having that on her, but couldn't get it off. Poor Kyndall had a pretty good little cut from that.

So, the nurse left me to 'recover' from that ordeal. But, the contractions immediately became so intense that I was twisting in bed, squeezing dh's hand, moaning and panting into my washcloth. They were 60-90 seconds long and less than a minute apart. I made it through only 5 contractions before I paged the nurse for IV pain meds. I was 8cm and could no longer get the IV meds. While she was in there telling me this, I had a contraction that caused me to scream through it (into my washcloth of course).

She suggested the epi and I said yes. The epi got there within 2-3 minutes. I sat on the bed with my head on the nurse's shoulder, and dh sitting next to her holding my hand. They turned off my pitocin as I was obviously in full blown labor, pitocin or not!

It took 3 tries to place the epi because in as long as it took her to find a spot, I was in full contraction again, screaming into my cloth and shaking with pain. She finally got it placed, tried a test run of meds and realized that it was in a vein. Pulled it out and had to do it all again. Success... Sort of. It only worked about 30% and only on my right side.

They had me lay down on my left side to try to get it to work on the left side as well. As soon as I laid down, I had a contraction and was pushing. I dh yelled "are you pushing?!" At me and I screamed I don't know ! I didn't know if I was pushing because of the baby or pushing just to try to get through the pain. The nurse grabbed my leg and shoved her fingers in me and said she's ready now!! They broke down the bed while I was screaming into my cloth and twisting around the bed each contraction. Between the contractions, I just shook from pain and moaned into my cloth. I literally couldn't not make noise.

I remember looking at the epi dr and pleading with her to please help me, please do something. I told dh I wanted to die. I heard my nurse tell the surgical tech to get ready because they might be delivering without my OB. I didn't care. I wasn't waiting. I had to push, and I don't think I even had a choice. I couldn't not push. So I pushed when the contractions hit. My OB made it.

I don't know if I finally relaxed knowing it was almost over, or if the epi was finally taking effect, or if the nurse turning off the pit was finally helping the contractions to not feel like I was being torn in half. But, things got slightly more bearable.

I still HAD to push during the contractions, and had to scream into my cloth, but, I was able to be quiet between the contractions. I was so exhausted that by the third push of every contraction, I couldn't do the full 10 second count, and then I would sort of black out till I felt another contraction coming on.

The rectal pressure was so extreme, I was sure that she was going to be huge, because this felt worse than delivering dd1 (who was 9lb9oz). I finally felt that she was coming through, felt a burn that I was sure meant I'd torn 'upwards'. I got her head out and felt her shoulders ram me inside. I heard my OB auctioning her, so I knew I needed to wait, but I could only give him 10 seconds or do and told him "I need to push again!" He said ok and I pushed her out. I needed one stitch for a skin 'stretch' as he called it.

And finally, those 2 hours of torture were done. It was exactly 2 hours and 1 minute from water breaking to delivery.

Dh cut the cord, we donated her cord blood, cord and placenta.

She was only 7lb 13oz. 21 inches long. She is the EXACT measurements I was when I was born!

She was turned funny prior to my water breaking, and several of the contractions rammed her head against my hip bone. She has a hematoma (I think that's what they called it), a swollen bump were blood vessels broke an pooled under the skin, on the top of her head towards the back. But otherwise, she did great, and is doing great!

I have been lightheaded and shaky since delivery. Very fatigued, but they said that after the delivery I had, they'd be surprised if I wasn't.

Geez that was long! Sorry! I'll give you another picture of my little lady to reward you for reading all of that!