My little girls birth story @nicolemackenzie

nicole mackenzie · April 2014

Well I managed to work up until labor! I think I was a bit slow my last week though!

Friday I went to work and was having contractions every 15-20 minutes apart starting at 6:30am. They'd stop and then start up again.

Saturday at 2:30am the contractions woke me up. They were maybe 8-14 minutes apart but increasing in frequency and intensity.

Water broke at 3:50am Saturday, so since I'm gbs + I headed into the hospital. Contractions started coming at 3-4 minutes and scared DH a bit.

Contractions slowd a bit upon arrival to the hospital around 6am. They had me labor in the bed at first while I was being admitted, so uncomfortable!

I then tried the shower, bathtub, birthing ball, and all fours. I liked the shower the best and did that for most of my labor.

Unfortunately I kept vomiting and couldn't hold down anything down. I became super dehydrated... I had an Vic in anyways so when I wasn't in the shower they gave me fluids but I was so dry.

I tried a dose of pain meds with antinausea meds after 7 hours and getting to 4cm... And took a well needed nap.

Then after 11 more hours I made it to 6cm. By this point I was exausted and hadn't eaten anything in at least 24 hours, was super dehydrated, and so tired that my legs were shaking but it hurt to do anything but stand in the shower...

I took another nap with pain meds and antinausea meds but still couldn't stop vomiting. So at that point I decided I needed an epidural because I just didn't have the strength left to push. I was at 9cm.

After the epidural I ate two jello packs and and drank a bunch of ginger ale and became super chatty, lol. I'd been very quiet during labor. I think I internalized the pain. I had prepped DH to give me back rubs but when I was in labor any one touching me was awful and I wouldn't allow it.

Of course the epidural slowed my contractions and so I needed a small amount of pitocin to keep things going.

After rest and jello and fluids I had them turn the epidural down so I could feel my contractions enough to know to push.

I used the birthing bar for the last hour or so of active labor and then gave birth on all fours.

I ended up with a 2nd degree tear. It was so hard not to push when I could feel her so far out!

So at 41 weeks and after 28 hours baby Madeleine was born at 9lbs 2oz! And 20 inches long. Nice and healthy

. I hadn't originally wanted an epidural because it freaked me out but I think it was just what I needed to be able to finish labor and I have no regrets.

We love her so much! Now to just work on a deeper latch!

My goat is due in two weeks so we'll have lots of babies soon

Thanks for reading all of that! Congrats to everyone else with outside babies and good luck to our caboosers!