Baby Lily's Birth Story

MrsT2008 · May 2014

Lillian Caroline (Lily) was born on Thursday, 5/15, at 39w5d. Here's her story!

Wednesday I had my 39 week appt and I was 3cm and 70% effaced. OB seemed skeptical that I would make it through the weekend. I was having random cramps the rest of the day but nothing that indicated labor was imminent.

Thursday I was having more noticeable cramps - enough that I emailed MH and told him not to work late that night and I emailed my mom to tell her that we *might* need her. By noon the cramps stopped but by 1pm they came back and right away were more uncomfortable and had a pattern (8-12 minutes apart). I had been instructed to call when contractions were 8-10 minutes apart since they were worried about me progressing quickly and since I was already 3cm. Around 2pm, they were getting more intense so I told MH to come home from work and told my mom to pick up DD1 from daycare. I called the OB around 2:30 and they told me to head on in to L&D.

We got to the hospital around 3:30. The contractions weren't much closer together but they were more intense. They got me hooked up and the OB checked me. I was still 3cm but was 100% effaced and she told me they'd keep me and if things didn't start progressing, she'd offer pitocin (since I was likely being induced this coming Tuesday and wanted the epidural anyway). The contractions settled into 4-5 minutes apart and around 5:30pm I was 4cm and she broke my water. I got the epi around 6:30pm but that slowed the contractions a bit so they did end up giving me some pit.

The epi was amazing and my contractions were picking back up, though as of 8pm I was still 4cm (and I was bummed!). Around 8:15pm I started feeling INTENSE pressure (I told MH I felt like I needed to take the absolute biggest poop of my life) and around 8:30 I told the nurse and asked her to check me. Shock does not even begin to describe what I was feeling when she told me I was complete. 4-10cm in less than half an hour! And her head was quite literally right there.

They let the contractions do the work for another 20 minutes or so until I told her I wanted to push because I knew it would feel better. I started pushing just before 9pm and Lily arrived at 9:05! Then I was shocked some more when they told me she weighed just about 9lbs. And when I found out she was 22.5 inches long. I have no idea where this giant baby came from! (DD1 was 7lbs15oz and just over 20 inches at birth)

A small 2nd degree tear thanks to her shoulders but otherwise, I'm feeling great and recovery has been much much easier than it was with my first. She's a great nurser and my milk is already in - we're dealing with a shallow latch but working on improving that so hopefully things improve with that soon.