Happylady07's birth story, sorry, it's long!!

happylady07 · August 2014

I had a membrane sweep at my last appointment Tuesday morning, was 3-4 and 75% effaced, but it didn't do more than some minor period like cramping along with the standard BH I had been getting for weeks.

Wednesday evening I had some more minor period like contractions, went for a walk to try to get things to pick up, but they were still hardly noticeable, and eventually petered out. Decided to go to bed, hoping something would happen overnight. At 11:30pm I woke suddenly thinking I felt a small gush of fluid. Hurried to the bathroom, it seemed like more of the same clear watery discharge I had been having recently, grabbed a towel and thought about going back to lay down to see if it was something more. Before I could do that, I suddenly felt my system needed to clear itself out, and had to go sit on the toilet for a few minutes. For that time of night, very unusual for me, and I knew something was up. After finishing up, I stood up and noticed I was having more painful real contractions now that the diarrhea like cramping had passed. I woke my DH, told him I was in labor, that I was calling the doula and woke up my mom who was visiting on stand by until baby
arrived.

I called my doula just before midnight, she sleepily told me to call her back in an hour and let her know how I was coping, and that she was ready to come when needed. I agreed and hung up, but was already starting to panic thinking, "does she remember how fast my first labor was? I'm already not coping well!" DH and I went downstairs, turned on my labor playlist, and I had to use the toilet a few more times. At this point, I knew my water had broken, as I was leaking clear fluid everywhere each time I stood, I was having intense contractions, and not handling them well. Leaning on DH, telling him "I don't want to do this, what was I thinking? I can't get comfortable!" and just pacing around like a caged animal in the short minutes between contractions. I told him I needed my doula, called her back mid contraction and told her half crying I needed her at the house now. It was 12:17am.

My mom had come downstairs, while DH threw our bags in the car, I was moaning and pacing, sitting on my yoga ball through contractions and sweating like a pig, when my doula came in and asked if I had been in the shower (that's how soaked I was with sweat already). Mom asked if she could call my neighbor who was coming over to watch my son when we al headed to the hospital. My doula, knowing I had wanted to labor at home some, but also that I had a history of fast labor, asked if I wanted to head into the hospital and would feel more comfortable knowing I was where I was going to deliver. Just as my neighbor came over I has to use the toilet one last time (seriously, how much poop was there?) and we all piled in our separate cars to make the short drive to the hospital just before 1am.

We got into my car and it was making an awful sound, since it hadn't been driven for a week with my mom visiting, it had been blocked in and we used her car all week. DH asked if I wanted to switch cars, I looked at him like he was psycho, and we kept driving, it sounded fine after warming up a bit more. When we arrived at the ER entrance, my doula brought me inside where someone helped me into a wheelchair and hurried me upstairs to L&D. DH and my mom came running in just a few minutes later after parking. At L&D, I was clearly far along because I was acting psycho, and they threw me right into a room when they asked if my water had broken (I had a towel between my legs), I was moaning through contractions and told them "yes, 11:30pm, clear fluid, contractions started shortly after but my first baby was delivered in 3 hours!" That got everyone moving!

In the delivery room I was informed there was not a midwife on call like I was hoping for, but the on call doctor quickly tried getting me to sign consent forms (that I violently stabbed with a pen), and then I proceeded to refuse the hospital gown they offered along with them getting an IV in, I was in full on "terrible twos toddler status" at this point. Yelling, "NO IV! I DONT WANT A GOWN"

Monitors were being strapped on me as they tried to get me into bed to get the baby's baseline, and the doctor checked me shortly after 1, saying I was 7-8, and I continued to freak out during my contractions which were virtually on top of each other at this point. My doula was telling me to breathe, and 5 minutes later I exclaimed, "I need to go use the bathroom again!" The doctor went, "whoa whoa whoa", checked me again, I heard, "there is no more cervix", and I yelled, "are you freaking serious?" They quickly asked if I wanted the bed set up, or how I wanted to deliver, and somehow despite being trapped in an awkward side/back lying position since my arrival and repeatedly saying "I can't move! I don't want to do this!" I quickly flipped onto my hands and knees, I heard a nurse go, "well okay then!" and after much coaxing they got me to crawl further up the bed as I was already grunting and pushing and they told me they were afraid of me or baby falling off the foot of the bed. My body just pushed, contractions were different, more bearable now that I was pushing and not dilating anymore, and I just went with the uncontrollable urge to push. Grunting, groaning, and occasionally "fuuuuuuuck"ing my baby down. After maybe 3 pushes (DH said it took somewhere around 5 pushes total) I felt baby crowning, and heard my doula remind the room that we didn't know what we were having and that dad wanted to announce the sex. A couple more pushes, and I felt baby slide out of me, but couldn't see him as the cord was sort of short and I was on my hands and knees still. Baby arrived at 1:35am, barely 2 hours after I woke up to my water breaking. The relief I felt when baby was born was immediate, I remember my mom's excited tearful expression and I just couldn't stop grinning and saying, "I did it! I can't believe I did it!" I heard DH say, "it's a boy!" and after he cut the cord I was able to flip onto my back and had my son plopped on my chest. The excitement level in the room was insane, I was just SO ridiculously proud of what I had just done! DS2 looked great, he was alert and tried latching quickly. The hormone rush was making me shake quite a bit, but I was able to stand up and walk myself to my post partum room after being stitched up. I had a second degree tear where my episiotomy scar was from my first birth, and they took their time stitching me up after I delivered the placenta while they took Elliott for his weight and other stats. I was shocked to hear he was 9lbs 2oz!

I am feeling amazing compared to my first birth, my stitches are a little sore, but being allowed to push on my own, not having a vaccum assist or episiotomy, and just generally being treated better overall, I feel great! Baby boy is adorable, nursing great, looks so much like his big brother, and we are excited to go home and get into a new normal. After my first awful birth experience, where I felt bullied and had interventions I didn't even consent to happen, I feel truly blessed to have this better experience, where I was treated with patience and kindness, my body was allowed to do it's own thing, and we have a healthy and happy baby boy!