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September 2016 Moms
ab920
member
Welcome, baby Madeline! Unmedicated labor for FTM
ab920
member
Baby Madeline was born on 9/13 at 5:52 PM weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long! She has thick dark brown hair and very long blonde eyelashes. She's a spitting image of Daddy with Mommy's blood type.
I decided to post my story in case another FTM is planning on an unmedicated birth. I searched thousands of blogs for such information and I'm hoping this might help at least one person.
As I've posted in the past, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure so we decided to induce at 39 weeks (9/13). However, I wanted to avoid medication and only consented to my doctor breaking my waters. So we arrived at L&D on 9/13 at 5AM. At 6:52 AM, my doctor broke my waters (didn't hurt at all) and noted I was already 4cm and 60% effaced. I incorrectly thought this meant I'd have a quick labor and delivery.
Over the next hour, I had three mild contractions. Our nurse suggested some pitocin, which I again refused. Instead, my husband and I walked about 100 laps around the L&D ward (Thanks, Bradley Method) to get labor going. After walking, I was 6cm and 80% effaced (progress!).
At this time, it was around noon.
The next few hours were extremely difficult. I walked, bounced on a birthing ball, did pelvic thrusts, danced with hubs, showered, etc. all while having severe contractions. Two hours later, I was 7cm and 90% effaced. I felt extremely disappointed and discouraged and seriously considered getting (begging for) the epidural. However, between hubs and the nurses cheering me on, we kept moving.
Around 4:30 PM, I was still at 7cm. The nurses thought I was tensing too much during the contractions so my body couldn't naturally dilate further. Later, when my husband I discussed it, we said, had the other suggested the epidural at this point, we probably would have agreed. But we went onward.
I laid down at 4:30 feeling totally defeated. I spent the next few minutes praying and succumbing to the pain while my husband texted updates to friends. At around 4:45, I had an overwhelming urge to push. I told my husband, who didn't believe me, and told the nurse, who didn't believe me. Then she checked me and found out I was almost 10cm, 100% effaced, and baby was inches away from crowning.
Within minutes, the room was transformed into a hospital room (our hospital labors, delivers, and recovers in your suite). There were five nurses total (ours plus four more that hadn't seen a natural delivery and wanted to watch) plus our doctor in the room. After an hour of pushing (and the most guttural, primal sounds I didn't know I was capable of making), Baby shot out screaming, only to quiet down as soon as she was placed on my chest. I had a third degree tear so the next thirty minutes were spent being stitched up, but I was so transfixed on baby girl that I didn't even notice.
Hindsight is 20/20:
I decided to post my story in case another FTM is planning on an unmedicated birth. I searched thousands of blogs for such information and I'm hoping this might help at least one person.
As I've posted in the past, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure so we decided to induce at 39 weeks (9/13). However, I wanted to avoid medication and only consented to my doctor breaking my waters. So we arrived at L&D on 9/13 at 5AM. At 6:52 AM, my doctor broke my waters (didn't hurt at all) and noted I was already 4cm and 60% effaced. I incorrectly thought this meant I'd have a quick labor and delivery.
Over the next hour, I had three mild contractions. Our nurse suggested some pitocin, which I again refused. Instead, my husband and I walked about 100 laps around the L&D ward (Thanks, Bradley Method) to get labor going. After walking, I was 6cm and 80% effaced (progress!).
At this time, it was around noon. The next few hours were extremely difficult. I walked, bounced on a birthing ball, did pelvic thrusts, danced with hubs, showered, etc. all while having severe contractions. Two hours later, I was 7cm and 90% effaced. I felt extremely disappointed and discouraged and seriously considered getting (begging for) the epidural. However, between hubs and the nurses cheering me on, we kept moving.
Around 4:30 PM, I was still at 7cm. The nurses thought I was tensing too much during the contractions so my body couldn't naturally dilate further. Later, when my husband I discussed it, we said, had the other suggested the epidural at this point, we probably would have agreed. But we went onward.
I laid down at 4:30 feeling totally defeated. I spent the next few minutes praying and succumbing to the pain while my husband texted updates to friends. At around 4:45, I had an overwhelming urge to push. I told my husband, who didn't believe me, and told the nurse, who didn't believe me. Then she checked me and found out I was almost 10cm, 100% effaced, and baby was inches away from crowning.
Within minutes, the room was transformed into a hospital room (our hospital labors, delivers, and recovers in your suite). There were five nurses total (ours plus four more that hadn't seen a natural delivery and wanted to watch) plus our doctor in the room. After an hour of pushing (and the most guttural, primal sounds I didn't know I was capable of making), Baby shot out screaming, only to quiet down as soon as she was placed on my chest. I had a third degree tear so the next thirty minutes were spent being stitched up, but I was so transfixed on baby girl that I didn't even notice.
Hindsight is 20/20:
- Have a specific birth plan and find a medical team that will stick to it.
- Abdominal breathing didn't work for me (in fact, it made it worse). What helped was thinking of contractions as surfing--when you're getting out there, you can either go with your board over the wave and fight it, or you can go underwater and let the momentum of the wave bring you further out. Once I just laid there and relaxed (albeit thinking I was going to die), my body took over and made it happen.
- Yes, it was the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life.
Re: Welcome, baby Madeline! Unmedicated labor for FTM