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March 2017 Moms
jadkins17
member
Tell me your labor story!
jadkins17
member
Good morning March mommas!
For those of you who have given birth already or are STMs I want to know your story!
What week did you start active labor?
Did it start with contractions or did your water break?
How did you feel the day your active labor started (before it started) ... were you energetic, tired, sick?
Were you induced?
Did you try any 'natural' ways to start active labor?
Tell me your story... curious FTM
For those of you who have given birth already or are STMs I want to know your story!
What week did you start active labor?
Did it start with contractions or did your water break?
How did you feel the day your active labor started (before it started) ... were you energetic, tired, sick?
Were you induced?
Did you try any 'natural' ways to start active labor?
Tell me your story... curious FTM
Re: Tell me your labor story!
I actually had a midwife appointment at 10am 40w1d. Left saying I wasn't feeling anything. Driving home I started to feel what could best be described as tightening in my lower abdomen. I decided to go home in lieu of the grocery store as planned lol. This tightening continued all day, 6pm DH came home (I was still in denial) but my dad called and I was having trouble talking to him on the phone. (Couldn't deny I was in labor any longer lol)
9pm timed waves for the first time and they were lasting over a min and less than 5 min apart. Got to the birthing center at midnight. Spent my time there in and out of the tub. Stalled at 6cm for several hours. Finally agreed to let them break my waters. There was meconium which meant hospital transfer.
Labored naturally until about noon. By then I had been at 9+ for a long time, waves were slowing and the opening of my cervix started to swell. With the assistance of my doula we tried inversions through waves to move things along get me to 10 so I could start pushing. Nothing worked (mind you this entire time hospital staff is trying to push pit) finally agreed to the lowest level of pit - which gave the waves a pick me up and I could finally start pushing. Took my time getting him out to prevent tearing then Delivered DS 3:30 no pain meds.
The most unexpected part was the vomiting which started in early labor and didn't end until I was pushing. One way your body can process pain that I had not heard of!!
Lots of unexpected twists that day but definitely looking forward to seeing how DD's arrival will compare as we have a planned home birth.
With my second I drank two cups of the Mexican hot chocolate, gave myself a pedicure and started contracting. Four hours of mild but still obvious contractions later my water broke and holy crap ouch contractions. We ran to drop DD with my mom and on the 20 minute drive to the nearest hospital I progressed to 8cm extremely painfully. Once there I had to wait and be admitted since we missed making it out to the original hour away hospital again! They threw me in a wheelchair and took me to L&D, took one look at my dilation and it was go time. A flurry of nurses and my husband coached me through about ten horrible contractions and maybe six hard pushes while babys heart rate was dropping, and the doctor on call came in from her break just in time to catch him! Stitched me up without a word or administering any numbing (yeowch!!!) and left immediately after that. Hoping to make it to the hospital on time this go round, labor in the shower and peanut ball etc, and maybe actually enjoy my experience! I had no inklings of when either would arrive except kind of a nervous energy the day before, but with my first, my husband and I released a lantern with a candle inside at midnight on New Years Eve and wished for a healthy baby to come soon. My contractions started at 4am on the morning of 2nd Jan. so I like to think our wish sent me into labor a week early! Phew this was long!
Did it start with contractions or did your water break? I lost my mucous plug and then 45min-1hr later my water broke in bed.
How did you feel the day your active labor started (before it started) ... were you energetic, tired, sick? I had no signs or symptoms until just before I lost my plug, mostly at once, I peed 6-7 times within 10mins. That was the only thing out of the norm for me.
Were you induced? No induction necessary!
Did you try any 'natural' ways to start active labor? I drank 1 cup a day of RRL tea, and had another half cup with the same tea bag, did that for 3 days, had sex once 2 days before labour started, had one 10min foot rub, tried a little bit of nipple stimulation on and off (5min at a time) for the days leading up to my labour.
FULL STORY
Had dinner at my parents' place to celebrate my nieces birthday, comprised of tacos and double chocolate cake! We got home and I felt very tired, I think I yawned 3 times on the 7 minute drive home. I kept having to go pee, like 6-7 times within 10mins. I wiped and saw my mucous plug, I finally lost the urge to pee and went to bed, about 9:45pm.
At some point, I woke up and felt a gush between my legs but remained still. A few minutes later there was another gush. I realized I had to get out of bed and go check it out, and my underwear was soaked. I got another pair and went to the bathroom to put them on when more liquid trickled down my legs and I knew for sure! I tried to go back to bed but I had a cramping sensation all along my abdomen, and laying down wasn't comfortable.
12:15 On the couch with a pillow and blanket and was texting my SIL. We chat for awhile and I tell her about my water breaking but there aren't any contractions yet, just 'cramps'...I'm clearly in denial. The cramps are so uncomfortable that I have to stand and sway during them as laying on the couch isn't cutting it. I head to the basement, to make sure my DH wouldn't wake just yet, and I pace and sway, and finally decide to time my 'cramps'
1:30 I head up to tell my husband that I think I am in labour. I wake him, he's pretty out of it but understands what I tell him and I tell him to just try and sleep. I end up back in the basement and 25mins later, my DH is with me just seeing how I am, and that he couldn't sleep. We end up in our bedroom and I explain how the Full Term contraction timer app works as I continue to keep track of mine. I spend most of the time bent over our bed, with my elbows propped up on pillows and breathing deep.
3:30 I'm pretty moaney/breathey to the point that my cat is concerned with the sounds I am making, haha, then my husband calls the midwives. He chats to the student midwife, she talks to me through a contraction which distracts me and I KNOW that she won't think I am far enough along. She recommends a shower and a Tylenol and that she will check in on me in an hour, it's now 4am. The shower only seems to ramp up my cramps, I am moaning and leaning on the wall for support. DH packs my hospital bag because it wasn't already done!
5am constantly telling DH how hot I am and need a wet handcloth on me. He calls the midwives, they say they can come and check me at home or at the hospital, I can't make up my mind, so they decide to come over. The one, gets here at 5:30, the student at 5:40am, and they see how I am coping and breathing and eventually decide to do an internal and am told I am 4cm. (after labour, the student tells me I was actually a 6 but didn't want me to get discouraged if I didn't progress as fast)
645 another internal, my DH sees the midwife's face change and she says we should consider getting to the hospital, I was later told I was at 8cm..
7am leave for hospital, with me in the backseat on my knees facing out the back of the car because I can't sit
7:15am scare some people in the elevator when I have a contraction, haha
After this I am less sure of the timing, but I laboured in every single position, I hated being on the toilet or on my back. I eventually was checked and was found to be 9.5 but with a cervical lip which we tried for an hour or so to get rid of by changing positions. I soon realized that I was awesome at breathing through contractions but I didn't really 'get' to hold my breath during a contraction to push, that was frustrating. They see the babe's head in the canal around 10:20, I'm giving it my all, finally pushing just clicks with me, but my perineal tissues are slowing stuff down and I am ready to quit. I want someone to say the words 'epidural' or 'forceps' or 'episiotomy' at this point, but no one is giving in to me. DH was amazing and so encouraging, as were the midwives. Eventually, the midwives try to use their hands to help stretch me which was the worst part of labour, BY FAR. Soon, the midwives just told me to push even if there was no contraction, he was out up to his forehead, and I managed 6 long pushes back to back and then he was born all at once, and they had to shout at me to open my eyes so I could catch him and pull him onto my chest at 11:21am, weighing 6lbs9oz, 19inches long. Had a 2nd degree tear, needed a few stitches, we did skin to skin and delayed cord clamping. We were discharged after ~4hrs, which was my goal, with both of us being healthy and eager to get home and tell our families because no one but my SIL had any idea I had gone into labour!
DH: 33
Furbaby: Walther, 4 year old Rottweiler/Coonhound mix
EDD: 3/7/17<img
The doctor broke my water at 7:15, and I started having ungodly painful contractions at 7:45. Those contractions turned into absolutely horrible back labor. I tried using a birthing ball, sitting, walking, and leaning on the edge of the bed. Absolutely nothing helped the pain. I couldn't tell when the contractions started and stopped because my back never stopped hurting.
By 9:30 the anesthesiologist showed up to give me an epidural (I had decided to play the pain med decision by ear. I wasn't set on having it or not having it) and it completely took care of the back labor. I instantly felt a million times better.
At 10am I started pushing, and at 11:41, he was born. Thanks to the epidural, I didn't feel anything while pushing until his head was completely out. His body came out with one push afterwards, and I barely felt that. I spent the time between pushes chatting with my fiance, the doctor, and the nurses. That was very pleasant.
It was a very short and very intense labor. I was up and walking around about 2 hours afterwards, and of course they had me take a bath. I was a little sore, but was pretty comfortable so long as I didn't sit on my stitches (something I still manage to do at least twice per day even though I know right where they are).
Today, I feel like I was hit by a bus. Every muscle in my body hurts and I look like a balloon that was blown up really big and then deflated: squishy and flabby. However, I've been blessed with a very mellow baby that seems to only want to wake up a couple times a night. Both his father and I are getting plently of sleep, and thus far I am having no big issues with recovering.