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September 2017 Moms
towntowns
member
Previous Birth Stories
towntowns
member
I had seen posts on some other boards of birth stories, and thought it would be wonderful to hear the different experiences of women on our board. I didn't see a thread about this so hopefully its okay. Just anything you feel comfortable sharing from your experience whether it's type, pain management, time, and even any helpful tidbits for those of us FTMs.
Some questions I have seen included:
Rants/Raves?
Was it similar to what you expected?
What things might you try to do differently?
Necessities to bring to the hospital?
Was it your doctor who delivered?
How did your SO/DH do?
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there?
Other advice you might want to share?
edited because it edited my post for me, edited title
Some questions I have seen included:
Rants/Raves?
Was it similar to what you expected?
What things might you try to do differently?
Necessities to bring to the hospital?
Was it your doctor who delivered?
How did your SO/DH do?
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there?
Other advice you might want to share?
edited because it edited my post for me, edited title
Re: Previous Birth Stories
With DS my water broke at 39+4 at 10:30 am. I hadn't packed, DH was on nights.. we weren't ready... anyway I showered and packed a bag and had DH run to the store to get some giant pads because I didn't want it to look like I peed my pants as the amniotic fluid leaked out. So we get to the hospital about 12:30, when admitted I was dilated to about a 1 or 2. I labored fairly normally, walked around, sat on the ball, walked the stairs, anything I could do. I got checked and had barely dilated any more. My contractions were getting painful so I asked for an epidural. Right at shift change. So my awesome nurse was replaced by a HORRIBLE nurse. The anesthesiologist inserted the catheter and instantly it felt like lightning hit my whole left side, I was in so much pain. He tried to place it at least four more times, and it ended up not working and I was left in severe pain from the first placement of the catheter. I was actually screaming. I had only dilated to a 5, I don't remember the time frame because I was in so much pain everything is kind of a blur. I remember asking my nurse not to touch me while I was contracting and she pushed on my stomach with a wipe anyway, so I smacked her hand away and requested a new nurse. She stormed out and came back in a few minutes later and snapped at me "Everyone else is busy so you have to deal with me." I'm screaming in pain and the anesthesiologist just keeps pushing buttons and pumping me with more and more drugs which did nothing. Anyway, my doctor finally shows up and agrees to do a c-section. I was begging her to just get the baby out, I couldn't do it anymore. It felt like my leg was being ripped out of my hip socket. It was awful. They wouldn't let DH into the OR since they put me under general, and my sister told me when they took me back into the OR DH just lost it in the hallway. They made me crawl over from my bed to the table, I remember someone pushing on my stomach, the nurse pushing on my throat, and then I was out. DS was born at 10:23 pm, I was in recovery for two hours, when I went into my room DH had been feeding DS and doing skin to skin so I don't feel like I missed out there. I was asked if I wanted to breastfeed but I was way too drugged up and I couldn't even hold him until the next morning.
I think that's everything! I would just say be your own advocate. You HAVE to speak up for yourself.
edited for spelling
Edited to say that we were going to do X-rays to check that out but then I got KU lol
When I first arrived to the hospital at exactly two weeks overdue the nurse on staff tried to tell me that I was not in labor because I wasn't dilated far enough yet and talked about sending me home with pain meds until my OB appt later that morning.
Was it similar to what you expected?
I had zero expectations. It hurt a lot more than I imagined it would and I hated being confined to my bed. (Not happening this time.)
What things might you try to do differently?
I would like to go without an epidural.
Necessities to bring to the hospital?
I brought plenty of undies (oh the dreaded bleeding) and all my normal hygiene and toiletry items. Lots of pads. I brought a couple outfits for baby and myself but they had pretty much everything else I needed there. This time around I will definitely bring more entertainment and comfort items. Hospital tv sucked and did nothing to entertain me. I plan to bring books, music, my electronic devices, etc. I spent a lot of time in labor and I think I'd have done a lot better if I was entertained.
Was it your doctor who delivered?
He arrived at the very last minute to catch the baby lol.
How did your SO/DH do?
Thank god my ex husband was not there. My sister was my husband for the day. I actually hung up the phone on my ex husband because he was trying to convince me not to get the epidural. Later I found out that he was actually talking to other women he met online while I was in the hospital. I'm so happy he was not there to mess up this experience for me.
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there?
I think just being supportive, encouraging and empathetic are the most important things. It was a beautiful experience having my sister with me because she truly took care of me. She rubbed my back. She yelled at the nurses when they were dragging their feet on my epidural.
Other advice you might want to share?
I would just say to do whatever you feel that you need to do while you are laboring. Don't let anyone that is not a medical professional influence how your childbirth goes. I don't care if all the women in your family are Amazonian warriors and didn't have a lick of pain medication. If you feel like you need it, go with what feels right to you.
Another tip, childbirth is NOTHING like it's portrayed in movies and tv shows. Seriously.
I would go take a tour of your hospital or birthing center, meet the nurses, ask about things like if they'll let you eat during labor, if your SO's meals will be provided or just yours, what they provide in terms of diapers, pads, nipple shields, nipple creams, formula, what you should bring (read granny panties big enough to fit large pads). Go and ask all the questions!
I'm also going to try to keep this from being a novel haha! I was induced at 41 weeks because I had made zero progress in 4 weeks. Even after trying everything under the freaking sun to move everything along. So I was all excited and SO ready to have my baby boy in my arms! Got to the hospital and my doctor had told me ahead of time that I was going to get cytotec to go on my cervix to try to soften it, and I would likely not have anything happen until the next morning. Haha no. I had a very bad reaction to it and I started having massive contractions almost immediately and DSs heartbeats was dropping significantly. Of course this was terrifying so they had to stop my contractions immediately, which came in the form of a super painful shot in my arm! No idea why it hurt so much, but I'm really just happy it stopped the contractions. Then the nurse had to go back in and FIND THE PILL sitting on my cervix. She couldn't. So they let me rest for a couple hours and after talking to the on call doctor, decided they would start pitocin soon. So after my rest and they started the pitocin drip, things were pretty decent. They were carefully monitoring the baby's heart rate, it had been determined that the cord was around his neck. Things progressed and I got my epidural. It was the best thing ever and I will definitely do it again! DH almost passed out after that haha. It really numbed the contractions but didn't do much for the birth. I still felt my legs too. That was ok with me though, I was happy to not be totally numb. Things went back to being smooth after that, and I painlessly labored for awhile. Then DS's heart rate started dramatically dropping again. I was about 30 second away from an emergency c section, but after flipping me like a pancake a few times, they got it back under control. He was born about 30 min after that! I had to tell my sister to run and get the nurse because the pressure got too intense and I knew I was ready. She came in and I was 10 and ready to push!! She paged my doctor, I pushed a couple times.. doctor arrived, and 3 pushes after that, he was here! I saw him for the first time and had never felt anything even close to what I felt then. It was incredible. He was born at 11:12 am and labor was about 13 hours!
It was rough at times, but every second was worth it.
@beccam1230 wow that does sound scary! I'm glad everything turned out okay with his heart rate and the cord and stuff. My DH almost passed out when they put the IV in because he hadn't eaten in a while so the nice nurses got him a sandwich and a juice lol lol
Was it similar to what you expected?
Mostly I expected a lot of pain, so... yeah.
What things might you try to do differently?
Wouldn't try to ingest anything during labour. And would hydrate like a maniac in the last few weeks. The nurse let me have some gatorade, and I proceeded to barf for the next 20 hours straight. Threw up so much I got a fever from dehydration, had to be hooked up to an IV for rehydration for a day or two. Not a serious problem but it sucked because I couldn't get out of bed to rock or walk with the baby.
Also, the next time I would just get the freaking epidural. Seriously, what was I trying to prove? lol
Necessities to bring to the hospital?
Lots of large granny panties (as someone else said...).
Was it your doctor who delivered?
Yes, but he got caught in traffic on his way to the hospital and was starting to give the nurse instructions about delivery over the phone LOL
How did your SO/DH do?
Great! He was pretty nervous but he did an amazing job.
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there?
Know how much your presence means to your SO. The focus is on her but for her, you are the most important one!
Other advice you might want to share?
I was hospitalized for 5 days after giving birth due to some very minor complications (nothing worrisome). I refused to let anyone visit us in the hospital, despite the pressure. I also did not call or text anyone, despite the incoming (annoying) messages becoming more and more frequent. Yes, my husband called our immediate family to let them know everything was ok, but some others were incredibly persistent. I let him run all the interference, and we ignored a lot. Cutting off contact was 1000% the right decision. Loved ones with good intentions can try to impose unfairly. Don't let yourself be bullied/guilted into anything!
Also, don't let people scare you with their labour stories. (You know the kind... coworkers who seem to take pleasure in talking about all the horrors that happened to them). It's like we try and outdo each other or something. You'll survive it, you'll do fine, you got this!
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/dgital-media/from-the-heart-conversations-with-yoga-girl/e/the-birth-story-49610341
After the most painful 20 minute car ride we arrived to find it was pretty much go time. Midwife set up the birthing pool and at 1220 my daughter was born. It was by far the easiest birth I have had and the ability to labor in whatever position I needed to made it easier. My doula was amazing getting me through the contractions and whatever else I needed. DH is fairly useless in labor and so the doula takes over his job and was worth every penny. We were released from the hospital after 3 hours which was so nice to recover in my own home without interruptions.
Things I learned: You can laugh right through transition and delivery. Contractions are not always as painful or strong as you expect them. Labor at home for as long as possible if you can. Not all SOs are rockstars during labors so a backup person might be a good idea.
Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T
Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16
BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17
My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog
My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast:
Juicebox Podcast Episode 118
A1Cs:
1/12/16 6.7%
5/25/16 6.0%
11/2/16 6.1%
3/22/16 5.8%
4/27/17 5.4%
6/13/17 5.3%
"Sugar Fancy Tutu"
Labor is so unpredictable.
with my 2nd: I was 39 weeks when I started to feel contractions while I was cleaning/organizing our Tupperware cabinet at 9pm (nesting much? Haha) I decided to take it easy but by 11pm, I was starting to have pretty frequent contractions. At 1am, we decided we needed to drop son off at my moms house which was on the way to hospital. Dropped him off by 1:30, got to hospital and there were no wheelchairs in the lobby. Nurses had to go back up and come down to get me in one. They kept saying "Oh you're fine, you've only been contracting for 4 hours? You probably still have all night". I get to triage, the nurse is trying to get an IV in me and I can barely keep from screaming with each contraction. A nurse checks me and I'm 10cm dialed and they finally start to take me seriously. I tell them I need to push and they all yet "no!" Because my dr wasn't there. A random Dr happens to walk in when the nurses push him to me and I said "I'm pushing" and bam - one push and he barely caught my daughter at 1:57am. No IV, no epidural. My dr walks in 10 min later and is like "oh I see you had the baby congrats!"
Both births were nothing that I expected haha. 2nd time around I thought Oh I'll get an epidural - hah nope! Also neither time my doctor did not deliver my baby.
This time I'm going to try to go natural again. My recover was amazing with no meds!! Daughter nurses immediately (son was basically drugged with me having 6hr of epidural so he was a lazy eater and lost a ton of weight).
DS2: I knew I wanted to try avoid mag at all cost. As my BP started to creep up at the end of pregnancy, I requested a 24 hour urine and ta-dah! Pre-e again! This time I wasn't having symptoms yet, so I was induced at 38 weeks with no mag. I had cervidil overnight, broke my water and started pitocin in the AM. I requested an epidural shortly after and again it didn't take. I rocked on my hands and knees for about an hour and suddenly they told me I was complete. I begged to repeat the epi, but my doc said, just try a practice push. On all 4s, completely naked, rocking back and forth, I pushed him out in 3 contractions. 9 lbs 4 oz. No tears and 100x better than my first labor. Recovery was a breeze.
Because DS2 was so much better, I thought this pregnancy, baby 3, should be great. Maybe I'll skip the epi because they didn't take anyways, I know what I am doing now, etc. Then I found out it's twins. Now I'm terrified of labor again! Hoping to go vaginal again. Doc says baby a needs to be head down. A lot can happen with a twin delivery. I'm nervous.
I am so happy for all the stories shared so far.
DD1: I wanted a med-free birth, but wasn't super committed to it. I was 39+4 and had my first contractions (never had BH) around 11PM. I bounced on my ball, walked around the apartment, and watched crappy TV for a couple hours. Finally went and woke up DH and told him I thought I was in labour. He had to be at work at 5 AM and asked me if he needed to be up or if he could keep sleeping. I told him to sleep. About 10 minutes later he wandered out of the bedroom and made coffee. Lol. We headed to the hospital around 3 AM. I was having major back labour. Immediately was put on my back in the bed. Puked a couple times. Found out I was 7cm along and then my water broke. Back labour intensified 100x immediately and I asked for the epidural. Took an hour to get it. They over did it, and I felt nothing from my armpits down. Around 9 AM I started pushing. Couldn't feel a thing. Couldn't move my arms. Laughed hysterically throughout the whole thing. Had no idea my baby was born after an hour at 10:20AM. 8lb 2oz and perfect in health. I heard crying and was legitimately confused. Tore a little bit, but not too bad. Uterus massages sucked balled. I cried and mourned my baby that night when I put my hands on my belly thinking she was stil in me. I felt 100% disconnected from her birth. I believe that contributed majorly to my PPD.
DD2: I was really determined to go med-free this time after the last experience. Had BH start around 24 weeks. Lots of contractions at 37+2 on a field trip. Had 12 hours of false labour at home at 37+6. Consistent, but never stronger or longer. They eventually faded out completely. 24 hour later (and some marital relations) contractions hit me like a wall. Straight doubled over in pain immediately. Hopped in the tub at home(back labor again. Ugh), called my doula. Started timing to get my hour before heading to the hospital. Doula told me on the phone she could tell they were tough because I'd stop talking mid-sentence already. Went up to the hospital after an hour. Took FOREVER walking across the parking lot while contracting. Got there, change, weighed, etc. I sat on the toilet while the nurses were getting my bracelets and stuff on while giving a hard time about "don't push her into the toilet" and stuff. They finally checked me and I was an 8. Everyone suddenly hopped into gear. Lol. Laboured in a tub for about 3.5 hours with intermittent fetal monitoring. Got to a 9 and stayed there. I opted to sit in the bed Indian style for a while (transition). Told my nurse I was going to pee in the bed. Needed to push. Still a 9, but OB deemed me "stretchy" and said to go ahead. OB had to break my water because her head wasn't progressing out while I pushed. 20 minutes of pushing she was born! 7lb 2oz at 10:20 PM. I literally felt her toes leave me. It was the strangest coolest feeling. No tearing. A night and day better recovery than with my first. My PPD was very mild after her, too.
Edit: spelling, grammar. Whatever. I know I missed some.
<><><><><>Angel Baby- June 2012<><><><><>
<><><><><>DD2- March 2013<><><><><>
<><><><><>DS1- ETA September 2017<><><><><>
My labor was was very short, within 4 hours I was ready to start pushing. I pushed for 1 1/2 hours and no progress. So I labored for another hour. Pushed for another 4 and DD was stuck. My fever spiked and DDs heart rate dropped. The doctor told me I could either try the vacuum or have a c section. By that point I was passing out between pushes, so I don't really remember the intense conversation and decision making process, but we decided to try the vacuum. It worked and DD was born about 13 hours after my water breaking.
TLDR: labor was great after epidural. Back labor sucked. I love the epidural. Not sure I would pick a vacuum again (DD had some complications months later and the delivery part was scared with the huge team being brought in for the risks from a vacuum). Bring snacks for SO/DH. They get hungry. If you breastfeed, bring your boppy.
Question of my own: I had a nurse with me the whole time. Is that normal? It didn't feel normal to me, but I was high risk because of my BP.
ETA: along with the contraction timing app, I also got a mammababy app or something like that to keep with up baby's sleeping, eating, pooping schedule. My nurses didn't appreciate the answer of "I don't know" when they asked me when was the last time he ate. I was so tired, but that app helped so much, and I used it a lot when I got home. Even kept track of which boob you last used!
Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T
Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16
BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17
My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog
My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast:
Juicebox Podcast Episode 118
A1Cs:
1/12/16 6.7%
5/25/16 6.0%
11/2/16 6.1%
3/22/16 5.8%
4/27/17 5.4%
6/13/17 5.3%
"Sugar Fancy Tutu"
BFP #1 June 2016: EDD 16 March 2017, MC July 2016
Re-started TTC Aug 2016
Started IF testing Nov 2016
Spontaneous BFP #2 January 2017: Rainbow Baby Boy September 2017
BFP #3 November 2018: Baby #2 expected August 2019
After the initial ultrasound and heart rate monitor, they rushed me into a delivery room, and I could barely sit still because I was in a lot of pain. Eventually the midwife said they needed to do a head monitor on the baby (a small sensor is attached to their scalp) bc they couldn't get a clear reading on DS' heart rate with the external monitor. The midwife told me shortly afterwards that DS' heart rate was dropping, and he needed to come out, ASAP. I was 9-9.5cm dilated, and had at least three different sets of hands in my cooch, trying to get my cervix stretched enough to get him out. DH held one leg, my nurse (Sennabun. I'll never forget her name, haha. I kept calling her Cinnabon) held the other. They tried to help with suction on DS' head, but he had so much hair, it didn't work. They finally did an episiotomy, and he popped right out. He was born less than 2h after we arrived at the hospital. I bled a lot, and had to have pitocin to help my uterus start shrinking. I was stitched up while the nurses/ doctors work on DS.
Rants/Raves? My midwife, nurses, and the OB that delivered DS were amazing. I didn't realize until afterwards that the heart rate dropping, combined with being sunny side up, was a pretty big deal. The midwife later told me that more often than not, they end up doing C sections on sunny side up babies, because it's so hard to get them out. I worked out through my entire pregnancy, and attribute a lot of the avoidance of C section to being in decent shape still. Anyway, they were all so professional, which is what you expect, but they were supportive and made sure I was aware of exactly everything that was going on. I wish we still lived in Baltimore, I would go back there in an instant to have this LO.
Was it similar to what you expected? I had very low expectations, but still- no. Not at all. I wanted an epidural, and I thought it would take a lot longer than it actually did. Full labor time, from membrane sweep to birth, was about 10 hours.
What things might you try to do differently? I should have gone to the hospital when I initially called the midwife. I would have trusted my gut more. I really really want to avoid an episiotomy again if I can, but I need to have my old one revised after i give birth to this LO. A newb stitched me up, and unfortunately it wasn't the best job ever, which left me with continuing problems.
Necessities to bring to the hospital? Chapstick. If you're planning on EPing or FFing, bring some of the small 6 packs of formula. DS didn't get any food until almost 8h after birth, bc the doctor had to 'place an order' for the formula. Comfy, stretchy yoga type pants (black is best). Dermaplast and padsicles that they give you are tHE BEST. Brush, shampoo/ conditioner/ towel and a hairdryer.
Was it your doctor who delivered? I didn't have a specific midwife, as I saw the whole group, but the one on call was one it ended up I had never met my entire pregnancy. At the end, though, it was the OB they called in when things went south that delivered DS.
How did your SO/DH do? He was amazing. He made sure I was as comfortable as I could be, rubbed my back, held me, whatever. He didn't get to cut the cord, bc they literally threw DS on my stomach, cut it, and ran him to a cart outside the room. But, he was able to get some great pictures and hold him immediately after they made sure DS was okay. He never cringed through the entire thing.
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there? Just be there, and help when you can. There's not much you can do during labor, but afterwards your help is very much needed (and appreciated!).
Other advice you might want to share? Your birth story probably won't be the way you envisioned it, and that's okay. I had a really hard time getting over the way DS' birth went, and for a long time I didn't want to have another child because of it. That's okay, too. Also, it can take a while to bond with your child, so please don't blame yourself if you don't immediately feel a connection, or don't for weeks afterwards. Talk to your doctor, especially if you think you're dealing with PPD. And I know everyone says it, but try to enjoy the early stages while you can. DS is a toddler now, and I miss the kind of snuggles we used to have, he's way too busy now for it!
DS2: EDD- 09.08.17
Rants/Raves?
My midwife was really amazing, and I loved the OB who did my csection. All of the nurses (except ONE postpartum nurse) and lactation consultants I encountered were frustrating. You really need to set your boundaries and stand by your gut - or everyone will walk all over you.
Was it similar to what you expected?
Nope.
What things might you try to do differently?
This time, everything is on my terms and my baby's terms. I'm not interested in being in labor again, nor am I interested in a VBAC. I'm bypassing the exhaustion and stress completely, and scheduling a csection.
Necessities to bring to the hospital?
Slippers. The floor was cold and hard. I really wanted a good, comfy pair of slippers. I sent DH home for my Boppy once DS arrived. If I had known my L&D nurses would be so awful, I would have brought my own towels, since bringing clean towels was really inconvenient for them.
Was it your doctor who delivered?
I didn't see a doctor the whole pregnancy, only a midwife. The OB on call delivered DS via csection, and he was by far my favorite person throughout the whole experience. I wished I'd met him sooner.
How did your SO/DH do?
He was amazing. He was very attentive and supportive. I would have walked out of that hospital without him.
Any advice for the other SOs/DHs out there?
Just be present. Be there in whatever capacity you're needed.
Other advice you might want to share?
Don't set yourself up for disappointment by trying to manage your birth plan full of expectations. In the end, your body and baby are in charge - not your dreams and wishes. Listen to your gut every step of the way. That's your body and baby whispering to you. Don't ignore.
I was 41 weeks and induced. I felt the best I had felt the whole pregnancy between 36-41 weeks. I know some people's doctors strip the cervical membrane (at least this is what they call it?) to help speed things along but I had no procedures done prior to my induction. My body had naturally dilated to 3cm on its own. My induction was scheduled at 1:30am, I checked in at 12:30am per request and after getting settled in my room and all hooked up, the pitocin was administered at exactly 1:30. DH, my mom and I had fallen asleep and I started feeling mild, manageable contractions at 4:30am. The nurse came in and said the plan was to break my water at 6am and asked if I was ready for an epidural yet, in which I debated because at that point everything was manageable. She informed me that once the water breaks that the contractions are going to pickup in intensity, so I agreed to schedule it after they broke my water. And oooo weeee, i'm glad I took her advice because they sure did pick up and my mom and DH told me how "mean" I was. <insert eye roll here> So the epidural happened and the nurse warned that I will likely have a contraction while the procedure is happening but that I need to stay still and breathe through it. She also said it will feel like a bee sting in my back, and I have to agree that that is exactly what it felt like and it really wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I really liked the nurse, she was great on advising me what to expect.
I don't remember what time it was, but sometime mid-morning the baby's heartbeat or oxygen level (I cant remember which) wasn't as stable as it should have been, so they put an oxygen mask on me and kept rotating my body every 30-45 minutes. Doing that helped improve things for the baby, so I was glad for that. About 3pm rolls around and I notice that my right side is feeling these strong contractions and the left side of my body is still numb from the epidural, so over the course of the next 2 hours anesthesiology is coming in and out re-dosing me and trying to get me comfortable, but it just wasn't working. In retrospect, the only thing I can think of is that the epidural got dislodged from where it should have been, and it wasn't working effectively. I should have asked them to re-do it, or at least ask them if that was an option. I was up to 8cm by 5:00 and had been at 8cm for the past two hours, and the doctor came in and said I wasn't progressing the way that they wanted and they are concerned that the baby is too big for my pelvis to support and that they are considering a c-section, but that she'd be back in 30-45 min to check on progress and we'd make a decision together. At this point, my body is exhausted after 16 hours of labor, half my body is in pain, I have an oxygen mask on and keep getting rotated, I was hungry and thirsty as can be, and I was ready for this to be over. At 5:30ish she came in and nothing had changed and I told her I was ready for the c-section and she agreed to get the ball rolling. Unfortunately her shift was ending, and the next doctor on call was going to perform it. My doctor's practice has 9 doctors, of which I only met 8. The only doctor I hadn't met, Doctor #9, was the one to do my c-section.
I was mean to the nursing student who rolled me down to the OR. She hit every door frame with my bed and I yelled at her "haven't you ever done this before??" I feel bad in retrospect and I wish I could apologize to her. I got to the OR and had to help lift my half-numbed body onto the OR table and I was left alone for about 5 minutes while everyone was outside the room doing whatever they were doing. At that point, my mind wasn't all there and I remember thinking "You know what? Today isn't a good day to do this. I will just ask to go home and come back, and we'll try this another day." Hahaha, yeah okay. Next thing I knew, the doctor came in and she was very nice and said "We haven't met before!" and she made a joke about it, the epidural was re-done so they could give me a spinal block, and then I laid back on the table. I felt like I couldn't breathe and I remember calmly asking "is it normal that I feel like i'm not getting air down my lungs?" And someone responded "yes, totally normally, your numb from the chest down, but trust me, you are breathing." Lol! They also gave me some kind of liquid sour tasting acid-reducer (?) and a minute later I announced "hey, i'm going to throw up!" and I did. Next thing I know, my husband is in there, white as a ghost. He sat next to my head and I asked him to tell me a story and he was like "what?" And then I asked him if he was going to pass out and he said he didnt know. LOL. Anyway, what felt like minutes later, I felt nothing and then I hear "okay, here she is!" And they brought her over to the little newborn station to get cleaned up and my husband went over to check her out and she was perfect, with a little bit of coning on her head. He brought her over to see me and all I could say is "she's so cute". My husband thought I had instant depression and was worried about my reaction, but I was just so drugged out and exhausted that you could have put a donkey in front of me and I would have reacted the same way.
After I was closed up, they wanted me to hold her while they wheeled me down to recovery, but I said no, which stunned the nurses. I couldn't feel my arms!! They put DD in a bassinet and we all went down to recovery. I never took the time to find out what happens in recovery, so I think i'll share this too. The nurses push down on your stomach with a pretty decent amount of pressure and thinking back im surprised I was even able to feel it considering I was coming down off the spinal block. I still couldn't move my feet, and I always laugh thinking back to the Kill Bill movie where Uma Thurman is telling her mind to move her atrophied feet/toes/legs and it kinda felt like that. About a half hour later movement/feeling came back, I was breastfeeding DD by that point, it was all good.
I was pretty drugged out on dilaudid for the remainder of my stay, and I remember people coming to visit me but I couldnt tell you now any conversations that I had because I was in a hazy drug fog pretty much my entire stay.
I had a 4 day hospital stay, went home for 3 days, and on the 3rd day I started feeling pain in my back but I thought it was just soreness from the epidurals I had. Then in the matter of a couple hours, the pain radiated to my lower abdomen and I called my doctors office and they told me to come in immediately, but I told them I was 40 min away and didn't think I could make it so we immediately left for our local community hospital, a 7 minute drive. In that 7 minutes, I was screaming in pain and knew something was seriously wrong. First they thought a pulmonary embolism, then kidney stones, but after a slue of tests they found a hematoma on my uterus and it was infected. They transferred me back to my doctor's care downtown where I had surgery to put a tube into my uterus, just above my csection incision, that came out of my stomach and emptied into a blood bag. I was there for a week, all drugged up and trying to heal. The infection was aggressive, which is why I couldnt leave earlier. I couldn't breastfeed DD because of the drugs I was on, so I was pumping and dumping and boy did that take a drain on my emotions. And I was hormonal mess everytime someone came to visit. After I was released from the hospital, I had home care come to help with flushing my drain and I was back at the hospital once a week having MRIs to see if I could have the drain taken out and after a month of this, it was finally removed. What an ordeal. I was told the reason this happened was that normally the body clears the uterus of residual blood from the csection on its own, but it was not re-absorbed and instead it just sat there and pooled, and thus got infected.
Either way, thank you everyone for sharing your birth stories. I'll be honest, some of yall's stories are straight horrifying/scary as a FTM, but thanks for the reality check.
That is all.
ETA: I'm totally being sarcastic. I mean nothing by this comment, the name change is just entertaining.
Really, though, thank you all for sharing!
-Woke up around 11 pm on August 17th, 2012 feeling like I had to poop, so I did.
-Woke up again about an hour later with the same feeling but no poop this time
- Woke up a few hours later with horrible back pain that was accompanied with tightening of my stomach about every 6-7 minutes. I had back labor so I never felt cramping in the front. So I woke up my husband and told him to keep track of the time when I tapped him. After a few hours I called the doctor who told me to head in to labor and delivery but of course I took a shower, did my hair and makeup and even had DH shave my legs all while having contractions.
-Around 9 AM they admitted me. I was about 4 cm dilated when my doctor came and broke my water.
-Got my epidural that was absolutely a horrendous nightmare and did not take.
- Around 2:45 PM I felt a ton of pressure and felt the need to push so the nurse paged my doctor and had me "practice" pushing with just her while she so kindly took her fingers and stretched my vaginal walls (hurt like HELL!). She was shocked when I told her yes I can feel you doing that because the epidural was not working!!!!
- After about 15 minutes of pushing with her she screamed at me to stop because DS's head was showing and the doctor was nowhere in sight. I swear you could probably hear me screaming across the city while she was screaming for the house doctor to come in. Luckily just at that moment my doctor walked in, put on what she could and with one push Holden was out! Born perfectly healthy at 3:30 PM on August 18th, 2012.
@labby18 no worries! title suggestions are welcomed. I don't want anyone to be spooked or confused, especially since it seems like this can be pretty sensitive!