My birth story.

I figured since I shared about having my baby I should share about how it happened

On July 13^th I had set up my induction date. I was set to be induced at 8pm on the 18^th with cirdivil and then on the morning of the 19^th when my doctor came on call we would start Pitocin. At this doctors appt my doctor wasn’t sure if I would make it through the weekend. She thought I would go in to labor on my own. She swept my membranes (second sweep the first one took place on july 10^th. My due date) and did some monitoring and said “see you soon.” Well I made it through the weekend with just minor cramping.

On Tuesday, July 17^th I went in for my final doctors appt. I had my membranes stripped really well. We did some fetal monitoring and they sent me on my way. As we were walking out I started having contractions (I was dumb and just thought they were cramps like I had in the past). So H and I get home and he makes dinner. I was laying in bed just trying to get though the cramping.  I was in and out of the shower and bath tub just trying to relax. About 10:00 my husband came in to bed and put his arms around me and I was shaking. He covered me up and tried to cuddle with me to get me to stop shaking but it wasn’t working. I was trying not to show the pain I was in.  He asked, about 10:30, “is it time to go?”

We started running around making sure our house was closed up, the cat had food and that we had everything. It took me about 10 mins to make it down to the car though contractions. We get to the hospital about 11 and we were in the elevator with two nurses and one said to me “Plan on being admitted tonight”

Once I got checked in they took me back to triage and hooked me up to monitors. The nurse asked me how far apart my contractions were and I told her “I think 10 mins.” I was wrong. My contractions were about 4 mins apart. They kept me on the monitors for about an hour and told me “We are gonna keep you.” Well I asked to be taken off the monitors so I could walk the floor. H and I were told to be back to our triage room about 12:45. Well we start walking and come back. The nurse comes in and says “We just got swamped go ahead and keep walking.” In the course of our walk they had 13 people come in all in labor. At 2:30 my Labor and Delivery nurse Nicole came in and took me to my room.

We get in to our room they started an IV and my husband went to sleep. I wanted to sit in the Jacuzzi tub. I went down there and spent about 30 mins in the tub before I started falling asleep. I went back to my room and got in my jammies. I asked for something to help me sleep since I knew I was about to have a long road ahead of me. The doctor wanted to only okay iv meds but I wasn’t ready for them so Nicole fought for me to have something like Benadryl. I finally fell asleep about 4:30ish.

At 8 am they came in and checked me. I hadn’t made any progress all night even though I was having contractions 4 mins apart. So they started Pitocin. Well I went from 0 to 60 in about 5 mins. I HAD to be on monitors because of the pit. I was trying natural pain relief I was up walking around, doing pelvic wags, bouncing on a yoga ball. I was moving too much and we couldn’t keep the baby on the monitors. We fought for 2 hours to keep her on the monitors before my new nurse (I couldn’t even tell you her name but this is not the last time she got an earful) comes in and says “If we can’t keep the baby on the monitor you’ll have to get in bed.”

Me: ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!? I AM NOT GETTING IN BED.

She kept coming in a pushing on the monitors during contractions so I kept wiggling away from her. She kept telling me “stop moving you aren’t helping.” A little bit later they came in to turn up my pit. I started begging them not to.

The contractions got worse. I kept up with the natural pain relief. I was crying and giving myself dry heaves. Well I wanted to get in the tub again. So when my new nurse Tracy came in I asked to get in the tub. She went and started the water and came back and got me. By this point my husband had not left my side since 10 pm from the night before it was 3pm by this point. I went and got in the tub and he walked down to the room with me, sat down and started apologizing that he needed to go get something to eat. (We had eaten at about 5:30 the night before. And I could only have clear liquids and jello) About 30 mins in to the bath I caved and needed the IV meds. I pulled the cord to have help out of the tub and the mean nurse came in. She looks at me and says, “You’re all alone.” I said, “Yeah, my husband went to go get something to eat.” She makes this face and says “Well that’s rude.”

I start getting out of the tub and she doesn’t even help me. I start having a really intense contraction. I start holding my breath though it and she starts yelling at me “STOP PUSHING.” She grabs my clothes and books it back to my room leaving me to have contractions and walk down the hall alone.

When I got back to my room Tracy brings in the iv meds and tells me I can have more in an hour. My mother in law and future father in law have arrived at this point. I’m back to crying and having dry heaves. An hour goes by and I have my H call for more IV meds. She comes in and gives me more. Then everyone starts talking to me about getting an epidural. I knew I needed one but I was having a panic attack over it. (my mom has back problems and she thinks her problems stem from it.) I told everyone I would think about it. Then I ask my H to call her back to answer my questions. She comes back in answers my questions and asks if I want an anesthesiologist to come talk to me. He comes in and walks me though the whole process. He asks me what I would like to do. I tell him I want it. 3 mins later he comes back with the medication. He walks me through the whole process as he is doing it. Once he was done my blood pressure dropped. He walked out of the room and had to come back to give me something to bring it back up. It only took me 20 mins to go numb. At that point the doctor came in and broke my water. I had zero idea. I had to ask her if she did.

 

They let me labor and do my thing. They wanted me to labor her down as far as I could. At 7pm my nurse from the night before came back! I was super excited.

 

At 11 I started shaking. And I couldn’t stop. So the nurse checks me. I was at a 9. She had me do a practice push and had me stop half way through. She had to go get the doctor. At this point I looked at my husband and almost lost it. I just kept saying “we’re gonna be parents. The rest of our life is starting.” At 11:15 The nurse had me push again and thought she saw meconium. She had the doctor check before she brought the NICU team in. (I didn’t need them.) So they get the tray and stuff ready. Then at 11:30ish I was checked one more time. I was at a 10.

 

Then the pushing began. The doctor tells me with every first push it puts us back to where we were when you stopped pushing. So they got 4 pushes for every 1 contraction. This part was not like I thought. My husband kept rubbing my arm because I was pulling my legs up and kept telling me I was doing awesome. He was super encouraging. The doctor and the nurse told me when to push. It was very calm. It was everything I hoped it would be. I was pushing and they said “look!” And I could see her head. I started crying. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. They had me give them 2 more good pushes and her head was out and she was screaming. I started crying so hard I couldn’t speak. I pushed once more and she was all the way out. After 40 hours of labor. 35 hours without food and 40 mins of pushing she was born. They laid her on my stomach and delayed cord clamping. Once they clamped the cord H got to cut it. Once it was cut she was laid her on my chest and she stopped crying and just stared at me. We spent an hour just being a family. I was stitched up (one tare 2^nd degree) and they turned off the epi and pit. After that hour I called my MIL and FFIL to come back and meet their granddaughter. They got to hold her and snuggle her. She got her first bath, Vit K and eye drops. They brought her back to me and I breastfed. She was a natural and latched on and nursed like she had been doing it forever.  She is so strong and already trying to roll over and hold her head up.