Real Birthing Stories – A Request
Tue, Oct 14, 2008
All Posts, Getting Information, Pre-Pregnancy, Pregnancy Life
The first pregnancy book I read was Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy and as I had written previously, that didn’t go so well. It was so bad, in fact, that it had me second-guessing my decision to even get pregnant. So I moved on to the next book, Healthy Pregnancy over 35 and had a much better experience.
Now I am reading the third book on my list: ”Real Birth, Women Share Their Stories” by Robin Greene. I was a little nervous to read it but felt compelled to learn about actual stories so I would know what I was getting myself into. The book is divided by categories:
- hospital births,
- the birthing center births,
- birth at home,
- delivering in unusual places,
- women on their own,
- when problems occur, and
- two or more.
Each of these chapters discusses unique birthing situations such as the woman who had her baby while riding in a car in the tunnel, or the woman who had to have an emergency c-section at the hospital. There is even a story about one woman who went snowmobiling which caused her to go into labor and she had to be airlifted out of the remote area.
Even with such stories given, I enjoyed this book because the stories were real yet they were written in a way that was not overly frightening. Some of these women had difficult labors and some gave birth after only 15 minutes. But the underlying common thread was the love that they had for their baby and the fact that they were happy to have had a healthy child.
So this is where I need your help. I want to hear more real stories. And they don’t have to be “exciting” (I realize very few people deliver in a car) or extreme. They can be very “normal” and drama-free. I just want to know from someone who has gone through this before – how did you have your baby? Were you in a hospital or a birthing center or at home? Did you have a natural childbirth or did you go for the epidural? Was a C-section involved? Did everything go according to plan? What would you do differently?
I would love to hear your stories, so please, feel free to share. And if you don’t feel comfortable leaving comments, send me an email (fromsingletomarried@gmail.com) instead. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Image: Istock Photos
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October 14th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I have two children and two stories. I feel like with my first son, I have a “real” story. My due date was December 3rd, 2004 and on November 27th (my mom’s birthday), I went into labor at 7am. I had had contractions before but these were coming regularly and – just as everyone says – I knew this was the real thing. We were very calm and called the doctor who told us to call again when things got more intense.
I just breathed through every contraction and about 10am we called again and she told us to come in to the hospital. I remember that day very fondly. There was pain, of course, but I felt very close to my husband and very excited about the baby that was on the way. I got stuck at 3cm dilated for a few hours so they had me walk the halls of the hospital. Suddenly, my contractions that had been painful but manageable got extremely intense. Very slowly we made it back to the room and found out that I had gotten to 6cm – in an hour! No wonder it hurt. I asked for an epidural and once I got that, I was very comfortable. I felt each contraction but without the intense pain.
Things progressed very easily and nicely from there. Around 9pm, my doctor came into the room and told me it was time to start pushing. It was just me, my husband, a nurse, and the doctor in a lovely birthing suite with Miles Davis playing in the background – a very civilized way to have a baby. After three rounds of pushing, my baby’s heart rate dropped and didn’t immediately recover. My (usually very calm) doctor gave him a beat and jumped up and said, “Time to go to the OR.” I was crestfallen. After a whole day of labor, I was going to have to have a c-section?
We got into the OR and I was hooked back up to all the machinery and we found that he had recovered and all was seeming as it should. I begged her to let me continue to push and she did with the condition if things got scary again, they would do the c-section. So, push I did for the next three hours. I had to stay in the OR for it, so gone was the music and nice lighting and they would not let me have anything to drink – not even ice cubes – in case surgery was necessary. At two hours she told me that it was looking like I wasn’t going to be able to get him out and again, I begged her to let me keep trying. After another hour I was beyond exhausted and scared and was ready to get him out safely.
This is where things got bad. After 18 hours of labor and three hours of pushing, I felt like I was laying under two tons of water – utterly and completely spent – and then I was cut open. When he finally came out, I was literally too exhausted to look at him. My entire body was shaking and I couldn’t even turn my head. It was a dreadful moment. He didn’t do very well at first and my husband tells the story of looking from his blue baby to his cut open wife and wondering if either of us was going to make it – a scary moment. My recovery was very difficult as my body healed from both labor and surgery. Breastfeeding was very challenging because (I think) I didn’t get a chance to try and nurse him right away. They were busy giving me anti-biotics for a high fever, and giving him medication for low blood sugar. But of course, we both made it and he is thriving as he comes up to his fourth birthday.
For my second son, my doctor recommended a planned c-section since I had so much trouble the first time. My first son was only 6lb. 13 oz. when he was born and her feeling was that if I couldn’t get a baby that small out, we were better off just planning surgery. I agreed to get a late-term ultrasound to see how big he looked like he would be and when they guessed over 8 pounds, I agreed to the surgery.
My doctor assured me that my recovery would be much easier with the planned c-section and so we picked his birthday to be February 2nd (which felt really weird to me). That day, we brought my older son to preschool, dropped him off at a friend’s house, and then went to my appointment to have a baby. I hate how antiseptic that all felt but in the end, I had a 7lb. 12oz. baby who was brought to me right after I was sewn up, and nursing turned out to be a breeze. The planned c-section was the right (although difficult) decision for me at the time.
I am very grateful that I got to experience labor, very grateful that I live in a time when babies in trouble can be born safely, but mostly grateful that I have two healthy – and gorgeous – sons. Thanks for letting me tell my story!
October 14th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Hi Dana – wow – what an amazing story! I am so glad everything worked out and I’m glad you decided to share your story. And isn’t modern technology amazing? Thanks again! Tabitha
October 14th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I love hearing pregnancy stories also, especially of older mothers. My husband was deployed and I was a little over a month away from being 41 when I had my daughter. He had left on deployment just 2 weeks previously. We lived in Jacksonville, NC; so I had the baby at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital. My mom and sister were in town for the birth and had gone with me to a checkup where it turned out I was already beginning to dilate and my water had broken earlier in the day. When people tell you not to worry about knowing if your water broke because you’ll always know… that’s not always true. I actually had trickles throughout the day and thought I was just having trouble controlling my bladder again, as had happened throughout the pregnancy.
One neat thing about Camp Lejeune at that time was that most of the Docs were deployed, so you received a midwife for your prenatal care. I was upset with that idea all the way up until the very first visit – then I was grateful. It was a much better experience for me than having a doctor. More hands on, more personal, less rushed.
That day, the doctor had just informed me that I was dilated and would be having the baby. Literally, as that sentence left her mouth, my cell phone rang with my husband on the other line. Their ship had a port call in France, and he was calling to say hello. I was able to tell him that we were having the baby – so as soon as I knew, he knew! You can’t imagine how rare that is in the military!
He was able to keep in contact with me throughout that day and the next. I had enough time to go to the commissary and stock up on food (she was coming a few days earlier than we thought), go home, unload the groceries, pack my stuff and head to the hospital.
In the brand new birthing rooms (just finished that summer!) I was able to tape a legal size picture of my husband’s face on the wall directly opposite from the bed. I hadn’t intended for this effect, but it looked as if he was looking directly in my eyes and smiling when I looked at that picture. My parents, both medical professionals, and my sister, a children’s ER nurse, were all in the room with me.
When it was determined that I would need an epidural, my sister put a surgical topical numbing cream (emla) on my back in the area the needle would go in. The anasthesiologist (sp?) was really irritated and asked me, “Who authorized this??” I said, “I did”. He was grumbling about how I could have done the wrong thing, put it in the wrong spot, etc. etc. I just ignored him. My sister later laughed about it because she said there is only one square area where he would have put the needle, so obviously that is where the cream should have gone. I have chronic pain issues and that is what I was dreading most about the labor. I never felt the pain of the needle, and childbirth was the least amount of pain I had been in for years and years. I could still feel the pressure and was told I was pushing perfectly.
Labor was long, very long. As in 36 hours from the start of the dilation to the finished baby! At the end, they had to pull her out as her heart rate dropped to 80. She just could not get out. My husband happened to call right toward the very end, and had been calling off and on during that time frame. He was actually on the phone with me talking when I had the baby. At one point, the doctor got on the phone with him and told him how to help me through the breathing and the contractions, so he literally did everything a dad would do except be physically present. It was amazing, considering the circumstances.
Then she was placed on my chest and it was the most amazing feeling of my entire life. I can not possibly describe it. I was all of a sudden a member in a secret club – one that you think you get and understand until you are actually in it; and then you realize that you never really knew what mothers felt until you were one. I nursed her and we went to sleep; my husband went to a fabulous French restaurant, had oysters and cigars with his buddies.
He’s deployed again, for the third time in the past 2 1/2 years, this time until next July. My daughter is 2 years and 4 months old. We found out we were pregnant the night before he left on this deployment and were overjoyed. He hasn’t been home long enough for us to get pregnant as easily as others!! Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, I had emergency surgery and almost died. Turns out I had a heterotopic pregnancy (two babies – one in uterus and one attached to the fallopian tube) and lost 4 units of blood before I was operated on. (We’re stationed at Parris Island now). I ended up losing the second baby 2 weeks later.
We are going to try again in January – he will be home for 2 weeks of leave in the middle of the deployment, and my doctor is trying to regulate my ovulation so that I ovulate during that time. I really, really hope to get pregnant again; but I know it’s a long shot due to my age.
October 14th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Laurie – I’m amazed by your story and how strong you are (as are all mothers/wives whose husbands are deployed). It sounds amazing – that moment when your daughter was born. I’m so glad she’s doing well. And I’m very sad to hear about the loss of your twins. I’m glad you’re okay, though, and I hope the best for you as you continue to try! Please keep me posted… Tabitha
October 15th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I have two children, so I have two birth stories. I had natural birth with both of them. My first was born in a hospital; my second was a planned homebirth. http://members.cox.net/jsam/birth.html is a link to the first birth story. I’m including the second here because I don’t have it posted. Adrian is my hubby, Aelliana is my first daughter, and Nova is my second. I think all other players are named:)
Here’s Nova’s story:
On Sat, May 7 I woke up and was having contractions every 5 minutes
for half an hour. I got all excited and thought it was labor for
sure, so I got up and called the answering service. By the time she
called back, the contractions had pretty much died down. The midwife
(Erin) told me to go lie back down and if contractions picked up, then
I should call back. I went and layed down and fifteen minutes later,
they came back. I decided I would sit for another fifteen minutes to
see what happened before calling again. This time they died and
didn’t come back. I lost a couple hours of sleep for nothing.
On Wed, May 11, in the evening I thought I lost my mucous plug. I was
sure I was going to have the baby that night or the next morning.
On Thurs, May 12, In the morning, I had a few contractions, but they
didn’t really seem to be going anywhere, so I told Adrian to go to
work. I really lost my mucous plug that morning. I was hoping that
something might happen if we went for a walk, so we walked to the
library and grocery store (a few blocks, not a really long walk).
Nothing.
Thurs night, there was talk about going to The Container Store, but I
really really didn’t feel like going. So, we didn’t go. When I tried
to go to bed at 10:30, I wasn’t at all sleepy. I think I read for a
while and then gave up and got on the computer for a while and then
made myself go to bed at midnight. At 1:50, I woke up with a
contraction. After 15 minutes (and roughly three contractions), I
knew it was labor. I waited another fifteen or 20 minutes before
calling the answering service just to make sure they weren’t going
away. At 2:30, I called and talked with the midwife (Susan). She
told me, after I described what was going on, to call her back in an
hour unless things picked up or something really changed (like bloody
show or water breaking). My mom came up at that point and I told her
I was in labor. She asked what she could do and I told her to get the
fold out couch ready.
I also called the doula (Tammi) and let her know what was going on and that I
would call her when I called the midwife to come. At 3, I called the
midwife and told her to head on over knowing it would be an hour for
her to get here. Tammi came around 3:30 and I had tried the bath, but
it really didn’t work for me, so I was getting out when she arrived.
Running the bath woke Adrian up, but he was thinking that it would be
hours yet and was trying to go back to sleep. At 4, Aelliana woke up
and hopped into our bed with Adrian. He tried to get her to go back
to sleep. But after half an hour the midwife arrived and they needed
to get birth supplies that were stored in the bedroom. So he gave up.
At that point, 4:30am, I had just peed and the birth assistant (Lori)
had just gotten there. Lori and Tammi waited a moment for me to turn
off the light and make sure Adrian was decent before going in for the
birth stuff.
Let me note that all the contractions were in my back and my back was
really hurting for the entire labor. Any kind of movement made my
back hurt and seemed like it also encouraged contractions. This trip
to the bathroom brought on a real doozy of a contraction and I threw
myself on the sofabed to get through the contraction. I think it was at this point that I started to vocalize a little bit. I had been
doing some breathing with a little bit of noise, but I think it was
this contraction where I was sort of saying “oooooh” as I was
breathing. I could feel my cervix really opening up. And then my
water broke.
I was still wearing my pants and underwear and they told me I had to
get them off. I thought about this and told them to cut them off.
They told me more firmly to move, it would only get harder later, and
so I moved enough that they could pull my pants off.
We must have gotten the pants off between the contraction that broke
my water and the next one, because I then remember feeling an
overwhelming urge to push. I was apparently making a lot of noise.
My throat was pretty sore later too. After my water broke, I felt the
head and it seemed like she was crowning. I was really surprised and
asked Tammi if it was time to push. She told me not to be afraid and
that it might be time to push. I told her I wasn’t afraid. I had
asked because I was really surprised. It took another 1 1/2 hours
after my water broke with Aelliana before she was born, so I hadn’t
expected to be ready to push so soon although I knew Nova was pretty
low when labor started.
I pushed four or six times and her head popped right out. Then one
more push and the rest came. I remember them saying, there’s a cord.
Susan must have unwrapped the cord before I pushed again. Adrian was
holding my leg and they had me lie a little bit on my back (I had been
on my side) so that when Nova came out Susan could bring her up and
put her on me. 10 minutes later, the placenta came out. This was a
surprise too because with Aelliana, it was more like 1/2 hour.
After some bonding/warming/nursing time, it was time to check Nova out
a little more thoroughly. They took her and tied up one of the
blankets and attached a hook that has a little scale on it. She
weighed 7 lbs 12 oz (4 oz more than big sister) and was 19 1/2 inches
long.
I did have a little tear, but when asked if I could keep my knees
together or did I want a stitch, I opted to keep my knees together.
Adrian missed most of my labor this time because we both thought it
was going to last longer and I didn’t really feel like I needed him.
My birth plan said I wanted an intervention free birth, would people
please remind to breath while pushing, and not to cut the cord until
the placenta was delivered. Everything came true.
While I wouldn’t say it was a dream birth, there were many wonderful
things about it. It was not easy; this labor was really painful and I
kept thinking “I can’t do this for x many more hours”. I didn’t want
to move for most of the last hour (even though I did get up and was
still talking between contractions up until I started pushing). The
aftercare was wonderful. There was no separation and instead of
insisting that we warm the baby up in the oven (say), they got the
heating pad and put that on me and some blankets to warm Nova up.
Being able to go to sleep in my own bed and not having to deal with
people coming in for vitals was wonderful. I would much rather have
my toddler interrupt my sleep than hospital staff.
Although Aelliana and my mom didn’t actually see Nova come out, they
heard her cry and then rushed in. Aelliana got to see her new sister
when she was just moments old. Apparently my mom asked Aelliana if
she wanted to go see the baby coming out (my mother could tell I was
pushing from the noises I was making), but Aelliana said no. My mom
thought I would be pushing much longer too.
If asked if I would recommend a homebirth, I would have to say that
each woman needs to give birth where she feels most comfortable. I
knew that a hospital birth would not work for me this time because I
would have been too worried about what they would do to the baby
after. If I had been vbac’ing, I would not have done it at home.
Adrian asked when it was all over if this labor had been better than
going to the dentist and I didn’t really answer the question, but I
think it was worse. I had said after Aelliana’s birth that going to
the dentist was worse.
So, for me, giving birth at home this time was really wonderful. If
I’d had to try to go to the hospital, I’m not sure I would have. I
really just didn’t want to move and it was nice to not have to go
anywhere. We all appreciated the aftermath. It is so much more
relaxing to be in your home and have people you know taking care of
you than to be in the hospital. We have gotten way more sleep than we would have in the hospital too.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Wow! That’s amazing that you had a home birth. I’m so interested in hearing about those because I’ve read a little about them and the women all seem to have such great experiences. It’s definitely going to be something to look into. Thanks for sharing Joni!
October 17th, 2008 at 12:10 am
So, I love reading birth stories too… I’m not a mom yet, I really would like to get pregnant soon so I’m looking for them on the web. Here are a few I found:
http://onegirldesignwrks.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html
Including her experience and others and links to others in the comments…
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/
http://www.disney.fr/FilmsDisney/lepremiercri/
Didn’t saw the movies yet, but looking forward to.
http://wiki.naissance.asso.fr/index.php/PageAccueil?redirectfrom=CianeWiki
This one is in french, but it’s very complete, a real portal about birth, pregnancy etc…
http://sixandahalfstitches.typepad.com/six_and_a_half_stitches/2006/10/pias_story.html
And another one… All in english!
Hope you find what you’re looking for!
October 17th, 2008 at 2:45 am
hey – thanks for the extra resources – very helpful!
October 18th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I have two girls, so two very different stories…
I was teaching classes when the contractions started. That was pretty standard. They had been a fairly frequent visitor for weeks now, but the difference was that day they didn’t stop after a few hours or a lot of extra water. At the end of the day, after we got the students onto their busses, one of my assistants asked if I had had a lot of contractions that day. I laughed and got the paper from my desk with all the times I’d been jotting down all day—nearly a hundred of them. The poor football player who was our peer tutor nearly passed out. The poor kid was always afraid I was going to have the baby right there and he was going to be called upon to help, no matter how many times we promised he wouldn’t.
The contractions continued into the evening, usually running about five minutes apart. We put the hospital bags put in the hall expecting to get up in the middle of the night. The next morning came, and though I hadn’t slept very much, we were still home and the contractions still didn’t warrant a trip to the hospital. We went to a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser for my school.
Then we went home to start the bathroom vent Justin had planned to put in that weekend. Justin rented an extension ladder, by the time he got home the contractions were closer and harder. I told him to go ahead and start working. It would be hours I was sure. Then he needed my help to steady the ladder. I would wait for a contraction to end and then I would steady the ladder as he climbed up. I’m not quite sure how we managed it, but we got the vent in and he returned the ladder. The contractions spread back out to about seven minutes apart.
We went to eat spicy Mexican food. Surely tonight we thought as we climbed into bed again. Another sleepless night and we were up again. We decided not to go to church for fear my water would break in the middle of the service. We went for a long walk. The contractions grew harder and faster, but again they slowed when we got home.
Finally that evening, the contractions stayed close together even as I rested. They were also stronger than they had been during rest before. We finally made the trip to the hospital.
I was making slow progress, so my midwife broke my water. Then my labor stalled. I had to deliver the baby now, since my water was broken, so they put me on petocin. They kept turning it up. It made the contractions harder, but my labor was very slow. I had a dose of Stadol, so I could sleep after an exhausting night.
I don’t recommend Stadol (or any other narcotic). It did let me sleep between the contractions, but I was very much awake when the contractions hit and I had no control like I had before, making the contractions even worse. Justin had a horrible time through this part of labor as well. When the Stadol wore off, we found out that Kate was sunny side up (not facing my back the way she was supposed to be). This had cause more painful and a much prolonged labor. My midwife was able to turn her and I went from only seven cm to complete in less than a minute. We were finally able to start pushing, after 17 hours in the hospital and a few days at home. I pushed for about an hour and a half.
My labor was long and petocin augmented, but finally ended with a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I decided my labor must have been especially difficult when the nurses, who weren’t mine, came to congratulate me on making it without an epidural. Kate was worth waiting for.
Then Gabby came a year ago today!
I was over due with Gabby and Kate had the stomach flu. As much as I was ready to have the baby I was petrified I would go into labor and be all alone at the hospital. There was no way I was just handing my sick gal over to someone with a “Good luck!”
Thankfully God postponed my labor. I had my nonstress test on Tuesday and scheduled an induction for Thursday morning. I had been having contractions throughout the test, but nothing of any import. I called my mom, so she was going to fly out to keep Kate.
That afternoon though I started vomiting and have consistent contractions—three minutes apart. They weren’t very strong though. I called my midwife and she told me to go to the hospital in case this was it. I called to have my mom reschedule her flight, have one of Justin’s colleagues come and get Kate, and Justin came to take me to the hospital. So much for the schedule! After sitting in rush hour traffic for an hour we were glad I wasn’t in active labor. We checked in and I was hooked up. The contractions had intensified and my nausea was still present.
After several hours the painful contractions were still there, but I was being released, without a baby. It’s hard to leave the hospital, overdue without a baby—walking past the empty bassinet. It turned out I caught Kate’s bug and had become dehydrated.
Justin’s colleague brought Kate home and I crawled into bed. My mom arrived and I just lay awake until the contracts stopped at about three in the morning.
Finally Thursday arrived. We walked into the hospital loaded down with a pillow and bags for our three day stay. I was settled into my room and after over an hour and three nurses, including the supervisor my IV lock was in—after all that we didn’t even use the crazy thing. After two doses of Cytotech and eight hours I had only made two centimeters progress (for a total of four). I was disappointed and torn—I was afraid I would get stuck on Petocin again. The nurse and midwife told me that breaking my water at this point would speed things up, so with some trepidation we did. I immediately felt a difference in the contractions. I was allowed out of bed for the first time (the Cytotech protocol required constant monitoring). I told Justin that the labor was worse than it had been with the Petocin—he thought I was crazy. When the nurse came back to check me I had gained FOUR more centimeters!
They grabbed the delivery cart and the baby nurse ran in. My midwife was delivering in the room next door. The baby nurse got a call on her cell and as she walked out she said they were really busy and that she might get to catch a baby. Lindsey made it in just in time. She told me to push before she was gowned and the nurses were still trying to tie it on when she caught Gabby and we finally found out we had a baby girl. It was really only an hour and a half of real labor after nearly four days with my last delivery.
October 19th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Hi Kristy -wow, no epidural, that is amazing! It’s good to know about the drugs that they used and their effects on you. I haven’t read a lot about them yet so it’s good to know what options there are. And congrats on two healthy babies!
October 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Hey, I hear you’re looking for birthing stories. Well, mine began on a clear, sunny day on June 1, 1983. Oh, you actually wanted giving birth stories? Oh, my bad. I’ll have to get back to you on that…
October 21st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
oh fiance of odie, you’re so funny! Don’t worry, I have a feeling that you’ll have your own story in another couple of years!
October 21st, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I stumbled across your blog the other day and have really enjoyed reading. I have one child and had a fairly easy and uneventful birth experience. I had contractions Saturday night in the middle of the night. About the time I was going to go into the hospital they stopped. The next day (Sunday) I had contractions on and off. We had a big family lunch that day (parents, siblings, grandma) and I ate like a pig. After lunch the girls all sat down to play cards and my contractions started in again. They were getting so bad I had to lay my head down on the table and breathe through them in between playing the game.
The contractions were coming pretty close so we finally decided to head to the hospital. We checked in around 4:30 that afternoon and I was dilated to 4. The doctor came in around 6:00 and broke my water and that’s when things really started happening. I was bound and determined to deliver without drugs, I figured if I could get through that I’d be able to get through anything as a single mom. After about a half hour of pushing, my daughter was born at 9:11 that evening.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Hi Jocelyn – I’m glad you stopped by. And what a story – it sounds like the shortest labor I’ve heard of yet! Of course it probably wasn’t as easy you made it sounds I’m sure.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
There is a birth center in Alexandria that does home births and there are other resources that I can tell you about if you email me:) I’ll be around, so you don’t have to email me today. Email whenever you’re ready.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 pm
What a fun blog! And as this is a subject near and dear to my heart (I have four children), I can briefly share some of my birthing experiences. My first one was 16 years ago – I was young and didn’t do much research, just kind of went along for the ride – but it was a fantastic pregnancy – I had no morning sickness and no other problems. I got pretty lucky with the labor and birth as well. My daughter was one week late by the time I went into labor. She was sunny-side up which hurt like the dickens, but I was only given a tranquilizer for the pain. I was also automatically given an episiotomy which was completely unnecessary and my biggest regret. From start to finish, my labor lasted about 18 hours long. She was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and a beautiful girl!
My second pregnancy came 10 years later. So many things were different with this one – I had morning sickness and many more aches and pains now that I was 10 years older! My son was 11 days late, and my labor was only 9 hours this time. I labored completely naturally with the end result giving birth to a 10 pound baby boy in water. It was fantastic!
My third was only a couple of years later and very similar in nature to my second. I was 15 days late this time (getting later and later with each pregnancy). Though I gave birth completely naturally again, I chose to not deliver in the water as planned (didn’t feel like getting back in the water!) but definitely felt the difference in pain – it was much worse without the soothing aid of the warm water. I gave birth to another boy, this time 9 lbs. 9 oz.
My fourth was a planned home birth baby, however things didn’t go as expected. By 37 weeks, my midwife noticed something wrong as the growth pattern of my uterus was off – it jumped enormously in just a couple of weeks. We suspected too much amniotic fluid (called polyhydramnios), and ultrasound showed it to be on the higher end of normal so we would just keep watch. One week later, I noticed my urine was orange (thought THAT was a bit strange and definitely a red flag!). I casually mentioned it to my midwife, and to make a long story short, the following blood tests confirmed HELLP syndrome, a very serious disease and potentially fatal to mother and baby. I was rushed to the hospital where the only cure is to deliver the baby. My son was born two weeks early via C-section. He was my smallest baby yet at 7 lbs. 1 oz (such a peanut compared to my other two boys!) but was perfectly healthy and beautiful! My case of HELLP was far from normal as most women who present to the hospital with this disease are extremely sick and have many complaints. The doctors were puzzled as I looked and acted and felt perfectly normal – my only problem was strange color urine! But thank goodness I listened to my body, did tons of online research to know it was problematic and mentioned it to my midwife. My birth experience was not what I had hoped for or planned for, but how can I complain when I have three adorable sons and a beautiful daughter? My message to other women now is to be smart and always listen to your body paying very careful attention to it, even if it seems minor and insignificant – it could save your life and your baby’s!
October 24th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Hi Crystal – amazing stories and such different experiences from one child to the next! I’m so glad everything was fine with your fourth baby – it’s a good thing you were listening to your body and had a good midwife. I think you’re right, it’s important to do research and be educated. Hearing other people’s stories like this definitely helps – thanks again!!
Tabitha
October 24th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Joni – I will definitely contact you about the birthing center – I was just reading about centers vs. hospitals so I’d like to get more info. thanks!
October 28th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Just wanted to recommend a book- Part 1 is all birth stories, Part 2 goes into the physiology of birth, etc. Written by a midwife, so coming from a natural birth perspective:
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
I read this book during my pregnancy with my third child and had my most positive birthing experience that time!
October 28th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Hi KM – thanks for the recommendation, I love finding new books so that’s very helpful! (I’m on my fourth one right now and I’m not even pregnant!)
October 28th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
LOL – Girlfriend’s Guide To Pregnancy – I know what you mean. That book is downright scary.
I’m actually trying to find the time to write my son’s birth story, but in short it was a natural birth at a birth center with an incredible midwife. My mantra was “Labor hurts, it’s hard work, and I can do it.” – I found that in “Birthing From Within”, which was an inspiring book after all those scary birth stories I read online. Also, “Spiritual Midwifery” by Ina May Gaskin was very powerful for me – tons of natural birth stories that empowered me to trust my body, and to trust that I could birth naturally, even though I did not find much support among family or some friends.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I have to second Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. The stories in there were so much fun! There are some things that might make ya say, “What?!” but take it with a grain of salt.
Either way, I really think it helped me a lot.
I used a birthing center run by a CNM and I went into labor at 36.5 weeks (3.5 weeks early) in the middle of the night. My contractions started fast and furious, none of this cute, “I think I might be in labor” business, 2 min apart lasting 20-45 sec at a pain level 8-9. And they never changed. Labor started and ended like that. I labored for 3 hours, had my boy out in about 20 min of pushing and went home a few hours later. Some fun facts (and the real drama to the story), CNM’s don’t deliver premature babies out of the hospital (usually), so we were to meet at the birthing center and go to the hospital if I was indeed in labor (b/c the pain had a weird pattern and I was early she thought it might be a kidney stone) Well, I got to the birthing center and was fully dilated. So I’m ready to push out a premature baby. She also found out in that exam that my sweet one was breech, which is a birthing center no no. So we called 911 to transport me, but I was too quick for them! Not intentionally, it just all happened so fast, but baby was born butt first and came out hollering and weighed 6 lbs 4.5 oz, I was perfectly fine, so even with all the scary possibilities, everything turned out great! The emt’s ended up just being cheerleaders, which is fine with me! I will use that same midwife with the next one. She also helped me a lot with breast feeding. BF’ing preemies (although he wasn’t THAT preemie) can be difficult and I have big ol’ boobs, so we had trouble for many weeks, but we got our act together through her help and successfully breastfed for 10 months. That is also something to think about if BF’ing is important to you. The birth is one day, BF’ing is several months. You’ll want some support lined up for that, if, like I said, it is important to you. Anyway, have fun with all of this! And good luck!
October 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Hi Jess – thanks for the book references, I’ll definitely check them out! And your mantra sounds about right.
And Beth – what a fantastic story! I’m so glad everything worked out okay and that you had a relatively short labor. And you’re right, I want to learn all I can about breastfeeding because that’s an important part of the process.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:54 am
My first pregnancy was fairly uneventful, no problems and very little sickness. I was due around the 7th of October and working part time. On September 13th I got home from work at 3:30 pm and around 5:00 I thought my water had broken(it isn’t always a gush and was my first baby so I wasn’t certain). We went the hospital around 7:00 and they hooked me up to the monitors. Contractions were registering even though I wasn’t feeling them yet. Around midnight they said it was time for the epidural. There was a problem when they attempted to insert the needle and they tapped spinal fluid. That required them to do a blood patch which involved them running a tube from that site on my spine over my shoulder to my hand to pump blood into the fluid. Then they tried the epidural again. After 2 1/2 hours, they finally got it right. By then, it was almost time to push. My son was born at 3:18 am and the epidural was in such effect that I could not feel to push. I ended up with a 4th degree episiotomy and a beautiful 7lb 8oz baby boy around 3 weeks earlier than planned!
Fast forward 4 years and I am due around November 7. At around 5 1/2 months, I’m starting to have some problems with my hands and wrists. I’m told that I have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel and an unusual condition which caused electrolytes to settle into the joints of my fingers. The fluid retention was also starting and my blood pressure was rising quite alot. They had me stop working and lay on my left side for the rest of my pregnancy. I had to check my blood pressure every few hours and go to the doctors office (40 miles away) every 2 -3 days so they could monitor the baby. They would always get me straight into a room so that I could lie right back down when I got there. They hooked me up to the fetal monitors quite often to make sure the baby was ok. On the October 30 visit, they said that we were going to have to get the baby out, that the baby was fine but that I was not. I went over the hospital and they started the drip to induce my labor around 7:00 pm. At a little after nine, they broke my water and my 7lb 11oz baby girl was born at 11:02 pm. I opted not to have the epidural after all the problems the first time. The contractions from being induced were much harder and faster(crashing one right after the other) than I had with my son. My blood pressure stayed dangerously high and they kept me in labor and delivery for 12 hours after she was born with the cuff on my arm checking it every 10 minutes. It took almost 2 years to get off the blood pressure medication I had to start as a result of the pregnancy and almost 2 years to get my post pregnancy thyroidism under control. Now all is well and I have two wonderful kids ages 11 and 15! Best of luck to you as you begin motherhood – the greatest journey of your life!
October 31st, 2008 at 9:00 am
Hi Sabrina- thanks for telling your stories, I’m so glad everything worked out alright. I often worry about having to be put on bed rest and how we’d handle it. Did you find it really difficult?
October 31st, 2008 at 9:32 am
It was a challenge having a 4 yr old who wanted and needed attention but we spent ALOT of time with my lying on the couch and him sitting on the floor or a stool beside me coloring, reading books, playing games and watching movies. It was pretty frustrating but knowing you’re doing what’s best for you and the baby makes it much easier than you’d think.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:33 am
October 31st, 2008 at 10:59 am
Yes! And it’s the most rewarding (albeit sometimes the most frustrating) job in the world and so worth everything that you endure to get there. Best wishes to you!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I have one daughter who just turned 2 and her birth was somewhat eventful, but normal at the same time. I think my biggest regret was being so drugged up I only remember bits and pieces of it and I was too out of it to try and hold her the first day or try to breastfeed her. I won’t go into minute by minute details, but here it is.
My water broke at 2am and it was almost just like in the movies…It was literally like dumping a bucket of water in the toilet (fortunately I didn’t unload on the floor or the bed). I never realized I was actually carrying that much fluid in me. I had two big “gushes”, but managed to get the toilet both times. From that moment on, I was constantly leaking.
By the time we got to the hospital (around 4am) I was so ready to get out of my wet pants and into a hospital gown, so the bed sheets could catch my leakage. By this time I had also started getting some mild contractions, but nothing unmanageable.
Unfortunately for me, the baby never dropped into the birth canal. I was in labor for 14 hours from the time my water broke to the time I delivered and I never dilated to more than 5cm. I was given an epidural and after a while feeling started to come back in my right leg, so the doc gave me something else. I slept through most of my contractions, my ribs being in so much pain, I was pleading for them to get her out and I was crying. I remember my husband crying as well, because he couldn’t stand to see me hurting. All of my contractions it seemed where up in my rib cage because that’s where the baby was lodged. She wasn’t contracting in my abdomen so I never got that overwhelming urge to bear down like some women do. I just felt a vice on my chest and I remembering trying to breathe through some of it. As I mentioned, the memories are fragments.
After 14 hours and no progress, I was given an unscheduled c-section and my daughter was born at 4:36pm that afternoon. I was completely out of it and they had to keep waking me up. I did manage to stay awake for the c-section and I heard her first cry and saw my baby and gave her a kiss.
But afterward, I had a hard time staying awake. I have pics of me with bug-eyes because I was so drugged up that I couldn’t focus. The nurses and my husband kept asking me if I wanted to try breastfeeding, but I was afraid to try and hold my daughter since I was so out of it. But I finally did and she was a pro, unfortunately I never produced enough milk to provide for her and she ended up a formula baby. Something I’m not sure I could have helped by breastfeeding earlier than I did, but something I will regret not trying. Because she never dropped and my contractions were mostly up high, I had trouble breathing deeply for about 2-3 weeks after delivery…like I couldn’t quite truly catch my breath.
My c-section was the first major surgery I’d ever had (at 31 years old), so my body freaked out and didn’t know how to deal with it. I ended up back in the hospital 2 days after I was released and spent the next week getting antibiotics and tests to determine why my white blood cell count was so high, because they couldn’t find any other signs of infection. I had fluid buildup behind my incision, that drained for about 3 weeks, so that was yucky and uncomfortable. I was extremely swollen from water retention (after delivery), so I’d advise to drink lots of water! Like it’s the last drink on earth. I developed high blood pressure during that week as well that finally got back to normal after a few weeks. I couldn’t sleep in any position except my back in an elevated position for over a month after I delivered. That was awful and really uncomfortable.
But after all that, I’d do it all over again. My pregnancy was the most uneventful and a friend even said I was the most un-pregnant pregnant person he’d known. So I guess my delivery and recovery made up for it.
My daughter is my world, I don’t even know how I filled my days before she arrived and I very much look forward to doing it all over again. As soon as my husband agrees to another child.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hi Rayne – what a story! I’m so glad everything worked out well, but it sure sounds like you went through the ringer, poor thing!! I like how you said it was worth it though and how you’re ready to try again. Good luck and keep me posted!
November 4th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
So, my birth story is interesting in that I was summoned to jury duty at about 36 weeks pregnant (36 weeks and two days to be exact, leaving almost 4 weeks before my due date). I am sitting in jury duty waiting to be questionned when I start getting what I thought were braxton-hicks, as I had never had them before. Well, I labored for TWO hours in jury duty leaving the court house at 4:30 with contractions at 2 minutes apart (first baby by the way). So, I call my husband who is 45 miles from where I am crying because I’m in too much pain to drive. I refuse to let him call an ambulance as I do not want to go to the hospital alone. ( a little irrational? YES)
I labor in the car for another hour until he gets there, we get to the hospital around 6:00 (this is 3.5 hours of labor). They check me and I’m at a 6… begging for an epidural. I had myself a little wound up out of fear of being alone. I get moved to a delivery room, the doctor comes in and checks me… time to push! My son was born at 7:35 pm, labor started at 2:30 pm.
He was healthy and happy. What an amazing experience. The love and elation you feel the moment you see your baby is just overwhelming. As exhausted as I was, I couldn’t sleep… I stared at him and followed the nurses into the nursery all night for his bath, his vital checks, etc.
Today he is a happy 13 month old!
November 4th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Hi Terra – that’s so amazing – only six hours! Good for you! And congratulations on a healthy, amazing baby. Thanks for sharing your story…
November 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Oh, I meant to tell you… I ended up not having the epidural. There wasn’t time by the time the doctor got there. I was upset at the time, had a hard time breaking through that pain, but in the end, I’m SO glad I didn’t have one. I was able to get right up and shower (which felt GREAT) and I felt great. I told my husband to remind me of that for the next baby…. I’d like to do it drug free.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Good luck on your quest to have a family. I was blessed by having the opportunity to start my family early, and though I’m just a few years older than you, my kids are now 16 and 12. I will spare you the details of my completely uneventful childbirth experiences, but will share one sweet memory. My husband was adopted as an infant. The first six years of our marraige, we lived in the same town where he was born, and both of my children were born the same hospital as their daddy. In fact, I was in the same exact birth suite with both kids, and we like to make the leap that Daddy was born in that same room as well, although of course we’ll never know for sure. Good karma there!
November 20th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I was one week overdue and had not had one sign that this baby was ever coming. I went in for a check up, and the resident did “the check” and got a funny look on her face. “I’ll be right back…” she said, and left to get her supervising doctor. Turns out baby was breech, and I would have to have a c-section the next day. I was so, so upset, thinking that having a c-section would prevent me from bonding with my baby, that so many other people would get to hold it first, etc. I spent the next few hours crying, and worrying that all of the crying would put me into real labor!
The next day I checked in to the hospital and had a beautiful baby boy. The c-section was INTERESTING, just seeing all of the different people involved who were all there to deliver my baby. It was so quick – from the time I entered the operating room until I had my son was less than 30 minutes.
I was not the first to hold my son, but I was able to nurse him within 30 minutes of his birth. My husband (who carried him from the delivery room to the nursery and then to me in the recovery room) claims the first time the baby stopped crying was when he was brought to his mama.
15 months later I am pregnant again and due in 3 months. I will be having a scheduled c-section. The recovery was much, much easier than I could have anticipated. Within a week of the birth I felt back to normal.
Good luck to you! Having a child is an amzaing thing!
November 25th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Hi Marisa – thank you so much for telling your story – and congratulations to you too! Keep me posted – I’d love to hear how it goes!
Tabitha
December 5th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Wow–I stumbled onto your blog and love it. And, because I love hearing/reading birth stories, I figured I would share mine (three) with you. I will keep each as brief as possible, but each was very different.
My first was due on Christmas Day. In early November I was put on bed rest due to high blood pressure–laying on my left side all day was no fun. Two times a week I went in for non-stress tests and ultrasounds. My ob went and had her baby on December 23rd, so obviously, she wouldn’t be delivering my baby. On New Year’s Eve, my mom went with me and my husband to see the doctor. The ultrasound showed that my fluid was reducing, so he decided he would induce me. I was to go to the hospital the next day at noon to get a gel put on my cervix. I would go back at 6 pm for another dose, and then return at 6am on January 2nd to start the actual induction.
Well, I arrived at the hospital, and my nurse was my lamaze teacher–and awesome. She gave me the dose of gel at 12:30ish and told me that I had to lay down for an hour. At 1:30, she checked, noticed I was having some contractions and told me to go home. She also warned that when I returned at 6pm, I should be prepared to stay, since many women who get two doses go into labor. So, I went home and called my mom (who was on her way to the airport to get my sister). But, once at home the contractions were too much to bear, so I went back to the hospital. I got there around 3:30 and got hooked up to the monitors–my water had broken. After my first round of drugs, I begged for the epidural that I had told everyone I didn’t want (I’m deathly afraid of needles). Once the epidural was in place, I was ready to party–talked and joked with my sister and mom. At 8:00 pm I was starting to push–my son was sunny side up and the nurse warned me of a possibility of 2-3 hours of pushing–it was my first child. My son, Zachary, was born at 8:56 pm–8 1/2 hours after my first and only dose of gel. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces.
My second had her own complications. I was borderline placenta previa, and as such, my doctor wanted to induce to make sure she could monitor my labor every step of the way, with an OR ready just in case. With her, my doctor thought labor would go fast, but it actually stalled out at one point. While my doctor thought she would be born before lunch, Zoe waited until 3:57 pm–and we needed a vacuum to get her out–or else we would have been headed for an emergency c-section due to the placenta problems. She was 9 pounds, 12 ounces. I had an epidural with her, first because they wanted it there in case of the c-section, and then because my dad wanted to talk through my contractions and it was very difficult to concentrate.
My last one, less than 2 1/2 years ago, was probably my best delivery. Again, I was induced, but this time was two days after my due date. I checked into the hospital the night before, and my husband stayed home to take the kids to school the next morning (my son at this point was 9 1/2 and my daughter was 3 weeks away from turning 5). I woke up at 6:30 am feeling contractions and told my hubby to get there as soon as possible. He showed up at 8, just as my doctor came to break my water. I told her I was having contractions and she measured me at 6-7 cm and said we would have a baby by lunchtime–gee, that’s what I was told last time. I had a friend who was also pregnant and had a doctor appointment that morning and who had planned on coming by. I called and told her that a visit at 11:30 probably wouldn’t be good because I would probably be delivering a baby (actually I left her a message). When my hubby dropped my daughter off at preschool, the teachers rushed him out as soon as they found out I was in labor.
Things went well, and at 9am I was measuring a full 7 cm. No drugs yet and things were going well. They had me roll on my side because her feet were under my ribs. At 9:15, the pain had become worse and I decided to ask for the epidural. My nurse (also extremely awesome) went to find the anesthesiologist and came back at 9;25 saying that he was a few doors down helping another woman and would be there in 10-15 minutes. She then decided to check me, and immediately called to have the doctor come back to the hospital, and oh yeah, no drugs for me, I was 10 cm! The doctor showed up at 9:40, got on her gown and booties, and 3 pushes later at 9:46 am my daugher, Zienna was born. She weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces. I called my friend who was at her doctor’s appointment–she said she had received my message and I told her to feel free to come by–the baby was already here! My daughter’s preschool teachers thought my dad was going to pick up Zoe, but Scott came by to get her. They were mad at him for leaving me, until they found out that he had pictures of the baby!
Honestly, after having done birth with and without the epidural, I would opt for without if there were a next time. It was so nice to be able to get up and take a shower right away, and walk around. My recovery was sooo much faster without the epidural.
Thanks for letting me share!
December 16th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Hi Tabitha! I clicked through to your blog from a comment you left on thepioneerwoman.com.
Thought I’d give you a link to my birth story: http://www.theleen.com/2008/01/everything-i-thought-i-didnt-want-and-everything-i-didnt-know-i-needed/ The entry itself is really long, so I won’t post it here.
I’m excited to peruse your site more!
Kathleen
December 18th, 2008 at 6:21 am
It seems to be popular to find your blog through Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. I’m on that bandwagon as well. And I never miss an opportunity to tell my birth stories … even when not asked
Our Girl
http://thebouldins.blogspot.com/2006/12/shes-here.html
Our Boy
http://thebouldins.blogspot.com/2008/03/daxs-day.html
January 28th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Two daughters….both born via Caesarean. I never had a single conraction. First daughter was an attempted induction (didn’t work) that resulted in an Emergency CSection (no worries….all went very well). Second child was in a town where they didn’t perform VBACs (Vaginal Births After Ceasarean).
So…if you should happen to need a CSection, do not worry. In both cases I was the fist one up and walking among women that had given birth the same day as me. Take the pain medication while in the hospital as it will get you up and walking around but try to stick to the OTC medications once you go home and limit the prescription stuff to the time of day when baby is most likely to sleep longest to keep it out of your breast milk more. And it will be better for you to stay the full 3 days in the hospital…don’t be a hero!.
If my tubes weren’t tied (we have five…including the three stepsons) I would definately elect for another CSection. So if you should happen to have to go that route….know that it really isn’t that bad!
January 28th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Kathleen – nice to see you, I will definitely go check out your post!
Joanna – as you know, I loved reading your stories!
Becca – What great advice! A lot of times I read about how people feel badly for having a c-section so it’s nice to hear your comments!
February 11th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I was 34 when i got pregnant with my first son (we have 2). both were born “naturally” in a hospital but they operated it much like a birthing center. the rooms were like hotel suits and you made your entire stay there once you were admitted. I was not opposed in any way to an epidural but i just never felt one was needed. the pain was very bad but i never got to where i felt i could not endure it and i just felt like i wanted to have as little intervention as possible. With Nick i woke up at about 2am with contractions. after about an hour of timing them i knew they were consistent and getting stronger…i had also had some bloody “show” when i went pee and emptied my bowels by that point. my husband and i went to the hospital to get checked. i was 4cm. they had me walk the floor for a bit to make sure i was still progressing…sure enough within a 1/2 hr i could no longer talk or walk through the contractions and i was up to 5 cm so into a room i went. I did a lot of walking, squatting and vocalizing…vocalizing really kept me focused and just seemed natural to me as an outlet for all that energy during a contraction. at about 9am i remember having a contraction so bad that i felt like i wanted to run for my life and suddenly i felt an uncontrollable urge to bear down. sure enough i was 10cm. Nick came out after 3 pushes and was layed directly on my belly. I had minor tearing that required some stitches. the best advise i had prior to giving birth was from a friend of mine who had 5 children. she told me that when its time to push it will all of a sudden make the pain you had with the contraction seem like a hang nail and you may feel a bit panicked…don’t panic…think in your mind of a wall and you have to push through that wall to get to your baby…push through the was with all of your will…I think that is why he came out in only 3 pushes…i was pushing really effectively and i didn’t hold anything back -after the shock of the first push i realized what she said was true and i thought of that wall between me and my baby and pushed that sucker down. when i had nick in my arms it was a flood of emotion and energy…i felt like “wow!!! I did that!!! I am pretty damn amazing!!!” and i immediately wanted to do it again!!!!!!!
With Tony it was a very similar scenario except I had been having contractions on and off for two weeks without progress. the night i went into labor there was a blizzard outside and we had to wait for my hub’s mother to get there to take care of nick so we could go to the hospital…it was taking a long time for her to get through the weather and my husband got nervous that my contractions were getting too close together and strong and he called an ambulance to take me to the hospital…that was the worst feeling…being strapped to a stretcher when you are trying to get through a contraction!!!!! I wanted to be on my feet hands and knees so my belly could hang (that feels so good during a contraction!). i had my first contraction at 2:30am…got to the hospital at 3:30am and was only 4cm. within a 1/2 hour my husband got there and i was at 6cm and my water broke as i was walking the floor and all of a sudden i started throwing up. my nurse rushed me to a room where i just barely threw myself on the bed before another contraction gripped me…when that one passed the nurse checked and i was 10cm…the next thing i remember is looking at the nurse and telling her in no uncertain profain terms to get her bleeping hand out of my vagina…she said calmly “that’s not my hand honey that’s your baby and you need to push…it was 4:30am. 3 pushes later Tony was born. it took a few tense moments to get him breathing but when he did he let out a good holler! i knew from the moment he was laid on my belly that he would have a sweet angelic personality and i was right.
many people say that i got off easy having 2 hrs of labor but let me tell you it was not any easier than my first one…in fact i would say it was harder because it was so much more intense, i did not have time to prepare in between contractions and my body never had time to get the hormone surge that helps your pelvis loosen up…my hips were so sore the next day i could barely walk…but it was all worth it…every bit of it…being pregnant, being in labor, giving birth, breast feeding, sleeping in two hour chunks…i haven’t forgotten it and it was the most powerful, amazing and wonderful experience of my life.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:31 am
ooh, how did I not see this post? Well, a bit late, but here’s my story!
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I was 28 weeks along, and from that point on, we went for bi-weekly checkups at the hospital, because babies whose moms have gestational diabetes tend to be large (typically the 9 or 10 pounders) and they have larger chests and shoulders, which tends to lead to them getting stuck in the canal often, leading to emergency c-sections. We were part of a study that was trying to reduce the amount of emergency diabetic c-sections, so it was really cool!
We had ultrasounds every 2 weeks, and got to really moniter the progress of our little guy in-utero. As we got closer, they took measurements constantly….any sign that he was going to be over 10 lbs, and they were not going to let me do labor for fear he would be stuck.
My due date came on the 17th, and I had an ultrasound the day before. He was measuring at 9 lbs, 12 oz. OH BOY! Just under the 10lb mark, so we were cleared to try vaginal delivery!
But then I never went into labor. I had braxton hicks, I had a false labor episode, I had contractions every hour for days on end. But no labor. No sign of labor. NADA!
On a Friday 4 days after my due date, the doc started getting concerned. After all, the little guy was still growing, and we didn’t want him to get too big. Plus, I had tons of other health complications the entire pregnancy. Group B strep, Kidney infections, I had an allergic reaction to some meds and that started pre-term labor back in October that we managed to get to stop (ironic, no?) my blood pressure was going up, and I was just plain tired of it all.
He told us that we couldn’t go much longer past the due date, not with all the complications. it wasn’t safe for me, or the baby. So we decided to do an elective c-section on Wednesday, if he didn’t make an apperance by then.
Tuesday night, I was soooo hoping something would happen. But nope. 6 am Wednesday morning, off we left for the hospital, and I got the c-section.
Once he was born, I was so grateful that I did. He was actually wedged into my pelvic bone, and never would have been able to come out on his own. He also had pooped in-utero, so there was some meconium in his mouth that they had to suction out. AND as icing on the cake, he was also born with dangerously low blood sugar, and had to be taken to the NICU for a day to stabilize him.
I was grateful for my ob in giving me choices, because it felt like I was empowered to do what I wanted to do, to make a decision for my baby. I know I made the right choice, so despite a rough pregnancy, and a rough start to his life, my son is alive, and well and driving me to the brink of insanity with his 2 year old antics!!!!!