I know I will have a brand new story to share very soon, but here is my birth story with Adelaide:
WARNING: this is very detailed content!
I had been having very strong Braxton Hicks contractions for about 2 and a half weeks, which really made me nervous for the upcoming birth because I was planning on having an all-natural home birth... no drugs! I remember saying that if it hurt this bad so early on then I can't imagine how badly the "real" contractions were going to hurt!
At this time, I was going to a women's bible study on Thursday mornings and we would have lunch afterwards with my mother-in-law and some friends. The night before I had gone to the bathroom and there it was, my mucus plug. I was super excited because I knew that meant that the baby wouldn't be too far off, but I also knew that it could be weeks before she got here too. So I went to bible study on Thursday morning and my contractions were just as strong and painful as they had been for the last couple of weeks. They had been steadily getting stronger each day so I really didn't worry.
At lunch that day, I ordered French Onion Soup and a BLT with avocado sandwich. My contractions were actually making me hunch forward and were making it more difficult to talk through them, but again, I didn't think anything of it because I thought they were just progressing as they had been for days.
It was a normal night and my husband had a long day of work and we were both really, really tired. I woke up (for probably the 6th time that night) to go pee and went back to bed. Then a few minutes later I was thinking that I must have had more pee in my bladder because I was leaking. So I went to the bathroom again and wondered how I had so much pee again, but didn't think much past that. Then about a minute later I thought I peed again so I went to the bathroom and again had a lot of pee come out.
Not getting the picture, this happened about 3 more times in the next 10 or 15 minutes. Then I remember sitting on the toilet and yelling to my husband "I think my water might be breaking!"
His response was "stand in the bathtub!" (I told him this just a few months ago and he didn't know that he ever said that... I guess he had it prepared to say even in his sleep!)
So, thinking that was weird but doing it anyway, I stood in the bathtub and more came out, then more again and again and it wasn't looking like pee. So I yelled "Yep, this is it my water is breaking!" That was at 2am.
So my husband jumped up and grabbed his watch and we started to time the contractions. Here's where we got confused... they were come anywhere from 1 minute to 6 minutes apart and some would last 20 seconds and some 1.5 minutes. So we both agreed that they were too irregular and I couldn't be in "real labor" just yet.
We called our midwife and she said to call her when my contractions were lasting about a minute and 3-5 minutes apart. So I told my husband to go back to bed and I would go downstairs and watch movies and try to relax.
I watched TV for a while and then put on Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium. I don't remember being able to watch any of it because I was in pain but I waited until it was almost over and I called my husband from my cell to his and told him to come downstairs because I was REALLY in labor! This was at 6am.
I also texted my whole family (who are all in California) and told them that I was in labor so that they could start heading out to Arizona, and they all pretty much left right away.
I remember hearing so many stories of how relaxing and comfortable a home birth is because you can watch movies, and eat whatever you want, and walk around your own home feeling relaxed... and so I was thinking that it wouldn't be until the middle of the next night that she would arrive. But it all happened so much faster than I thought it would!
The first of 2 of our midwives got here at about 9:30am and she watched me for a while and talked to my husband and took a bunch of notes, then started preparing our room for the birth.
She asked me at one point how I was feeling I said, in between contractions, "I think I'm doing ok, but if it get's any worse I just don't know if I can do it." Again, I was thinking I had about 20 more hours of this!
She replied "Well I don't think it's going to get any worse than this, just maybe a little closer together."
That gave me SO much hope! Then she checked me about a half an hour later for the first time and I was 8cm dialated. It felt like it was 20 minutes after that (it was really a little bit longer) that she said that if I feel like I need to push then I can start to push with my contractions. I was shocked! I didn't realize I had even gone through transition yet!! This gave me so much encouragement! But I said that I did not in any way feel ready to push.
So she stepped out of the room for a minute and I was laboring on my hands and knees by my bed when I said "Oh no, I think I need to push!"
My husband, who is extremely weary around female blood started yelling for our midwife "Robin! Robin! She's pushing! She's pushing!!"
I asked him to tell me what time it was thinking it had to be almost night time again, and he said it was 11am. What?! It was going by soo fast!!
So she came back in and I got into place on the bed and started the beginning of 2 hours of pushing. It wasn't really that bad pain-wise but I kept feeling like every time I pushed the whole room turned dark and hot and I was going to pass out. It made me feel sick to my stomache each time I pushed. So when I finally felt the head making it's way out, yes it was painful, but it was such a relief to know that something was actually coming from my pushing. (I found out after that the whole first hour I wasn't really pushing how I should have and so those were more like "practice pushes".)
I stayed, surprisingly, level-headed the whole time. I never really lost my composure. In fact, while I was in the midst of pushing her head out I peed and I yelled to the midwives while pushing "I'm peeing!" and they said "okay just don't talk, keep pushing!" I thought that was funny afterwards.
I also never lost my sense of modesty. Apparently, once you get close to transition most women have lost all sense of modesty but when I had to get checked to see how far I was dialated I asked "do I need to take off my underwear?" Duh!
Anyways, at 1pm, after 11 hours of labor, Adelaide was born! She weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 19" long. They put her straight on my stomach and it was such a surreal feeling! I felt like I could run a marathon, I was so full of excitement and energy! And a plus.. no ripping or tearing!
There was a lot of blood and a lot of pain! And the recovery wasn't a blast, but Addy made it all completely worth it! I would have done it again right away if it meant getting another little baby girl!
If someone had told me then that every single day I would love this little girl more and more, I never would have believed it. My husband was glowing!! Our family had a new, perfect little person to love and we cherished every single second of it!
To this day I don't know why God chose to bless us with such an amazing little girl that day, but I am so grateful for it! I can't wait to meet Jackson and see what amazing things God will do with our family once he is here!
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My 1st child (a boy; Jaedyn): I was 19 when I got pregnant with him. I was so excited! I was sceduled to be induced (no way could I do natural childbirth at home-your amazing) So I went in at 5 am to be induced in Austin, Tz. I got there & they started my IV & broke my water. I made it to 4 1/2 and then I needed the epidural and I had the worst back labor. Everything went smooth & fast until I was about a 6 and then his heartbeat & breathing wasnt right so they put me on my side & propped one of my legs up & put a tube in me to put more water in so he could calm down. Every contraction his heart rate dropped & the doctor said if he didnt get better in 30 minutes I would have to have an emergency c-section. I did NOT want to do this. So while the doctor came in & found out my son wasnt doing well my husband had went down to the car to get some things. When he came back I had an oxygen mask on, leg propped up & on my side. His face was priceless. "What the heck happened!" lol My mom told him everything because I couldnt really talk clear with the oxygen mask on. So at about 3 pm I was fully dialated & ready to push! I pushed & pushed & got a headache from pushing so hard. My aunt was on the phone the whole time so she could hear his first cry :) He came out at 3:33 pm & tiny :) He was full term & weighed 5 lbs 7 oz. Hubby cut the cord & I know he cried but he wont admit it lol. Now hes 3 years old & so fully of personality! Jaedyn Christian is his name.
ReplyDeleteMy 2nd child (a girl; Kaedynce): I was due Nov 28th. She is the first girl since my cousin who is 18 years old. Everyone was so excited to hear the gender! My husband was working about 2 hours away & my mom was in Oklahoma (about 5 hours away) visting her mom when I started going into labor around noon on Nov 11th. I called her to tell her I thought I was having contractions & she said to just time them & call her back so she knew if she needed to head home. She had just made the drive the day before & I told her not to go but she did anyways lol. Then I called my husband to tell him to try to tell his boss that he needed to come home because there was no way I was going to drive myself to the hospital in labor with my 1 1/2 year old (my kids are 23 months apart) So he headed home & I called my mom again to tell her I thought it was time. She still denied it. Claimed I was "freaking out" because she was out of town. Lol :) So I started peeing every 10 minutes or so & my mucus plug came but only a little at a time not all at once. I called my mom again & finally convinced her to come, she started heading home & hit rush hour traffic in Dallas on the way. (GREAT) While they were on there way I took my son to go get car insurance lol We had just gotten a car the day before & I needed to go. So we went & the whole time im filling out paper work the guy is talking to me about how far I am ect. I said "Well im having contractions right now" He pretty much freaked out lol So he was quick about getting everything done. He sent me home & said he could finish the rest & he would call me if he had any questions. Poor guy lol My husband made it home at about 6 pm & took a shower & helped me get my bags packed & my sons things set up since my mom would be keeping him. My mom FINALLY got to our house at 9 pm that night. So we got the stuff in the car & went to Ihop :) Yes I wanted some good food before I was stuck in the hospital. We took our time, chatted with the waitress ect. Then we headed to the ER. I told them what was going on & they sent me up to labor & delivery. I got up there & they put me in a gown & hooked me up to monitors. They said they were definelty contractions. I wasnt sure because they were not strong what so ever. The nurse checked me & I was at a 4 1/2!! Woo hoo! It was baby time :) I had NO CLUE I would be staying. So we called my mom & told her & then they put me in a room. They started my IV & got me pain medicine so I could sleep. This all happened around midnight. I tossed & turned & then at 6 am they came in & said my doctor wasnt on call until 8 am & if I had her before then I would have a different doctor. They came back in at 7 am & said my doctor dropped her kids off early at school & was on her way lol I loved her! She was really a good doctor. So anyways she walked in & then broke my water around 9 am. Out came Kaedynce Grace at 9:15 am. She was tiny too. 5 lbs 10 oz. I remember looking at the clock wanting to have her at 9:10 on 11/12 lol Funny. At 9:10 she just wasnt quite there, so I had to wait one more contraction to push her out. She will be 18 months this month & is such a blessing too. I love both of my kids tremedously!
ReplyDeleteThose are my stories!! :)
I love them! Thank you so much! They were so tiny! I'm a little nervous that I might have back labor with this one. I didn't with Addy and I've heard that it's really bad so I'm just praying that I don't with Jackson because my back has been much worse this time around.
DeleteAddy is going to be 20 months old this month! Wow, time flies! What a fun age for these little girls though :)
The two weeks leading up to my due date my cousin Angelina (Angie) called me every day before work to see if I was in labor. I was so tired and uncomfortable from the summer I could wait for my Joey to arrive I have everything set up. His bed all ready and my clothes packed to go. A week before my due date I woke up early with the sudden urge to pee. I got and walked halfway to the restroom when I noticed I just didn't make it. Again. What I though was me peeig myself was actually my water leaking. /: I guess it being my first baby I just really didn't realize what was happening. I called my mom who had just left for work and asked her of I should go to the doctor she said for me to call first and see what they say. Not thinking anything I showered did my hair my makeup for the day cleaned my room then called the doctor. The very unfriendly nurse told me I needed to get in right away. I got to the hospital around 8 that morning and made the calls to let everyone know that Joey would soon be here. The one day Angelina doesn't call me I go into labor and down a good hour tryin to get ahold of her to let her know and then another 20 min tryin to convince her in really in labor and she need to leave work. Her and my mother were there the first half and I couldn't believe how much pain I was in and how hungry I was and mad that I couldn't eat anything. Soon my aunts arrived and my dad. And it was almost time to start pushing . I was so scared and had no idea what was gonna happen all I kept thinking was I hope I don't poop. I remember my mom asking if it was ok if my dad stayed in the room if he promised to stay behind me and me just nodding my head. It was 8:20pm now and I had my parents 2 of my aunts and my cousin in the room with me. The doctor came in and asked if I was ready to push and I remember asking if we could wait a little longer becaus I still had two more aunts on the way and they didn't want to miss out. I started pushing just as the got there and by 8:45 my little man had arrived. My dad cut the cord and was the first to hold my son I cried and couldn't believe I had made such a beautiful baby and I was going to start this incredible journey and a mother. Joseph Alexander will be 6 this September and I can't believe how fast it's gone bye.
ReplyDeleteThat's so awesome that Joey is 6 and you still remember so many details! Thank you so much for sharing, I love how we can be so completely pregnant, know that our water is going to break at some point, and still think that we are peeing! :)
DeleteGreat story!
I started having contractions at 4:30am on Tuesday, April 12th. Very little ones. We went to my normal Dr Appt at 11:40am and I was dilated at 2cm and 80% effaced. Dr Kohorn said I would probably deliver within 24-48 hours.
ReplyDeleteWe came home and my contractions got worse. Finally called labor & deliver. She told me to take a hot shower and come down. The shower worked on my back but the contractions were defiantly still there. We finally got to labor & delivery, checked in at 3:30pm and I was 4cm already. Contractions were really bad at this point. Like really bad. I couldn't walk when they came. Jeff said they were off the charts. They admitted me!! I didn’t have to go back home!! Now it was the waiting game for the epidural! They had to poke me 5 times to get the water IV in me. Finally Flo got it in my left hand. Still having BAD contractions. Finally I got my epidural in around 6ish I would say. I was 6cm moving right along :) and feeling pressure in my butt... That's a good thing I guess. It means the baby is moving down. Finally around 11pm she checked me and I was fully dilated! I could start pushing. I pushed 3 times and she said we could start now or wait 30 min and then start. Everything seemed to be moving real fast so i waited 30 min to take it all in. The 30 min passed so they came and got me ready. I started pushing at 11:35pm and Adelynn Olivia was born at 12:03am weighing 6lbs 10.5oz (but they round up so 11oz) and 19 inches long! She was and is a healthy, happy and perfect baby!!
Elyse Manion
Elyse, you remember so many details too! I know Addie is still young but you should save your story somewhere so you don't forget it all. So I know I did it naturally but I think getting poked 5 times for the IV sounds worse!
DeleteShe is so cute and I can't believe how much time has gone by already!
Thank you for your story!!
Im going to group all 4 of my kiddos stories into 1 and try to be quick about them :)
ReplyDeleteMy first son, Kayden was due on Valentines day. My husband (boyfriend at the time) had gotten tickets to the Bob Marley fest. He was so excited to go. I told him that Kayden would be born on that day and he just kept saying no way. Well the morning of Feb 21st which was also the Marley fest, I called him (we didnt live together. We did everything backwards) LOL I told him I was having contractions and the baby would be born that day. He couldnt believe it. I told him it was the day he would have to grow up and boy did he! I told my mom it was time to go to the hospital and she said ok but continued to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. I still tease her about that. We went to the hospital, I got an epidural and everything was great. My whole family was there we all joked and talked then it came time to push. He was born in 4 pushes. My total labor was only 4 hours! I remember my step dad asking why I was smiling while pushing that I should have been in pain. Kayden was the first boy in over 50 years to be born to my moms side of the family. I remember being alone with Bryon (hubby) and Kayden and asking Bryon if he thought he was cute. His response, "will he always be this red?" haha It was such a special day! Next up is Braden. He was born 2 years later. The night of March 6th I started getting back pain. Bryon worked at Pizza Hut and had to go in to do inventory. He told me to call if it got worse. I called my mom and she came over to sit with Kayden while I took a bath. The bath made my contractions come stronger and faster. I literally crawled out of the tub, got dressed and told my mom it was time to go. Bryon came and got Kayden and my bags and I jumped in the car with my mom. She ran every light and got us there in record speed. My contractions were 2 minutes apart during the drive. Once at the hospital they took their time getting me a room. I kept telling them the baby was coming and they kept telling me to relax. I finally got undressed and into a room. I asked over and over for an epidural, once I was checked I was told there wasnt time and I would have to start pushing. Oh Bryon so nicely told me during labor that I should have come to the hospital sooner. The sweet nurse told him, "nows not the time!" I guess she saw the look in my face that I wanted to kill him LOL My second perfect baby was born just after midnight on March 7th. He was a 2 push baby and thank God cause I was in so much pain. I do have to say, the recovery was so much easier and I didnt tear. 3 years later I was a surrogate and had twin boys via c section. That recovery sucked but the end result was a family for someone. Bryon and I decided if we were going to try for a girl we should start trying. I got pregnant right away but lost it at 7 weeks. I was told to wait 3 months. I didnt and I got pregnant again only to lose that one at 12 weeks. I was so heart broken and I couldnt help but wonder if having babies for someone else is what caused me to not be able to carry my own. This time I waited the full 3 months before trying again. I also did research and found out I could take progesterone to help "hold" the pregnancy. As soon as I found out I was preggo I called and got on the progesterone. I also found a dr that would let me have a VBAC.
My 3rd perfect little boy was born on May 2nd. I had a drs appt that morning. I was told i was 1/2 cm dialated and he would see me the following week. Well a couple hrs later I went to the hospital and was told I wasnt in labor and to go walk around. I was in so much pain and knew it was real. They kept telling me it wasnt and finally said to go home. It was the hunched over type of pain. I was so mad but went home. About an hr later they were so strong I couldnt handle it and back to the hospital we went. Again they tried arguing with me. I didnt back down. They gave me a room and he was born 2 hrs later. The dr let us have the 2 big boys in the room for his birth. It was so amazing to have the whole family there when he came out. The boys didnt see any of the yucky stuff just him once he was out. My sisters, my mom, 2 sister in laws were also in the room. Brycen was born during my second set of practice pushes. The dr wasnt even in the room. The nurse delivered him. The boys had bought him a stuffed animal and gave it to him right away. My baby that I had waited so long for was finally here and perfect! He was also born on his due date. 13 months later I found out I was preggo again. I prayed and prayed and begged God to let this one be a girl. Guess what? He said, YES!! I got on the progesterone right away again this time. I found out at 14 weeks she was a girl. A funny side note about her name. We couldnt agree on her name so we put the names we liked in a bowl and pulled out Kendalyn Faith and that became her name. On July 7th Bryon and the boys went to game stop while they were gone I thought I peed my pants so I got up and went to the bathroom. I finally realized that it was my water. I called him and told him it broke and to come home. We started getting the kids and stuff ready and into the car when my hubby so kindly asks how much pain im in and if we can wait a little longer so he can switch the laundry over (are you seeing a pattern here? haha) we drove 30 minutes to the hospital. This dr wouldnt let the kids be in the room but would let me have another VBAC. Its amazing how many drs wont let you. She was my longest labor. The kids went to my grandmas house down the street while my mom and Bryon stayed at the hospital with me. The two of them were sound asleep while the nurses came in and ended up giving me an oxygen mask. They woke up not remembering any of it. Good thing I was OK ;) The nurse came in and checked me, told me we should try some practice pushes while waiting for the dr. Bryon told her it wasnt a good idea and I have babies fast. She just laughed well the second practice push and her head was coming out. Bryon just laughed and said, "I told you" The nurse was frantic, she was pushing the call button and yelling for the dr. She told me to stop pushing, yeah right! My bed wasnt even broken down. Kendalyn came right out onto the bed. The cord was around her neck twice and around her body too. That is why I needed the oxygen so quickly earlier in the night. She was my biggest baby too. The dress up started only a couple hours later and hasnt stopped since. She was born on July 8th. I have been so blessed with 4 perfect healthy children and 2 angel babies. I cant wait to hear Jacksons birth story and watch him grow.
ReplyDeleteI love your stories Trina!! I had no idea how many times you were pregnant! That is so awesome! I love all of the details of what your husband was saying and doing haha! They have no idea, it cracks me up!
DeleteI can't believe how fast your labors and pushes were! I'm hoping for that for this one, although I know the faster the contractions come the more painful they are so you really are a awesome for going through those. Thank you for your stories :)
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ReplyDeleteThis gave me chills! That is so awesome! How great that you got to be there when she was born too!! From the very beginning! She is so cute! You guys are definitely blessed. What a great story!!
DeleteMy son Jack was due August 26, 2008 and he decided to come July 25th instead. At 11:30pm on July 24th I stood up after sleeping only to feel as though I was wetting myself. So I went to into the bathroom to check it out. It was bloody and not pee. So I called my doctor and he said to come in when the contractions are 5 minutes apart. Well, I sat down on the bed and then the contractions hit me. So I figured that I would sit on my big blue work out ball. The contractions just kept on coming and they were no different than having cramps. We kept on checking the lamaze sheet and couldn't figure out why they were coming so fast so soon. So I decided to go to the bathroom and then I felt a big THUD! I said to my husband we better go. The baby feels really low. So by 2am on the 25th we were on our way to the hospital. The contractions came harder and harder with every bump we hit. So went to check in and they asked if I could walk. I told them probably not. So we got into the birthing room and my husband had to leave because he didn't get to check me in. I changed quickly and sat on the table. The nurses came in and I told them I felt like I had to push. They had to call the doctor back to the hospital because he had just left. I asked if the nurses could deliver the baby because I was pushing even if he wasn't there. So my husband finally came back from checking me in to see me pushing. I had no drugs and it was very painful. The doctor finally arrived just in time for my son to come into the world one month early at 2:57am at 5lbs 7oz. We didn't know the sex nor did I care because it felt so much better to have him out. He had to spend 6 days in the NICU because he was early. He only needed forced oxygen for 2 days and we had to take care of his jaundice. Who knew that my son would come that fast. He did me a lot of favors. He was small and he came quickly! He is almost 4 and he is very impatient....he he he. We love our Jack!
ReplyDeleteThat is so sweet! Wow, what a fast labor and delivery! He was a pretty good weight for coming so early! And he's already going to be 4, I can't even imagine Addy being that old but I'm sure it just flew by! So awesome, thank you for sharing!
DeleteIt sure did but it is such a fun age. I love when he just pipes up and tells me how much he loves me. My daugter is 18 months old and I love seeing them together.
DeleteThe beginning of 2011 was a very happy/stressful time for me. Me and my husband were planning our wedding, getting married on May 7, 2011. Well a couple weeks before I was very irritable and cranky all the time! Two days before the huge tornado outbreaks here in Alabama where we live, we found out we were having a baby! Had a wonderful pregnancy, and everyone kept telling me, "if you have a good pregnancy, somethings bound to happen when you go into labor." Well they were right. My due date was December 31, 2011 and she induced me 2 days early bc my fluid was low. I went in the hospital on Dec 29th and was induced at 7am. She was just gonna give me a pill to make me "cramp" all day since I was dilating and then start the pitosin the next day. Well, 15 minutes after giving me that pill that was just suppose to make me cramp, I went into full labor, having contractions every 45 seconds. I was planning on having natural birth with no pain meds do I didn't get them. When that pill made me start having those hard contractions, it made the baby's heart go down into the 30's :( so they had to give me about 4 shots of breathine to slow down my contractions. Well that happened again with her heart rate a few hours later, everytime I laid on my left side her heart rate would go down. About 5pm that evening, the doctor told me that if she was to give me anything else my baby might not live. I was devastated about having to have a c section but that was the only way to get my baby here safe. So I agreed to a c section. Well at my last ultrasound appt the doctor told me that she should weigh somewhere around 7lbs. It took them 6 minutes to do my c section and at 6:42pm on Dec 29th 2011 me and my hubby had a beautiful 5lb 2oz 17in babygirl! Healthy as could be! We brought her home three days later on new years day 2012 weighing 4lbs 14oz!
ReplyDeleteNow she's almost 5 months old doing absolutely wonderful! & still little! She sire would be the cutest ever in one of your outfits for her 6 month photo shoot!
Oh how tiny she was! That is so amazing how she was perfectly healthy! And she's still just a little peanut, only 5 months old! Congratulations (I called Addy a newborn until about 6mos LOL) Thank you for your story!
DeleteI have 2 children, Malachi-3 yrs old & Macie-20 months, so I'll try to keep my stories short.
ReplyDeleteI'm a nurse in the labor & delivery unit & get to share in the birthing experience every time I work. I frequently tear-up after the birth & everyone shares in the excitement & all the love that's shared while they look at their little miracle. And I feel that the process from conception to birth is a miracle & probably the only miracle that I'll witness in my lifetime & I'm so blessed to share in this experience with so many families.
A couple years after a miscarriage at 9wks with my first pregnancy, my husband & I were blessed to find out that we were expecting & I was due May 9th 2009. My sister was engaged & her wedding was May 2nd. Working in labor & delivery, I had a few connections & was scheduled for induction the week before the wedding. I wanted to deliver before her wedding so that I wasn't jeoperdizing her spotlight by going into labor, plus the wedding was over 2hrs away from my doctor. My induction time was moved a couple times but after some negotiation with my doctor was set for Saturday evening prior to the wedding. I arrived at the hospital & the unit was busy, so after a short wait my Cervidil was placed around 8-9pm & I rested while my husband watched rented movies. I woke up becoming uncomfortable with contractions about the time he was going to sleep, so I walked the halls & sat in the whirlpool for awhile prior to my 1st dose of IV pain medication. Afterwards, I was able to rest with the edge taken off my pain. I woke around 6am becoming uncomfortable again & received a 2nd dose of IV pain medication prior to my epidural placement at 8-9am. I progressed to 10cm around 1-2pm & started pushing around an hour later. I pushed for almost an hour & with my doctor's encouragement decided to take a 30min break from pushing. I pushed for an additional hour-plus & wasn't making much progress. My doctor talked to me about the option of a c-section & I was crushed. I just wanted to push & have my baby. By this time, the epidural wasn't as effective & I was having pain in my low back with contractions. After sharing some tears with my husband, sister, & mom, I decided on the c-section. Malachi Jace was born at 8:40pm on April 26th 2009 (our 1yr wedding anniversary) weighing 8 lbs 8 ounces (what I weighed when I was born) & 20 inches long. I remember looking at him & thinking that he looked so much like me. I didn't know that I could love someone so much. He was a good baby & has turned into such an amazing little boy. So we made my sister's wedding & he was one of the most popular little guests at only 6 days old.
Continued...
ReplyDeleteWhen Malachi was about 7 months old, we found out that we were expecting our 2nd child. I was due September 16th 2010. Knowing that I was having a c-section & could pick the date was exciting. Since our son was born on our anniversary, I wanted this baby to have a connection by dates also. My husband's birthday is October 10th, so I chose September 10th for my c-section date. We are not early risers, so I wanted to have my c-section at noon (& it would give our family time to travel that morning for our delivery). My sister & her family were coming to stay the afternoon before, so I was busy picking up the house & making plans for dinner. I was out running errands & noticed that my contractions were becoming stronger around 6pm. I had planned to make dinner but was becoming more & more uncomfortable with contractions & breathing through them, so we opted for pizza delivery instead. About the time that the pizza arrived, I decided to take a shower (in preparation that I may have to go to the hospital). After my shower, I continued to be uncomfortable so I put a call into my doctor (I had been texting the staff at the hospital as to who was working & on-call for anesthesia). The on-call doctor talked to me & recommended that I come in to be checked out but told me that I may have to wait til the next day for my c-section if I wasn't in labor. I went to the hospital with my husband & son & my sister following. I was 4cm around 10pm after arriving at the hospital so I was having my c-section that night. My sister waited with our son while we went to surgery. Macie Jae was born at 11:38pm on September 9th 2010 weighing 9 lbs 9 ounces & 21 inches long. She was a more difficult baby, more of a momma's girl & is turning into a smart & beautiful little girl.
I love them both so much & am so blessed to be their mother!! Happy Mother's Day this weekend to all the mother's out there!
I love your stories Adrianne! I didn't realize how close in age our girls are! Addy was born Sept. 10th 2010. (And our anniversary is Oct. 10th!) And your kids are so close together! That must be a lot of fun!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing!
I wrote that wrong.. oops, Addy was Sept 17th :)
DeleteJocelyn Grace:Weekly checkup & blood pressure was dangerously high with protein in my urine I had Toxemia. My Dr told me I needed to go directly to the hospital to get induced. I had been impatiently awaiting the "time" but had no idea it would start this way and I was instantly panicked for the first time in my pregnancy. Once in my room the nurse informed me that Dr instructed them to begin inducing me. She told me I should meet my new girl by tomorrow. I was so excited I began to cry! I could not believe I would hold my baby girl today or tomorrow..or so I though! Night 2 in the hospital still barely dilated. On day 3 my Dr told me to go home and come back the next morning to try again. Maybe that would help speed it along. Oh the tears..I had spent 3 days in the hospital and was going home without my daughter in my arms but still in my stomach:( It was the day of my brother's wedding shower so I was excited to go..that is until I got there and everyone said things like I thought you had the baby. I sat in the bathroom and balled for almost the entire wedding shower. I went in the next morning and began the process again. At least this time I got to pack my bag :) The next night I was finally dilated to a 6 and got my epidual. Too soon..by the time I went into labor it was wearing off. During Dr asked me if I wanted a mirror to see..I figured that wasn't a visual that I wanted to see & kindly decline! During the final push I pulled my husband to my face and told him that this will be our LAST child!!(I did change my mind after a few years) I could not wait to hold Jocelyn but they took her away before I could see her. I kept asking what was wrong with her & no one would answer. I later found out it was me & I was severly bleeding and had blood clots. But Jocelyn Grace was well worth every obsticale along the way! I never understoon love at first sight until I saw her 6lb 2oz of PERFECTION! 4 years later and she has my heart like I could never imagine. She is an amazing daughter and big sister!
ReplyDeleteAdelyn Jolene: 5/7/11 Dr visit showed I had toxemia and had to be induced at 37 weeks again. When told I would meet my baby soon I just smiled..little did they know what I had been through 4 years prior! Day 2 and by 6pm I was dialated to a 6 but knew to wait longer for epidural. The Dr broke my water and everyone gasped! My baby had pooed in the womb! I needed to be put on antibiotics just incase she swalled any of it. The fluid was all brown and GROSS!! 9pm and no progression..now 10 and nothing...now 11pm and heart rate is dropping with each contraction :( Dr said cord is around her neck and need to do an emergency Csection. I was bummed it was Mother's Day and everyone was enjoying their mom & I spent the entire day in the hospital! After all this I wanted to have her today on Mother's Day! The Dr said oh she will be born with 30 minutes! I was wheeled into a room that looked like it was out of a Horror movie! They tied my arms down and put a giant sheet up at my chest area. Gulp! I was in and out but remember my husband getting up to look and they said please sit back down. (He later said my intestines were in full view) Within minutes I heard a beautiful cry and before I could speak Adelyn was placed in my arms. I yelled when I realized it was numb and didn't want to drop her. It was once again LOVE at first sight..6lb 1oz of PERFECTION! Talk about the BEST MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT EVER!!! The best moment was when Jocelyn got to meet her new baby sister. She said "Mom can she come home and play barbies with me now?" It makes me cry to this day to recall the event and how Jocelyn kept putting her face to her sisters and kissing her. The way she looked at her was the same loving way I look at them! It was magical to say the least. Adelyn turned 1 on Tuesday and my girls become closer every day! Being a mommy is the most magical thing ever! I am grateful to spend this Mother's Day with my girls and family and not in the hospital!
This is so encouraging to read about how much she loves her little sister! I honestly hadn't thought a whole lot about how Addy will react the first time she meets her little brother but now I am really looking forward to it! You definitely had some scares but it's amazing how both of your daughters made it out just perfectly! Thank you so much for sharing your stories!
DeleteWell, for starters I've had type 1 diabetes since I was 4 (going on 18yrs at the time I became pregnant). Therefore, I was told I would have severe problems during pregnancy and I should take extreme caution before making the decision to have a child. My husband and I were newlyweds so we were not planning on children in the near future, but definitely within the next few years. I just started a new contraceptive and was having weird side effects so I called my OBGYN. His nurse told me that it was completely normal to not have a heavy period and just spot for a few days. I trusted the "experts" so I went along with them. I was still in college (last semester before my internship) and finals were coming up. I was extremely ill with fatique and nausea during the week of my final exams and my husband assumed it was stress--I agreed. My mom had this impulse that I could be pregnant, although I told her that I was taking my birth control regular, we bought a few pregnancy tests and tried them out. I think we purchased the hardest ones to read on the market...next time I will for sure get the ones that read "pregnant" or "not pregnant" instead of the silly, confusing lines. After four tests, my mom decided that I wasn't pregnant, but I argued and said that I thought 2 out of the 4 read that I was. Since she was already a "mom" I thought she knew best. By the way, my mom and I decided to take these tests to amuse her impulse without my husband's presence (he was at a DU Banquet with my dad). I text him while he was there and let him know our crazy engagements. The next day, I was finally fed up with the illness. I had no energy and felt like I'd been running marathons for days. My sweet husband took me to a family doctor where we found out that I was 8wks pregnant on December 6, 2009!! Yes, I missed my first trimester!! I had so many mixed feelings! I didn't know if the baby would be healthy due to me not knowing and taking birth control with other medications that I was prescribed.
ReplyDeleteI also was worried that I might have hurt it with the few alchoholic beverages I had over the past 2 months or not being on prenatal vitamins! And what about my diabetes?! Was it in control enough to carry a healthy baby?! I was so scared! I started crying and my husband just held me tight. He was so excited. After my emotional spell, he told me that he never thought we would be able to have a child of our own and was so thrilled that I was able to get pregnant. Now, at the time my husband's brother had already told their family that they were expecting on July 24, 2010. When I finally made it to my OBGYN he set our delivery date for July 24, 2010!! I was speechless. I hated to take the "first pregnancy moments" attention away from them, but was also excited for our us. After I found out that I was expecting, the illness went away; weird, huh? I became extremely strict on my diet and was a health nut for the rest of the pregnancy. My OBGYN told me that I couldn't have hurt the baby with the little alcohol I had or the contraceptive. I honestly cannot believe that I trusted him since he fooled me once about the missed menstrual cycle. Due to the diabetes, I had to be seen once a week from the start and made several trips out of town to see a high risk OBGYN. Everything went so smooth for the next few months. I had always prayed for a baby girl, but because this was such a surprise, all I wanted was a healthy baby. I was ecstatic when I found out it was a GIRL!! I started my internship teaching seniors at a high school in January. It was truely the best experience ever. The students were so helpful and caring; especially the girls, they were gah-gah. I chomped on ice every day during class. That was my only craving. Some of the other teachers caught on and said I needed to be tested for anemia. Since I went to the dr. once a week, it was easy to request extra tests although I had already been tested at the beginning of the month. The teachers were right, I was anemic. Now, 2yrs later, I still have a huge love for ice. It is definitely not my husband's favorite admiration. I graduated college with a little bundle of joy with me the entire way. The next few months I stayed at home and relaxed mostly.
ReplyDeleteI was very appreciative that I could stay home because around May 2010 I broke out with a terrible itchy, burning rash. It was so horrible I would scratch in my sleep and cause the skin to break. I constantly stayed in the tub with oatmeal and other skin soothers. It was awful. My doctor couldn't help because the only remedy that he knew of was a steroid. My blood pressure also started to drop and caused me to have dizzy spells. I assumed this was another typical pregnancy symptom so I tried to stay off my feet more than usual. I lost weight during my pregnancy, which surprised me because I am not a skinny person, but it worried my doctor so he requested me to eat more. Diabetics typically have larger babies so my baby was growing rapid in my tummy throughout the entire process. She would have came out at 8pds around 7mths but my doctor said she was not fully developed. Most people only carry 8pds babies for barely 1mth, but I was extra lucky. ;-) I went to my doctor for my 8mth and 1wk check-up and he startled me when his eyes widened when he was checking the babies movement and heartbeat. He said that I needed to get into the hospital that day because she was not moving. I was terrified, but knew her heartbeat was still active. My mom went to the doctor with me because my husband was working and I couldn't drive due to the dizzy spells. She rushed me home to pack and to get a pedicure (Ha!) then back to the hospital. I called my husband and immediate family because the doctor said he just wanted me to be admitted but I would not have the baby for another day or so. The hospital staff ran a few tests and when they took an ultrasound realized that the baby was not moving because she was SO big that she had no room!! My OBGYN was not taking very good care of us. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days until my doctor decided to perform a c-section. This was four weeks early so we were all very nervous that the baby may not be developed completely. My husband and I prepared for the operation and I told my mom to be prepared as well although the nurse told her that she could not come into the operating room. My mom is my very best friend and I could not imagine having my baby without her presence. I told my OBGYN this and he insisted that she be by my side. :) I did not feel a thing. It went by so fast that it's all a blur. I stayed awake the entire time but all I remember is when they thought they had the entire baby out, they only had her head. I remember feeling the pressure off of my ribs. Then, they took the rest of her perfect body out and said I had a toddler! I thought that was mean, but maybe it was hormones. Sicily Hope Mars was born on July 1st, 2010 weighing 10.8pds and 21.5in! She lost the excess fat within 2wks and is now on an average growth scale. The nurse brought her to my face to let me see the beauty God had created and then took her away to clean her up and finish the procedure. I was in heavenly bliss! I'm not really sure what happened the next few hours, it was 6pm when I had her so it was already "night" and I'm pretty sure I wanted to sleep. They kept her away from me for a few hours and when most of the company exited the room, they brought her in for me to hold. I was the first family member to hold her. My husband had the opportunity at the nursery when they first took her but insisted he wait until I had the opportunity to hold her first. He took such good care of us both the next few days in the hospital and in our return home. I couldn't have done any of it without him.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of my husband, want to hear something funny?? His family had a stressful day on July 1, 2010 because they were all rushing back and forth between 2 hospitals seeing our niece being born and our baby. The hosptials were 2hrs in distance. The babies were both born earlier and on the exact same day, just a few hours apart. Crazy. Now Sicily has a wonderful play buddy to grow up with. My daughter is very healthy like her daddy. You would never know that she came from such a sickly momma. I thank God each day for my blessing and love her more than words can express. She is my everything.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! I was thinking 'well that's too bad that she didn't get to be born on the same day as her cousin' but what a crazy coincidence! She did! It's amazing to hear how many things can go wrong in a pregnancy and yet how these perfect little babies come out and not a thing wrong! That's so exciting that you didn't have to wait forever to find out if you could or couldn't have a baby. She must be one incredibly loved little girl! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI have two children "Jaxon is 3 1/2" and a lil girl "Makenna who is 15 months" I found out i was pregnat wth my son in the middle of planning my wedding and quickly had to plan a shotgun wedding bc we were planning a october wedding where i would have been 8 months prego! Instead we had a beautiful june wedding and I were i only 4 months along!
ReplyDeleteI didnt really have any problems during my pregnancy, I would ask my husband if he had a certin sex in mind as we were on our way to our first ultrasound and he replied it didnt matter. During the scan he blurts out "is it a boy" it was so funny! and ofcorse it was!
I went in on friday at 37 weeks bc i thought my water was leaking, they sent us home saying I was fine.We then went back in later saterday night in full labor! I was 4 cm when I was admitted. They broke my water and I as on my way. I held off as long as i could for the "epi" and broke down and got it at 7 cen. When it was finally time to push I couldnt really feel the contractions anymore. I pushed for so long the "epi" started to wear off and I bacame very tired. They have to use the foreseps to get him out "VERY PAINFUL". He was all beat up with a bursed lip and scratches all over his face. Ofcorse we werent prepared and didnt have a camara or video camara =( he was born on Dec 7th healthy at 7 lbs 5 oz 21 inches long at 12:14 pm !! he is and was such a sweet baby! hardly ever cried!
My 2nd pregnancy was going to be planned! I was determand to have a summer baby!! My husband and father convinsed me to start trying bc they told me I prolly wouldnt get pregnant right away! Boy they were wrong! it only took 3 months and I was pregnant! with a due date of Feb 18th!
I knew from the moment I found out we were having a baby it was going to be a girl and was so excited. Its just a feeling i have that I felt with my son too! At 16 weeks my doctor told me I could have a scan to find out the sex of the baby. But then the ultrasound tech comes out and says no that i cant have one bc i wasnt far enough. I was heart broken and left crying. I then went to the web to find someone that could and found a place that would do it for me! My husband was out of town so I took my bff and had him on speaker phone! The lady then says ITS A GIRL!!! We all couldnt have been happier!
The rest of my pregnany went as smooth as my first. No complications other then havng group B strep.I only gained 29 lbs with my daughter and 28 lbs with my son.
Again I went into labor at 37 weeks! I started having contractions at 5am like last time they sent me home saying I wasnt in labor, But I knew i was. I called them back around 930 and they tell me to come back in. I then drive myseld and my 2 yr old son to the doctor where they tell me Im 6 cen and Im having her today! I call my mom who tells me she is 3 hours away and cant come bc she wont make it, I called my siter only to find that she has picked up a shift at her job and couldnt get off, I call my dad and he comes right away. I call my husband to call his dad so we have someone to watch our son and that he needs to get here right away!! I called my frined who also wanted to be in the room and she also had left to go home and was 4 hours away. Needless to say I was VERY upset that my mom and sister couldnt be there.
ReplyDeleteEither way I wasnt in any pain at the moment , the doctor came in to break my water and get the ball rolling!! I went in around 10 she broke my water at 1:30 I got the "epi" at 2:00 an Makenna was born at 2:25 pm! I was 10 can when they finally gave me my "epi" and it never had time to kick in. I dont understand why they didnt check me before giving it to me? I rem yelling at the man asking him when I wouldnt be in pain and all he kept saying was it could take 10 mins! I said I didnt have 10 mins!! I then told my doctor I was pulsating down there and I was having LOTS of pain. We put my legs up I pushed 3 times and out she came!So needless to say I went natural and then the Epi kicked in! as they stitched me up it was also painful but i didnt want anymore shots I was done with everything! I didnt get all the meds for my group B strep so they were worried about makenna's health and wanted to watch her. She was my beautiful 7 lbs 5 oz 19 inches long born feb 1st with a full head of hair!! my dad and bff and hubby were all there to see her be born!They laid her on my belly and I got to hold her first while they cleaned her off.
A few hours went by and everyone had gone home. I had my husband go home bc he had to work and my bff stayed with me. My dad took my son "for he first time ever" home that night. I cried letting him go bc I had a hard time letting anyone else watch him! lol My husband even cried!
I could feel my legs a lil at that time from havin the "epi" and I had to pee. I kept calling the nurse but no one came "the hospital was FULL from ppl having babies that day!" SO I told my friend i could move my legs an felt that I could walk myself to the bathroom! I still had my iv's in and didnt have any of the pads or panties they give you bc I hadnt got out of the bed since I had my daughter. My friend hold my iv stand as I thrw my legs to the side of the bed, I stand up nd I wasfine then as I took one step my leg buckled and I fell head first to the ground! My friend is try to keep my ivs from ripping out of my arm as i crawl to the potty, blood is all over the floor. I make it to he potty and i pull the red stringfor help, I pretty much tell them Iv fallen outof bed made it to the potty and cant get back!! theywere VERY mad at me for trying to do it alone. I told them I kept calling for someone and no one came, I asked if they would rather me pee on myself!! They told me yes! I said well I wasnt going to do that lol that was crazy!
My daughter was totally diff from my son. She wanted to be held all the time and way! A big mommas girl!
I still think its funny that they were both born at 37 weeks and weighed the exact same. And i gained almost the same weight with them, only a pound diff!
I would love to have one more and try a water birth!!! But my hubby says no lol
That is funny that they were the same weight and both born 3 weeks early! I'm hoping this one comes a little early, Addy was only 5 days early. And oh, the pushing! I think the hardest thing about the birth is the actual act of pushing, and adding no pain meds to it makes it that much more difficult so way to go! Thank you for sharing your stories!!
DeleteMy birth story is VERY detailed and may take 2 posts. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. My story starts at 19wks when I had the big anat. ultrasound. I already knew she was a girl. I was the type of child who unwrapped & re-wrapped my presents bc I couldn't wait. This carried over into adulthood so I cheated & found out the sex at 16wks:) My dr told me that I had placenta previa & if it didn't move I would have to have a c-section. I prayed & prayed & prayed for God to move it. "Pls Lord, just move it." At 25wks it had moved to a marginal previa & at 29wks it had moved to 2cm away from my cervix & was considered a low lying placenta. The dr sched. another scan for 33wks & was confident it would be safely away from my cervix. The following wk at 30wks my son woke up at 11:14 pm. When I leaned over to tuck him back in I felt like I peed on myself & thought good gracious this can't be happening. Then as I got to the bthrm I felt more & thought oh no what is happening. It was blood. Bright & red. I immed. start getting hysterical & went in the lvg rm where my husband was watching tv. I said "I'm bleeding & my water is leaking, get up now, I'm calling the dr." I doubt I was making sense & did a few circles trying to figure out what to do next. As I was going back to the bdrm to get dressed I thought my water broke. A HUGE gush all over the floor. My husband got my son up & dressed we all jumped in the car & had my mom & dr meet us at the hospital. I was immed. taken back. The dr checked to see if my water had broken but there was no trace of amniotic fluid. It was all blood. The monitor also showed I was contracting reg. & exam showed finger tip dilation. I was immed. admitted & not allowed out of bed. They gave me the first dose of betamethazone for her lungs & started magnesium to stop contractions. The mag. made me so very sick. Nausea, vomiting, & sweating. I was so thirsty & they wouldn't even let me have water. This lasted for hours. My morning nurse said we are not going to let that baby come today. After my husband bought me a fan & a pillow, I finally started to feel a little better. Around 2 in the afternoon, after being there since midnight, I finally got some broth & sprite. Then I feel a big gush. The nurse looked & I could tell she was trying to keep a straight face. She said you have already saturated this pad so lets change it & then call your dr. Once she left to call him she came back within 30sec and said "well Dr. Wein says it is time to deliver a baby." I immed. went into hysterics. My room filled up with people all looking at me and asking me questions. I wasn't really heating what they were saying. All I could think was that I was seriously about to have my premature baby ripped from my body via major surgery. My husband is crying & saying he would take care of us. I remember thinking you won't be able to take care of her, she won't even be able to breath. They make me drink something, put my hair in a cap, & start wheeling me out of the room. I'm yelling for my husband to call or text my parents & this person & that person...
ReplyDelete... I don't even know what I was saying The doctor stops us in the doorway with people in the hallway & checks my cervix. I had dilated to 3cm & he said as I was dilating the edge of the placenta was being exposed causing it to bleed. SO they run my bed toward the OR as I'm hysterically crying. My husband can't come into the OR at first so I look around and don;t know anyone except the sweet nurse who had taken care of me. She said "I know I said we weren't going to have a baby today & I'm sorry but we are going to take good care of both of you." They asked what my worst fear was & I managed to choke out between sobs that I was scared she wouldn't make it. Thankfully, they did not completely knock me out as they do with most emergency c-sections. It all happened so fast. When my husband finally came into the OR I was throwing up & felt like I was going to choke on it. I remember them saying she came out pink & kicking & screaming & that was a good sign. I started bleeding that 2nd time about 3pm & she was born at 3:13 pm. I remember her being about 5ft away & they were checking her. I was trying so hard to see her but as soon as she was out my eyes got really heavy. I was later told that I was hyperventilating & was given something in my IV to calm me down. They brought her over in her little isolet & I wanted to see her so bad but I could not keep my eyes open. Then they were gone. My husband & daughter were gone & I was alone with the doctors and nurses. The next few hours are kind of blurry. I remember still being on the operating table & the dr telling me that we were very lucky that we were already at the hospital when I started bleeding the second time or we might not have made it in time & that one or both of us could have died. That did not fully register until much later. I spent what felt like forever alone in recovery throwing up & having the shakes. I kept asking for my husband & how my baby was. They eventually wheeled the bed up to the NICU for me to see her. She was so very tiny at 2lbs 15oz. She only needed a little help to breathe & was on a C-PAP machine. She spent the next 6wks & 2days in the NICU. It was scary but, she did not have any major health issues. She turned 9mos old yesterday & weighs 13lbs 13oz. She is completely healthy & I thank God every day for giving me such a blessing.
ReplyDeleteYour story kept me on the edge of my seat! I can't imagine how scary that must have all been! And to have a perfect little girl come from it just makes it so much better! Thank you so much for sharing your story and all of your emotions along the way! God is definitely a miracle maker!
DeleteThank you for the opportunity to try and win something beautiful for her :)
DeleteWith my oldest, Brooklyn, who will turn 5 in July, we had no idea what the sex of the baby was going to be. Because my body was not preparing itself for labor and I was measuring "large", my doctor and I decided for an induction on my due date. I arrived at the hospital the night before to start (vaginal) medication, then was started on IV medication early the following morning. During that morning, a girl down the hall had her placenta detach, so she was rushed for an emergency c-section and the nurses kind of forgot about me and the need to adjust my medication. Once they "remembered" me, they turned my pitocin up fairly high, which caused my water to break. The contractions were coming like crazy and my body was shaking uncontrollably. They talked me into having an epidural (I am deathly afraid of needles) and my body calmed down for the most part. When one of the nurses checked me, she discovered the baby had become "sunny side up" and was not in a good position to deliver. Therefore, I spent the next couple hours in all kinds of weird positions to get the baby to turn over for proper delivery. The baby eventually complied, and I finally made it to 10cm, so they allowed me to start pushing. I only pushed for a total of 45 minutes, but it was a crazy 45 minutes. At the time I didn't really comprehend what was happening, but the doctor told me that I may not get to hold the baby after delivery because he/she might need a "jump start." Also, I found it odd that right before that comment they called about 10 extra people into the room as I was concentrating on pushing. You see, the baby’s head had delivered, but the rest of the body would not follow. My little baby was stuck (shoulder dystocia) and no matter how hard I pushed, the rest of the baby would not deliver. At this point, c-section was not an option because the head was already out. In most cases of shoulder dystocia, they actually have to break the baby's arm in order to get the baby to deliver. Thankfully, my WONDERFUL doctor was able to perform a maneuver she was taught in medical school, which freed the baby and allowed me to deliver. The baby was not breathing at first and the face was blue, and there was no crying. My mother was in hysterics because she had delivered a full-term stillborn baby girl during her first pregnancy. The hospital staff was excellent and was able to give my little baby that “jump start” that was needed. Everyone was so glad to get baby out and breathing that no one thought to ask the sex of the baby until almost 10 minutes after delivery! As we already know, it was a beautiful baby girl. My doctor came and visited me the next day and told me that mine was the scariest delivery she'd performed in a long time. She was so thankful that she was able to loosen the baby up to allow for delivery. The chilling part of the whole story is as follows: we were videotaping a side view of the birth and all the equipment was working great until we came across the delivery issues and at that point the picture/screen went out and everything turned black---it didn't start working again until after the baby was delivered and breathing well on her own.
ReplyDeleteWith my youngest, Brianna, who will be 3 in September, things were much less eventful. I was already scheduled for a week early induction because of the delivery complications with her older sister. Everything went as planned and I delivered a happy, healthy baby girl!
Jessica Osterloh
Wow, I didn't even know that a baby could get stuck at the shoulders! No wonder it was scary, we're all taught that once the head comes out the body just follows easily. So exciting to know that there is a happy ending! And that is very weird about the video tape! It's like you weren't meant to ever see that again I guess!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your story!
Here is the birth story of my little girl, Adalie Jane… she is my second child and she definitely made a statement when she decided to enter this world! My due date (August 21, 2011) just so happened to fall right around the same time frame that my husband was scheduled to leave for a 12 month deployment to Afghanistan… ( oh joy) We didn’t know the exact date he would be leaving until a few weeks prior, so when we finally found out he was to depart about a week before my due date, I started doing everything I could to get that baby out. I couldn’t stand the thought of him missing his baby girl’s entire first year of life, so I was not about to let him miss her entrance to the world! I looked forward to each appointment hoping for progress. I was dilated to 2cm at my 36 week appt… at 37 weeks I was still at a 2… and again at 38weeks… and with nothing more than some Braxton Hicks. At this point I was desperate and asked the doctor if she could strip my membranes to get things moving along a little faster. (Mind you, this was at the Naval hospital where they are constantly delivering babies whose daddy’s are deployed… so of course I got no sympathy and was not stripped… boo!) This appt was just a few days before my husband was set to leave so I decided to stop focusing so much on the baby coming and instead started focusing on spending time as a family of three. Then the big D-day arrived. I was planning on dropping him off late in the evening after our 2-year old son, Patton, went to bed. We had some close friends of ours (another military couple) lined up to stay at the house until I returned. (BTW, since we live wherever the military puts us, we are nowhere near our families except for my brother-in-law and his family who live about 45 minutes from us. They are also military.) We spent the entire day together at home doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company. I had been a little more crampy this day, but nothing that made me think I was close to labor. Evening rolled around and we decided to take Patton to the park down the street after dinner. The boys were all ready to head out the door when I all of a sudden felt the urge to pee. I went to the bathroom and realized I had leaked on my underwear, but I didn’t think much of it. With my first child, my water broke in a huge gush rather than a slow leak so that’s what I was expecting. I changed and was about to head out, but again felt like I was leaking. I sat down & stood up from the toilet probably a dozen times because I didn’t want to believe that the leaking was my water breaking! My husband came to check on me and in tears I told him, “it’s time.” As much as I wanted my husband there to meet our baby, I wanted even more for him to be able to spend his last night with his little boy. I wanted them to be able to read bedtime stories and say prayers together… I wanted my husband to tuck him in and give him that last goodnight kiss. So as I’m telling him it’s time, Patton comes running in wondering why we hadn’t left yet. I quickly wiped away my tears as I didn’t want him to be scared and told him his baby sister was coming soon! Since I hate breaking promises I told him we would still go to the park before Mommy and Daddy left for the hospital. Meanwhile, my husband was on the phone with our friends, Tara & Julian, asking them to come to the house earlier than planned. When he got off the phone I saw that he was actually crying… this was probably only the second time I had ever seen this man cry and we’ve known each other since Kindergarten! This all happened around 6:30pm. Once Tara & Julian arrived we made a plan… After getting checked in at the hospital Tara would come sit with me while my husband went back to the house to put Patton to bed. After he’s in bed, my husband would go check in with his monitor at work, wait for weapon draw and then come back to the hospital until it was time for him to leave for the busses around 3:00am. On the way to the hospital I had several things running through my head and several phone calls to make...
ReplyDeleteI called my sister-in-law and planned for her to take Patton the next morning and keep him until the baby and I were home. (This was his first time ever being away from me overnight.) I called my mom who decided at that moment to basically jump on the next flight out of Chicago. And then, because my mom was flying in the next morning I called another friend to pick her up from the airport. We also had to figure out who was going to drop my husband off for deployment since I was no longer available. Somehow we managed to get everything covered in the 30 minute drive to the hospital. Once we got to Labor & Delivery they stuck me in an exam room, which was no bigger than my closet, and checked my cervix and started monitoring. At this point my contractions were still pretty mild and random, and I was dilated to 3cm. We explained to the doctor how my husband would have to leave around 8:00pm, would be back hopefully by midnight, and then leave again around 3:00am for good. Obviously I know doctors aren’t magicians, but I was hoping he’d give us even an ounce of hope that my husband would witness this birth… instead, he said he didn’t think things were going to move that quickly. Every single delivery room was occupied so I was told to either stay put in the closet.. I mean, exam room… or I could walk around. Obviously I chose to pace the halls, hoping that I would prove the doctor wrong. After my husband left for the first time, Tara & I walked, jogged, skipped & jumped through the halls for probably 2 hours straight, periodically checking to see if a room was open. Apparently it was a full moon because there was still not a single room open. Finally I asked to be checked again and since the contractions were getting much much stronger I began insisting on getting to a room soon. At that point I was only dilated to 5cm, but my contractions were getting intense. My husband’s phone service was cut off so we were unable to stay in contact with him while he was gone, but he finally returned around 12:30am. Tara went back to the house, but planned on coming back to take my husband’s place whether or not the baby had come. By 1:00am they FINALLY had a room ready for us!! They monitored the baby for a while and after what seemed like forever the nurse came in the check me. As she reached in she looked surprised and said, “OH! That’s a baby!” She called the doctor in, they got set up and after only a few minutes of pushing, our beautiful baby girl was born at 2:08am - just in time to say goodbye to daddy! Unfortunately, the little stinker was covered in poo… so instead of placing her on my chest right away they had to clean her up and suction her out. She weighed in at 7lbs 2oz and after snuggling her for a moment I handed her off to daddy so they could bond as much as possible for the remaining half hour. We were able to get our first photo of the three of us, but since she was born in the middle of the night we never had the chance to get a photo of our new family of four. My husband left that morning of our baby girl’s birth day… he was home for two weeks of R&R this past April (just in time for him to see Adalie in her beautiful Jane dress for Easter)… and we will welcome him home for good this coming August, hopefully in time for Adalie’s first birthday! This Mother’s Day is our 9 month mark! In the past 9 months I have hit the most challenging moments of my life, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat knowing how much joy my little girl brings to our family. She and her big brother are the little loves of my life and I thank God for them! Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!
ReplyDeleteOk I tried to make it through these stories without crying but I couldn't with yours! I can't imagine not knowing if my husband was going to be there for the birth practically right up until the last second! What an emotional time! So glad he's coming home this summer! Thank you so much for your story!
DeleteI've really really enjoyed reading these birth stories and they've helped me remember so many little details of my own story that I wasn't thinking of when I first wrote about it! I'm so glad you did this giveaway because I now have these precious memories saved and ready to put in the baby book! Thank you!
DeleteJessica you are the WINNER!!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed this Giveaway entry! Please send the following info to my email at adelaidesboutique@aol.com
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DeleteMy Birth Story with Hudson (2yrs old)
ReplyDeleteI began to swell and have elevated blood pressure the last few weeks.My BP was particularly high my last scheduled check up, a Friday afternoon, so Dr. Neal ordered me to do bed rest through the weekend. I went back to the Dr. Monday morning, Nov. 16th 2009, and my BP was even higher. Dr. Neal said that for my best chance at a vaginal delivery, I would need to be induced. I had my heart set on a natural delivery and had heard that was next to impossible with pitocin. We went to lunch and to get our bags. We had chicken bbq sandwiches and mac and cheese at Shane's Rib Shack. Now every time we go by there, I am reminded of that day. We checked into the hospital, I changed into the gown and they inserted a cervadil tablet to 'ripen my cervix'. They also started my I.V. This was the part I feared most (crazy, I know) and I told the first nurse that I had never had an I.V. and was very nervous about it..she laughed at me :( She then took 5 tries to put in my I.V. It was about 3pm and my family started coming in to visit. My parents brought us steak dinners from Outback around 6pm. As I ate, I started having some mild cramping. I began asking the nurse every time she came in 'do I have a chance to go into labor on my own without pitocin?' she said 'No, that doesn't happen'. I was due to start the pitocin at 7am. I continued having mild cramping and eventually dozed off to sleep, as did my husband. At midnight I awoke, peeing in my bed! And could not stop no matter how hard I tried! I screamed to my husband 'something is wrong with me..I am peeing and cannot stop!' I jumped up, headed to the bathroom and he grabbed the I.V. stand and headed behind me. Still 'peeing' uncontrollably I became frantic and thought something was seriously wrong with me. I then had diarrhea uncontrollably (sorry TMI). My husband wanted to go get a nurse but I was SO embarassed and would not let him. A couple minutes later mine came in to check and saw what was going on. She informed us my water had broken. This never crossed our minds with the nurse telling me I would not go into labor before pitocin. So we got a very big laugh out of that :) I headed back to my bed, sat down and immediately had the urge to throw up. My husband grabbed the trash can just in time. I think at that point every bit of food was out of me...and then the pain set in! It came hard and strong. I was determined to get through with no epidural so each time they asked, I declined. I just did not want a needle in my spine. I found it helped keep me grounded through the pain if my husband massaged my thighs and lower back. As long as he was there to do that, I could make it through. A couple of times he had to go out of the room for coffee. It was around 1am and he was struggling to stay awake. I remember after a couple hours he mentioned to the nurse that the coffee wasn't helping him and she informed him he had been drinking decaf the whole time :). During the times he stepped away, I literally felt as though I was going to die. I sipped water throughout the contractions and it tasted horrible. About half way through the nurse said I could have gingerale. Something about the fizz and flavor helped me so much! It's like it took my mind off the pain just a little. I progressed quite a bit each time I was checked and around 7am had the urge to push. My Dr. was not there so my nurse asked me to wait but I could not! She helped me get started, showing me how to put my legs. It just did not work for me. I had to hold my own legs back for resistance and had my husband put pressure on them as well. She would tell me to push and then breathe a few seconds but I would push extra times. I HAD to get him out!
The Dr. got there within a couple minutes of his birth. At 7:55am, November 17th 2009, Hudson was placed on my chest. All the pain immediately went away and I felt sheer happiness. He weighed in at 6lbs 13oz and 20.25in long. I felt like I could do ANYTHING in that moment! After I fed him for the first time he went for his bath and the nurse helped me to the bathroom. I was able to get right up and walk in.It was the most painful experience of my life but I loved that I felt every part of it.
ReplyDeleteMy Birth Story with Adeline (7months old)
ReplyDeleteMy pregnancy with Adeline was much easier on me than with Hudson. I had no swelling, no elevated BP, gained less than half the weight. The only 'worse part' of my pregnancy with her was that I developed lactose intolerance. Pregnat all summer with no ice cream didn't seem fair but that was my only complaint this time. I started having braxton hicks much earlier than her and even went to the hospital once with false labor. Hudson came three days early and I began to wonder if Adeline would even make it by her due date (Sept 21st 2011). I worked Tuesday 9/20 and then we had a homecooked-stlye meal from a little diner near our house. We were getting Hudson ready for bed. I was sitting in his bedroom floor puting his pyjama's on him at about 8pm, my husband was in the room as well. All the sudden my water broke, gushing everywhere. I knew exactly what it was this time and could not beleive it was happening. Scott called my parents and his. Mine went to the hospital and his came to be with Hudson. We tried to clean up the huge mess but my water kept gushing..I started to panic that it was not going to stop and that I would go into labor. Scott layered towels in the seats and we headed to Women's Hospital. When I got there, a nurse and my mom were waiting with a wheelchair for me. And right as we walked in, my water starts gushing again. They checked my BP, and asked a few questions then put me in a holding room. My first labor was only 7 or 8 hours from the time my labor broke. So I had a feeling this one would be even quicker.
I kept asking for a room..I wasgetting uncomfortable and wanted some privacy. The nurse finally said that if I got prepped and got my IV in the holding room, I could go to my room after, so I agreed. I was wheeled to my room at 11pm and the contractions had really set in. Scott called our families in the waiting room to give them my room number and they all wanted to come up. I just was not feeling company and was really having to focus to get through the contractions already. I sat on a birthing ball and rocked. The nurse was so awesome and told me that would actually help push the baby down, so I continued this for a while. I also went ahead and asked for gingerale, as it really helped with my first labor. continued to rock and sometimes stood to lean over the bed. After about 20 minutes, I needed my husband to massage my legs and lower back through the contractions. I progressed SO quickly with this labor. At about 7cm, the pain was so intense. I remember putting wet rags on my face and neck and would bite down on one through the contraction, sucking some of the water in helped my throat with that deep breathing. I kept begging to push and finally it was time! I pushed maybe 5 times...I pushed with everything I had to stop that pain and meet my daughter. And finally the Dr. placed her on my chest. It was like dejavu. It felt like they were handing me my son again. They looked and felt identical in my arms. It was such a happy moment. Adeline Clara was 7lb 12oz and 20.5in born on her due date 9/21/11 at1:38am. Now that we have a boy and a girl I think it would be so neat to experience labor not knowing the gender of the baby til the moment he/she is born. If we are blessed with a third, I will really consider not finding out the gender. I am glad you had this contest, I am copying and pasting my stories so I have them in writing for myself :)
ReplyDeleteGreat stories! I love hearing how 2 labors went (since I'm on my second). That cracks me up how you thought you were peeing with your son's, I keep hearing that in a lot of stories and it's so funny to me that we know our water can break at any minute but when it does we don't even think of it being our water, we think we're peeing! Haha! Oh I can't wait to have him in my arms. I keep thinking that I wish I could experience that moment just one more time with Addy but knowing that I can't I'm going to really savor it even more this time around.
DeleteI agree, I think with the next one I would LOVE to not find out the sex but my husband is the impatient one, so I guess if God decides to bless us again we'll see what happens!
Thank you for sharing!!
Heidi, this is such a great idea! When I was pregnant, I also couldn't get enough POSITIVE birth stories :) My first birth was similar to yours in that my water BROKE and broke and broke. THe amount of liquid as a jar of pickels? Yeah RIGHT! I had a natural labor planned at the hospital... which my husband worked at. On the way there, he kept FORGETTING how to get there :) My water broke around 10pm, but I wasn't having any contractions, "I feel crampy". Things quickly progressed and I spent the night kneeling on my yoga mat, bouncing on a ball, sitting on the toilet. Around 6am, things were getting sooo intense. My Doctor came to check me and told me it wsan't time to push yet. About 10 minutes later, I decided it WAS and got started. In retrospect, I did push too early and too hard. A LOT of tearing. However, I had a healthy baby girl, exactly 5 weeks early. I was so thankful! My 2nd birth story, the breech home birth is detailed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LP7t-J9nxxBfArh1RW_SeKq6_u4O7QfMtRqXE4QdgcI/edit?pli=1 (though I think you've already read it :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your stories! Even though Heidi's birth had a lot of bumps along the way I enjoy reading it because as I get closer and think of all the things that could go wrong, I like to know that with every situation there is a woman out there who made it through... and if they can do it, then I can do it!
DeleteThank you for the encouragement!
I love this! :) I have enjoyed reading everyone’s stories! My husband & I had our very first baby this past December! We were preparing for our baby girl to enter the world on December 27th... God had other plans up those big sleeves of His! I was home on bed rest... well I was "nesting" so not much resting going on. It was a rainy Thursday morning (Dec. 22nd) and my Husband was at work. We were going in for our very last doctor’s appointment that afternoon. The night before I had lost my plug (I hate the Mu*** word that comes before plug... blehh!) and my mother who is an RN said it was nothing & I would be fine until Tuesday (the induction day). I woke up & noticed I had some fluid leaking out of me but thought nothing of it. I called my sister in law & asked her what it felt like when her water broke. Well, apparently it is different for everyone! I had not had a gushing of fluid or even a steady trickle. I called my mom asking if I should be concerned & she told me to call my doctor & ask if we needed to go in early. I called... they said come. Of course I had to wait on my husband to get home. I continued cleaning & preparing to leave for the hospital. I took a shower, washed my hair, put in a load of clothes, dried my hair & waited. Randy finally got home. He took a shower, double-checked our hospital bag & we headed to the doctors office. We were taken to an exam room to check if my water was truly broken. Well I started laughing & fluid starting flowing! We got back in the car & headed to the hospital. We called all of our family & text all of our friends! WE WERE HAVING A BABY! I cried out of excitement & just could not believe it was time! We were taken to our labor room & waited for our family to get there. My mom works on Mother Baby so she was there right away. My goal all along was to have a natural birth. I was scared to death of just the thought of something going into my spine. I also wanted to experience the "feeling" of giving birth. I wasn't dead set on this, so if it was absolutely necessary for an epidural I would not be devastated. I never felt any contractions until 6:00pm. I had been at the hospital for about 3 hours. Randy & my mom were in the room the entire time helping me stay focused on my breathing. My sister in law massaged my feet while I ate popsicles!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I would say that labor was actually pretty great. Between contractions, I carried on normal conversations, laughing & enjoying the time with my family, friends & husband! The time was now 1:00am & I had progressed to between 6-7 cm & my midwife decided that it would best to go ahead with the epidural. I was in fact DEVASTATED! I cried and cried. My husband held my hands and we put our heads together & prayed while the anesthesiologist placed the epidural. That was such a sweet moment & I am so thankful my sweet husband was there for me. I began to feel really weak & nauseated. I didn't know something was wrong until the room began to fill with just about every nurse that was working at the time. My heart rate dropped drastically & so did my sweet baby girls. I knew I shouldn't have gotten the epidural. I stopped progressing at this point too. Now I was told that I had to have a c-section! My world was caving in & my dreams of having a natural birth had crashed & burned. I got sick because I was so disappointed in myself. All I wanted was for our baby girl to get here safe & sound... I didn't care what happened to me. I even asked my mom at one point if I was going to die. I was so out of it! They wheeled me back to the OR along with my husband & mom. I remember shaking so terribly... I wasn't cold; they said it was the epidural. My crazy doctor played Pandora the whole time, very loudly... I loved it! I asked him to be sure to make the incision low & pretty!:) Randy sat right there with me... NOT looking over the curtain! I didn't feel much beyond a tug here & a tug there. Then, I heard the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. A sweet little, BIG cry! Our baby girl was finally here! They wrapped her in a blanket & handed her to her daddy. He brought her to my head & I cried! I was so thankful she was here & we were both ok! I held that sweet girl & instantly fell madly in love with her! Kirkley Elisabeth Byers was born at 2:38am, weighed 6lbs 7oz & was 19.5 inches long. What I found out later was that Kirkleys umbilical cord was wrapped all around her & if I would have been able to push, something terrible could have gone wrong! God is soooo good & is in total & complete control of ALL things! That moment Kirkley was born; I truly believe I grasped a glimpse of God's love for us. It is so hard to imagine anyone loving Kirkley as much as I do, besides her daddy. BUT God loves her so much more than I could EVER love her. And He loves each of us the same! BLOWS MY MIND!! He taught me to trust his sovereignty that morning & to feel His love stronger than before! Kirkley is now almost 5 months old & I am madly in love with her!! I would not change a thing about the day before she was born or the day I met her. It is our birth story & I love it... it was scary for a little bit, but I love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great and encouraging story! I felt the same way when my daughter was born, that it was God's way of saying "See, there is a love bigger than you've ever known!" And His is even bigger. So amazing how these little miracles come into our lives!
DeleteThank you so much for your story!
I want to enter but have no exciting birth story to share. Swelling and protein in my urine caused me to have to be induced to avoid a c-section. Pitocin started, baby born a few hours later. She had huge shoulders and had they known they probably wouldnt have let me deliver vaginally but I did. No tears etc. Bodies can do amazing things! She was 9lbs 4 oz and is to this day a pure delight.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Krista! I guess when there's no "exciting" part to the story then it's probably a good thing because there weren't any extreme bumps along the way! Thank you so much for sharing!
DeleteLorelai is our first and was born this past February. We were of course thrilled to have her but I was so cautious my entire pregnancy that something was going to go wrong. So, I was in complete denial that her birth was coming so close! At my doctor’s appointment the Wednesday before, I was 2 cm dilated and my doctor told me that she would be surprised if I didn’t make it to my next appointment. So, that Saturday, my husband tells me, “I think this weekend is it!” I tell him, “Yeah right, I have too much to do at work!” Well, he was right. At 2:30, I was laying down to take a nap and felt something wet. I instantly began to cry and told my husband that I thought my water broke. So, I stood up to find out and it came gushing. There was no doubt that it was my water! I was hoping for an all natural birth so I called the doctor to let them know that my water broke. They were very insistent that I come straight in b/c of the risk of infection. I had thought that I was having some contractions that night when I woke up to pee but dismissed them as BH contractions. The ones I was having at the time were very mild so I wanted to wait a bit. So, we compromised and both showered and took our time getting to the hospital. By the time we got there and they checked me, I was only a loose 2cm… They wanted to hook me up to pitocin and I told them no and did lots of walking to try to speed things up. I was having contractions five minutes apart but they weren’t strong. They checked me again an hour later and I was almost 3cm. And then again at another hour and nothing. So, at 8:30pm, they hooked me up to pitocin. At that point, contractions were getting stronger on their own but about an hour later, things really started to pick up. I changed positions a lot, got in the tub and my husband was amazing with helping me through the pain! At 6:30am, I was crying through the contractions. They had just turned down the pitocin because my contractions were coming too close together. So, I asked for some IV drugs to get a little bit of a break – which only lasted about 45 minutes. At this point, I only made it to 4cm! The doctor came in at 9:30 and checked me (5cm) and then told me that we needed to do a C section b/c it just wasn’t happening and her heart rate was decreasing with each contraction. Instead, I told them to give me an epi (just in case I wasn’t progressing b/c I was too tense… even though I was pretty sure that wasn’t the case). They turned the pitocin all the way up and after an hour, no change. So, we ended up having a c-section, after almost 21 hours of labor. I’m still so bummed about it!! I was so tired from labor and whatever meds they gave me that I couldn’t even stay awake. I had to ask my husband to take Lorelai from me on our way to our room because I was too weak to hold her. BUT – she was healthy and even gave the camera a smile in the recovery room! It is still my favorite picture of her!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! I know that I keep thinking "what if I need to get a c-section?" but in the end, the goal is to get that healthy baby out safely so if that's what it takes then you gotta do what you gotta do! But 21 hours of labor... whew! That just sounds exhausting! Great job!
DeleteThank you for sharing your story!
This is one of those stories expectant mothers SHOULDN'T hear, but here goes... We miscarried before my son, so I was very nervous the entire pregnancy. I had manageable (although miserable) gestational diabetes but knew something else was wrong around 34 weeks. I could not keep anything down, had the shakes and was very, very weak. The doctors continued to tell me “everything was fine” at every visit. My husband finally convinced me to go to the ER at midnight at 36 weeks with only a bowl to vomit in, my insurance card and a camera in-hand. They admitted me after the nurse told the doctor that I “looked really bad.” I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome, an immune response my body was having to the baby. Induction was started although I knew I was too weak to labor. When my water was broken, it was bloody so I was immediately rushed down the hall for a c-section. My husband is a physician, and even he felt panicked that he may lose one or both of us at that moment. The c-section went fine, Caden went to the NICU, but my body was in bad shape. It was over 24 hours until I could go to the NICU to see him. He did great and we went home five days later. Unfortunately, he has developmental delays we believe are caused by “premature and traumatic birth” as diagnosed by a specialist. We’re in year three of 3+ speech/occupational/physical therapy visits a week. Hopefully, with continued hard work and blessings from God, we won’t even remember these hard days in a few years. What I learned: listen to your body as you know when something is not right (and also to pack your hospital bag early)! :)
ReplyDeleteEven though you say that expectant mothers probably should read this I'm glad that I did! I'm one of those people who likes to hear it all so that if something does come up I can know that I'm not alone. That someone else has made it through! God is so gracious and I know that He has a Big Picture in mind and it's so great that you can see that too!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing!
I woke up around 7:00 am on Saturday August 20th, 2011 with some suspicious “leaking.” Brady and I immediately got excited. The baby was coming!!! However, I was having no signs of labor whatsoever. So I called my mom and she agreed that I should likely go get checked, just to be safe. I then called the health line and they agreed. “Go to the hospital” they said, as they had said so many times while I was pregnant. So while we packed our last minute stuff, I felt a little silly. I wasn’t laboring, which according to every chart and video, I was supposed to be doing. I knew they would just send us home and say to wait for more to start happening. But I had also heard horror stories about people whose water broke and were sent home, and they got terrible infections, as did their babies. I felt kind of torn, and I didn’t even know what was going to happen yet! Classic over thinker. We left the house shortly after 8:00 am. I think.
ReplyDeleteWe got the to hospital around 9:00. I had quite the belly when I was pregnant and as soon as I walked into the emergency room the lady at the desk said “Wow, are you having a baby?!” I had to say that I didn’t know! So I told her what had happened and she said that I needed to be wheeled up, and that was just the policy with any kind of leaking. So I gave them all my information and Brady wheeled me to the elevators and to our first room. I was put in a room and was there for quite some time before anyone even came to see us. We took funny pictures of me in the blue gown and stalled and laughed and had a fun time. I still wasn’t even admitted, they needed to make sure it was my water that had broken, and not that I had accidentally just peed myself or something awkward like that. After a while, Dr. Boechler (a resident) and Lindsay (an intern) came to check me out. They asked if Lindsay could do my exams for practice and I said yes. That was the worst mistake I made that day, hahaha! Those exams are quite painful and she was nooo kind of gentle! She used large tools and moved roughly and quick. I cried, and she got very impatient with me. This didn’t seem to make her feel any more sympathetic. It was tough. She would uncover me so I was completely vulnerable, and then she would leave to go do something and leave me completely uncovered. I thank the Lord for Dr. Boechler who would come cover me. She examined me two or three times, and after all of that, she was unsure about how far dilated I might be. So Dr. Boechler had to double check for her. Miscellaneous fact: Men’s fingers are larger than women’s fingers, no matter how dainty. However, he was apologetic and went nice and slow. I was only 1.5 to 2 cm dilated, which is very early. They swabbed me and didn’t find any amniotic fluid, which was discouraging. So after the exams, the doctors left and Brady and I just hung around and talked while we waited, as no one had really told us what happened next. We were laughing about something (of course I don’t remember what it was) and suddenly – I peed. It was crazy! I burst out laughing out of embarrassment and every time I would Let another laugh out I would pee more! It was horrifying! Lindsay came back into our room and told us they weren’t going to admit me since I wasn’t in labor at all. I mentioned to her that “something gross happened.” She seemed surprised when she lifted the sheet up. She went to get Dr. Boechler and he swabbed the fluid, smiled, and showed me the swab that had turned dark blue, showing amniotic fluid! It was so exciting ☺ From there on, I was known as “the woman who laughed so hard she broke her water.”
So I was finally admitted, moved to another room (about three doors down that same hallway) and I awaited labor. Brady and I tried to watch some Big Bang Theory while nurses came in and out and put monitors on my belly, took monitors off, checked my blood pressure, etc. I met the on-call doctor and she checked me out to see what progress I was making. None so far. Another miscellaneous fact: Wearing fake nails while giving a cervical exam is awful and should be outlawed. Who do people think they are anyway? Either way, I wasn’t progressing yet. At this point it was likely noon-ish. (Again, didn’t think to check the time.) I was informed that if I wasn’t in active labor (which is 4+ cm dilated) by the time visiting hours were over, Brady would have to leave. I would have none of that so I agreed to get things rolling. I was given Cervadil, which is a tampon-like medication that is used for “light induction.” Yet another miscellaneous fact: Light induction isn’t real. Serious induction however, is a real thing. Within 15 minutes (I think) I was contracting wildly. This being my first labor, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but after not even an hour of labor, I had heard several nurses saying amongst themselves things like “Her labor is terrible, poor girl! She’s getting maaaybe 15 seconds between contractions!” So it wasn’t in my head, which was a relief.. I labored that way for about an hour or two before I needed to be checked again. I was truly relieved when Dr. Boechler came into my room. This man followed my whole labor and delivery, and was easily the most caring health care professional I worked with. The world needs more Dr. Boechlers. He came in to check me, and said he’d try to wait until my current contraction was over. Unfortunately, such tiny breaks in between didn’t leave room for that so I was examined anyway with many apologies from him. He said I wasn’t dilating which was pretty discouraging consider how hard my labor was. It was suggested that I take a little pain medication and just in the jetted tub. I’m never one to turn down a bath so I took the Gravol/Morphine mix and got in the warm tub.
ReplyDeleteI sat across the short way in the tub. Brady sat in front of me with his legs in the water. Every time I had a contraction I would lean forward and Brady would brace his fists on my lower back and put some pressure there. It worked wonders. A few times I heard a nurse come in but I don’t know what they wanted. From about that point on, Brady did most of my communicating. I genuinely don’t know if I ever opened my eyes while I was in the tub. And all of a sudden I had been in there for about 2.5 hours. I decided to get out at that point because I knew labor was getting harder and the longer I hung out in the tub, the worse it was going to be when I got out. I got out and limped my way back to my room where I had my one and only “Brady, I don’t know what to do! It hurts! Insert profanity here Ouch!” I only had one of those panicky ones, and then I moved back to breathing and being in my own weird labor zone. Needless to say, I asked for an epidural. From the moment I asked for one to the moment I had one that was in full working order was about three hours. A looong wait, but it passed relatively quickly. It went form asking for one, to Dr. Boechler coming to check me (I was at 5 cm, woohoo!) to waiting and waiting, to being wheeled up a floor. I should actually add in there that trying to get into that wheelchair was pretty tough. Just standing up was tough! We tried to get me in between contractions but as I’ve said, there wasn’t time. I was plunked in a chair and rushed up pretty quick. Not because I was about to deliver, but because it hurt.
I waited in the room where I would later deliver my son. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me the pro/con list of epidurals. Just for record’s sake, the risks of the epidural used to be huge. Paralysis, strokes, etc. Now, the risk is that if they get any of the medicine in the wrong place, the patient could get a migraine, which the anesthesiologist would immediately offer a medication for. It is very low risk, which is nice to know for the person who is agreeing to have a needle put in their spine. I was so blessed to have a good anesthesiologist who didn’t give me a migraine, I was so blessed that they put a freezing balm on my back first so I didn’t feel the needle, and I was even more blessed to have the longest break between contractions I had through the entire labor when he put in my epidural. When another contraction was coming on, I was holding as still as possible, and when I finally buckled and asked if I could move, he said yes! I was done, and it was easy. I was assured that these things should be in full working order in 15 minutes. Miscellaneous fact number four: That is not a guarantee. I was in a lot of pain still a good half hour later, so they gave me a button ☺ Again, for the record (since technology will change) the epidural is a catheter in your back, so since mine wouldn’t work I got a button to push every 15 minutes to give myself another shot of the medicine until it was working. Three shots later I was in good shape, completely comfortable. Such a relief!
ReplyDeleteI decided it was naptime and Brady realized he had barely eaten all day so he went to the Subway across the street and I rested for the first time all day, pain free. Dr. Boechler woke me up maybe 15-20 minutes later to check my progress. I don’t really know how long I actually slept but Brady wasn’t back from Subway yet. The doctor warned me that some people, even with the epidural, found the cervical checks uncomfortable. He then checked me (totally painlessly) and seemed a little surprised when he said I was completely dilated and effaced! I remember commenting after he checked me without me crying about how he probably liked me a lot better now. He looked me right in the eye and said “I like you just the same.” Our only problem was that baby hadn’t moved down at all. He gave a call to the new doctor on call to see what she wanted us to do. She said to let my epidural wear off and for me to sit up straight, and maybe that would coax baby down. So I spent the next…while…back in pain. I didn’t have the pressure that I was supposed to be feeling, but I felt pain again! I mentioned it to the nurse who was in our room with us and she seemed to think this method of moving baby down wasn’t working. She mentioned it to Dr. Boechler and he called Dr. Cameron back to see if she still wanted me in this position. At this point I Dr. Cameron had not met me and didn’t know much about our case. So I believe that she was doing what she thought was best when she said to keep going on no epidural. When Dr. Boechler came and told us that, I felt a little deflated but I new that the big moment would come soon anyway. After he left the nurse seemed a little flustered, and made a quiet comment about how, for some reason, she hadn’t unhooked my button yet, and if I chose to push it another one or two times, that would be fine. Yay! So I drugged myself up a little extra and felt comfortable again. Our nurse brought me a pineapple Popsicle as I hadn’t eaten since that morning and we waited. She was a lovely nurse. When I had yet more fluid suddenly and dramatically make its way out of me, she just laughed and laughed and cleaned me all up. Part of the general line up of events is that the mother needs her bladder to be empty before she delivers. The nurse let me go try to pee but having no feeling in my lower half made it near impossible so we had a good laugh over that too, and she just chucked a catheter in there and took care of it for me. It was weird to hear myself pee and not feel it.
A while later Dr Boechler came back in just o see how we were all doing. I guess Dr. Cameron wasn’t in the hospital yet and he was just waiting like the rest of us. He brought another round of Popsicles and we had yet another laugh when we discovered that I STILL had a bag of water that hadn’t broken! So he broke my water. Again.
ReplyDeleteFinally, Dr. Cameron came in, and brought Lindsay with her. She said straight out that I likely wasn’t ready to deliver, as my baby still hadn’t come down, but she did offer me that I could do a trial push and just see how things went. I pushed, using all my strength, and all my knowledge from all the baby shows I’ve watched in my life, and baby moved down! We were ready to push!
I began pushing at 11:20 pm. I know that for a fact. I pushed for a total of one hour and fifteen minutes. My room consisted of very few people. There was me (I was the star) and there was Brady and the nice nurse who gave me extra epidural. They helped me hold my legs up while I pushed. Then there were Dr. Cameron, Dr. Boechler, and Lindsay. They alternated approximately every three contractions being in the baby-catching position. Each one had a different approach. Dr. Cameron was professional, and then between contractions she would talk with everyone about weekend plans, etc. Lindsay had the “GET MAD! GET MAD!” approach of getting the baby out using the “anger” that I didn’t actually have. I was feel wonderful, I wasn’t in pain, and I was delivering my first child. Dr. Boechler would call my baby by name while I pushed, tell me how wonderful I was doing, and anytime I looked up, he was watching me. Even between contractions. I definitely felt like a person with him, not bed number whatever.
At certain points during pushing, I was offered to be able to feel how far out the baby’s head was. It was surreal to know he was already half a head out! Turns out that half a head out isn’t quite enough and his little melon got stuck. However, because of my awesome epidural, I wasn’t in pain. Therefore I wasn’t panicking, my blood pressure was good, and do was the baby’s, which is the most important thing. I was having a great time, loving the experience, and then all of a sudden, he was on my chest. He had such a large gurgly cry for such a little boy. His color was beautiful; he barely had any blood on him or anything. He had lots of hair on his head, and a little calcium deposit thing in his right eyebrow. He had wide hands with long fingers. He had a square shaped birthmark on his right thigh. He had a very long tongue that he stuck out at me right away, just in case I was curious . He was perfect.
Dekker Thomas Born entered the world on Sunday, August 21st, 2011 at 12:35 am. He weighed 10 lbs 10 oz and was 20.5” long. He was a huge hit that weekend in Royal University Hospital, no pun intended. Well, maybe a little bit intended.
Great story! This was hilarious! I love how you had so much fun while in labor. I think my favorite fact was that fake finger nails hurt and should be outlawed! I can't even imagine!!
DeleteI had fun reading this! Thank you so much for sharing!
I will do my daughter's birth story since she would get the dress if we won.
ReplyDeleteAfter several miscarriages and a year of not getting pregnant we were blessed w/ my son!
When my son was 10 mo. We miscarried again...it was disappointing but I had that feeling from the start that it was not a strong pregnancy. So more prayers & 5 months later we were on our way to church it was a almost a week before I could test but I told my husband I was pretty sure I was pregnant...I was already gabby...I get extremely sick when I'm pregnant.....sure enough a wei later the test was positive & I knew that we would have a healthy baby and I was positive it would be another boy! I have blood flitting disoresers & am high risk so at just under 15 weeks we found out Myra Ellen Leigh would be joining our family! I was shocked and excited! Being a high risk I was not allowed to VBAC but I was able to go into laborious instead of scheduling her birth. On September 22nd of 2011 I went to an appointment & was in the very early stages of labor so I agreed to meet the Dr. At the hospital to meet my baby girl!
She was born at 12:46 & is so beautiful...we r so blessed!!! :)
What a blessing! I don't know first hand what heartbreak a miscarriage can give but I do have a close friend who was blessed with a beautiful baby boy last September 28th after loosing a few pregnancies prior. God is good and it's so amazing to see how healthy and perfect these little babies come out to be!
DeleteThank you so much for your story!
I've been meaning to do this to be able to enter the giveaway and keep forgetting! I have three children but would like to share my last and quickest labor.
ReplyDeleteTo start with it should be known that my first two boys were also quick labors at 5 hours and 6 hours respectively. And by labor I mean contractions that I could not talk through.
My third labor was our little girl Rhapsody Blue. I had been putting off cleaning our two bathrooms for a couple of weeks hoping that my husband would finally do it. Finally I had enough and did them both myself. By the time I was done and sat down to relax I realized I was having contractions. After a while I started timing them hoping for some consistency and more pain. Well that didn't happen. I went to bed around 11 and didn't sleep very well. At about 12:30 I got up to pee and felt a little weird and a very small leak. My husband was up playing a video game and he looked at me and asked if it was time. I said I didn't know. I went pee and then the contractions kicked in pretty hard. He called the hospital who told us to take our time because we didn't think my water had broken. (Turns out my water was starting to break. They said it popped up high which resulted in a slow leak.) He called my mom and we let his mom know (we live with her) it was time. We really did kind of take our time. I got in he shower then he decided to take one. Called my sister to come over and watch the boys. We finally decided to leave once she got there...about 1:30am. We got to the hospital around 2 and it seemed like forever to get checked in. They put me in a holding room because there were no birthing rooms available yet. No one came to check me for a full hour. Finally I was put in a room at 3:15, checked at 7cm. I was feeling pretty terrible. There was a nurse in the room and I kept telling her I felt pressure but she said it wasn't time. About ten minutes later I told her the baby was coming. Next thing we knew her head was out and I hadn't even pushed yet. The nurse was scrambling like she was lost. My husband took one look, ran into the hallway and saw 3 doctors meandering and yelled at them that her head was out. They all ran in and one was just in time to catch her. I didn't push at all, I was trying to wait but this girl had other plans! My bed wasn't even broken down, they put her directly on me, broke down the bed, then delivered the placenta. I remember thinking she was so tiny but she was 9lbs 7oz. I was 7cm at 3:15 and had her out at 3:40 fully dilated! She's now just over a year and the most amazing little girl ever!
Oh I am hoping for a fast labor and delivery! You progresses so quickly! That's amazing that she was caught just in time. What a joy little girls are!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing!
For my first we went to the hospital 2 times in the middle of the night just to find out I had only progressed a couple of cm. Each time my husband had to dig out the car because we were having a snowstorm. We figured out that I would not progress unless I was standing or walking. The labor was extremely painful because I was having a lot of the pain in my back. I spent the whole night on all fours or soaking in the tub. Finally on the 3rd try I was admitted. I labored for 35 hrs total and pushed for 2 1/2 hours (without any drugs). It was really hard work but so very worth it. We didn't know what we were having so it was really fun to have the doctor announce "It's a boy" and then call everyone. The first thing I remember about seeing him was his big eyes. He started sucking his fingers right away and I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. For my second, I was determined not to get sent back home so when my contractions started that morning, I decided to continue on with life. I went to Bible study and ran errands. Finally that afternoon I decided to call Grandma and tell her to come on over to watch Hayden. When she arrived, we all went on a walk. I even carried my 2 ½ year old for most of the walk. The labor was so different then my first because I was not having any of the back labor. By then the contractions were getting really strong and I felt like I could push.
ReplyDeleteI called my mom (she was an OB nurse for 18 years) and asked her if it was weird that I felt like I could push but my water hadn’t broke. She proceeded to frantically tell me to get to the hospital before I had the baby at home, because apparently it is possible to give birth with the sac still intact. So I waited another 40 minutes just to be sure. About that time a thunderstorm started. As soon as it started to pour I felt the change of pressure in my body and started to panic that I might not make it to the hospital. My husband and I hurried as fast as we could and I tried as hard as I could not to push. At the hospital I waited in the lobby for my husband while he parked. The door man kept asking me if he should take me on up to the ob floor, but I smiled and said I thought I could wait. He looked sooo terrified and then he says “Please don’t have the baby right here that already happened to me last week.” I promised him I wouldn’t but I seriously wasn’t sure. Once at the OB triage the nurse told me a midwife would be in to check me soon but they were having soo many births it might be awhile. I told her I thought I needed to push and she just smiled at me. I tend to be a little stoic with pain so I think she thought I wasn’t in labor. Twenty minutes went by and the midwife came in to see how far dilated I was. She took one look at me and then launches into a speech about how sometimes we get excited with contractions and it might not be true labor but she would check and see where I was at. She checked and found me fully dilated. She gasped and said “Are you having any pain, you look so happy.” I smiled and assured her I could feel the contractions but was soo excited. I also felt like after the birth of my first I could handle anything. She told me to hold on and she would see if a room was clean. She came running back and said it was ready and asked if I could walk because she didn’t think I had time to wait for a wheelchair. I walked into the delivery room, met the doctors and nurse. I told them I had to push. They broke my water and said “let us know when you really feel like you have to push.” (uh hello? How about now) . I proceeded to labor standing on my knees in the bed, resting my arms on the elevated head of the bed. A couple of minutes after the doctors left I looked at the nurse and said “I am pushing.” She says “okay let me know when you are really having to push.” At this point I am beginning to wonder how to get my point across. So I politely say to the nurse “I am pretty sure I can feel her head now.” The nurse took one look and pushed the staff assist button. Everyone came running in, just in time to catch her. This time we knew we were having a girl. Our sweet baby girl came 54 minutes after arriving to the hospital (30 minutes in the delivery room and 5 minutes after my water was broken). And I only had to push 3 times. The first thing I noticed about her was her sweet little face, round ears, and hair. She was so petite. Both births were drastically different but perfect in their own ways. I definitely would say I prefer giving birth on my knees verses lying in the stirrups.
ReplyDeleteOkay my goal is to have a great birth like that! (Minus the having to hold in pushes, that doesn't sound like it would be fun!) You sound like you are amazing in labor! With Addy I didn't have the back labor either and was very quiet and much more calm than I thought that I would be but I'm just praying for no back labor this time too because I know that it makes a world of difference in the pain area!
DeleteThank you so much for your stories! Very encouraging!
Part 1 of 2.. sorry its so long... double the babies.. double the words LOL
ReplyDeleteI remember the exact time and place when my water broke. I was thirty six weeks and four days pregnant. It was a Sunday night, a little past nine in the evening. I was standing in front of our love seat in our living room, complaining to my husband how I did not want to go to work again the next week. I was so tired of people walking in surprised to see me. I was ready to have these little babies inside of me. I was about to learn no amount of planning and preparation could of ever prepared me for the love I was about to feel for my two sweet daughters when they were placed in my arms. Shock took over me. I froze in panic. No words could escape from my lips, but my mind raced a thousand words a minute. Had this really just happened? Was I ready? What do I do now? Those were just a few of the questions that were spinning in my head. I glanced down to my large sweatpants, yet I could see nothing. My large, bulging pregnant belly was blocking the view of basically everything from my ribs down. I turned quickly to my husband looking for guidance. It’s time I muttered. His jaw dropped when the reality of what I meant hit him. I darted to the bathroom to clean up. With the door slightly cracked allowing shadows to dance through it from the bedroom, I could see my husband’s actions flying all around the room, while his mouth muttered almost exactly each action he was doing. Get the bag, check. Is this the right bag? I watched him inspect a light pink bag packed to capacity. He unzipped it and quickly pulled out my hospital robe. I could see him shake his head yes, reassuring himself that he had the correct bag. I heard the jingle of the keys as he grabbed them. Then dead silence, until I heard the truck’s engine in the dark driveway growl to life. A few seconds later, my husband appeared from around the cracked door. He laughed as he told me that he had almost forgot that he was supposed to take the woman in labor, when going to the hospital to deliver. I chuckled back. Poor guy, I thought, he was so nervous. I kissed his cheek and told him I was ready, but joked I was not going to ride in the wheel chair when we got there. I was fine to walk and hated having people stare at me. He groaned in disapproval as I saw him take in a large deep breath. He was preparing to explain to me his reasons why I must ride in that wheel chair. He looked like a sheepish little boy as he glanced up at me from under his long eye lashes. Softly he said to me how he had been dreaming of rushing me to the hospital, pushing me in a wheel chair from the car to the maternity floor. Doors flying open, my hair blowing, and people staring. To him, this was what he needed to do to know he was taking care of the babies and I, as if presented with a heroic opportunity to “save the day” by getting me to the doctors. With no time to discuss, I agreed. His excitement over something so small in comparison to what I was about to experience made us laugh and eased the tension in the room. The air in the car was electric as we drove to the hospital. Once we arrived in the parking garage, nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I settled into my wheel chair, stubbornly pushing aside the feet rest. My husband’s brow wrinkled as I did this, so I pushed them back down to rest my large, swollen feet. The hospital was quiet and felt empty. We checked in with the nurses, and they wheeled me quickly into a birthing room. At that point they began hooking me up to machines and asking a series of health questions. I was only dilated to three centimeters so the nurses informed me that I would be put on a drug called, pitocin, which would help me dilate to the full ten centimeters needed to deliver. Twelve hours of waiting, 3 red jello cups, 6 glasses of water, 10 visitors, and the sunrise of a new day left me feeling as if I would never be fully dilated. Then as if a timer had gone off, it was suddenly time. My stomach started cramping, and the pain became intense. I could not bear it.
Part 2 of 2 :)
ReplyDeleteTime for the dreaded epidural, which is the one thing I was not prepared for. My husband held my clammy hand as I arched my back while leaning over my bed, trying hard not to get sick from the fear.
Just like that, it was done. Really, I thought, that was not bad. The nurse explained to me it was time to contact my physician and we would start pushing soon. In my head I thought, lady, you are not going to be pushing. Oh great, the hormones were taking over again. This would end up like a movie where the woman is pouring sweat, screaming in pain, and yelling at her husband that it was his fault. The much anticipated labor zoomed by me as if it was a dream. I was wheeled into the operating room where the twins would be delivered. I remember pushing for fifteen minutes with everything I had. Then hearing a sweet crying escape from tiny lips of my first born. Warm tears streamed down my face. I had done it. She was here. She was healthy. Then back to work for another fourteen minutes of pushing as I glanced over my right shoulder watching Kennedy being examined, measured, and weighed. Another sweet cry filled the room, from my second born Reese, drew my attention to the second sweet baby girl being held up in front of me. I lost control then. I had successfully delivered two healthy baby girls, with my husband by my side. They gently wrapped Reese in a blanket, and both of my girls were placed on my chest. I lay there, silently crying as I looked back and forth between my two precious newborn girls.They were mine. My innocent, fresh babies snuggled up so sweetly on my chest. I looked over the beautiful raven colored hair that covered their heads, admired their faces and tiny stature,and silently thanked God for them. My heart swelled. Nothing in the world could have ever prepared me for love that filled my heart for those two little darlings. I cradled in my arms. I was enamored with a love so strong that it was unimaginable. At that moment, my life was changed forever.
How sweet! Oh this makes me want twins now! :)
DeleteWhat a great story! I bet you have your hands full but have so much fun!
Thank you for your story!
I was not sure I could have a baby bc I only have 1 ovary from a 30 pound tumor I had removed when I was 16, so having twins was the biggest blessing ever. hands are full and I love every minute of it. I pray your delivery goes great and that you and your new little are healthy :)
DeleteOh wow! Yes, huge blessing!! Thank you so much! Any day now and he'll be here, I can't wait! :)
DeleteMy baby’s birth story was a LONG time in the making... 5 years long to be exact. My husband and I were married for over four years before we tried to have a baby because we wanted the time to be “right”. Well, I guess that wasn’t the right time either because a couple years of heartache later we still didn’t have a baby. After that were a lot of doctor visits and tests to find out that I have....endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and a retroverted and t-shape variant uterus:( Next came several IUI cycles at the fertility clinic, but to no avail. We felt so hopeless and so lost for a long time after that. I could not reconcile medical situation with the fact that I knew inside that I was supposed to be a mom. We prayed long and often about what to do, and we even contemplated adoption. I did a lot of research, but adoption never felt like the “right” path for us. Then, we finally decided to take the plunge and try in vitro fertilization. This resulted in a lot of eggs, which then turned into a decent amount of embryos (with the help of my husband;-) ). However, the procedure took its toll on my body and I developed a serious complication called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, where I swelled up like a balloon with fluid. Thankfully, I recovered and a few months later we attempted the embryo transfer for the first time. They called a couple weeks later to tell me I was pregnant! Then a couple days later my HCG levels started to decline. They told me I lost the baby...but then my numbers went back up! They told me I would need an ultrasound and that there was a chance the baby was still alive. Unfortunately the ultrasound revealed two empty sacs. It had been twins...and they were both gone. We had a D&C done in the outpatient surgical center and went home to recover both physically and emotionally. I kept thinking “I know I am supposed to be a mom, but why do things like this keep happening? Am I just fooling myself?”
ReplyDeleteWe decided to try again, this time a little more guarded with our hearts. I had to prepare myself for the worst, and I didn’t know if my heart could handle more bad news. Thankfully, the bad news never came. We were finally pregnant and made it past the first few weeks. I cannot explain the joy we felt. Next came the ultrasound to find out if it was a boy or a girl:) As you may have guessed (since I am entering this giveaway) it was a girl!!! I was overjoyed! Then the ultrasound tech said that she could not find where the umbilical cord was attaching to the placenta, so she went to get the doctor. He came in and after a thorough check told me I had placenta previa...my heart sank. I was determined to everything I could to protect my baby girl. I stopped all my activities and was basically a couch potato to keep her safe and avoid complications. A couple months later at my follow up ultrasound they told me the placenta previa had resolved! Amazing, but I am starting to feel like I am on a roller coaster with all the highs and lows!!! I just held my breath...anticipating the next low, which came when the doctor thought something might be wrong when the heartbeat seemed to be in a funny spot and she could not feel the head in the right position Sure enough, another ultrasound revealed she was breech:( This left us with having to decide if we schedule a planned C-section, or go to the hospital to try to flip her manually. The procedure to try and flip is very dangerous and can lead to an emergency C-section, so we decided to just schedule the C-section.
(continued)
ReplyDeleteThe anticipation was amazing!!! The night before my husband and I decided to g out for our “last supper” being just the two of us. After that day we were going to have a new family member!!! Plus, I wanted to go out and have a really big meal since you can’t eat the day of the surgery and ours was not scheduled until 4:30pm....Yikes!...not an easy task for a pregnant person. Anyway, there was a pianist at the tiny little restaurant we went to and he played so many songs that meant so much to me growing up, and my husband and I reflected on how big an event we were going to experience the next day and how our lives were going to change forever. It was a magical evening.
The morning of the C-section I remember being starving...so I spent all day cleaning our house and trying to take my mind off the hunger:) On our way to the hospital, I think both of us started to panic...wondering if we could handle being parents. It was something we had wanted for SO long, but when it came down to the wire...we were completely terrified!!! When I think about that day, it seems like a dream...then again, I could have just been delirious from my hunger! The check-in went smoothly and everything seemed to be going according to plan. I remember the delivery very well. I remember the spinal block and my lower body going numb. I remember the surgical staff conversing about popular baby names. I remember the doctor coming in and getting scrubbed...but where was my husband? They were supposed to get him! I asked where my husband was, and one of the nurses ran out to get him from the hallway. It seemed like forever and the doctor had started cutting before he finally appeared...looking a little frazzled (he later told me he could not figure out how to get his mask on but he couldn’t come in the room until he had it on:). I realized that I was able to feel my legs pressing again the straps, and I briefly wondered if that was normal but I had too many other emotions going on to worry about it. Seconds later the doctor says “Dad, stand up!” She held up a gooey yet beautiful baby, and my husband went to work with his camera like the paparazzi. A few seconds later they brought her around to us...and I remember thinking that if it were not that there were no other women in the room I would not believe that was my baby! She was a 7lb 5oz and 21inch little bundle with these crazy long arms and legs that seems like they were sticking out everywhere! How did THAT fit inside ME? But she was precious, and she was ours, and we were a family:) My husband went with our little blessing for the testing while the doctor finished put me back together again. I felt all sorts of pressure and movement as the doctor told my that I was having some unusual bleeding. Just before panic could set in the doctor said they had it all under control. I started to feel a tremendous burning sensation as she began to stitch. I think I felt EVERY LAST STICH that she put in and I remember having a death grip on the pole next to me that held my IV! But it was worth it. I didn’t want her to stop...that would just delay me getting to see my little baby again. Shortly, they had me stitched and patched and ready to go to recovery. There they brought my husband and baby back into the room and I could hold this precious miracle for the very first time. Words cannot express my feelings at that time. I cannot think of any that are adequate enough. My life was changed. When she looked at me, I didn’t just see a baby...I saw a small glimpse of something much greater.
I still can’t believe she is in my life. Her name is Kyrielle, which means “poetess” and is derived from the greek word kyrie meaning “Lord have mercy.” I feel like she is a gift of mercy to me and every day is a new blessing. She is worth every second of every minute of every hour of every year that we had to wait for her:) I look forward to the many adventures ahead!
Oh what a great story! All the emotions that you went through must have been so hard but it was definitely all worth it! I'm so happy for you and your family! Thank you so much for your story!!
DeleteI am going to try to be quick with my 2... My first child was very inpatient until the end. I went into pre-term at 24 weeks which cause bedrest. At 32wks I was back in the hospital with contractions. After two days of monitoring they were not progressing me so I got sent home to take it easy and come in if they get stronger or closer together. 7weeks later I was still preggo and have the contractions. Some days where better than others but it was not a cake walk. At my 39wks my OB says "I am really impressed you are still pregnant" GREAT thing to say. I was 2CM and 100% effaced. We did one final Ultra sound and his head was measure 42wks. She asked if I wanted to be induced or today or schedule a c-section for next week. REALLY, is that a question. She was not sure his giant head could be delivered if I waited another week. We check in that night and started the meds. By 8am she check and I was 4cm so my water was broken. This is when crazy labor started. I could not get my epidural until I hit a 5. Lots of pain, throwing up with every contraction. NOT FUN. Finally at mid-night I was a 5. I got the epidural and was able to sleep alittle. 8am dr. comes in again and I am barely a 7cm. She says it time to talk c-section. At this point I had been in labor for about 36 hours. She had 2 schedule c-section to go do which would take an hour and then it would be my turn. She wrote the orders for prep. The nurse comes in 30mins later to start preping and I told her that 1 I think my epidural is wearing off because I can feel my contractions and 2 I think I want to push. Sure enough, I was a 10 and he was ready. 15minutes of pushing and out came my precious baby boy. 7pounds 10oz and 15.5inch head. Yep... HUGE!! HarperMae was much easier. No contraction, nothing EVER. At 39 wks I was 1 and pleaded for an Ultra sound to check the head size. It was the same OB so she understood and agreed. HM was measuring small so we agreed to wait a week. 40wks comes and HM is still not hear. She asks if I was to schedule or wait a week. I said... Lets schedule. The hospital was super crowded so we had to wait a day to get in. Wednesday night we arrive and they start the meds. At 8am thursday morning they break my water. I labor hard for an hour and ask to be checked cause I want my epidural. Good thing I asked because I was a 7cm. It took a little bit to get the dr. But finally some relief... well, only on one side. An hour later it finally works. Thank goodness cause... 1 feel like I need to push. The nurse checks me... yep there she is. Dont move. She yells as she goes to find Dr. A. One big push and out comes HM. Thank goodness we did not need push more cause the cord was around her neck twice. DR.A said the angels were watching cause she was going to let one push go before C-section due to the cord. My precious 8pound 5oz baby girl was born at 1pm thursday July 28th.
ReplyDeleteWhat great stories! Thank you so much for sharing!
DeleteMy story begins with castor oil, as I've always been someone who is curios to try "new" things. I had done lots of research on it, and felt comfortable that if my body wasn't ready, it wouldn't hurt my baby, and would just give me bad cramps. I was actually fairly certain it wouldn't work, since my baby hadn't dropped, I wasn't dilated or effaced, and I was still very much enjoying being pregnant. But still, I may as well try. ;) I was 39 weeks along. I took the castor oil the day after Christmas, at 5 pm, and about 7pm, my contractions started becoming regular. They were five minutes apart. By midnight I was in so much pain I had to get in the bathtub to help manage it. They were still five minutes apart. I labored in there all night long (completely convinced that this was just the castor oil, and I was NOT in labor), getting out every once in a while to try to go to bed, as I was completely exhausted. I could only manage about thirty minutes in bed, with the heating pad, before I had to get back in the water. By about 5am, I was groaning through contractions, and my husband gently told me that I needed to call my doula or SOMEONE, because it was obvious that something was happening. I let him call her at six, and she said she'd be there in about forty minutes. A few minutes after he called her, I had wave of contractions with NO break inbetween, and I started to feel nauseated. I leaned over the bathtub and threw up, a little in the toilet, mostly on the floor. My water broke then, too, but I didn't know that until after I gave birth. I was throwing up so violently I just assumed I had peed a little in the bath tub. I actually felt a little better after transition, and was afraid I had woken my doula up for no reason, and everything was going to stop now. She got there, and she and my husband helped me out of the bath to walk around some so she could see where I was. I told her that the last few contractions I felt like I had to poop, so I sat on the toilet, but the feeling went away inbetween contractions. My contractions were about 1 to 2 minutes apart by that point, and were overwhelmingly INTENSE standing up, and without the water. One would hit me, and I just yelled, and held on to her or my husband for dear life, haha. By the time they were able to get my clothes on me, and walk about ten feet, I had a contraction that felt different. (Pretty sure standing up when I got out of the bath pushed me to completely dilate.) My body's natural urge kicked in, and I felt her head move down, and without even realizing what I was saying, I yelled, "I feel her head and I need to push her out NOW."
ReplyDelete(Pt. 2) They both went into hyper-speed getting everything, and me, into the car to go to the hospital. We had a twenty five minute ride, during which I tried not to push her out. It was pretty much torture to try and "relax" through those contractions!! :) I cried to my doula that we were going to get there and I was just going to be a 3 or 4, or something. I didn't want to be a wimp. :) We got to the hospital, and my doula said, you need to check her NOW, and they didn't believe her (in between contractions I was perfectly fine! and we happened to arrive in between one). I had another contraction, and I said, forget this, I'm pushing this baby OUT. There was nothing I could do to stop it. FINALLY, someone checked me, and they went into panic mode. The nurse yelled out, "She's dilated to 10 and +3. We need a doctor here NOW." Needless to say, my doctor didn't make it. :) My beautiful daughter was born after about 20 minutes of pushing, on December 27th, 2011. 6 lbs. 2 oz., and she scored a 9.9 on the Apgar scale! :) Since I didn't *actually* believe I was in labor, the gazillions of people that I was supposed to call and tell I was in labor didn't get called until after she was born. And it was my husband's parent's first grandchild! My parent's 10th of 12, so they were a little more used to it, haha.
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many stories about the caster oil and everyone says that it works! What a great story! How nice to think that you may still have hours or even days before your "real" labor starts only to find out you are almost done!
DeleteThank you for sharing your story!
I had an appointment with my doctor on the due date the doctor calculated, Wednesday, December 10 (the due date I had figured out myself was December 13). He wanted to induce me but I didn’t think it was necessary so he scheduled me to come in the following Monday. At Monday’s appointment, I was 1 cm dilated and the doctor stripped my membranes. He then scheduled me for a non-emergent induction on Friday the 19th. I really didn’t want to be induced!
ReplyDeleteTuesday I went shopping with my sister-in-law. Exhausted, I had a long nap that afternoon. In the evening, Cas and I were invited for dinner with friends but being tired, we decided to go home. Soon after Cas had fallen asleep (around 10:30 pm), I felt intense pain. It was nothing like the squeezes and Braxton Hicks contractions I had felt before. Excited to have my first contraction, I stayed awake to time them. At 11:00 pm, I had another one! I was too excited to sleep. The contractions were coming regularly every 20-25 minutes. Timing my contractions until 1:00 am, I eventually fell asleep. I was then woken up by even more intense pain around 1:30 am. Cas had to work the next day and I didn’t want to wake him, so I went to have a shower. Carefully climbing into the tub, I sat in it with the shower running until there was no hot water left. The contractions were becoming more frequent and intense, so I called Cas to give me a hand getting out of the tub.
We sat on the bed together timing the contractions and discussing when we should head to the hospital. Around 3:00 am I called the doctor and she said to make our way in slowly. We grabbed our bags and headed to the city. Stopping first at Cas’ sister’s to pick up our camera (Cas is a photographer, we couldn’t forget that!), we drove to the hospital. Cas and I walked into the hospital (parking is great that early in the morning!). Soon after, I was admitted and went up to the antepartum unit.
The nurse gave me a gown and I settled into a bed with the fetal monitor on my belly. Feeling sick, Cas grabbed a garbage can for me to vomit in. I spat a little and said I was okay so he took it away. Immediately after he set it on the floor I puked on myself and the bed. We called the nurse and I changed into a new gown.
The pain of the contractions were hard to manage and I began doubting whether I could do this. Every second contraction I looked at Cas and told him I wanted something for the pain. Between contractions I was fine, and Cas encouraged me to keep going, that I could do it without medication. Cas prayed during the contractions and I focused by staring at the clock. Once we were working together I felt a lot better.
A jersey doctor came and interviewed me for my chart. This being my first pregnancy, the nurse doubted that I was in labour and did not call it labour until they checked how dilated I was: 4 cm. I continued to labour on the bed, trying to relax during contractions. I was then taken to the labor and delivery room.
At 7:30 am the doctor on call came in and I was 8 cm dilated. She asked if I wanted my water broken. I said yes because I knew that my mom and her two sisters’ water hadn’t broken on its own. It was broken and came out clear so the doctor left.
ReplyDeleteFeeling the urge to pee, I got up with the help of Cas and the nurses. Once on the toilet, I felt like I had to push. The nurses told me to wait, but my body was doing it without my brain’s permission. Between contractions, I made my way back to the bed and leaned on it. The nurse suggested I labour leaning on the bed, and began to raise it for me to make leaning easier.
As soon as the next contraction came, I needed to push again. The nurses told me I could get back on the bed and they would check me when the next contraction finished. I climbed up on the bed and the nurse checked me. I was 10 cm. She told me I should be pushing. I thought to myself, ‘no kidding!’. The doctor walked in and told me to take a breath, blow it out, take another breath, hold it in and push. I pushed twice and they told me I was clenching my bum muscles and this was holding the baby in (to be honest, I didn’t want to poop on the table). The baby’s heart rate was going down and the doctor was concerned.
She said, “we need to snip.”
I said, “I don’t want you to.”
She said, “We have to, this baby needs out now!”
I said, “Okay, do what you need to do.”
I felt the needle go in and sharp pain from the scissors cutting me. I pushed twice more and she was out. A girl!! Cas cut the umbilical cord and then they laid my baby on my chest. She looked purple and puffy and Cas and I were concerned. No one warned me that newborn babies looked this way and I was a little shocked. She wasn’t crying or breathing so they took her to the table and soon after, we were relieved to hear her make some noise. Ivria was born at 8:49 am and I delivered the placenta at 8:51 am. While the doctor was giving me stitches, I called my mom and dad. Cas held Ivria while the doctor finished the stitches.
Ivria was making sucking motions with her mouth so I wanted to try feeding her. It was not as easy as I thought it would be. I was frustrated and the nurses kept telling me that the maternity nurses would help me with it. I had taken a breast feeding class but it wasn’t as technical as I now know it is to get a good latch and have both involved getting and giving what they need comfortably. While waiting for a bed on the maternity ward, Cas and I decided between the two girls names we had been debating over: Ivria Adele.
I was wheeled to the maternity ward around noon. Cas and I were exhausted, but we couldn’t help but just stare at our new little baby Ivria.
Each shift change the new nurse would come in and say, “now let’s see this famous bottom.” Apparently, I had bruised badly and had a bunch of stitches. I now wish I knew what could have been done to avoid being cut and that pooping really is okay and better than an episiotomy.
We stayed in the hospital longer than I had planned because Ivria was not latching properly. The lactation consultant would come help me during the day and we were slowly figuring it out. Saturday morning, feeling more comfortable breast feeding, we went home with our new baby girl. Bundled up to weather the frigid Canadian winter, our new family drove home for the first time.
My third pregnancy, second birth. Older sister, Ivie, (3yo) and one of 2 babysitters(2 in case one couldn’t come-they both were free) and Daddy (I teach natural childbirth classes with Dad as coach) expected to be at the hospital for the birth.
ReplyDeleteWednesday April 4
My due date!!! Imagine how excited I was to awaken to contractions at 3 in the morning and time them to 5 minutes apart by 5 a.m. I decided to call my babysitters who were driving from Saskatoon. I baked banana muffins I was craving. By the time Leah and Rae got here 7:30 and 8:30 contractions had slowed down to 10 minutes apart. I went and napped.
Cas stayed home from work. When I woke up again around 10 I didn’t have contractions very often and they were much less intense. Cas decided to go to work for the afternoon.
Leah drove me to my doctor appointment. At the appointment he checked and I was 2 cm and the cervix was very soft. I had tested group B strep positive so my doctor wanted me to go to the hospital to get a round of antibiotics. Leah took me to the hospital and we went to maternity. Once there they wanted to do a non-stress test. I was not impressed to have to do one and had a nurse with bad bedside manner. Once that was done I was sent downstairs for antibiotics. We waited for a long time and in that time I contemplated the hospital and the procedures and I was crying and debating with myself if I wanted to be there getting the antibiotics and how would Cas and staff and Rae and Leah and Ivie fit in the tiny room. I got the antibiotics and my 15 minute appointment had turned into 2 hours.
Contractions were slow and not regular the rest of he day. I complained a lot. Love is patience and I’m not sure I accepted the challenge well.
Thursday April 5
Contractions start around 3:30a.m. I shower and try to relax. Cas wakes up shortly after I am awake. He is timing contractions because I didn’t want to get excited again. The contractions continue and get intense. I showered, sat on the toilet, laid in bed, leaned on Cas during contractions. I told Cas we’d be adopting our next children. I walk around and try and relax. (At this point contractions were 2 minutes long and 7 minutes apart.) I am flailing my arms and not dealing well with the intensity. Cas urges me to lay down for a few contractions. (He’s thinking its hospital time.) During that next contraction I am feeling relaxed and feeling the wave of the contraction rush to overwhelm me and my water breaks and I feel baby move down.
I yell to Cas, ‘my water is broken the baby is coming to call the ambulance.
He says something about getting me to the car.
“I can not move, the baby is coming” He grabs a towel and tries to put it under me.
I hear him ask Leah to call the ambulance. She is on the phone asking if we can see the head. Cas comes to check and my underwear is still on so he can’t see. I say the head isn’t there yet and to cut off my underwear because I can’t move to get them off. Cas comes back with scissors and cuts them and tells Leah “no head yet”.
Another contraction and I feel baby come down. No head yet. The EMT’s get there. The lady suggests getting to the bus. (We called them at 8:00, they arrived at 8:06, nice and quick, thankfully)
“I can’t move. The baby is coming.” During the next contraction everyone tells me to keep breathing. The lady says, “my partner is just getting the obs kit.” The guy paramedic comes in and is the one who is delivering the baby. I see them gowning up and am asked if I can get on my back. “no, I can’t move.” They said something about baby not being able to come out if I had my legs together, on my back would be better. I asked Cas to hold up my top leg, which sounds way more comfortable, that it would have looked. So Cas squeezed between the wall and I to hold my leg so I could push.
ReplyDeleteI remember asking (firmly/rudely maybe) not to be touched a few times, which probably made things a bit more difficult-as if there wasn’t enough going on. It just felt so painful for others to touch me.
I go through a few contractions and can feel baby moving 2 “steps” forward and one back. The sensation was so obvious to me. I can feel some tears, like a paper cut, as the biggest part of his head comes out. I can feel the paramedic moving baby to deliver shoulders. The cord is around his neck twice and the paramedic gets it loose and off and baby is on his tummy on top of my thigh. Through his legs I can see he’s a boy!! We get a towel and warmth and friction on him. They say something about the cord and I ask to wait until it isn’t pulsing anymore and they are okay with that. Born at 8:17.
There is a lot of clean-up going on around me but its all a blur because I have baby on my chest and Cas beside me. The placenta takes its time and is delivered at the hospital about an hour later. We leave the house, me on a chair/ramp and then a stretcher to the ambulance. They only have laughing gas for pain and we didn’t have Tylenol in the house so every bump or jostle was fairly painful. We get to the hospital and in a delivery room my Dr. walks in and says “what happened!” That’s how I feel about the whole thing to, but in a surprised happy way. Cas was holding baby and we didn't have a boys name firmly picked(but had a for sure girl name)but he came up to me, showed him to me and said: He looks like a David...." So David Archer it was.
I could not have planned they way everything worked out. Although it was not ideal being at home (mattress was a mess, sheets and pillows tossed, a bit chaotic….), it turned out to be the best possible situation under the specific circumstances. We were absolutely thankful that both Leah and Rae came and spent the night. We were so impressed with the paramedics; they were professional, smart, quick, efficient, adaptable-they were brilliant! We were surprised by my labour: contractions 6 minutes apart and a baby less than half an hour after water breaking…unusual.
Cas keot telling me the day before, “expect the unexpected, labour is not “textbook”.” I could not have imagined this nor did I expect David to arrive when and where he did, but it was perfect!
Oh the unexpected in labor and delivery! What an exciting time! Great story, thank you for sharing!
DeleteI love birth stories AND your sweet dresses so THANK YOU for this great giveaway! So onto Molly's arrival!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I decided to mostly "wing" the whole birthing process. My OB gave me the run down, My sister lent me her copy of "What to expect..." and overall I felt like I was ready to do this! My husband was WAY too nervous to try a birthing center or home birth, and I was fine with delivering in our lovely hospital. I toyed with the idea of doing a natural birth, but wasn't going to beat myself up if I needed the epidural. Like I said my husband and I were very laid back about the whole process. :)
Saturday night was a pretty restless one for me, my Braxton Hicks actually started to HURT, and I was up most of the night. Sunday morning (the day before my due date!) my husband got up to get ready for church, but I told him it would be impossible for me to sit still today. He asked if this was “IT!” but I said “No, just painful fake contractions,” so he rolled back over and went back to bed. I kept myself busy while he got a few more hours of sleep, and the contractions didn’t get any worse so I thought this was just the typical body- gearing- up- for- baby- but-I- could –feel- like- this- for- days kind of thing. Around 2:00PM Tyler had gathered his gear and asked for the 10th time if I was sure it was alright for him to leave for work. Since the contractions weren’t progressing I gave him the green light, but I told him to keep his phone on at all times, because this might turn into something. He’s a police officer so it’s a little nerve wracking sending him to work, because getting a hold of him can be tricky but we had a great system in place to contact him even if he was on a call.
Pt 2 (Man I write A LOT!)
ReplyDeleteAs the day progressed my contractions definitely progressed, but I just kept thinking, “No way this is IT, I really don’t want to call Tyler and drive to the hospital and this not be IT.” So I tidied up the house, loaded the dishwasher, and finished packing for the hospital. I finally started timing contractions around 4:00pm and watched (my notepad) as they slowly got closer and closer and more and more painful and my handwriting got sloppier and sloppier! I decided to take a shower and get in one last leg shave, then if the contractions were still gaining strength I would call Tyler and my doctor. ( I think I had slipped into a little bit of denial that I was actually in labor when I so obviously was! Lol) That shower was pure comedy, just picture trying to hike your leg up to shave, in between massive contractions, while in ACTIVE labor! I even laughed at myself for being so ridiculous! But apparently I’m seriously determined because I even managed to blow dry my hair before making my first phone call.
Even though I was supposed to call Tyler first so he could head back home, for some reason I called my OB’s office first and HAD TO LEAVE A MESSAGE! At this point I was making my way past denial and into “I really hope I make it to the hospital in time!” But I paced and breathed my way through what felt like a million contractions waiting for the doctor to call me back. And for some reason I still didn’t take this opportunity to call me husband, but hey I was in labor! Lol. The nurse FINALLY called me back 20 minutes later and asked what was going on. “Well, when I called earlier my contractions were 5 to 7 minutes apart and lasted about 45 seconds, but NOW they’re 3 to 4 minutes apart and lasting an excruciating minute long!” To which she replied,” Hon, sounds like you’re in labor so head on over to the hospital, we’ll have everything ready for you!” I hung up the phone even though I wanted to scream and say “That’s it! That was the super important phone call I waited 20 minutes for! I know I’m in labor lady!” Although in hindsight I’m pretty sure they just wanted me to call so they could prep everything, and give the doctor a heads up. They didn’t actually need to diagnose labor over the phone, but again, I’m in labor people. Not exactly thinking clearly.
I FINALLY call my husband and tell him “It’s time! Hurry!” To which he responds, “I have to finish up this call, but I’m on my way.” To which I respond, “I REALLY don’t think I have time for you to finish up that call! But just HURRY okay!” Both of us, “Love you bye!” I think he could hear in my voice that we didn’t have a lot of time so thankfully he got someone else to finish up his call, and rushed home. Those were seriously the longest 30 minutes of my life waiting for him to pull up in our driveway! He ran in and grabbed our bags, while I situated myself in the front seat and braced myself for the ride. We’re surrounded by hospitals but of course the one my OB delivers at is about 25 minutes away. We got there in 15. My husband is seriously so cute when he’s nervous, but I couldn’t really appreciate it at the moment. During a great contraction I told him “ANYONE who doesn’t get an epidural is an IDIOT!” I only cursed once, a very venom filled “Damn!” after one particularly nasty contraction. I never curse in my day to day language, but I felt that one well placed damn was warranted.
(Part 3 WOW)
ReplyDeleteWe pulled up to the front of the hospital at 7:30pm, and Tyler helped me walk into the building, down a really long hallway and onto an elevator. I had to stop during every contraction but we eventually made it to the check in station. One look at me and the nurse said we could check in later and led us to our room. She gave me a gown and told me to change in the restroom. At this point standing was nearly impossible, but I managed to get my clothes off and the gown on. ( I still have no idea where Tyler was at the point, all I know is I got dressed alone. Maybe he was talking to the nurses?) I climbing into the bed and was just relieved that we had made it! There was one very calm, cheerful nurse in the room and once I got settled she told me she was just going to do a quick check and see where I was. She took a peek, and I knew as soon as I saw her face I knew two things. One: I was about to have a baby. The second thing I realized I just went ahead and said out loud. “I’m not getting an epidural, am I.” She just smiled and said, “Probably not hon, you’re at a ten and there’s no cervix to be seen.” Later she said technically they considered me a 9 because my water hadn’t broken, but for all intents and purposes, I was a ten. She stood up and told me to wait just a minute, she would be right back. Then she calmly walked out the door. About 10 seconds later eight nurses whooshed in wheeling supplies and setting up for Molly’s birth like busy bees! My doctor was still on a flight home from her DisneyLand vacation, but I knew her partner and they told me he was on his way. The next few minutes were a blur of activity. Signing paperwork (I think to check me in, but I could have been selling my kidneys because to be honest I wasn’t reading any of it) They inserted a useless IV, just in case, the nurse said.
Around 8pm I announced that I wanted to start pushing and my wonderful nurse told me to go for it! After what must have been the most pathetic push ever, even I could tell, she told me that probably wouldn’t get the job done and I was going to have to do better. Unfortunately about this time I’d decided that this hurt way too much and just about leapt from the table during my next contraction. Later Tyler told me that was the only time he got really worried, but I got the hang of it soon after. I remember saying, “I thought pushing was supposed to make these better, but it still hurts!” Then I finally realized I was holding back for fear of pooping so on the next one I really gave it my all, and felt a huge BULGE! My nurse looked so proud so I knew I was on the right track! And the pushing DID magically make the contractions more bearable. Until she started crowning of course. Once that happened, I finished pushing through the contraction, then once it stopped I yelled, “It still hurts! Why does it still hurt?!” That’s when I learned that after crowning it all hurts till she’s out. I had been pushing about 25 minutes by then and I asked the nurse to just give me an estimate on how much longer. She gave the standard, “Every labor is different and you’re doing great!” But I told her I just needed a ballpark figure. “30 more minutes or an hour, two more contractions or ten?” She grinned and said, “You’re going to hold your baby in two more pushes!” Right on cue the doctor swoops in still pulling on his scrubs. I gave two more huge pushes. (Really it was like 4 but two were really close together, and I decided not to count the one after her head came out, that way my nurse was telling the truth about 2 pushes.)
(Part 4 Is this a record?)
ReplyDeleteAnd at 8:23pm, a little less than an hour after walking through the hospital doors, the doctor says “It’s a…” My husband had a little bit of trouble finding where he was supposed to look for the sex, (partially because the doctor was holding her somewhat upside down, and partially because he was so excited) so he finished the doctors sentence with a tentative “….Girl??” They laughed and said “yes!” It was the best surprise of my life, because I was convinced the entire pregnancy she was a boy. A second later my beautiful baby girl was on my chest, and I held her and Tyler held the both of us, and it was incredible. She is perfect and fun and the most amazing (now) 15 month old ever!! I wouldn’t change a thing about her delivery, it was such a great experience. The End! Or The Beginning! Depending on how you look at it.
Ooops typo. 8:27pm Molly officially came out. :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I love your story! It makes me think of my last pregnancy, just not really sure if I was in labor or not (even though my water had already broken!) But what a fun experience!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing!
Wow, there are so many amazing birth stories on here...such tender moments! I recently gave birth to my 4th child so it's hard to choose which one to tell, each story is so special and unique and each one is so different from the other! My second, however did vary from the other 3 just a little. I had a miscarriage right before I got pregnant with her and was beyond excited and emotional when we found out we were pregnant with my 2nd. Due to complications I was put on bed rest from about 14 to 32 weeks. I savored every kick, twist and turn...even the heartburn and potty trips made me happy because I knew it meant she was doing just fine. I was 38 weeks and began having contractions at 3 a.m. I began timing them but couldn't sleep so I went out to the front room and started watching all those baby stories you watch and just wishing that was me but thinking that this probably wasn't true labor yet. The contractions kept getting closer and closer so finally I realized this was it! I walked in to tell my husband @ 6 a.m. and he said "just give me 5 more minutes" ha...he was half asleep and still doesn't remember saying that to this day. Needless to say an hour later he finally woke up after more poking and prodding. We ran to the hospital by this time I was in more pain. They gave me an epidural right away...wish I could do it natural but I can't ever seem to tough it out! I sat there with my husband just so ecstatic to meet this beautiful blessing! When the broke my water, I felt the need to push 5 minutes later. They ran in there and I pushed twice, the doctor looked at me and said "you wanna help pull her out?" I was so shocked! I had never experienced anything like it before so I didn't think it was possible! I reached down and felt her beautiful full head of hair and as I pulled her out I just began to leak emotions out of my eyes ;) There is no other feeling quite like it. She was here and she was mine! That first cry is such a relief. We just sat there hugging her until they took her to take her stats...something I wasn't able to do with my first since she was premature! I loved every minute and loved reading your story as well, thanks for sharing and allowing me to share my precious memory! Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your story! I never would have thought that being able to pull my own baby out would be something that would interest me, but having been through the labor and delivery before I actually would love to do that now! I'm glad that I read yours because now I can ask if that's something I can do :)
DeleteThank you so much for sharing those memories!