Okay, I'll bite Since we've successfully derailed the American vs. European "looks" thread, and there seems to be interest, please share your birth experiences here.
I've been reading a lot on the subject, but its amazing how many books just gloss over labor and birth!
Anyone have any experience with the birth ball or water births? These intrigue me, but don't seem to be very widely medically accepted.
What did you find most helpful in labor? What did you appreciate or regret about your birth experience?
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Maybe it's not my business to say so since I'm not a mom, but... Christy, you shouldn't ask. Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I don't remember my birth experience. Of course I was pretty young back then.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Dan Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
I was stuck in the birth canal so long that I came out with a cone head. I actually shrunk 2 inches in the first week of my life. I also boke my collar bone and had jondas(sp?). Oh, what happy memories.
Posted by Slash the Berzerker (Member # 556) on :
I've never given birth, but I did once explosively break my right ankle in a 50 mile an hour collision with a tree, resulting in massive soft tissue damage and multiple fractures throughout the joint. I was then forced to walk out of the snowfilled woods for 3 miles on it to get back to the truck.
I imagine it is similar.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
jaundice
I was born by c-section two days earlier than my mother had planned.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
*whispers* Christy, maybe you will want to change your thread title to "giving birth experiences" Just an idea Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
I was a 24-hour labor, before they realized I was nearly hanging myself with my own umbilical cord, and figured c-section was the only way out.
I was jaundiced too.
-Bok
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Most babies have a touch of Jaundice.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Christy, the water births and balls sound all great and everything, but I SWEAR they are full of crap.
When you are in labor NOTHING helps. (Assuming no drugs.) I kept thinking that this thing would help or another thing would help but everything made it worse. I think once you're in labor, you could care less what's happening as long as that kid gets out of you as fast as humanly possible.
I can't bear the thought of actually being in water or on a ball at that time...it's like trying to give birth at the circus. It's hard enough when you're just laying there.
OH and appreciate and regret:
Appreciate: No talking, no touching, no nothing except stay away from me.
Regret: Both times that I gave birth I regretted not having meds. That feeling goes away once you forget how painful it was.
[ March 10, 2004, 04:10 PM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
Actually, laboring in water is supposed to be easier. And labor is really different for every woman. Some have difficult births, some very easy, and every possibility in between.
Yes, there is pain, but it is temporary and for a purpose.
I would suggest you read as much as possible, Christy, and talk with other women.
Women love to tell their childbirth experiences, it's like men telling war stories. Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
When I was born my mom had a C section without anaesthetic, or so the whole family claims.
I've asked about the details, but she never likes to talk about it.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I've had three births without an epidural, one with. The reason I went with the epidural on the last one is because I had a head cold. I follow the husband coached method, rather than Lamaze. Husband coached is less oriented toward the method itself (breathing patterns and whatnot) and more centered on consumer education and choice.
My sister just had a baby and she said the feelings involved we so not what she was prepared for. Which is kind of puzzling since she was using Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way . But since I didn't read that book until after I'd had my first, I guess some details might have gotten past me. I thought it was a great book.
You've probably had menstrual cramps your whole life. Some of the unterine contractions are like that. What most women don't understand is the "bearing down stage". Though I did meet a woman who didn't have this. That's the thing, the varieties of experience are so different for physical reasons, and on top of that you have differences in perception.
Anyway, I just always feel very happy and grateful once the baby is out.
Why do I put myself though non-epidural birth? Because with an epidural the chances of a c section are higher. That's pretty much it. With my epidural, I didn't have them add any more, because I wanted to be able to push with the contractions.
While it is terrible to see the pain of natural birth, it is likewise terrible to see a woman struggling and being yelled at to push who has no sense that she needs to. Done right (where it's low enough to be turned off for the pushing), I think an epidural can be good. But then there are the two people I've known where it only took on one side. It apparently happens about 16% of the time. Edit: One of these was a cesarean. Maybe something like that happened with Book.
[ March 10, 2004, 04:18 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I've heard about that kind of thing Book. It terrifies me.
Yeah, Christy, I'm not trying to scare you, that was only MY experience. My mother-in-law SWEARS that birth without meds is more enjoyable than birth WITH meds. It's all very personal.
Pooka, I didn't have a bearing down stage with my first child. It was weird pushing him out all by myself. BUT I liked feeling like I was in control.
[ March 10, 2004, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
:tips hat to slash: I *so* would have laid down in the snow and died. But I'm not taking into account endorphins.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
Sheila Kitzinger has written some interesting stuff on the experience of childbirth. You should look her up.
I had both my children with no pain meds of any kind and no IVs and I am happy I did it that way.
Many women these days have epidurals, but they can prolong labor, since you don't have as much of an urge to push.
With my second, I tried to walk and stay upright as long as possible. Gravity is your friend in the labor process.
All the movies and such that we have seen, with woman laboring lying down, well that is the worst possible position.
Some excellent books you might want to check out:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin - she is a longtime midwife and has a tremendous amount of experience
The Birth Book; Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth by William Sears and Martha Sears
You might also check the La Leche League website, http://www.lalecheleague.org They have information on birth, as well as breastfeeding, and childbirth options and preparation is also discussed at LLL meetings.
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
See the only birth I ever witnessed was my own, and I'm kinda foggy on that one.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Birth story #1
It was Christmas Eve and I was 10 days past due with my first child. I began going into labor in the mall, doing some last minute shopping. I went home, called my doctor, told him the contractions were five minutes apart, he said go ahead and come to the hospital. I checked in about 4 in the afternoon.
I told the nurse I wanted no drugs, except an iv pain shot, but no epidural. The main reason I did this is because the idea of someone sticking a needle into my spinal column area totally squicked me out. I figured with breathing techniques, and some IV pain meds to take the edge off, I'd be okay.
Fast forward hours later. I'm now delirious with pain. I began pushing, involuntarily, just because the contractions were so intense and so bad, I couldn't NOT push. The nurse says "You're only at 8 cms, you cant push yet. I replied "Watch me!"
The nurse looks at my husband and says "I'm calling the anesthesiologist." My husband says "Good idea."
The guy comes in, gives me my epidural, and I take a nice, cozy nap, and vow next time to get the epidural as soon as possible.
When I was at 10, I began pushing. The doctor was there with me, and staying with me, and I suddenly notice there is a lot of flurried activity with the doctor and nurses. I realized that there was some concern about my baby, the doctor began saying things like "Tell them we may be moving down the hall." I later learned that meant he was preparing for an emergency c-section. The baby's heart rate was accelerating during the contractions, which is common, but her heart rate would not return to normal, it just stayed up and was getting faster.
During all this my epidural began to wear off. (Yes, they do that!) Usually, the anesthesiologist comes and gives you a booster right before delivery, but things were moving so fast, no one called him.
The doctor decided to try and do a forceps delivery, even though she was not exactly ready to deliver. The doc used the forceps, and the nurse "applied fundal pressure" which is translated "stand on your tiptoes, put all your weight on the patients stomach, and push very hard while the doctor is pulling"
I began screaming and the nurse says "You can feel that?" Remember, epidurals wear off.
Natalie was born at 1:50 am Christmas morning, and her heart rate immediately returned to normal and she did fantastic. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me the booster after delivery, so the doc could finish sewing me up (because of the forceps, very, very bad episiotomy) The sudden influx of epidural meds combined with the shock of giving birth caused my blood pressure to plummet, to the point that alarms went off and doctors and nurses came running. Fortunately, it was a temporary thing, and it came back up. The violent shaking, however, continued for a couple hours. Shaking is a side effect of the meds.
Natalie was perfectly healthy, as I've said, we went home two days later. She's now my 11 year old gifted ballerina.
I'll be back later to continue with stories 2,3, and 4. I have to go to the school and retrieve the ballerina, she is going through try outs for a talent show. Naturally she's dancing.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I had all three kids drug free- the first in hospital, the second and third at home. The second was a water birth, so I figured I would want that with the third. Nope, on land on my hands and knees was the thing.
What helped: Walking, eating and drinking, squatting witc contractions
Regrets:Having the first in hospital, not videotaping any but the last.
The best book I read was "Birth as an american Rite of Passage" by Robie Davis Floyd
Another great one is "Immaculate Deception" by Suzanne Arms.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Christy, I really refrained from sharing birth stories when we were in Iowa together -- but since you asked.... <grin>
Well, actually I won't go into details for each one of my three kids. Actually most mothers HATE my stories, because all three of my kids' births were very easy -- short labor, no serious discomfort, no pain killers, and going home feeling great.
I will agree that with my first child, the whole "bearing down" part was much more intense that I have figured -- even though I grew up with farm animals and had viewed their "bearing down" stages during the final delivery. It frightened me at first how strong that bearing down feeling was, like the muscles had complete mind of their own.
I remember with my second one, I believe, we got the final delivery and I was in full "bearing down" mode and the doc said "now hold it right there a second - don't bear down" (because she wanted to make the episiotomy cut) and I replied, "like HELL I will!" Meaning I couldn't have stopped it (the bearing down) if I'd had a team of horses opposing. Everything in your body at that stage is straining to bring this new life out. At least that is how it was for me.
All of mine were "natural childbirth" -- no medications or sedatives. But I did have short labors -- so I understand that some people (like my sister, who had like 48 hour labors) would need help after that period of time due to sheer exhaustion.
Your stamina is stretched thin no matter how good of shape you are in. My legs were quivering like I had run a marathon by the time it was all over. So do all you can to have yourself in good physical shape and stamina (walk a lot) to prepare.
I hope yours will go as easily as mine were. Just try not to have too much fear (it is hard with the first one, because it is so unknown) because the fear will add tenseness to your body.
Farmgirl (next time I will tell you about the 80 mph race to the hospital for my second child -- who was nearly born in the hospital elevator.)
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I'm jealous romanyless! I SO wanted a mid-wife and home birth for my 2nd and 3rd after the ease of my 1st one's birth. But it didn't work out that way. Mid-wife wouldn't touch me after, part-way through my 2nd pregnancy, I miscarried what apparently was my son's twin. The chance of me continuing the pregnancy with just one of the twins on to full term was less than 10%, but it happened, and he was fine when born at full term. In fact, would have been the easiest to have at home.
I don't remember why we couldn't do homebirth for the third. Money, I think. Mid-wives aren't covered by insurance.
Farmgirl
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Giving birth to my one and only child:
The night before I started pro-dromal labor (sometimes called 'false labor', which is a misnomer) I ate some really crappy Chicken Cacciatore. I mean, it was truly awful. It was not spoiled or anything, it was just fried and yucky and wrong. I thought I had gas. Apparently, I was starting a verrrry slow labor process. Gah. Two days. I slept on the recliner, and kept going to the hospital (they kept making me go home, though. *heavy sigh*).
Chuck and I went to the twenty-four hour Wal-Mart and he made me walk the aisles with him, looking at baby things. This did not make me happy. Lo! I was mightily grumpy! But I knew it would help make the wretched baby come out.
Finally, I made Chuck take me to the hospital one last time where I told the nurses and resident doctors that if they did not give me something to help me sleep, I would sit in the waiting room and cry until this baby came out.
I am a fearsome grumpy lady!
They made me walk the halls. Horrible people.
They checked me out and put the contraction contraption around my belly. Yes, if I didn't move around too much, they could measure contractions, but they weren't regular and they weren't That Bad (so sez the nurse). My cervix was barely dilated (2cm I think). Would I like an enema to try and dilate yon cervix? Would I ever!
Yes, enemas are horribly embarassing, but remember, I had had Chicken Yuckiatorre, and I hadn't pooped in two days. TWO DAYS! On with the enemating!
After a most satisfying trip to the bathroom, it appeared that the pressure of the enema (or something, dunno what) caused me to dilate to 6cm. Helllloooooo admission~!
At one point they take my blood pressure, and are quite alarmed to find it at 185/100 (or something ridiculous like that). They took it during a contraction by mistake. Whew! Next time it comes out textbook perfect. Guess what? They found out that I don't have contractions in my belly, I have contractions in my THIGHS! (Same place I have menstrual cramps, if I had thought about it, I could have clued them in sooner) Makes contraction charting much easier.
Doctor Wonderfully Tiny arrives (she was soooo little--I felt like she was my moon, circling Planet Me, everytime she examined me, hehe) and gears up for some Babycatching.
I do *not* want an epidural--read/heard too many stories about partial paralysis connected to the procedure. Turns out this is a good thing, because I'm too far dilated by the time the anaesthesiologist is contacted. I consent to a Heparin IV for fluids, and an oxygen mask. I HATE the oxygen mask, I have a thing about my face being covered.
Two hours of hard labor, probably the most exercise I have ever gotten in my life. It's exhilirating. The goal is, after all, completely worth it. Yes, it hurts, and I am Still Grumpy, but I'm having a baby, dammit, it's Supposed to hurt.
One hour of hard pushing, and The Boy is free from his cocoon of me. Oh, and I had some local anaesthetic so they could do a small episiotomy. I figured the stitches were worth not having torn. They also gave me some pitocin at the end of my pushing because they were worried The Boy was not coming out, but it didn't go into effect until Placenta Time, so it didn't really matter much.
Dr. Patterson-the-wee sang "Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers" as The Boy is born, because she knows that is to be his name, and because she is generally wonderful.
So--ta-da! Baby! I felt pretty exhilirated, and hungry as hell. The nurses had some food in the fridge for moms who give birth at odd hours (when the dining room is closed), and I had the Best Sandwich Ever (I was staaaaaaarving).
We had the baby in the room with us the whole time (except during his circumcision -- sniffle -- but Chuck was with him for that), and our family didn't come visit us until after we were already out of the hospital. Frankly, that worked best for us. As much as I love our family, we needed that time together.
Anyway, that's my birth story. The birth part was EASY (IMO), the baby-caring was the hard part. hehe
edit: first edit, I hit the edit button without editing anything, sheesh. Second edit to say: The 'bearing down' part was confusing me until Dr. Tinylady told me it was like taking a poo. Aha! I know how to do that! Much easier.
[ March 10, 2004, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: jexx ]
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
quote:Your stamina is stretched thin no matter how good of shape you are in. My legs were quivering like I had run a marathon by the time it was all over. So do all you can to have yourself in good physical shape and stamina (walk a lot) to prepare.
You touch on a good point, FG. Labor can be easier if you stay in shape. I recommend some approved (by which I mean, make sure they are safe exercises to do during pregnancy) prenatal exercises, in addition to walking. Maybe look up a prenatal exercise class - that is what I did with both pregnancies and it really helped. Flexibility is helpful too, a good prenatal exercise program can help with the proper stretches (you might also be able to learn some from a book, I also did that).
Posted by dangermom (Member # 1676) on :
DangerGirl arrived right on her due date, after a day of false labor. (I was, btw, huge. I look at pictures now and just wonder how that happened.) I went into real labor around 1 am, and the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart the whole time. Lamaze breathing didn't help, and I couldn't figure out what to do with the pain. At the hospital, they showed me how to moan with each contraction, so I sounded stupid but felt much better. Everything looked great, they said I'd be done by noon.
When I got up to 8cm, I stalled. And stalled. And stalled. I walked around until I was falling asleep and bonking into the walls. I sat in the spa, which did nothing but get me sweaty and damp. After 6 hours of this stalling stuff, I was too tired to deal with the pain anymore; I kept falling asleep between contractions and would wake up disoriented at the peak of each one. So I got an epidural, and took a bit of a nap--but the labor slowed. DangerGirl had yet to descend. At some point, the doctor broke my water, which helped not at all. Pitocin did nothing to get things going. By 10pm I was miserable and shaking with exhaustion, and the doctor (finally!) said we'd better do a c-section. I said that sounded great. Off we went. (To be fair, I have to give the doc credit for not pushing a c-section on me much earlier, and on a Friday night too.)
I don't remember much, except that I was shaking so much. DangerGirl was over 10 lbs. and facing the wrong way; she would never have been born vaginally. So, yay for modern medical science. She was, by then, exhausted and in need of help, so they whisked her over my head ("Here she is!" they said. --"Oh, she's purple!" I replied) and off to get some oxygen and formula (for blood sugar). I got Demerol and happily went to sleep.
We were fine very soon. Most of the tubes came out of her within a day, and the only souvenir was a shaved spot behind her ear. Recovery wasn't much fun for me.
DangerBaby was a planned c-section, 10 days early. (Doctor said he'd let me try a normal birth if I went into labor 3 weeks early. Otherwise, no way.) Again, I was pretty huge. This one was easy, and I got to hold her right away. Recovery was a snap, and I was dying to get out of the hospital. DangerBaby did get jaundice, and spent a couple of days in a baby-size tanning booth on our coffee table.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I just might be the person you least want to hear a birth story from.
But first let me tell you my attitude: women have been doing this for thousands of years. It is a completely natural thing for you body to do. Instead of cringing everytime I felt pain, I concentrated on relaxing all my muscles.
You can practice this before. Clench your fist as tight as you can, while relaxing every other part of your body. Study relaxation techniques and use them every day so that they feel normal to you.
While in labor, don't grab things and clench. Have Tom stroke your wrist from the arm to the hand and relax.
Don't worry about breathing techniques, just breath deeply and not too quickly. If you need to not push, the quicker breaths do help. Or pushing your breath out in little bursts, saying something like pehpehpehpehpeh. It helps, but not always, as you will read.
My first daughter was born about seven hours after my water broke. That was also when labor started. I checked into the hospital about 12:00 and she was born 6:18. I used a mild relaxent that wore off quickly. This took the edge off, but didn't remove the pain completely.
My second daughter was induced because she was late. Not too late, but my doctor was going on vacation and we all wanted her to deliver the baby. I went in at 7 am, my water was broken at 8 am but labor didn't start, so I was put on pitocin at 9 am. She was born at 5:20. The induction took longer because it was controlled by the pitocin they put in. They expected a baby in the early evening and that is what they got. But this labor was more painful: the contractions came closer together for longer and seemed to do less. Avoid induction if you can. This time I used the same mild relaxant. I don't think I would have needed it if labor had come on naturally.
With my third daughter, I knew I was in labor that morning. Though they were about 10 minutes apart, it had that peculiar feeling. These contractions were doing something. I cleaned house, I rested. They weren't painful. About seven that evening they were about 7 minutes apart. I called my mom and told her. We had dinner, took the kids over and talked until about 11. By then the contractions became harder to ignore and they were about 5 minutes apart, so we went to the hospital, which was 40 minutes away.
The nurse wasn't convinced I needed to be there until my water broke when she was examining me. I refused an IV. This was about 12 AM. By 1:00 I was at 4 centimeters (from 2) and by 1:40 I was at 8 centimeters and I felt like pushing. They called the doctor. When the doctor was almost there, the nurse told me I could go ahead and start pushing.
Suddenly everyone was yelling at me to stop.
The first time I had pushed, the baby had crowned. And that HURT. There was only one way to stop that pain. I ignored the panicked advice. Maria, at 9 lbs, was born with the second push. The doctor came in seconds later.
I can't guarantee short pushing stages. I got lucky in the genetic lottery and I'm particularly built for that. But the rest of your labor will be easier if you just relax and let your body do the natural thing.
[ March 10, 2004, 05:48 PM: Message edited by: Amka ]
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Farmgirl, where are you? I live in WA state, I had full insurance coverage for my homebirths.
I am sorry to hear about your twin loss.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Here is Andrew's Birth story
Andrew’s Birth The weeks preceding Andrew’s birth were full of starts and stops. On Tuesday I went to see Toni, my midwife. Because I was starting to dilate and efface, she was concerned I might go into labour within the next few days. Because I was ostensibly at 36 weeks I had to wait until Sunday if I wanted my homebirth. Brian and I actually knew I was farther along, as we had been charting, but because I had ovulated at an odd time the standard LMP method gave us a different due date.
That evening we discussed what we would do if I did go into labour before Sunday, including staying home and doing it unassisted. Brian was uncomfortable with that but I knew that at that point I would feel safer at home, alone, than going to a hospital. I spent the next few days relaxing, with my feet up, and having the occasional glass of wine when contractions got regular. They stopped by Saturday and later that night I got up and started doing housework, hoping things would start up again.
Sunday morning the children and I went to church, and everyone wanted to know what I was doing there! That afternoon Nichole, my friend and doula, came over to walk with me in the hopes of starting labour. While we walked we talked about my birth plans. One thing was very important to me was letting my water rupture spontaneously. I had had AROM with both Matthew and Olivia and was determined to avoid that this time. We walked in the afternoon, ate supper, then went for a walk with my neighbour Cheryl. Nothing!
The next day was the start of Vacation Bible School. I had been scheduled to work in the Nursery that week (I am director of the Nursery) but Brian was afraid I would go into labour and he didn’t want me driving. I stayed home Monday and one of my employees took Matthew (my 5 year old) to VBS. When I was still not in labour by that evening, I planned to work the next day and go see Toni that afternoon,. She said I was at 0 station and 2-3 cm, and that I could go ahead and work the rest of the week. Since Nichole had left to go to a wedding in Ohio that am , I was glad labour was not imminent.
I worked the rest of the week uneventfully. On Thursday Toni’s daughter called to tell me she had put her mom on a plane, as her dad was dying. On Fri I had a message from Toni wean I got home from church, that her dad had died just as her plane was touching down, and that I shouldn’t have the baby without her.
On Saturday, I woke up and told Brian we had to see Star Wars TODAY, if I was to have a chance to see it in the theatre. I called Cheryl and she came over to watch Matthew and Olivia that afternoon. As soon as the previews started I started having regular contractions. I joked that we might end up naming this baby Lucas! We went home and Brian made dinner for all of us (Cheryl stayed to dinner) . I had a glass of wine with dinner and the contractions stopped.
Nothing happened over the next week. Both Nichole and Toni returned but at this point I knew I had to let go and trust God’s timing in this matter. The only thing I knew was that I did NOT want a July 4 baby. ON the 4th Toni called me before her family picnic. She couldn’t believe I was still pregnant! I took an energizing bath with rosemary and lemon that night while Brian watched the fireworks with the kids.
The morning of Friday, the 5th, I woke up with Olivia in bed next to me. I reflected on how she still seemed like my baby and wondered if my inability to let go of her babyhood was delaying my labour. I felt energized that am. I actually lifted weights while the kids watched Zooboomafoo. I did housework while the kids played outside. I kept having to go to the bathroom and wondered why I seemed to be peeing myself. We started out for a walk and when we had gone about a block I felt a small gush. My water had broken! I told the kids we would have a baby today and we took the shortest route home. On the way I had irregular, mild contractions. We got home and I called Toni, Nichole, Brian and Cheryl. Nichole was the first one there. Since things were moving slowly Brian finished up at work and picked up some groceries on the way home. Once both Brian and Toni and her student Anne were there, Nichole and I went walking again.
Things progresses slowly, which I had expected from my previous labour (25 and 16 hours respectively). However the contractions didn’t bother me much, I could still talk through them and spent some hours snacking on the food Cheryl had brought ( she and her 11 year old son Sasha had gone grocery shopping for us). At one point they took Matthew and Olivia to their house around the block. As the afternoon wore on I could tell that Toni would have preferred to break my waters to move things along but held my ground.
Around 7 PM I was still on the internet, chatting, when Toni said she wanted to do another exam and if things weren’t moving she would go for a while. I was at 7 cm and the exam must have stirred things up because I then felt a need to get into the tub. Contractions started coming one on top of the other and HURT.
Brian moved the TV and Nintendo into Matthew’s room so Sasha could more easily entertain Matthew. I alternated between the tub , the toilet and the bathroom counter for some time. By the time I made it back to the bathroom, my water had broken and I was at 9.5 cm. I knew I needed to get up on my knees, and I stayed there, Brian knelt by the side of the bed and I hung there with my arms around his neck. I mostly breathed and swayed through the contractions but a few times I couldn’t keep on top of them. I felt as if, if I could just get a break I could finish this….somehow those breaks always came. Suddenly I felt a whooshing down my birth canal and heard Nichole, who was taping the birth say “I can see the head Jenna, it’s beautiful!” Toni told me to blow if it was burning and asked if I wanted to flip around so Brian could catch. “No” to both- I gave a great heave of effort and felt the slippery little body slide out, followed by crying. I looked down and saw a penis- we had another son! At this moment Matthew and Olivia, having heard the crying, rushed in.
Our baby was born at 9:30 PM. Anne wrapped the baby and I in warm towels. Within 15 minutes baby latched on. Soon after his first feeding Nichole and Anne helped me into the bath with healing herbs from Nicole’s MIL’s garden. I emerged to a fresh bed, to hear that our son was 7 lbs. 5 oz and 21.5 inches long. Brian and I were then left alone to decide on a name. We soon named him Andrew Thomas. Cheryl and Sasha left, then Toni and Anne, followed by Nichole. Olivia was so excited she didn’t get to sleep until 1 am. Andrew took to breastfeeding beautifully and was over his birth weight by 6 days.
He is a bright, beautiful baby and our whole family thanks God for this precious gift.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
quote:I can't guarantee short pushing stages. I got lucky in the genetic lottery and I'm particular built for that. But the rest of your labor will be easier if you just relax and let your body do the natural thing.
That is so true, Amka. That is one of the things I liked about the writings of Sheila Kitzinger. She writes about that sort of relaxing and visualizing so that your body can do what comes naturally.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I found the epiesiotomy which required 4 stitches much harder to recover from than the tiny tear I got with my second (no time for epiesiotomy). I didn't tear with my last.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
quote: Shaking is a side effect of the meds.
I didn't have meds and I shook like crazy with baby one. They told me it was because off the sudden change in hormones you have right after the baby's born.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Shaking is a natural part of transition, moving into the pushing stage. I shook like crazy both with and without meds.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
quote:I found the epiesiotomy which required 4 stitches much harder to recover from than the tiny tear I got with my second (no time for epiesiotomy).
Ditto for me with episiotomy vs. tear.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
I had two vastly different experiences with my two kids.
With Christian, who is now not quite 11, the birth experience was nearly idyllic. Okay, not "nearly", but it was very easy by comparison to what I was expecting.
At 12:30am 3 weeks before my due date, I woke up to my belly hard as a rock. It didn't hurt...it just felt like a regular Braxton-Hicks contraction, like I'd been feeling irregularly for months. It got soft again, and I relaxed. Five minutes later, it came back. This went on for an hour or so, while I got all excited that this was it, what I'd been waiting for and fearing for the previous 8 months. Then it started to hurt, and the contractions got closer, 2 minutes apart. I figured this would be a good time to wake my then-husband. He didn't believe I was in labor, so in an effort to convince him, my body got his attention by the water breaking. It's now 2am and no moon outside. When we got to the hospital, there was no one except nurses in labor and delivery. I got the pick of the rooms, and then a steady parade of nurses came in to make sure I was doing okay. Did I mention that this was a teaching hospital? When I say parade, I mean, parade. There must have been at least 10 to 12 different nurses through my room for the next 5 hours.
After I'd been there an hour or so, it was starting to really hurt, so I asked for something light. They gave me Stadol (sp?) which helped take the edge off, and kept my concentration intact. Slow concentrated breathing seemed to work best for me, and worked well for years after whenever I hurt myself. I figured that my job was to get out of the way of my body so it could do the work. So I checked out as much as possible during the contractions, picturing my serene place, and even steady breaths. That helped a lot.
I never had an urge to push. I imagine that's why it took two hours of pushing to get my son out. Still, the time flew, because I was busy. I only had the one shot of stadol...by the time I was 10cm it was too late for more, and then he was born, so I didn't need it after all. I had an episiotomy (necessary...I'm little, and my son was 7lbs 12oz.) and then tore as well. Recovery was far more uncomfortable than labor, as it lasted for weeks, rather than just 7 hours. Plus at the end of labor, I was absolutely high as a kite with happiness. It took nearly 24 hours for me to be able to sleep, I was so excited.
With my daughter, it was very hard. I tried not to have high expectations, because I know that every labor is different...but still, in the back of my mind, despite all efforts to get rid of it, I was looking forward to an even easier time than I'd had with my son.
My doctor decided to encourage labor a week from my due date, as my blood pressure was climbing too quickly for his comfort. I've always had good blood pressure, so he was getting worried. We were scheduled for first thing Monday morning, and warned that the "encouragement" might not work. Doc prescribed two large shots of prostaglandin gel be put up against the cervix. We didn't have to wait long...I went into obviously active labor immediately. Regular, every 3 minutes.
Six hours later, long past the time I was hoping to be done (as I said, I had some bad fantasies going), I was still just at 4 cm. Worse, my blood pressure was continuing to climb to now dangerous levels. Doc prescribed magnesium sulfate to keep me from convulsing (I didn't know that at the time, which is probably good). Mag sulfate is nasty...it burned going in, then made me sick. My two coaches were off having lunch while I was hurling. At the time I had mixed feelings about that...where WERE they when I needed them? and gosh, I'm so glad I'm not throwing up in *front* of anyone.
Hours went by, and labor was going *so* slowly, and worse, my blood pressure continued to climb, so Doc finally said, let's give you an epidural (which by this time was sounding like a trip to Hawaii) and get pitocin to urge things along.
If the anesthesiologist had been female, Rayne might have had a different name.
An hour and a half later, I was so comfortable I was able to welcome some friends who came in to visit. By the time they left, I was at 9cm, heading toward 10. The nurses and doctor set up the bed for delivery, and two pushes later, Rayne was born. I couldn't believe it was so fast, after all the work to get to that point. She was sunny side up, but in the birth canal turned around like she was supposed to. I figure she'll be a good dancer some day, pirouetting under such pressure at such an early age.
I look forward to hearing YOUR birth experience, Christy, when the time comes. I'm so excited for you and Tom!
[ March 10, 2004, 06:03 PM: Message edited by: jeniwren ]
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Episiotomies are one of those things (like drugs vs. no drugs) that is different for every person. *smile* I have to say, though, that if I had not had an episiotomy, I think I might have had an easier time in the bathroom after my son's birth. I was sooooo afraid that all of my 'parts' would fall out if I pushed too hard. (This was a genetic possibility, happened to my mom and her sister, funky wombparts run in my family)
I forgot to mention that the first time I saw myself in a mirror after giving birth, I was hysterically laughing, because I had burst all kinds of blood vessels in my face and shoulders from the pressure of pushing. I had lots of tiny red dots!
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Thanks romanylass
And yours sounds like a wonderful experience!
All three of my kids were born EXACTLY three weeks before their due date. However, all were full term babies. My doc says some women just have shorter "cycles" of pregnancy. By the third one we had it down to a science <grin>
My first one -- since he had a Dec due date I planned to work until mid November at my job as a nurse aide at a nursing home (lots of heavy lifting and time on my feet), and then take it easy and get ready for the baby.
So my last day of work was the evening of November 14th. I went to bed. I woke up the next morning (15th) and when I went into the restroom, my water broke! (so much for vacation).
I immediately called the doctor (being new at all of this). I had no real contractions at this point, so he said to just take my time coming into town, no big rush. Fine.
I knew (from what I'd heard) that once I got to the hospital they would let me have no food in case c-section would be necessary. I was having none of that! So after packing a bag, we first went to the mall to just walk around to see if we could get the contractions to start.
Then we went to Village Inn and I had a huge meal, because I was hungry and knew I wouldn't get it at the hospital. (at this point, everyone was doing whatever I wanted).
Then finally went to the hospital about 6 pm. I started walking the halls, knowing that was the best way to get labor going. Walked and walked, and labor started and quickly progressed. It was a very small hospital with one delivery room. My doctor had the unusual occurrence of two women patients of his in labor at the same time. He said "oh -- it's her second, she will be fast -- but it's your first -- you will probably not have your baby for several hours yet" So off he went to take care of patient #2.
I told my husband (who was watching M*A*S*H in the waiting room) that my contractions were getting very close and I had begun to feel urges to push. I asked him to find the doctor or nurse. He said "after this episode is over" (He was a M*A*S*H addict).
Finally they put me on a gurney in a pre-delivery room. Urges then came sweeping over me to push. I hollered for the nurse. An intern of some type checked my effacing and said, "uh oh -- I'd better get the doctor!" However, he was in delivery room with mother #2 (the one he said would be fast, remember?) Finally she got him in with me, and he said, "okay, forget delivery room, we're doing this right here, right now!" Which was fine with me!
After several minutes of intense pushes, though, nothing was happening. THe doctor then realized my big-headed son was somehow hung up on my pelvis bone. He used forceps (THAT hurts!) and got him un-hooked, and whoosh! out he came! My tailbone hurt for months afterward because of the pelvic thing.
The bad part of this birth was this -- as my son was born -- because it was NOT in the delivery room and they weren't prepared to have him there, they whisked him off to a room that was properly heated and put him under a sun lamp, etc. I was young and naive and it was like 8 or 9 in the morning before I finally asked my nurse "When do I get to see and hold my son??" She hadn't realized that I had not got to do that! Shifts had changed and everyone just thought I had been with him right after birth! (This was 18 years ago -- they are more enlightened now). So I never got to touch and nurse my son until nearly 8 hours after he was born. (I never let than happen again).
Overall, though, I felt the whole thing was so easy (besides being tired) that this is why I wished for a homebirth on my other two
Farmgirl
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I had three completely different birth experiences (unlike my mom, who says the main difference with most of hers was which doctor was there . . . ). The one thing that they all had in common was: very long and erratic early labor, short late labor, VERY short transition (except the last), and fairly short pushing (except the middle one).
And AROM works REALLY well for me. Kicked my labor back into gear every single time, and was done each time as soon as I hit 4 cm.
Child the First:
I was enrolled in an NIH study for the pregnancy, having frequent (really cool! colors for blood flow and stuff) ultrasounds. On the last one, about three weeks before my due date, my fluid was low, and my placenta was aging prematurely. My doctor was contacted, and I went in a couple days later. Yup, low fluid, and calcium deposits on the placenta. OTOH, no problem on the no-stress test, and I did NOT want to be induced.
Two weeks of twice-weekly appointments -- monitoring for an hour, and a quick ultrasound to measure fluid. Orders to stay off my feet as much as possible, and take it easy. But we were trying to move out of our apartment, so that was easier said than done . . .
I was good, and the fluid levels gradually crept up. Then we pulled an all-nighter to get the last of our junk out. Fluid levels at my next check were just below the safety level.
My doctor told me she'd meet us at the hospital in 5 hours for an induction. So we went out for a light dinner (not that I had much of an appetite), and headed for the hospital.
Got checked in, and hooked up to the pitocin pump. Had a great nurse. She even managed to be soothing and not laugh when I asked after a few hours if the contractions were going to get much worse. (*snort*) They slowed the pitocin, and I managed to get a few hours of sleep.
In the morning, shortly after shift change, I was rudely awakened by a pushy (and I mean that literally), nasty nurse. The belt of the monitor had slipped (as it had several times the night before, when the sweet night nurse had simply come in and gently readjusted it), so they couldn't get a heartbeat on the baby. She was rough, she was mean, and she told me that I MUST NOT MOVE! The only moving I had been doing was changing from lying on one side to the other! I was barely awake, and shocked into silence.
She angrily bustled out. I burst into tears. My then-husband (who had been sleeping on a cot, and whom she had also wakened up) was still trying to calm me down when my doctor (nine months pregnant herself) arrived to see how I was doing.
Not much progress, so she was going to turn the pitocin back up. And don't worry, she assured me, she would get me a different nurse. When we had arrived, I had asked about the nurse who had taught our childbirth class. I had been told that she would be there in the morning, but that she might not be able to be my nurse. (I didn't find out until much later that she was actually the supervisor, and rarely took on individual patients.) But a few minutes later, there she was -- my doctor had spoken to her, and she was my new nurse. Yay!
Hours of nasty induced contractions, and nothing I could do -- no walking, no even allowed to get out of the bed. Eventually I asked for meds, but I wanted to try to avoid an epidural, at least at first. So they gave me a narcotic (I never remember the name), which kicked in immediately -- sweet, sweet relief! -- and wore off after 30 minutes. Seems that antihistamines aren't the only drugs I metabolize quickly. *sigh*
My mom had arrived at some point, and was helping me with relaxation exercises and ice chips, but by the time I had made it to 4cm, got moved to a regular LDR room (which you don't get if you come in at less than 3cm), and had AROM, I was miserable again. These suckers HURT! And they were coming very close together (not uncommon with induction).
So I opted for an epidural. And discovered that while it helped a LOT, the contractions still hurt a fair bit. Lucky me -- I'm in the percentage of people who interpret both pain nerve signals AND pressure nerve signals as "pain!".
So even with the epidural, I wasn't too happy. Then it started to wear off -- that fast metabolism again -- and the anesthesiologist cam to give me another dose. Except I started shaking like a leaf, and complained of being freezing -- transition! Then I started feeling the desire to push. No more drugs.
Twenty minutes of pushing (mostly me trying to figure out how to work with, instead of fighting my body), I had a little girl. In spite of having not wanted an episiotomy, crowning hurt so much (and was taking so long) I changed my mind. Her one minute apgar was low (she was purple and not crying, although I didn't realize) but her five-minute was fine.
My recovery was quick, and I was out and about quickly enough (a few days) that my friend (who'd had a LONG recovery) was stunned.
Heh. Just wait till number two -- that recovery made hers look easy.
(More stories later . . .)
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I honestly don't know why women DON'T opt for the epidural. I've heard that it drugs the baby, doesn't make it quite as alert. . .
Believe me, you're going to have PLENTY of time with a wide-awake-up-and-at-'em infant.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
At the risk of making many parents hate me, I have to say that my little guy slept very well for the first three months (like, at least six hours at a go). It wasn't until he was able to climb out of his crib (at a year old, the little monkeybutt) that sleep time became a problem.
*grin*
Epidural = big scary needle near my spinal cord. 'Nuff said.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Reason number one: if you're on meds (especially an epidural) you can't get up and walk, or get out of bed at all. Second, pushing is MUCH easier (for me, at least) when you haven't had one. Third, there can be serious complications to the mother (although this is less likely with experienced anesthesiologists). Fourth, there IS often an effect on the baby, which can depress breathing, as well as making early nursing sessions very difficult. Fifth, I hate the numb feeling! (I hate Novocain too, but that's a different story.)
Sixth, even with insurance, do you know what those things COST? Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
A plug for epidurals:
With skilled doctors, the risks to you and your baby are very, very small. If you wait until your labor is well progressed (and most docs won't even authorize the eipdural until labor is well established) there isn't that much risk of labor slowing down. The sensation to push has a lot to do with pressure also, and that isn't diluted by the epidural, I never had any problems feeling the urge to push and none of my deliveries had prolonged pushing stages. Finally, when you're not in intense pain you can be alert and involved and focused on your self and your baby, instead of focused on controlling pain. I found it so much nicer to be able to read the printouts, talk with my doctor about how my contractions were going, review the baby's heart rates, and talk to the nurses about how things were going, rather than looking for focal points and panting and huffing.
No one should feel pressured to take drugs if they don't want to, but likewise, no one should be making out like childbirth with drugs is a cop out or a diminished experience. My first labor, where I went to 8 cm without drugs, is a blur. I remember little, it's all hazy. I was in so much pain I coulnd't concentrate on anything. The last three births, I remember vividly and I cherish those memories. Christy - if you think you want drugs - take them.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
quote: So--ta-da! Baby! I felt pretty exhilirated, and hungry as hell. The nurses had some food in the fridge for moms who give birth at odd hours (when the dining room is closed), and I had the Best Sandwich Ever (I was staaaaaaarving).
This thing happened to me as well, exactly like that. 3am and a stale sandwich? Best food of my life.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Oh, no, I never meant to imply that drugs were a cop-out. Sorry if it sounded that way!
I'm just freaky about my back.
I have read pros and cons about epidurals, and was prepared to have one, but I dilated too fast. That's mostly what I am saying.
*smile*
Christy should absolutely make her own decision.
I'm so excited for you and Tom! Yay! Hatrack Babies!
(edited to reply to PSI Teleport)
Yes! Did you ever see Eddie Murphy's routine about the man in the desert who had the best Ritz Cracker he ever tasted? That's what I felt like. Hehe. I even had Grape Juice. I *hate* grape juice! And it was scrum-dilly-icious! hehe.
[ March 10, 2004, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: jexx ]
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Birth story for child number 2
This one was a very easy experience. I was late, again. This time, I was with a different doctor, because my wonderful doctor that I love decided to take a few years off from OB to spend time with his own children.
My first doctor won't induce unless you're two weeks late (barring any problems, of course) This doc, however, induced at 7 days past due. So, we scheduled an induction to begin at six in the morning. I showed up, I got my IV and pitocin started, and contractions began. When I reached four centimeters I had an epidural put in.
At 1:50 pm Emily was born on the second push. A very easy delivery, no episiotomy, no tearing. She was a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz. We went home in two days and everything was wonderful.
I will say the "baby by appointment" was certainly convenient, with having another child at home. Yes, it takes some of the excitement out of it, but I wasn't complaining because the labor and delivery went so well.
Little did I know my next time at the labor and delivery dept was going to be VERY eventful.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
jexx, I'm not directing my comments at you or anyone else on this thread.
I just think that birth and child rearing choices are so personal, and I really get my ire up when I think people look down on others for their choices. I know hatrackers are a better group of people than most others. None of y'all would try to pressure a woman into something she didn't want to do.
Unfortunately, there are people out there who would. I had someone tell me once that getting an epidural was akin to letting someone else have the baby for me. If I didn't want to experience the whole of childbirth (aka unmedicated) then what was the point in giving birth at all?
That's the kind of person that I don't want Christy or any other pregnant woman listening to. When we're pregnant we're so emotional, and we want so badly to do what is right for our babies, that we can sometimes get hurt by people that in another situation we'd shrug off and ignore.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I didn't mean to sound so negative on epidurals -- I was just trying to answer Scott's question. If and when I have another child, my attitude will be the same as each of my other labors: I'll decide at the time. Educating yourself on the pros and cons beforehand is absolutely necessary. But deciding you definitely WILL NOT have any drugs or want an epidural as soon as you get there both seem to me to be bad choices for the same reason.
You don't have enough information (IMO) until you are actually in active labor, and see how the pain feels to YOU (and whether non-medication options work for you). I can't say I will never have an epidural again. (Actually, with my most recent, I almost did have one.) However, since I find that being able to walk, or rock, or some of the other methods that I used with my second labor work better for me than being stuck in bed with an epidural, I would try other options first. (Especially since in my case, it did slow things down, and did make pushing a bit harder (although not much).) OTOH, I do like having the option, which is one of several reasons I wouldn't choose a home birth.
That's what works for me. YMWV.
Any birth that results in a healthy baby is a good birth! Whether you prefer to have 'em in an hospital in a bed with meds, or at home hangin' from the chandelier.
[ March 10, 2004, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Belle: That's exactly right.
Pregnant women of the world...if you want meds, GET them!
Bringing a child into the world is the amazing part, and suffering for hours doesn't make it any more special.
[ March 10, 2004, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by delicate flower (Member # 6260) on :
I don't have any kids myself, but I live in an In-Law apartment off my best friend's house, and a year ago she had her 3rd baby (a year ago this Saturday as a matter of fact).
I was watching TV we her and her husband and she said she was feeling pressure. I told her I was going to go to bed, but I would leave my door unlocked, so come and get me if they had to go to the hospital so I could stay with the kids. A couple hours later there was a frantic knock at my door, but by the time I got there no one was there.
I went over to their house (connected to my apartment by a breezeway) and when I got in the kitchen I could hear a baby crying in the bathroom. My first thought was "You can't do that, she better put it back." Brian (the Daddy) came running into the kitchen to tell me to call 911. I did, quickly.
Leslie just thought she would have more time, her other kids took much longer and she wanted to spend as little time in the hospital as possible. She was thinking that she was hurting more than she remembered, but didn't think much of it. She got into tub to relieve the pressure and there came the baby. She said, "Brian it's coming! You have to catch it!" He said, "No I can't" but he did. Later he said it was like watching a burning building and knowing your kids are inside, you just do what you have to do.
It worked out for me. I had wanted to be in the delivery room with her for this one, but didn't want to fight any grandmas for the spot, so this way I was right there. I got to the the 3rd person to ever hold the boy.
Leslie was amazing. After going through all that, when the EMT's got to the house, she got dressed and wanted to walk out to the ambulance herself, but they wouldn't let her (although they did let her carry her own bag.) I stayed home with the older kids (who slept through everything) and cleaned up the bathroom. It looked like a scene in a horror movie. Seriously, it was bad! And it smelled worse.
To this day the baby loves that tub. He is never as happy as when he is in the bath. And now that he has learned to crawl, when you put him on the floor he heads straight for the bathroom.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Of course, Belle, I'm sorry I got defensive. Truce? I just wanted to be sure I didn't sound as if I were poo-pooing epidurals. *holds out hand for friendly handshake* And I completely understand. I had to counsel a friend through a tough time when she couldn't breastfeed her kid and was getting cr*p about formula feeding from a consultant at the hospital. *sigh* Every baby is a miracle. EVERY baby. And Hatrack continues to be wonderful.
If I ever have another kid, I'm going to try rivka's chandelier method. *muses over beneficial effect of gravitational pull*
*grin*
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Um, ever seen War of the Roses? Don't try the chandelier unless you are VERY sure it can take the pull. Gravity can be your friend OR your enemy. Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
*dies laughing*
I forgot about that movie. Thx for the visual, rivka dear.
*snort*
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Birth story for babies 3&4
I was put on bedrest by my physician when I was about 28 weeks with the twins. He told me if I made it to 36 weeks I could come off of bedrest, since twins were usually considred term at 38 weeks instead of the usual 40. God's way of protecting them, I think, multiples mature faster in the womb than singletons.
Well, you can imagine, I was very, very anxious to get off bedrest. I had two other children at home to care for, and Emily was only two.
When he let me off bedrest at 36 weeks, I immediately began doing all the walking I could to try and get labor started. To no avail.
Imagine my frustration. I'd spent weeks in bed to keep labor from starting, and now that I could get up, labor wouldn't start!
During this time I was being monitored closely, as all expectant Moms of twins are. I was having weekly non-stress tests and ultrasounds.
WE made the decision, my doctor and I (wonderful doctor was back now, his kids were all away at college so he picked the OB practice back up) to try and deliver them because both twins were head down.
Then, an ultrasound revealed Baby B had flipped over and was now a footling breech. Not good.
In most cases, this meant automatic C-section. Dr. Wonderful, however, did not want me recovering from a c-section with two newborns, a toddler, and an 8 year old at home. So, he called me into his office, and I sat there while he began calling the maternal/fetal medicine specialist at UAB that did high-risk deliveries. The decided that since it was my third pregnancy, I was in good health, and the first baby was vertex presentation that it would be okay to try a breech delivery on Baby B. His exact words were "Ok, I'm gonna deliver Baby A, then I'm gonna reach up and grab Baby B's ankle, and pull her out."
So that was our plan. I went into labor on Memorial Day when I was 37 and a half weeks pregnant. Very good for twins, they were considered term.
I labored in the hospital for about four hours, had my epidural in, and things were progressing very well. Then, all of a sudden, I called the nurse and said "I'm ready to deliver."
She said, "We'll get the doc to come check you again."
I said "No, I'm ready to deliver NOW." It was my third child, I knew I was in the bearing down stage, and I knew that this baby would be born soon, whether the staff was ready or not. She called the doc, and sure enough, I was 10 cms, and Baby A was ready.
They rushed me to the OR, all multiples are delivered there, because of the high risk of c-section. I was given the same epidural that I would have had if I were scheduled for a section, because everyone knew if there was any problem with Baby B I would have to have the C-sec.
Dr. Wonderful got ready and said "I'll count, if I tell you to breathe I want you to breathe and not push." I said "Let's go!"
He says "Okay, PUSH! One, two, STOP! breathe, breathe, okay."
Daniel, Baby A, was born on the first push. I think I pushed all of 3-4 seconds. I told them I was ready!
Well, the moment he was delivered, Dr. W went to work on Baby B. But the plan of grabbing her ankle didn't work. As soon as brother vacated the premises, she decided she liked having the joint to herself and stretched out.
She went from a footling breech presentation to trasverse - sideways.
Dr. W decided to try and turn her, even though the anesthesiologist and every person in the OR was prepping me for a c-section. He turned her externally, he told me later that they didn't do internal versions anymore, the risks of injury was too high. So, using pressure on the outside of my uterus, he maneuvered her into position - head down. Then he used forceps to further situate her, and help deliver her. I had to push about 4-5 times and then she was there. Perfectly healthy, and not a mark on her. I had to be told about the forceps later, because she had no marks no bruising or anything.
Dr. W is awesome.
Daniel was 6 lbs 5 oz and Abigail was 5 lbs 14 oz. They went home with me two days later.
And I'm done. Very done. Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Since it was asked why anyone wouldn't want an epidural, I'll repeat that sometimes they only take on one side. And they cost like $600. And if you are on an epidural, at least in my case, they wait for the doctor to arrive to deliver the baby. And they weren't able to get the catheter it and there weren't any nerves... you get the picture.
I thought I was a fast pusher, but my sister just had a baby in one push, which is really dangerous because the shoulders need to be let through one at a time. The shoulders typically do more damage than the head. The doctor wasn't applying counterpressure because he was doing his episiotomy. (edit: bad word- she tore horribly in addition to the episiotomy. He was like "it would have been even worse without the episiotomy" but I'm thinking it would have been better if he'd been paying attention.) But this baby wasn't 9 lbs either. He was about average.
[ March 10, 2004, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Wow, Belle, you have great birth stories! And your twins were a very healthy size for multiples!
pooka, I've heard stories about one-push babies breaking the mother's tailbone on the way out. Ack.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Jexx, no truce is necessary, dear. I am not accusing you or anyone of having the attitude that makes me angry, I think hatrackers are better than that.
No one wants to get me started on the breast feeding issue.
With all apologies to Ela, whom I really wish had been my nurse, I have a really bad taste in my mouth when it comes to breast feeding consultants in hospitals. Twice I dealt with them, after baby one and two, and the second time my husband had to ask them to leave. I couldn't do it because I was crying.
When a woman has just given birth, I don't think it's anyone's place to come into her room and try to put guilt trips on her. Education about breast feeding is abundantly available to women before they give birth, I had videos and books and all kinds of info, and I wanted to breast feed, but it didn't work out for me. What I did not need was someone making me feel like I didn't love my child enough to try harder. I think after someone gets to the hospital and tells the staff "I intend to bottle feed" that should be the end of it. No one should question her decision at that point.
And yet, I had "breast nazis" (my husband's term) coming in to make sure that was really what I wanted after Emily's birth. After all, if I just knew all the benefits and all the recommendations from pediatricians about breast feeding, they just KNOW that I love my child enough to try it. This was my 2nd child. Breast feeding didn't work with child one, and I didn't want to go through it again. Since she was perfectly healthy and perfectly brilliant (and still is ) I didn't have the slightest hesitation about bottle feeding again.
But of course, their statements, gave the implication that I didn't love my child enough. It sent me into hysterics. It probably wouldn't now, I'd laugh and tell them where to go, but they approached me when I was still reeling from the hormonal effects and the emotions of childbirth, I was quite vulnerable. What's worse - they didn't leave - they kept at me until my husband had to actually raise his voice and get mean in order for them to get out of our room! We sent a written complaint to the hospital.
With the twins, I told my labor and delivery nurse that I was bottle feeding and I didn't want any visits from anyone that was going to try and convince me otherwise and she laughed and said "Oh, so you must have had previous experiences with the breast nazis."
Yes, the nurse used the same term we did. *shakes head* So, I doubt mine was an isolated case. In fact, I know it wasn't, too many friends of mine have been through similar experiences, and at different hospitals.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Ah yes, I think I remember this anecdote from another thread. Either that, or there are more Breast Nazi memes floating around. Hehe.
I have to say that at the hospital I was at when CR was born, the lactation consultant was very respectful and came in to ask if I needed help or information. I did, she helped, and when I told her I intended to supplement with formula, she was supportive of that, as well. Now I have heard the opposite story from my aforementioned friend (who was in tears at the time, right after having had a baby, and having a consultant harangue her in much the same manner as you describe). Disgusting.
edited to close parense. Silly me.
[ March 10, 2004, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: jexx ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ok, it's time for
Child the Second:
Made it to due date with minor dilation and effacing, frequent Braxton-Hicks. No baby.
Two days past due date, two hours of contractions, fairly strong, very unpleasant, five minutes apart. Called my brother to come baby-sit, headed for the hospital. Maybe 10 PM.
At triage, discovered I was still less than 2cm. Walked. And walked. And walked. Two hours of walking, contractions steady mostly; but not entirely regular.
Still 2cm! Sent me home. Eventually fell asleep about 2 AM -- awoken by chirpy toddler at 6. Bleh. Contractions gone.
Wait. Visit doctor -- 3 cm. Wait. Schedule induction for the 2-week-post date. Ta da! 24 hours later, contractions again. They speed up, they slow down, they are NEVER regular. It was Friday, and now getting close to Shabbos. (Being in labor is a medical emergency -- may drive to the hospital on Shabbos. Getting back home if it were false labor would NOT be an emergency, so more problematic.) Go now to avoid having to drive on Shabbos? Or stay home, to avoid the likelihood of getting stuck at the hospital with false labor again?
Contractions slowed again. Ok, stay home. Called my parents to let them know the situation. 30 minutes later (now less than 45 minutes before sunset), they jumped from 8-10 minutes apart to 4. Change in plans! Kid went to next-door neighbor. My father zoomed over, picked us up, dropped us and my mom off at the hospital, and made it home with about five minutes to spare.
Got to skip triage, because I had been in a week before AND my doctor had said I was at 3cm two days before. In fact, when checked in my room, was at 4cm. AROM? Sure, if it'll help. Boy, howdy, did it ever! Contractions became far more intense and closer together.
Walking (and being able to walk was such a relief!) helped for a while. (Somewhere about here, my doctor showed up.) When the contractions got worse, the nurse suggested a hot shower. Pounding hot water, right on my aching back and abdomen was SO helpful -- I think I leaned/squatted on a chair. Then I started wanting to sit.
So the nurse and my mom got me out of the shower, and started drying me off, and I got the shivers big time, and wanted to push. Back to the bed! Yep, 10 cm!
Very shortly thereafter, one little boy arrived on the scene, yelling his little head off.
Time since arrival at hospital: just over three hours. My doctor sewed up the episiotomy (or was it a tear? anyway, fairly minor) and checked me over, then left.
That was when the problems started . . . Apparently, my uterus wasn't firming up properly and the bleeding wasn't slowing. Which meant more pitocin, a check for placental fragments (YEOWCH!), and then the nurses took turns pushing HARD on my abdomen. Now was when I really wanted drugs!
About when they were thinking that maybe they needed to get my doctor back here , all the torture finally started to work.
That was a VERY different recovery! Because of all the blood I had lost, I was told not to get out of bed without a nurse -- not that I wanted to try for about 12 hours! I then managed to faint, even with her help. So then it was, "Don't get out of bed without TWO nurses!"
I was in bed for weeks (which was difficult with a toddler, but people helped), and on high doses of iron pills for MONTHS.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Oh, you know, one of those things they don't tell you is how much more it hurts when the uterus contracts after delivering subsequent babies. One nurse mentioned it in passing while I was on the hospital tour, so I was a *little* prepared, but not much. Major ouch for weeks afterward everytime I breastfed.
Belle, I'm with you about the breastfeeding nazis. I was very fortunate for the most part...with Christian I had a friend who was also a lactation specialist, so she helped me when I was really struggling and wanted to give up. The best thing I learned with my daughter was 'get that baby on the breast pronto'. She suckled right away, just moments after delivery, and only had a problem when we came home (of course). With Christian, he developed problems breathing very soon after delivery, and so we didn't get a chance to try breastfeeding until he was a day old.
These stories are SO much fun to read. I'm really enjoying them.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*dryly* Actually, I had the worst afterpains (at first) with my second, not my third. Could have something to do with the fact that nobody sat on my abdomen after my third . . .
But yeah, they do tend to get worse with each pregnancy.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
LiteBrite was born after 5 minutes of pushing. . .
It can happen.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Story of baby #2
This one I really wanted to have via mid-wife at home because baby #1 had released me from any fear of what childbirth was all about, and I really felt we could handle it. No sweat.
However, about 20 weeks in, I began spotting. I drove to the doctor, where she said, "yep, you're miscarrying -- definately fetal tissue here. I'm so sorry." I was in tears when she sent me off to the hospital for a D&C because since I was bleeding but not contracting, they are always worried about infection setting in, etc.
Hospital policy was to have a sonogram before a D&C though (for you guys -- a D&C is when they kind of "clean" out the whole uterus). My husband got to the hospital about the time they were wheeling me in for sonogram. (he later got fired for rushing out of work when I calld, without telling his boss where he was going!). Anyway -- sonogram showed healthy, heart-beating baby! Doctor comes in somewhat amazed. She says, "I know you miscarried because I actually saw and had the tissue of the dead fetus. So you must have been carrying fraternal twins."
She also informed me that since I had been bleeding and my cervix was opened (like 6 cm) that my chances of keeping this baby was less than 10% "once the body starts a miscarriage, it continues through it." I was so overjoyed at the sight of the baby still there, that I never really felt the grief for the one I lost.
So she put me flat on my back in a hospital bed and "waited" for the contractions to start and the miscarriage to complete itself. I called my pastor and a group of people came up and prayed over me (okay - you atheists - go ahead and roll your eyes here). I told the doctor, "it will be okay now - I'm going to keep this baby."
Two days later, my cervix closed up, there was no more bleeding, and the doctor sent me home, amazed. She herself said, "well, I am scheduled to give a speech to a group of Methodist women next week, and I wondered what in the world to talk about -- but you have just shown me what to say."
I had to be on bed rest for six weeks until I was stir crazy, then finally doctor said, "okay -- do whatever you want - I guess you're fine."
The evening of August 10th, 1987, I felt some mild contractions when getting ready for bed, but figured they were braxton-hick (I hadn't yet figured out that all my kids were always going to be three weeks early). I awoke about 6 AM and still was having contractions. Woke my husband, told him they were getting stronger. Called my mom to come stay with child #1 (took her about 20 minutes to get there.
Got in the car and I immediately started going into final phase labor. I was panting and trying to remember everything Lamaze had taught me. We were 25 miles from the hospital -- rush hour traffic. My husband drove 80+ and was passing people on the shoulder, running with flashers on, and I didn't care! I had my seat in full recline mode and didn't think I would make it. (yes, I know now that we should have called an ambulance.)
Got to the hospital 7:55 AM, they walk out when he goes to get them, and they say, "Oh my God!" when they see I'm in full transition, rush me into the elevator and were DISROBING me in the elevator! Did one of those things where they didn't let the elevator stop on any other floors.
Rush me into delivery -- My doc had been having coffee in the coffeeshop and got there right about the time the nurse caught my son being born at 8:05 AM!
Best labor I ever had -- short, sweet, and didn't let me get too tired. It was all so easy. Got to hold him right away an keep him with me all day. They let me go home with him later that day.
Okay -- now something that some of you might think is strange -- but this is my personal opinion. This particular child of mind has ALWAYS had an imaginary "friend." Most children do at some point or other in their lives, but he has always had one -- and it is a girl, who he calls Amy. He is 16 now, and Amy is still very real to him (even though he will no longer discuss it much because it isn't cool to be 16 and have an imaginary friend).
I've always felt like Amy was the lost twin.
Farmgirl
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: they don't tell you is how much more it hurts when the uterus contracts after delivering
Man! I agree with that. I would rather go through delivery three more times than deal with the pain of those after-birth uterine contractions (and when the nurses come in and PUSH on your uterus to make it contract more!) I definately took pain killers for that part after delivery!
Farmgirl
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Birth Story 1: Contractions?
With both of my pregnancies, as soon as my uterus was big enough to feel, I began to have Braxton Hicks. You know, that uncomfortable tightening of the tummy. They’re just like regular contractions, except there is no pain.
So I was pretty used to feeling my tummy squeezing, and as I got into the seventh month, there was also a feeling of pressure near the, for lack of a better term, exit area.
With two months to go, I was already dilated a centimeter or so. The doctor told me, “I don’t like to get ahead of myself with these things, but I don’t think you’ll go much longer. Don’t be too active and keep that baby in there as long as you can.”
“How will I know when I’m having real contractions?” I asked”
“Don’t worry, you will have no doubt.”
I obeyed, and used doctor’s orders as an excuse to sit on my bum as Jes made the moving plans and did all the heavy lifting.
One month before “Little Jesse” was due, (that what we were calling him by then), we moved into our new apartment. The baby hadn’t budged and I was beginning to wish that he would. The doctor checked me at my next exam.
“Two centimeters. Won’t be long now.”
She reassured me that I would have no problem distinguishing real contractions from the “fake” ones.
By now the Braxton Hicks were less comfortable, and I would have to stop walking when I would have one. I couldn’t lie down without someone in the room, because my hips would pop out of place and I wouldn’t be able to get up by myself without excruciating pain.
Four weeks later, as I scrubbed the floor every three hours trying to make my body go into labor and pondered quick and easy ways to kill myself, I was finally dilated to four centimeters.
“So what do I do?” I asked the doctor.
“We can induce you, but since you want to be as natural as possible, I suggest you wait until you go into labor on your own.”
So I went BACK home and sat on the couch watching soaps for another week. It was the most miserable time of my life. My husband had begun taking me to his mom’s in the morning in case I went into labor while he was at work.
Jeannine did her best to keep me distracted. She never let me eat solid food while I was there, confident that I would go into labor any minute and start vomiting.
It was finally she that made me lay down and time my “Braxton Hicks” even though they were causing no pain and didn’t seem like “real” contractions.
“Three minutes apart,” she said. “Call the doctor, we’re taking you in.”
I was skeptical and assumed I’d be coming back home, because I was sure that I couldn’t be in real labor…there was not supposed to be any doubt.
We called Jes and he met us there.
“Yep, you’re six centimeters,” said the nurse.
“Am I going home again?” I asked.
She just laughed and laughed.
They hooked me up the monitor and I watched in fascination as my contractions peaked higher than any other woman’s in the hospital…even those in pushing stage.
I still felt no pain.
Dr. Chin showed up finally, to break my water.
I smiled in amazement through the first contraction, unable to believe the luck I had at labor. No pain yet.
They suggested I stand up and walk around, to help the labor.
They IV’ed me, helped me get up, and I took a step.
Contraction number two hit.
I sat back down.
“Ummmm…” I gasped for air. “Can you tell the visitors that I can’t see them now?”
The next four hours have been well described in previous posts. As contractions would hit, I would pray in my head, or sing hymns. As they got more intense, the hymns would speed up in my mind, getting faster and faster until they really held no meaning anymore.
Thank the Lord that no one tried to talk to me while I was in labor, except for a reassuring “You’re doing good” from Jes at random intervals. All I could do was shake my head.
The only other sound was a squeak, squeak, squeak from my mother-n-law’s new shoes.
The worst part was that I had been told that the contractions would have moments in between with little pain, so that you could catch your breath and prepare yourself for the next one. I wasn’t lucky enough to have anything like that. I was in back labor, which anyone can tell you makes the pain of labor even MORE unbearable, and there is no pause between contractions, just a momentary slackening. Still extremely painful. During the contractions I would have an urge to vomit, which I encouraged. Anything would be better than the contractions. My mother-in-law held up one of those tiny little kidney shaped bowls for me to puke into. I doubted that my aim was that good. Luckily for Jeannine, I never threw up.
Four hours of back labor. Right before I started pushing, I could feel the baby’s head crowning, and my doctor was no where in sight.
I summoned my strength to tell her that the baby was coming. She didn’t look concerned…until she took a peek.
“Call Dr. Chin! We’re delivering here! Call the on-call!” She turned to me and started putting on latex gloves. “I’m so sorry…Dr. Chin went home. We didn’t expect you to deliver for several more hours.”
“Then who has to deliver the baby, if she doesn’t get here in time?” I gasped.
“The On-Call doctor.”
“The baby is coming NOW,” I said. “Get down there and catch. I trust you.”
Dr. Chin walked in while putting on her scrubs. She hadn’t left the hospital yet, thank goodness. I pushed for close to an hour, due to the fact that I had no bearing down stage. No episiotomy. Jesse was born at 22:55.
I lay in bed shaking, afraid to hold my son for fear that I would drop him. I felt tons better though, right up until they told me that it was time to deliver the afterbirth.
The doctor gestured to a nurse who had just walked in, and asked her to help with the massage. I looked at the nurse she was speaking to.
One word came to mind as I looked at the six feet and two hundred pounds of pure militant femininity.
“Helga.”
“Helga” leaned on my stomach while the doctor pulled. I actually put both hands on “Helga’s” wrist and tried to pull her hand away from my spine, screaming at the top of my lungs. I pleaded with Jes to stop her. He was too busy holding our son to hear me. That pain was AT LEAST as bad as the pain of labor, although it only lasted a few moments.
Afterwards I was wheeled into my room and given a stale turkey sandwich. It was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten.
[ March 11, 2004, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Nurses have such a weird sense of humor.
After I'd delivered my son, my doctor (who was 7 months pregnant herself) delivered the placenta and put it in a stainless steel pan. After delivering my son and his big round head, delivering the placenta was no big deal for me. It was 7:45a or thereabouts. The student nurse who was observing turned to the head nurse and asked, "What do they do with it after they make sure it's all intact?"
The head nurse replied with a straight face, "We take it to the cafeteria and they make placenta pie out of it." Then she smiled wickedly and said "Yum!"
I was being stitched up at the time, and burst out laughing, which earned a scold from my doctor.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
LOL
Yes, the contractions getting worse after each subsequent baby - I can relate. Especially after the twins, it was almost as bad as labor pains. The doc said because my uterus was so large, from carrying both of them, it had so much more contracting to do. Very painful. But, temporary, the next morning all that pain had stopped.
I did recover my feet quicker after each birth, I was up and moving around pretty good after the twins.
A friend of mine who has six children said after number six, she was ready to go jogging a few hours after the birth! Not that I'd ever want to test that theory by having more....
Posted by dangermom (Member # 1676) on :
Oh, man, breastfeeding Nazis...
I actually did nurse both my girls until about 10 months. Just as DangerBaby was born, we had an in-home visit from a nurse (well, we had several on account of the baby-in-a-box jaundice), who asked the usual questions and if I was nursing DangerBaby. Yes, I was. And how about DangerGirl? I told her that I had nursed her for 10 months, and then (in a fit of defensiveness that I now regret) that I had gotten gallstones, had to go on a fatfree diet, and DGirl had quit growing. So, duh, we went to formula. "Well, we do recommend a whole year, you know..." she replies. And goes on to essentially tell me I'm not good enough as a mom.
Holy cow. Did you not hear me, lady, about the whole quitting-growing thing, not to mention the drugs from the surgery? And I think 10 months is pretty dang good. Formula does not give babies brain-damage, nor does it doom them to a life of crime. It's just ridiculous how some people act as though you're an awful mother if you don't nurse them, full-time, for a whole year. Nursing is great and all, but it's not All-Important. Geez Louise.
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
Will post my story when I have more time...
Epidurals = MAJOR WILLIES for me, though!! I will do just about anything to avoid hospitals and needles. Especially when they are Unnecessary!
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
This thread was a really good idea! It is marvelous fun to read everyone's stories. I had three children, and here is the birth story of the first.
Child#1
I asked my mother who had three children the first three with pain med and the last three without, if I should get an epidural. She said she definitely recommended it with the first child because that birth is likely to be the hardest and you have never experienced childbirth before. So I decided I would probably get one, but wait until the contractions weren't managable.
I went to a local doctor that had been recommended to me. He was widely regarded as one of the most skilled, particularly with foreceps delivery. I didn't like him. He was very willing to "chat" during appointments, but he would always get on his soapbox and preach his own agenda rather than really answering my question. I remember the time I asked him, "What can I do about the severe swelling in my feet?" He curtly replies with a smile, "Nothing." End of conversation.
A couple weeks before due date I had no signs of readiness and he told me I would probably be late because so many first-time-mothers are. Irrationally, this ticked me off. So when on the night before my next appointment I began to go into labor, I was determined to show up for my appt (week before EDC) and "stick it to him." "See? You were wrong!"
As dawn approached, it became clear that I wouldn't make it to that appt. I was in a lot of discomfort when we arrived at the hospital. I remember my doctor coming in to break my water. He said, meaning to be funny, "You think it hurts now? Just wait till I break your water!" I don't know what he did in there, but breaking my water caused by far the most severe, intense pain I felt that day. Every "check" was painful for me. But he was right, the contractions were so much harder! I couldn't smile, I couldn't respond well to questions, I couldn't even look at a human face. All those things broke my concentration and made labor harder to cope with. It wasn't long till that I got an epidural.
And oh the relief! I could smile again, laugh, feel relaxed and happy. I could enjoy the birth of my child! One thing, though, I was so very dead down there that when someone said, "Your leg fell off the table," I said, "Which one?"
After the epidural, my progress slowed. When I reached full dialation, the nurses said it was time to "rest and descend," a fancy term for, "the doctor doesn't have time for you yet."
After an hour of "rest and descend," someone determined it was time for me to push. I did, but it was hard to do right and progress was slow. A nurse came to me and said, "The doctor can use forceps and have that baby out in just a few minutes." I don't know if this meant they thought I needed forceps, but considering my doctor's expertise in forceps and the option of having my baby out very quickly, I said yes.
It was like a tug of war, and that was very strange. But before I knew it, Sanford was out in his 9'3" glory! I remember asking the doctor, "So, did I not need an episiotomy?" He said, "No, I gave you one." Now that really ticked me off. I didn't even know it had been done! He not only didn't ask my permission, he didn't even tell me what he had done to my body! Right then I silently resolved not to deal with this particular man again.
Posted by Mama Squirrel (Member # 4155) on :
Christy,
Here is my birth story for Superstation. I don't have one written for Mooselet. I posted this on AmericanBaby.com. You can check there for many birth stories on their bulletin boards. I haven't had a chance to read the others here yet.
Hopefully this is not more information than you actually wanted to know...
As most of you know, we were set to be induced at 7:30AM on Wednesday, November 19th. When I saw the doctor on Monday (17th) I was 3 ½ cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. At about 7:30 Tuesday night my contractions jumped from every 10 minutes (painless b&h contractions) to painful labor contractions averaging every 5 minutes. We called the hospital at about 8:15. They said I could come in "if I wanted to." Of course I wanted to come in. We left home at 8:45. We arrived in labor and delivery at about 9:10. They did not have any clean rooms so they sent us to the waiting room. After 20-25 minutes I asked Pop to go check to see how much longer it would be. I seemed to be in much greater pain than the other two women waiting. Finally, they took me to a triage room with one of the other women. I think they thought I had a long way to go because my contractions were 5 minutes apart when I called. I had told them that with my first I went from 5 to 10 cm in less than two hours. Anyway, once they hooked me up to the monitors they checked my cervix. I was 8 cm dilated! The nurse said that they needed to get me to a room. No kidding!!! I could have told you that! Within minutes I was in a room. I continually asked about the timing for an epidural, because I knew it would be close to the time that it would be too late for me to get one. After a few minutes the doctor came in and broke my water (lots and lots of water, especially compared to my first pregnancy). After that all hell broke loose contraction wise. I couldn't even concentrate on breathing right. After a while I was really begging for some drugs. It was definitely too late for an epidural, but I was hoping for some help. The nurse told me to try to hang on for 10 more minutes. Finally I just couldn't handle it so she left to get the o.k. from the doctor (they hadn't even started an iv yet). While she was gone I felt like I was going to have a BM and I pushed a little. Suddenly I got scared and felt more pressure in a different area. I told Pop to go get the nurse. She came in and felt down there. She said, "stay on your side and DON'T PUSH. His head is right there." She ran out to get the doctor. He came in. They kept telling me not to push until the doctor could get his gloves on (and while they broke down the table). I pushed for a minute and Superstation was here. I had some pretty good tearing (which was fun being stitched up without meds). His face was a little bruised just because he came so quickly. He was born at 10:22PM, just over an hour after we arrived at the hospital. Natural was certainly not my planned route, and I would prefer not to do it that way again. At least it went quickly since I didn't get drugs. They did finally start an iv while the doctor was stitching me up.
This certainly was not the "average" labor. Good luck!
-Mama
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I love reading all these birth stories, though that is a dangerous thing for me to do......
I will admit, the major reason I avoided drugs is not philosphy or health, but the fear of needles. Hubby always had to schedule to come to the MW with me when I had a blood draw...I usually come close to fainting.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Child# 2
Well, after my bad experience with the previous doctor, I tried a new female addition to the same obstetrician group. If it is possible, she was a worse choice for me. She was hardly ever available, and when she was, she was curt and untalkative--all business. She wouldn't even sit and let me "chat" like my previous dr. Coincidentally, she wasn't available for the birth either.
Our little Athena breathed into our lives as gracefully as an angel. We were in the midst of moving just a couple weeks before due date. Sanford had come a week early, so there was some additional concern there. We prayed for her to not come during this time of great upheaval, but to come at the best time for us/her/everyone. We had just put up all the pictures on the walls (finishing touch in moving-in) and my mother had just arrived, and we got her settled in and all went to bed. In the wee hours, I was awoken to sudden pain. I thought I would have time to shower, like I did with my first, but while in the shower, the contractions were just bowling me over. I was white with fear. Labor had hit like a ton of bricks.
After bidding my mother farewell (our oldest hadn't even seen her yet, and would be waking up to us gone) we rushed off to the hospital. My progress was exceedingly fast, the nurse found me deep in active labor.
I was not dealing with the contractions well, but this wonderful nurse helped me so much. She coached me well, so well, that after awhile I appeared to be dealing with the contractions easily. Inside it was hell, though. She suggested that I go natural because I was entering transitional labor and the contractions wouldn't get any worse than they already were. I thought about it for a moment, but I realized I was totally unprepared to deal with the pushing. I had no idea what to expect, and that frightened me. They had to wake an anesthesiologist, and I got my epidural.
After that, it was "rest and descend" again. No doctor available. A bulging sac of waters kept Athena deep up in the birth canal despite my full dialation. The nurse was not really allowed to break the waters, but with each "check" she sure tried for my sake. She knew that if the waters broke, the doctors would have to attend to me. No luck, that sack was tough! There was nothing to do but wait. My tired and bored husband fell asleep. I tried to sleep, but couldn't, so I began calling loved ones. Still, this was a profoundly boring time.
Finally the on-call doctor came in, broke my waters, and in a few pushes, Athena was born with her perfectly round, unsquished head.
Things went so quickly and easily, that the words of the nurse haunted my memories, "Why don't you go natural?" The idea still terrified me, and I didn't know it yet, but my next birth would be natural by choice.
[ March 11, 2004, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: beverly ]
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Child# 3
It was just a few days before I got a positive pregnancy test, and I was talking to a friend. She was near her due date, and was preparing for her second natural child birth. She told me of the wonderful midwives she was seeing and of how she didn't go to any class for the first one, just read a lot and prepared herself. She really gave me a new perspective on a lot of things, so much so, that I left her house determined to check out the midwives and was even toying with the idea of natural child birth.
My husband thought it was just a phase that I was going through. Why would I ever be crazy enough to not want pain medication? I knew I needed a trusted woman to be with me in order to make it. My husband is great, but he has a hard enough time dealing with my labor as it is.
I read everything I could get my hands on. I read about Lamaze, Bradly, Hypnobirthing, more. I read hundreds of birth stories. I became quite interested in hypnobirthing, though I didn't expect it to yield the "painless" birth it promised. My dear sister-in-law, a massage therapist, agreed to assist my birth. I was overjoyed!
I downloaded beautiful, calming pictures off the internet and put them into a folder. I collected 13 hours of my most favorite peaceful music and put it on one MP3 disc. I practiced relaxing to hypnosis tapes. I tried an experiment with my husband where he would apply an "indian burn" to my arm while I was in deep relaxation. The effects were quite encouraging. I drank red raspberry leaf tea.
Two months before the birth, my midwife happened to check me because I was considering going on a vacation. She found me partially dialated and we cancelled our plans. She put me on near bedrest to keep me from premature labor. My sister-in-law came over most every morning and helped me with chores so that I wouldn't over-work myself.
After all that resting and the threat of early labor and the first two coming before their due dates, I was almost offended when this baby hadn't come yet! Both my parents came out for this one, and they were here half a week with no baby. I tell you, I tried everything I could think of to get the baby to come! I had been dialated to a 6 for the last month too.
There were many false alarms. You should have seen me jogging up and down my street in an effort to encourage labor. One day we thought for sure it was the real thing, and I should have gone to the hospital because they would have ensured that labor continue. But I wanted to stay home as long as possible, and the contractions died away.
Finally I broke down and went to the midwife to have my membranes stripped. She assured me that I could go to the hospital now and they wouldn't turn me away. I thanked her, but I was terrified they would give me pitocin and ruin my chances of natural childbirth.
There were some regular contractions, but they didn't seem to be going anywhere. Just like before. So I turned to my hubby for help, and after some intimate time together, things started up real good again. (We had tried this before, didn't work.) I was tired of waiting, and we headed out for the hospital a bit before midnight. I was so overjoyed when I had some amniotic leakage on the way! I thought, now there's no turning back!
It was so wonderful to have my music playing and my personal masseuse rubbing my hands and feet with scented lotion. I welcomed each contraction, they felt good to me because finally we were getting somewhere!! I was able to smile, laugh, joke, unlike my two previous experiences.
Then back labor hit. I had never experienced it before. My sister-in-law had brought her massage chair (you sit in it leaning forward) and I spent transitional labor sitting in it. The contractions were almost unbearable. I began to feel nauseous (something I was worried would happen) since I was kinda in shock, but my massage therapist sis would use the pressure point we had discussed and the feeling subsided. Because of the back labor, she would push deeply on my back, and I would moan in a very primal, animal way.
My midwife heard me, and knew it was almost time. She was wonderful! The perfect coach. She said all the right things, said just what I needed to hear. She urged me to the bed for a check, and I was nearly ready with an "anterior lip".
Suddenly, though, something was terribly wrong. They kept telling me to change position, propping up one side with pillows then the other. I heard them say "90s" and I realized they were talking about my baby's heartbeat! I panicked.
Then I told her I was going onto my hands and knees. I had done so much reading, and from what I read, this position would help with an anterior lip and could help rotate the baby who might be slightly posterior with all the pain in my back. It could also help with the distress. I gave birth in this position because once in it, I refused to get out of it.
The pushing was an ordeal!! Like nothing I have ever experienced. I was being told to push when my body wasn't ready to yet. Then when the urge hit, it was terrible! I was being told to do something that caused myself more and more pain. It felt like a huge, solid boulder passing through my body. Throughout the pushing, I was making a high-pitched, supressed scream and burying my face in the sheets. They gave me an oxygen mask to help my troubled baby and told me strictly that I must breathe for her sake.
I stretched and stretched more than I thought possible. Just when I thought it was at its worst, no, there was more. The head was out--relief. But the shoulders!!!!!! That was the worst. Then suddenly, all pain was gone, pure, peaceful, blessed relief. I had done it. It was incredible. It was easier and harder than I could have imagined both at the same time.
I couldn't hold my whooping 9'6" baby Ivy for my trembling and discomfort at being stitched up and having my tummy punched to death (arguably the most painful part of all.) It had all happened in under 2 hours.
I bled terribly after the birth and lost a lot of blood. The medicine they gave me made me terribly sick with the worst diarrhea I had had since spending 18 months in the third-world. NOT a good thing after giving birth!!
Going natural was so amazing and I intend to do it again. Am I crazy? Maybe.
[ March 11, 2004, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: beverly ]
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Most of our birth story is contained in this thread so I won't repeat. I would like to chime in on the lactation consultants though. We met a few good ones (I know of at least one other here on Hatrack!) but the one at our hospital while we were there was ba-a-ad. She was rather rough trying to get Thomas to latch on (not hurting him, but startling him so he cried instead of drinking).
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
O_o
Is there something about third kids and anterior lips? Hmm.
Child the third:
Having had one child induced a week before my EDC who most likely would have stayed put at least another week without help, and a second who was born at EDC+9, I knew there was a good chance that child number three would be late. Until the end of my eight month, when the Braxton-Hicks got far more intense and frequent than they with either of the other two. And my doctor checked me and said I was at least 2 cm already.
Hmm, maybe it will be early after all! Good thing I had arranged for a substitute to cover my class starting the first week of school (my due date was Sept. 15, and it was now early-to-mid August). My doctor was a bit concerned that I make to it 37 weeks, but figured it shouldn't be a problem -- no bed rest, but no major exertion.
37 weeks came -- no baby, still at 2cm, the B-H were frequent and painful, and I was frustrated. People kept seeing me and asking, "Are you still pregnant."
I let them live . . .
38 weeks. 39. Every day, thinking it could be any time; each day, the B-H contractions failed to morph into the real ones, although there were several times (3, I think) where we almost headed to hospital -- but after the false labor with #2, I wasn't going till I was SURE. Each time, after a few hours of fairly regular contractions, they would taper off.
Rosh Hashona and my due-date came, and went. Now I was overdue, and that meant twice-weekly trips to the doc for no-stress-tests. Yom Kippur came, and I figured that would do it -- fasting frequently triggers labor (in Israel, the highest number of deliveries per day is the day after Yom Kippur). My doctor laughed, told me I was barely-kinda-sorta at 3cm, and said to go ahead and try it. (She also did an ultrasound, said everything looked great, and estimated that this baby would be 7 pounds (like my second).)
Fasted. No dice. *sigh* My doctor scheduled an induction for EDC+14. I wasn't sure whether I was willing to be induced again, if the baby was staying healthy, and was trying to decide whether to push her to let me go longer.
EDC+12, the B-H were nasty little annoyances all day -- as they had been each of three other times. Then, in the early evening, they stopped -- AGAIN. I cried.
When I calmed down, I went out back to the succah (it was the middle of Succos), to join my spouse and the neighbors were sitting and chatting. After I'd been sitting for a while, the contractions started again. My neighbor saw my discomfort, and asked if I was having contractions (she knew about the on-again,off-again B-Hs), and I said, "Yeah, again," and shrugged. They were intermittent, and painful, but not at all regular.
Trying to help things along, I went for a walk (I had gone for a LOT of walks in the preceding month). This time, it worked! When I got back 30 minutes later, I was pretty sure we were going to the hospital soon. The contractions still weren't regular (mine NEVER are), but they were closer, on average, than before, and more intense.
My sister came to stay with the kids (who were asleep), and we headed off to the hospital, my mom in tow.
After all that, I was sure I'd be at least 4 or 5 cm. Hah! 3. More walking, and more walking. Noted the interesting differences in the hospital from 3 years prior. More walking.
Got tired, went back to my room, fell asleep. Contractions slowed down. When I woke up a few hours later, they had all but stopped. No way!
More walking. Ah! That woke the little critters up! At my next check, I was at 4cm. My doctor was called, suggested AROM and said if things sped up she'd come right away; otherwise she was going to try to avoid canceling the morning patients (it was now just before her office opened, about 8 am).
The AROM kicked my contractions back to very intense. Now I didn't want to walk, but I did NOT want to be chained to the bed either. There was a glide rocker in the room (in each LDR room at that hospital), so I rocked, and breathed. Back to bed to be checked -- still 4 cm.
When I wanted to try the hot shower, as I had the time before (in the same hospital!) the nurse objected, because my waters had been broken. My mom argued with her, and either finally got her to call my doc, who said it was fine. It didn't help as much this time, and after a while (an hour?) the nurse was worried that I would get too hot, and wanted to check me.
6cm, and there was an anterior lip.
I was exhausted, and nothing was helping the pain. I remembered not having liked the epidural, but I needed something. So they gave me a narcotic. I had forgotten about how quickly that would wear off for me. Additionally, I now discovered they wouldn't let me get out of bed (for an hour after the shot, so I wouldn't get dizzy and fall) -- no walking, rocking, shower.
And they were estimating it would be several more hours! My doc called in, said she'd come in about an hour.
Knowing that I couldn't get out of bed, and that this would take hours longer, I gave up and asked for an epidural.
My mom had to leave to go teach. We called my friend (my designated back-up ), and she got ready to come.
The anesthesiologist showed up, and had my turn onto my side. Wait, wait! BIG contraction, then another. Now I suddenly wanted to push. I was checked -- 10 cm! "Don't push! Your doctor's not here yet!" Someone had run off to call her, but she was 20 minutes away.
I asked if I could still have an epidural -- no. Any drugs? No. Then, sez I, I am NOT WAITING TO PUSH!
A nurse (and my spouse? I think?) ran to find the on-call, and another made me get back on my back and broke up the bed. I didn't WANT to, I wanted to stay on my side. But my mom was gone, and I was too tired to fight her.
Even in the new position, took just two or three pushes. The on-call guy was nice, young, and I have NO IDEA what he looked like.
Turns out the seven pound estimate was low -- she was 8 and a half.
My mom was still downstairs, waiting for my dad to pick her up . . . we called my friend, and told her to stay home.
Recovery was pretty short, about like with the first. And to this day, my third has a habit of suddenly doing the opposite of what everyone expects. Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
*bump*
The stories are great! Keep 'em coming!
Thanks for the book suggestions, too -- I hadn't seen most of those.
I'm currently reading the Sears' Birth Book, Easing Labor Pain (Adrienne Lieberman) and Active Labor (Janet Balaskas). My sister also gave me Anne Lamott's book, which is really funny.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
quote: I began to feel nauseous (something I was worried would happen) since I was kinda in shock, but my massage therapist sis would use the pressure point we had discussed and the feeling subsided.
What??? Where was this stinkin' pressure point, and why didn't anyone tell me about it, for crying out loud!
Posted by NdRa (Member # 2295) on :
My birth experience was incredible. It was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing. Then all of a sudden I get sucked into a tunnel, and it's all slip n' slide from there. Bright lights, sweaty old people, it was intense.
Congrats on the pregnancy Christy!!! I'm just now catching up with all the news at hatrack.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
No What to Expect While You're Expecting? I found that the most useful one, and it has a LONG, detailed chapter on L&D.
Christy, have you written (or thought about writing) a birth plan? I never had one; and for two births (one because I was induced, and one cuz I was lucky) never missed having one. But with my third delivery, where the hospital was VERY crowded, and I was somewhat less lucky, I really wished I had had one. Same hospital all three times; only time I was VERY unhappy with the way various overall policies were handled (like they wanted to put me on an IV, even though my doc said I didn't need to have one; didn't want to let me use the shower, as I explained above; didn't encourage me to try various positions (which probably would have shortened my labor by a couple hours, by taking care of that anterior lip) -- in fact, discouraged me from getting out of the bed in the latter part of my labor; insisted on having me use the bed w/ stirrups (as I mentioned above)) was with the last one.
For several months after the birth, I swore I would never have a baby in that hospital again (even though I'd had two labors where I was quite happy with them (well, except for the one nurse), and have MANY friends who've had few or no problems there). Later I realized that most of my concerns would be taken care of by having a written birth plan, signed off by my doctor.
So, this hater of lists (and a birth plan is essentially a fancy list ) recommends a birth plan.
Also, have you taken/ are you planning on taking a tour of the hospital's maternity wing? It really helps to have seen everything beforehand, when you're calm and relaxed.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Oh, almost forgot to mention THE most important book! It's called the Curse of the Mommy (wow! that's a great price! I must order some for friends!) and it is priceless.
I lend it out with my other prenatal books, and have now heard from two women that that book made them laugh while in active labor.
[ March 12, 2004, 08:42 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
*laugh* Rivka, I got THREE copies of What to Expect When You're Expecting! While I read a lot of it during the first months, I've been focusing more on the birth books currently.
Edit: Duh, I was going to respond to the rest, too. Yes, I had planned on touring the hospital and have considered a birth plan, although I haven't written one up yet. I want to discuss some things more with my doctor, who, thankfully so far has been very open and honest with me. I'm also trying to keep Tom informed of my wishes so he can make them known to staff if I'm too tired.
[ March 12, 2004, 09:06 PM: Message edited by: Christy ]
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
The main thing I would add is that getting pitocin doesn't mean having to get an epidural. If they taper it up carefully enough, the contractions may not be any harder than no pitocin, though there will probably be more of them. But I've always had a fast transition. I was afraid I had back labor with baby 3, but it turned out he just had a really huge head. "Like sputnik, sperical but quite pointy at parts."
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Well, I would just like to share with you all the definitive book on babies. All phases.
I Should Have Seen It Coming When the Rabbit Died by Teresa Bloomingdale. (mother of 10)
It's hilarious!
Find your copy (used book store since the last printing was 1980) and prepare to laugh until you cry!
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Christy, "Easing Labor Pain" is an excellent book! I really appreciated what I learned there.
There was this other book too written by a British gal that had an excellent collection of birth stories. She hand picked them to cover a whole range of possibilities. She also gives some valuable insight herself. I know that a book of birth stories doesn't sound very special. But I had already read hundreds of stories on the internet and when I read this book I thought, "This is such a great book to read! I am going to suggest that every person I know who is expecting a baby read this! This book is a must!" And now I can't even remember the title or author! *laughs at self*
Oh well, if I find it, I will let you know.
PSI: Sorry you didn't have that pressure point info. The spot is basically in the center (underside) of your forearm. I highly recommend a massage therapist at births!
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
quote:No What to Expect While You're Expecting? I found that the most useful one, and it has a LONG, detailed chapter on L&D.
A woman I met recently said this book should be subtitled "what to worry about when you're expecting." She decided to stop reading it. And btw, don't use it for breastfeeding information - the breastfeeding information is inaccurate, last time I looked.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
I'm with Ela, I wasn't real impressed with "What to Expect..."
I learned a lot from online communities and bulletin boards, and I read some sciency books about fetal development (there's one out there that has awesome in-utero photos, but I can't remember the name of it). I also belonged to an email distro list (March Moms--all the moms were due in March, it was awesome) that was wonderful and heartbreaking (one miscarriage, one still birth, very sad) and informative.
I read Anne LaMott's book about her son's birth *after* I had had The Boy, and it made me feel tons better about the feelings I had as a new mom. *grin* She had a lot of the same doubts and fears that I did. I highly recommend the book.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*shrug* It was never my sole source of info, but What to Expect was my primary one before my first kid. Since then I've read many books, and I still like it. But I have the first edition (hand-me-down), and I understand they changed things in later editions -- perhaps not for the better. Or maybe it's a what-works-for-me thing. But yeah, definitely not much on breastfeeding -- I have several other books on that.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Everybody is different, rivka. I think it's one of those YMMV things.
I think that we both agree that a wide range of reading is A Good Thing.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I watched my mom give birth to three children at home (I was a little young to see the first 3 in the hospital ) and have to say that from my vantage point, homebirth was amazingly great. My littlest brother, though, was born 20 minutes after mom's contractions started, not long enough for the midwife to get there. My Dad had to deliver him! But it was totally problem-free. I hope when my time comes I've inherited my mother's birthing skills. And inheriting her post-6-child physique would be nice too. Posted by DocCoyote (Member # 5612) on :
Okay, just had the one experience, but how wonderful!
I went to a birthing center after having had the membranes stripped at my 37 week visit. I spent 15 hours in labor, divided between time in the hot tub, on a laboring ball and just wishing I could please!!! have 15 minutes of sleep. As far as I'm concerned, the hot tub is the best place to labor, but I'm a bath type of person anyway.
I remember asking at one point, "Would you guys still love me if I asked for drugs now?" No one understood the question, so I didn't get any medication, but I'm pretty certain that drugs isn't the worst you can do at that point in labor. I ended up sitting on left leg of my man, and the right leg of my sister-wife, and laboring sitting up until my boy came into the world. I heartily recommend sitting up, because any part of lying down didn't work for me.
Someone mentioned in the posts that it is a very individual experience, and I must agree with that. My step-daughter labored for less than 5 hours, with only a bit of extreme time, while I spent the whole night and morning laboring. However it happens to work, it is a blessing.
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Thomas' birth story
First let me say that I wanted to have my baby at home, with my midwife and my doula, but my DH wouldn't let me.
I spent the entire time I was pregnant perfecting my birthing plan. I went over the possibilities with my midwife and doula. I wanted to wait to go to the hospital and I did not want an epidural and in no place in my mind was I going to have a c-section. I was all set for a bradley birth. Now that I have let you know about my first time birthing fantasies I'll let you know what really happened.
May 29th 2003... Went to work came home and took a nap and Mike and I decided to go out to dinner. 6:00 hang up cell with doula after saying all is ok, she could go to cousins wedding 10 hours away. Get out of the car and walk into restaurant, sit down and water broke (or so we thought). Ate part of burger and called midwife o/c. Was told no to wait, to go to hospital to have them check me out. Went to hospital and was admitted dilated 2 cm and the nurse told us my water had broken. I was given ambien to sleep and had a wired reaction to it. Only slept 1 hour, thought I was in a cartoon and the walls were talking to me. Friday may 30 7 am - started on pitocin, walked the halls I maxed out on pitocion 6 times with no progress.
Saturday May 31, 2003 - Still on pitocin...I was getting really cranky from being in the hospital for so long (I really hate hospitals) finally at 6 pm the nurse realized that my water was leaking and that it hadn't actually broken, so she broke my water. I had been really nice and smiling up to this point. The pain hadn't been so bad up to this point, It really hadn't, but within 30 min of them breaking my water and after having been on pitocin for almost 2 days it was nasty..Pitocin is an evil thing. I was hysterical. The nurse called my midwife in and I was told I was having an epidural. I really didn't want one but everyone told me I should, 10 minutes later smiles are back it's now @9pm and the OB on call has decided that I had been here long enough - at 11:41 PM Thomas was born by c-section I saw him for maybe a minute and then he was taken away to get warm. I didn't really get to see him until 6 am. But it wasn't painful I was up cleaning my room by 9 Am so that I could go home.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I've never had a doctor sign off on a birth plan. Maybe it's my personality, but I think they kind of find the whole concept of the patient having a plan laughable. I guess I have a problem with authority.
I imagine the OB thinking "Right, Lady, does your plan include going into labor at 3 a.m. like 60% of the women?"
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
(hi honey!)
Our Doctors and Midwives (plural with how long we were in the hospital) were amused by the birth plan. They had noticed a trend that every person who came in with one prepared ahead of time had their baby C-Section. Oh well, she did great regardless.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
It just seems the more you plan it, if one minor thing goes wrong the whole plan is shot. Like "crud, I didn't get the room with the jacuzzi. I might as well have an epidural."
Another problem is if family comes to town for the birth and the time is ticking away. My new policy is don't visit for a month after the due date. Waiting for the baby is stressful enough without A: Having to entertain and B: Worrying they will have wasted their two weeks off/plane ticket and the baby still won't be born.
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
I agree and disagree with the birth planning. It seems to me that it is infinitely more important to have a doctor/staff that has a comparable birth outlook.
I've really been biased against Pitocin drips after reading birth stories. In almost all cases, these have lead mothers to have unpleasant birth experiences and feelings of loss of control. Its hard to tell how much of this is medical complication and how much is assistance gone amiss, but this is definitely a sticking point that I am going to bring up with my doctor and hope to avoid.
On the other hand, I think reading all the information I can allows me to have a birth fantasy as well as be prepared for reality. I know no amount of book reading will really prepare me for the real event, but I think it will help, and I am trying to keep an open mind about all procedures.
[ March 17, 2004, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: Christy ]
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
*bump* I killed my own thread?! Also, I really needed something to post in to keep me from ruining my surprise.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Damn ladies... these are some powerful stories. Leaving me with quickend pulse.
Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :
Christy, Pitocin is very common for first time mothers. The average labor for first time moms is 16 hours. Doctors try to help speed that up with pitocin. With the drug, my wife's first labor lasted 16 hours. Without it, potentially it could have gone on longer. I was glad we used it. Especially if an epidural is part of the plan, the possibility of potential increased pain caused by the drug is pretty well negated.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Christy, I think it's safe to say that it's the labor being induced part that sucks, not specifically the pitocin. I had the gel first, long before pitocin came into play, and it was no picnic. With my son, most of the dilation and effacing came gradually, so before labor even started I was at 3cm and 90% effaced. That's a great way to go. Whereas I was a 1cm and only 10% effaced when they slapped that gel up against my cervix to start labor. It doubled the length of labor and made it, well, unbearable. That's where the lack of control comes in...having to interfere with the natural way your body wants to work. Ick.
But you don't always get what you want, and in the end, it doesn't matter because you get a beautiful baby, and in a year or so, the experience has some distance, and you have this cute toddler who makes you laugh every day. Then labor and delivery then doesn't really have much hold, and you think, "I could do this again".
I was miserable a lot of my second pregnancy (don't separate your babies by 9 years...it's brutal), and swore no WAY would I want to go through that again. Then the L&D sucked, and I was just confirmed in my conviction. So sure to the point that Ross had a vasectomy when Rainy was 9 mths old. Now, though, she's so cute and fun that we've talked casually about having the V reversed. It's terrible.
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
Thanks for the perspective, that's good to keep in mind.
Don't drink the water around here, jeni! Even my recently married coworker is getting the itch to have a baby! Must be spring or something!
I know what you mean about not getting what you want, too. My coworker with triplets who has had a really good outlook for trying to carry full term was just placed in the hospital at 25 weeks. They've got her on steroids and drugs to stop the contractions and hope to go another five weeks, but we'll be very surprised if she holds out that long. I hoep for her and her babies sakes that she goes at least another three weeks.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote: I love reading all these birth stories, though that is a dangerous thing for me to do......
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Since we've successfully derailed the American vs. European "looks" thread, and there seems to be interest, please share your birth experiences here.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
). The one thing that they all had in common was: very long and erratic early labor, short late labor, VERY short transition (except the last), and fairly short pushing (except the middle one). ![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
Walked. And walked. And walked. Two hours of walking, contractions steady mostly; but not entirely regular.![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
, all the torture finally started to work.![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)