Two weeks ago today...our birth story

Date of Birth: October 1, 2008
Time of Birth: 6:33am
Birth Weight: 9lbs 2oz
Birth Length: 20.25in
Head Circumference: 35.5cm

Our Birth Story:

I had my 41 week appointment Tuesday 9.30.08 at lunchtime. I was 5 centimeters and 100% effaced, with baby at station -1. My doctor stripped my membranes to help speed things along (I measured 4 cm the week before). She insisted on scheduling an induction- she wanted to schedule it for Friday but we agreed on 10.7.08 when I would be exactly 2 weeks. I was ready to have the baby, but my goal was a natural childbirth and the thought of being induced was very upsetting to me. I left the appointment with Spencer in tears (I was also a bit crampy from the exam). I spent the rest of the day on the couch- which was unusual as I had spent the whole month before of my maternity leave seriously nesting. That evening we went out to dinner with friends and I noticed what had been mild cramping during the day was becoming stronger and more rhythmic. Later on, around 10pm I told Spencer that I was in labor- this was it. We wanted to do our early labor at home and we walked up and down the street to keep things going (and it was a great distraction for me). He kept waiting for the contractions to even out and be the text book every 3-5 minutes lasting one minute for one hour before we called labor and delivery and I kept telling him that this was not a textbook case as I had done most of early labor over the last two weeks (since I was already 5 centimeters!). Finally at midnight I insisted we call labor and delivery- (I was getting concerned about the ride to the hospital- only 10 minutes at that time of night, but I knew it was going to be uncomfortable and while I wanted to wait, I didn't want to wait too long). This worked out great because when we arrived at the hospital around 1am I could no longer walk or talk through my contractions and was in active labor.

I met my labor and delivery doctor (different from my OB) and she assured me we would follow my birth plan of having a natural childbirth as closely as possible. My water broke just before she started her exam (I think I was 6 cm). She agreed that I didn't have to have an IV if I didn't want one (yay!) and she assured me she would not give me an episiotomy. I also wanted to not cut the cord until it stopped pulsing and she said it would depend since there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. I was given a fetal monitor that allowed me to be out of bed and I labored in a rocking chair in the room for a few hours, with the lights dim and my eyes closed. I tried to rest between contractions as much as possible since it was night time and I wanted to conserve my energy. This was doable until I hit transition and I felt like I was crawling out of my skin. There were two times during this period (I guess it was about 45 minutes) that I thought to myself that getting one of the narcotics to take the edge off might not be a bad idea...but I powered through. Spencer was great prompting me to relax and helping me with my breathing; and holding my hand and giving me water when I needed it. I could not have had a natural childbirth without his support.

As transition was reaching its peak, I had the urge to lie down and curl up and made my way to the birthing bed, but as soon as I laid down I threw up (poor Spencer was holding my little throw container and almost lost it himself). I was starting to feel really out of control and was loosing my center at that point when my nurse told me I should start practicing pushing. She set up the birthing bar over the bed (you can hold on to it while you squat in the bed, or sit upright and hold on to it, or what I ended up doing sitting upright but with my feet up on the bar which worked really well). I didn't believe her that it was time to push, but once I started (and she gave me a little direction on how and when to push) I realized the contractions were actually spacing themselves (rather than being one right on top of the other) and there was a relief in pushing. They set up a mirror so I could see what I was doing, and the nurse had me feel my little girls head inside me, which was crazy because it felt super soft like a ripe tomato. This was the encouragement I needed and the doctor arrived shortly as the baby's head started to crown.

I pushed for a bit less than two hours (I had no sense of time though and it didn't seem that long). My baby girl was born at 6:33am on October 1st after less than 9 hours of active labor. They put her on my stomach and I felt her little feet which had been kicking my ribs for all those months. Daddy got to cut the cord, but then they took her across the room to be checked out since there was a lot of meconium in the amniotic fluid- but she was fine. They weighed her and I was shocked to hear she was 9 lbs!

Spencer was across the room with the baby and my Mother-in-law, Sandee, was holding my hand as the doctor was getting concerned about the amount of blood loss I was having (more than she would like, she said). She ended up sticking her hand inside me and massaging my uterus from the inside and outside (this was on par with the most uncomfortable parts of transition!). I got a shot of Pitocin in my thigh and some Cytotec (helps uterine contractions). I also had a small 2nd degree tear, most likely because baby’s shoulders came out horizontal rather than turning to the side. This post partum stuff was super uncomfortable and seriously seemed worse than labor. After I was all taken care of they brought the baby back and I was able to try and breast feed (we are still struggling with getting this down).

It was so amazing and exactly the birth experience I was looking for. We are so in love with our little baby and can't believe we created this little person.

Thank you everyone for all your support.