DH and I had been planning a homebirth with two great midwives when at around 37 weeks i started to show signs of early preeclampsia. my midwives advised seeing a hospital based mw they knew to do some tests and assess the safety of my pregnancy. my midwives were sort of open to still doing a homebirth since i wasn't yet technically dignosed with pre-e (24 hour urine was 200gms and creeping daily, actual dx levels of pre-e are 300 gms). if i became technically preeclamptic my midwives wouldnt be able to do a homebirth and the hospital cnms wouldnt be abl to have me as a patient, i would have to have an obgyn assist the delivery, which i really didnt want. so i agreed to an induction at 39 weeks exactly.
we went to the hospital and instead of it being the scary place i remembered with ds#1's birth it felt safe and cozy and all the nurses were awesome and funny. we settled in and i was given cervidil. we slept over and waited 12 hours for it to hopefully start contractions but nothing much happened except contractions i couldnt even feel. in the am the mw suggested i could try prepadil which did seem to start some very mild contractions.
my best friend and my husband were there and the attending charge nurse was a nursing veteren and very cool with the fact that we had wanted a homebirth and she suggested we just go home and come back that evening for another shot at cervidil since my cervix still wasnt ripe enough for pitocin and since i didnt want my labour to be confin ed b y the efm needed with pit.
the three of us went home, watched a movie, went on a walk and then my bff left so dh and i could dtd, as per the vet nurse's recomendation! i was having mild contractions and fell deeply asleep after dh and i had sex. i woke up to dh attempting to get me out of bed to go back to the hospital for more inducing. i didnt want to go, i just wanted to sleep.
"come on" dh said, "i think this baby is gonna be born in like an hour". dh seemed anxious but i felt fine and laughed at his "prediction"
we went to the hospital and i made the bed my own with my own quilt and pillows and i assumed it would be a long night of meds and the fetal monito on me and i wanted to be as comfortable as possible.
no sooner had i plopped down on the bed that i felt a "pop" inside me and my water broke. i instantly had an intense contraction that rippled through my whole center. the midwife, whom id never met before, arrived and said things looked great and i could have totally normla delivery without meds and the fetal monitor since labour had obviously already started.
the mw asked if it would be ok if i started asking for drugs for pain for her to offer natural alternatives. i said of course, please as i had wanted a natural birth. suddenlt contractions are every 1-2 minutes and i am moaning and groaning and making weird bubbling sounds and clenching my fists to the bed and flinging off my clothes. after about an hour i feel like i need to throw up and go to the bathroom all at once. intellectually i thought "this must be like transition" but emotionally i was afraid i had many more hours of this terrible pain and i start wimpering and crying tearless cries and telling everone to not touch me and begging with god and jesus and it was soooo intense and out of this world feeling. labor was kicking my ass.
i kept saying to my friend "maari i am so scared" and the midwife just sat there calmly and thye nurse stood silently and my husband looked on me llovingly and no one did much but watch and wait which was perfect, exactly what i needed.
then i start begging for drugs because here i am being ripped open, in the hospital i might as well take advantage of the selection. i have no logic left in my brain, in fact i might not have a brain, just a uterus, opening and clenching up over and over, no breaks in between. the midwife trys to offer a bath and i say no, she tries other suggestions that if i wasnt in so much pain would make me laugh. finally she says she has to check me if i really want drugs. she checks me and i am almost 9cm! i swear, are you -ing kidding me?. i know i am in it now, no going back. she says i could begin pushing at any time.
i start feeling lots of pressure, i try to run from it, literally almost pushing myslef off the bed, im not even pushing but the baby is coming, it ry to suck her back in but i cant stop this force of God and nature. i feel like i will break and suddenlt her head is out, all of her is out. i am on all fours, in a state of shock, i cant even look at my baby it just seems unreal, i say "i just need to process this". my husband is crying, my best friend is holding my shoulders becaue the midwfe said i was going to fall off the bed. then i hold my baby, she poops all over us, the placenta slips out, my best friend cuts the cord.
my baby was born with a nuchal hand up by her face which caused some skid marks on my labia and a first degree tear that did not require stiches but feels pretty big to me. the placenta did have a few calcifications, which at 39 weeks 1 day can be attributed to the early preeclampsia, so i feel very good about choosing an induction when we did.
Eliza Jane was 7lbs 9 oz at birth, 19.5 inches long, now at 9 days old she is over 8lbs, she is delicate looking and gorgeous and amazing. she is in perfect health and so lovely to hold and smell.
from active labour until birth the time was 2 hours. my first child's labour was 25 hours. you just never know what might happen, how your baby might be born, buit whatever happens it is surely a miracle.
we went to the hospital and instead of it being the scary place i remembered with ds#1's birth it felt safe and cozy and all the nurses were awesome and funny. we settled in and i was given cervidil. we slept over and waited 12 hours for it to hopefully start contractions but nothing much happened except contractions i couldnt even feel. in the am the mw suggested i could try prepadil which did seem to start some very mild contractions.
my best friend and my husband were there and the attending charge nurse was a nursing veteren and very cool with the fact that we had wanted a homebirth and she suggested we just go home and come back that evening for another shot at cervidil since my cervix still wasnt ripe enough for pitocin and since i didnt want my labour to be confin ed b y the efm needed with pit.
the three of us went home, watched a movie, went on a walk and then my bff left so dh and i could dtd, as per the vet nurse's recomendation! i was having mild contractions and fell deeply asleep after dh and i had sex. i woke up to dh attempting to get me out of bed to go back to the hospital for more inducing. i didnt want to go, i just wanted to sleep.
"come on" dh said, "i think this baby is gonna be born in like an hour". dh seemed anxious but i felt fine and laughed at his "prediction"
we went to the hospital and i made the bed my own with my own quilt and pillows and i assumed it would be a long night of meds and the fetal monito on me and i wanted to be as comfortable as possible.
no sooner had i plopped down on the bed that i felt a "pop" inside me and my water broke. i instantly had an intense contraction that rippled through my whole center. the midwife, whom id never met before, arrived and said things looked great and i could have totally normla delivery without meds and the fetal monitor since labour had obviously already started.
the mw asked if it would be ok if i started asking for drugs for pain for her to offer natural alternatives. i said of course, please as i had wanted a natural birth. suddenlt contractions are every 1-2 minutes and i am moaning and groaning and making weird bubbling sounds and clenching my fists to the bed and flinging off my clothes. after about an hour i feel like i need to throw up and go to the bathroom all at once. intellectually i thought "this must be like transition" but emotionally i was afraid i had many more hours of this terrible pain and i start wimpering and crying tearless cries and telling everone to not touch me and begging with god and jesus and it was soooo intense and out of this world feeling. labor was kicking my ass.
i kept saying to my friend "maari i am so scared" and the midwife just sat there calmly and thye nurse stood silently and my husband looked on me llovingly and no one did much but watch and wait which was perfect, exactly what i needed.
then i start begging for drugs because here i am being ripped open, in the hospital i might as well take advantage of the selection. i have no logic left in my brain, in fact i might not have a brain, just a uterus, opening and clenching up over and over, no breaks in between. the midwife trys to offer a bath and i say no, she tries other suggestions that if i wasnt in so much pain would make me laugh. finally she says she has to check me if i really want drugs. she checks me and i am almost 9cm! i swear, are you -ing kidding me?. i know i am in it now, no going back. she says i could begin pushing at any time.
i start feeling lots of pressure, i try to run from it, literally almost pushing myslef off the bed, im not even pushing but the baby is coming, it ry to suck her back in but i cant stop this force of God and nature. i feel like i will break and suddenlt her head is out, all of her is out. i am on all fours, in a state of shock, i cant even look at my baby it just seems unreal, i say "i just need to process this". my husband is crying, my best friend is holding my shoulders becaue the midwfe said i was going to fall off the bed. then i hold my baby, she poops all over us, the placenta slips out, my best friend cuts the cord.
my baby was born with a nuchal hand up by her face which caused some skid marks on my labia and a first degree tear that did not require stiches but feels pretty big to me. the placenta did have a few calcifications, which at 39 weeks 1 day can be attributed to the early preeclampsia, so i feel very good about choosing an induction when we did.
Eliza Jane was 7lbs 9 oz at birth, 19.5 inches long, now at 9 days old she is over 8lbs, she is delicate looking and gorgeous and amazing. she is in perfect health and so lovely to hold and smell.
from active labour until birth the time was 2 hours. my first child's labour was 25 hours. you just never know what might happen, how your baby might be born, buit whatever happens it is surely a miracle.
:
Follow Mothering