Here's what I can remember of it...
I got out of bed Friday am really hoping it would be the end soon, because it had been my worse night yet. Had only slept about 2.5 hours.
On Friday am (May 29) headed to the hospital first thing in the morning for an ultrasound. U/S showed that baby had lots of fluid still and passed the NST perfectly, ...once we managed to wake her up with a big glass of orange juice!
Funny thing: ultrasound tech also told us baby had lots of hair.
Tracy (midwife) offered to check me, and I declined because I had been checked on Wednesday and I did not want to hear that I was still at the same point. She sent me back home and told me to go drink the labour cocktail. Took my first dose around 10:30. Had a nap while DD was out of the house with MIL. A few hours later, something felt like it was happening, but no real labour yet. As per Tracy's advice, took a second dose.
That seem to stir up things pretty quickly. Cramps were about 5 minutes or so. Tracy came back to check me, said I was at 3 cm. Cool! That was progress! But I was still in denial that I as in early labour. It could not be true... ANyhow, she left again, and said to call her as soon as things would change. She was scared I would progress very fast given how soft my cervix was, how comfortable I had been during checks and that I had taken the cocktail. That must have been around 4 pm.
Then MIL left and took DD with her. I gave her a big hug and explained that she would sleep over while I was having our baby.
Anyhow, called my friend Carla to give her a heads-up, since she was supposed to be there for the birth. She said she would come around 8 pm, but could not wait, so she showed up at 5:30!
Mop in hand, she scrubbed my entire kitchen. I started to feel gross from the cocktail, it gave me burps that tasted like Mr. Clean ;-) Somethimes during that time, I had a bath and ate some toast and hard boiled eggs. Ctx were picking up, Tracy came back. I had made it to 4. At this point, I was not in denial anymore, labour had indeed started.
While Carla was mopping the floors, we all had the greatest laugh when I asked her to switch cleaning products because the lemony one she was using smelled like my burps tasted!
We just all hung around the house for a bit, weighed myself for a last time on the Wii Fit, played brainless games for a little while. It was nice to have a midwife who shared that interest :-) Then walked to the park with DH and Carla to try to get baby to come lower. Was a nice evening, just cool. It must have been 8 or 9 by then.
We played some more video games: did some Hula Hoop on the Wii, hoping to move baby down. Then we all played Mario Party while I sat on the ball and bounced, rocked, circled, did all I could really. I was really glad the game was over when it was, because it was becoming hard to follow turns for me.
Carla had to head back home around 10:30-11, kid emergency. That was quite a bummer.
Had a bath again, and ate watermelon in there while Tracy and DH played some Tetris. Then DH went for a nap in DD's bed. Tracy asked if I wanted company, but I was happy to just be alone in the tub. So I blowed soap bubbles to keep me entertained in between ctx. However, because the ctx were slowing down, Tracy asked me to do some nipple stim. It did not work so well, I kept falling asleep.
Then baby heart rate got a little fast for a while but calmed back down as son as I got out. Because I was tired, went to bed to rest for a bit while labour was slower. By that point I was 5 I think.
Then baby's heart rate kept going up. That worried Tracy and she started recommending we transfer. She wanted to put me on the monitor to have a good 20 minutes strip to ensure baby was fine. Since I had very bad memories from being strapped on the monitor during DD1 birth, I asked her if she could give me another 1/2 hour to see if it would go back to normal. That was at 3 am. AT 3:30, the heart was back to normal, but we decided to transfer for many reasons.
1. She was afraid the high heart rate could be a first sign of infection. We had agreed before the birth that signs of an infection would be a reason for transfer since I have never had any antibiotics before and she was not willing to risk an anaphylactic reaction at home.
2. Baby seemed to be pretty stubborn in its posterior position, I was not progressing anymore and was getting very tired.
3. Baby's head was still high and ballotable. There was a risk of cord prolapse in breaking my membranes at home.
So we did. Before we left DH explained to Tracy that my anxiety with going to the hospital was linked to being stuck in bed beacuse of the monitor, so she called in and asked the nurses to set aside a telemetry unit for me.
On the way to the hospital we almost got hit by a drunk driver who passed out at the wheel in the oncoming lane beside us at some point. SO in addition to driving and making sure she would not rear end us, DH was on the phone with 911.
We got there, I fluked out another MW was there so she stayed with US and Tracy. However, the telemetry unit was not working happily, so I said I would tough it out in bed so they could get that 20 minutes strip. Baby did just fine, but I barfed like crazy during this time.
Then OB came and broke my membranes. There was meconium. It was quite green. They said I could keep labouring, but talked about oxytocin if I was not progressing any faster. I also had to stay on monitoring because of the meconium.
They got the telemetry working, and I got up to get things moving. Had a warm shower and now those ctx really hurt! I don't know how long I stayed in the shower... but at some point I was falling asleep in there and I was scared of hurting myself, so I got out. Went to the bed hoping to rest a bit. But ctx picked up.
By that point in my mind I was just imagining that hard labour continuing for hours with a baby not coming down, then getting hooked on Oxytocin, etc... Essentially I was just seeing this ending up like my first birth, so I asked for an epi.
They started to take some blood, saying it would take about an hour to an hour and 1/2 for the epi. My back was killing me. DH was applying pressure as much as he could and this really helped. He actually pressed hard enough that he had sore hands the whole day after. I took some gas. I don't think it did much for the pain, but it helped me focus and breathe properly. I also liked focusing on the monitor while having my ctx. Seeing the numbers go down at the end was really reassuring. It the middle of this, someone came to take more blood beacuse the first sample got mislabelled or something like that ... He gave me a wicked bruise beacuse ctx were coming too fast for me to stay still. Yet I was still in denial that the end was close and I was just thinking that it would take hours still.
I started to feel a little pressure, Tracy checekd me said I was almost complete and to give it a little push to see what would happen. I did and I was finally at 10! Right away I looked at her and said" "you mean THIS was transition already" ? She and DH started giggling.
I pushed my girl out in 15 minutes. It hurt like hell, but was much easier that the crazy ctx I just had. I could feel it getting closer now. She had a nuchal hand, which did not surpise me at all. I had suspected for weeks that it would happen since I had kept feeling her little hand by her face. She also had shoulder dystocia. DH and I did not realize how stuck she was until much later because Tracy just did the manoeuvers so seamlessly. Just before coming out, her heart started to accelerate too much to everyone's liking again.
At 7:33 she was out.
: : : 9lbs and 20.5 inches. Pediatrician was there for her. She was floppy for too long to my liking. I sent DH straight to her. He told me it was a girl. She was not doing so well and had aspired the mecomium. They got her breathing and on oxygen. She got taken to NICU and Daddy followed while I expelled the placenta and got stitched. Placenta took about another 15 minutes to come out. MW was really nice and just let it happen. Tracy was impressed that only tore a little. She was expecting the stuck shoulder to leave much more damage.
DH picked her first name since he had gotten to know her first. She is our lucky Penny.
She needed oxygen until about 2 pm. Then stayed at NICU until Monday am to complete a round of abx because the ped was worried she could have an infection.
We are all doing well now. Penny is a very quiet baby so far and we are learning to know each other.
I got out of bed Friday am really hoping it would be the end soon, because it had been my worse night yet. Had only slept about 2.5 hours.
On Friday am (May 29) headed to the hospital first thing in the morning for an ultrasound. U/S showed that baby had lots of fluid still and passed the NST perfectly, ...once we managed to wake her up with a big glass of orange juice!
Funny thing: ultrasound tech also told us baby had lots of hair.
Tracy (midwife) offered to check me, and I declined because I had been checked on Wednesday and I did not want to hear that I was still at the same point. She sent me back home and told me to go drink the labour cocktail. Took my first dose around 10:30. Had a nap while DD was out of the house with MIL. A few hours later, something felt like it was happening, but no real labour yet. As per Tracy's advice, took a second dose.
That seem to stir up things pretty quickly. Cramps were about 5 minutes or so. Tracy came back to check me, said I was at 3 cm. Cool! That was progress! But I was still in denial that I as in early labour. It could not be true... ANyhow, she left again, and said to call her as soon as things would change. She was scared I would progress very fast given how soft my cervix was, how comfortable I had been during checks and that I had taken the cocktail. That must have been around 4 pm.
Then MIL left and took DD with her. I gave her a big hug and explained that she would sleep over while I was having our baby.
Anyhow, called my friend Carla to give her a heads-up, since she was supposed to be there for the birth. She said she would come around 8 pm, but could not wait, so she showed up at 5:30!
Mop in hand, she scrubbed my entire kitchen. I started to feel gross from the cocktail, it gave me burps that tasted like Mr. Clean ;-) Somethimes during that time, I had a bath and ate some toast and hard boiled eggs. Ctx were picking up, Tracy came back. I had made it to 4. At this point, I was not in denial anymore, labour had indeed started.While Carla was mopping the floors, we all had the greatest laugh when I asked her to switch cleaning products because the lemony one she was using smelled like my burps tasted!
We just all hung around the house for a bit, weighed myself for a last time on the Wii Fit, played brainless games for a little while. It was nice to have a midwife who shared that interest :-) Then walked to the park with DH and Carla to try to get baby to come lower. Was a nice evening, just cool. It must have been 8 or 9 by then.
We played some more video games: did some Hula Hoop on the Wii, hoping to move baby down. Then we all played Mario Party while I sat on the ball and bounced, rocked, circled, did all I could really. I was really glad the game was over when it was, because it was becoming hard to follow turns for me.
Carla had to head back home around 10:30-11, kid emergency. That was quite a bummer.
Had a bath again, and ate watermelon in there while Tracy and DH played some Tetris. Then DH went for a nap in DD's bed. Tracy asked if I wanted company, but I was happy to just be alone in the tub. So I blowed soap bubbles to keep me entertained in between ctx. However, because the ctx were slowing down, Tracy asked me to do some nipple stim. It did not work so well, I kept falling asleep.
Then baby heart rate got a little fast for a while but calmed back down as son as I got out. Because I was tired, went to bed to rest for a bit while labour was slower. By that point I was 5 I think.
Then baby's heart rate kept going up. That worried Tracy and she started recommending we transfer. She wanted to put me on the monitor to have a good 20 minutes strip to ensure baby was fine. Since I had very bad memories from being strapped on the monitor during DD1 birth, I asked her if she could give me another 1/2 hour to see if it would go back to normal. That was at 3 am. AT 3:30, the heart was back to normal, but we decided to transfer for many reasons.
1. She was afraid the high heart rate could be a first sign of infection. We had agreed before the birth that signs of an infection would be a reason for transfer since I have never had any antibiotics before and she was not willing to risk an anaphylactic reaction at home.
2. Baby seemed to be pretty stubborn in its posterior position, I was not progressing anymore and was getting very tired.
3. Baby's head was still high and ballotable. There was a risk of cord prolapse in breaking my membranes at home.
So we did. Before we left DH explained to Tracy that my anxiety with going to the hospital was linked to being stuck in bed beacuse of the monitor, so she called in and asked the nurses to set aside a telemetry unit for me.
On the way to the hospital we almost got hit by a drunk driver who passed out at the wheel in the oncoming lane beside us at some point. SO in addition to driving and making sure she would not rear end us, DH was on the phone with 911.
We got there, I fluked out another MW was there so she stayed with US and Tracy. However, the telemetry unit was not working happily, so I said I would tough it out in bed so they could get that 20 minutes strip. Baby did just fine, but I barfed like crazy during this time.
Then OB came and broke my membranes. There was meconium. It was quite green. They said I could keep labouring, but talked about oxytocin if I was not progressing any faster. I also had to stay on monitoring because of the meconium.
They got the telemetry working, and I got up to get things moving. Had a warm shower and now those ctx really hurt! I don't know how long I stayed in the shower... but at some point I was falling asleep in there and I was scared of hurting myself, so I got out. Went to the bed hoping to rest a bit. But ctx picked up.
By that point in my mind I was just imagining that hard labour continuing for hours with a baby not coming down, then getting hooked on Oxytocin, etc... Essentially I was just seeing this ending up like my first birth, so I asked for an epi.
They started to take some blood, saying it would take about an hour to an hour and 1/2 for the epi. My back was killing me. DH was applying pressure as much as he could and this really helped. He actually pressed hard enough that he had sore hands the whole day after.
I took some gas. I don't think it did much for the pain, but it helped me focus and breathe properly. I also liked focusing on the monitor while having my ctx. Seeing the numbers go down at the end was really reassuring. It the middle of this, someone came to take more blood beacuse the first sample got mislabelled or something like that ... He gave me a wicked bruise beacuse ctx were coming too fast for me to stay still. Yet I was still in denial that the end was close and I was just thinking that it would take hours still.I started to feel a little pressure, Tracy checekd me said I was almost complete and to give it a little push to see what would happen. I did and I was finally at 10! Right away I looked at her and said" "you mean THIS was transition already" ? She and DH started giggling.
I pushed my girl out in 15 minutes.
It hurt like hell, but was much easier that the crazy ctx I just had. I could feel it getting closer now. She had a nuchal hand, which did not surpise me at all. I had suspected for weeks that it would happen since I had kept feeling her little hand by her face. She also had shoulder dystocia. DH and I did not realize how stuck she was until much later because Tracy just did the manoeuvers so seamlessly. Just before coming out, her heart started to accelerate too much to everyone's liking again.At 7:33 she was out.
: : : 9lbs and 20.5 inches. Pediatrician was there for her. She was floppy for too long to my liking. I sent DH straight to her. He told me it was a girl. She was not doing so well and had aspired the mecomium. They got her breathing and on oxygen. She got taken to NICU and Daddy followed while I expelled the placenta and got stitched. Placenta took about another 15 minutes to come out. MW was really nice and just let it happen. Tracy was impressed that only tore a little. She was expecting the stuck shoulder to leave much more damage.DH picked her first name since he had gotten to know her first. She is our lucky Penny.
She needed oxygen until about 2 pm. Then stayed at NICU until Monday am to complete a round of abx because the ped was worried she could have an infection.
We are all doing well now. Penny is a very quiet baby so far and we are learning to know each other.
