Sorry - it's a bit of a horror story (for me at least) so beware!
Joseph Scott was born this morning at 7:12 a.m. via c-section, 8lbs, 1oz, 20inches. He looks exactly like his older brother except for a full head of dark hair!
So after my water broke the other night, contractions picked up yesterday at around noon. My mw/doula came over with some back and blue cohosh and checked to make sure baby's head was down, which it was, but he wasn't fully into the pelvis, so she recommended lifting my belly up and in with each contraction,.
I had a regular OB appt and NST scheduled at 2pm already, so I went to that and was hooked up to the monitor for 30 min, though I think it was broken because it really didn't show much. I was having ctx like 5 min apart at that time. The OB (of course it was the one I don't like who was on call) checked me and I was 3 cm, and babys head still floating. The OB gave me a "pep talk" that basically said she wasn't hopeful for this VBAC but that she'd "do everything we can". Yeah right. I hate this woman.
Anyway, they wanted me to go straight to the hospital and I asked that the mw be attending me instead of OB-witch and she said she'd be fine with it and be over later, so we headed over. My mw/doula met me there and I was still having ctx about 3 min apart, and getting more intense. I was hooked up to ANOTHER monitor because the OB had said she "didn't like the looks of my last one" (remember, it was probably broken?). My husband was awesome at this point, just rocking with me and doing light massage etc.
It went on like this for hours - at one point they rechecked me and I was only 4cm and the baby was only at maybe -3 station. Basically he wasn't putting any pressure on my cervix to open me up. The mw from the ob's office finally came around 8 and checked me again a bit later - back to 3cm and still -4 station. Ugh! Contrax were only slightly bearable and I wasn't even considered to be in active labor! Plus they kept me hooked up to the monitor pretty much constantly so I wasn't able to walk around as much, but they were concerned that the baby wasn't responding to the contractions like he should. So of course that totally worried me and now I'm convinced something's wrong with the baby, since they said that an even heart rate like his could be an early warning sign that he's in distress.
I think thats when I started to lose it. I was just so convinced that I was going to go through the same thing as last time; that I would labor and labor and labor for nothing - no progress, and end up having an emergency section when the baby finally gets distresed. I was about to throw in the towel, but we had a discussion about my options and decided that we would try an epidural with the hope that it would relax my abdominal muscles enough to allow him to descend, get some rest (I was exhausted and hadn't eaten), and see how things were in the am. And at that point I just about knew I'd be facing a c-sec, but was just grateful for the prospect of sleep. They did the epi (my DH passed out, poor thing - luckily he was sitting in a chair at the anesthesiologist's request), and it totally sucked, but I got some relief from the ctx. The catheter though I could totally feel and it was soooo uncomfortable.
I got a bit of rest (hard to do with beeping monitor and super tight bp cuff and a DH that snores...) and in the morning OB came back and I was still only 3cm and she couldn't even feel the head AT ALL anymore. He'd retreated! We decided on the section.
THAT part...was even worse than all the rest. I don't remember much from my 1st but I know it was way better than this one. First I was shivering so badly from the IV and being scared, crying because I was so disappointed, and scared out if my mind. The anesthesiologist advanced the epidural for full-force, and I could still move my legs so I was a wee bit concerned about that, and they were already cutting before my DH even got there. And then, a few minutes in, I FELT something. I felt like someone had stabbed me from inside my incision DOWN into my pelvis/vagina. OMG. I started screaming, it was so painful, and the anesthesiologist gave me some super mix of drugs that numbed me and made me stop shivering. And then...I started to trip. I hallucinated dying, all sorts of blood and crazy horrible stuff...I opened my eyes at one point and could barely talk but I told DH that I was dying. I couln't keep my eyes open, I had no idea what was going on with the baby, alhtough I could hear a baby crying I thought I was dreaming it. It swas pretty awful. They finally finished and I managed to keep my eyes open for a brief glimpse of my son, and then I fell asleep.
...more later!
sorry, nak attempt....
anyway, a while later i was in a recovery room and was managing to keep my eyes open long enough to see my DH, MIL and mw/doula. They even brought in Joey and we tried nursing but he was too sleepy. I could finally see that he's healthy, beautiful, and a pretty all-around laid-back guy! I'm just glad it's OVER. Really nothing went the way I envisioned except of course the outcome - my handsome son! I'll be in the hospital until Sun. They're great here - encourage rooming in, bf'ing, etc and every one of the nurses is super sweet. The little man has latched on sucessfully twice for good 15-min feedings! Hoping to continue this pattern - nd get him on my right boob cuz he's only been good with Leftilda. It'll be easier for me tomorrow when they take my IV out of my arm...
and thanks to all for thecongrats on the post by my ddc buddy hipmummy!
Joseph Scott was born this morning at 7:12 a.m. via c-section, 8lbs, 1oz, 20inches. He looks exactly like his older brother except for a full head of dark hair!
So after my water broke the other night, contractions picked up yesterday at around noon. My mw/doula came over with some back and blue cohosh and checked to make sure baby's head was down, which it was, but he wasn't fully into the pelvis, so she recommended lifting my belly up and in with each contraction,.
I had a regular OB appt and NST scheduled at 2pm already, so I went to that and was hooked up to the monitor for 30 min, though I think it was broken because it really didn't show much. I was having ctx like 5 min apart at that time. The OB (of course it was the one I don't like who was on call) checked me and I was 3 cm, and babys head still floating. The OB gave me a "pep talk" that basically said she wasn't hopeful for this VBAC but that she'd "do everything we can". Yeah right. I hate this woman.
Anyway, they wanted me to go straight to the hospital and I asked that the mw be attending me instead of OB-witch and she said she'd be fine with it and be over later, so we headed over. My mw/doula met me there and I was still having ctx about 3 min apart, and getting more intense. I was hooked up to ANOTHER monitor because the OB had said she "didn't like the looks of my last one" (remember, it was probably broken?). My husband was awesome at this point, just rocking with me and doing light massage etc.
It went on like this for hours - at one point they rechecked me and I was only 4cm and the baby was only at maybe -3 station. Basically he wasn't putting any pressure on my cervix to open me up. The mw from the ob's office finally came around 8 and checked me again a bit later - back to 3cm and still -4 station. Ugh! Contrax were only slightly bearable and I wasn't even considered to be in active labor! Plus they kept me hooked up to the monitor pretty much constantly so I wasn't able to walk around as much, but they were concerned that the baby wasn't responding to the contractions like he should. So of course that totally worried me and now I'm convinced something's wrong with the baby, since they said that an even heart rate like his could be an early warning sign that he's in distress.
I think thats when I started to lose it. I was just so convinced that I was going to go through the same thing as last time; that I would labor and labor and labor for nothing - no progress, and end up having an emergency section when the baby finally gets distresed. I was about to throw in the towel, but we had a discussion about my options and decided that we would try an epidural with the hope that it would relax my abdominal muscles enough to allow him to descend, get some rest (I was exhausted and hadn't eaten), and see how things were in the am. And at that point I just about knew I'd be facing a c-sec, but was just grateful for the prospect of sleep. They did the epi (my DH passed out, poor thing - luckily he was sitting in a chair at the anesthesiologist's request), and it totally sucked, but I got some relief from the ctx. The catheter though I could totally feel and it was soooo uncomfortable.
I got a bit of rest (hard to do with beeping monitor and super tight bp cuff and a DH that snores...) and in the morning OB came back and I was still only 3cm and she couldn't even feel the head AT ALL anymore. He'd retreated! We decided on the section.
THAT part...was even worse than all the rest. I don't remember much from my 1st but I know it was way better than this one. First I was shivering so badly from the IV and being scared, crying because I was so disappointed, and scared out if my mind. The anesthesiologist advanced the epidural for full-force, and I could still move my legs so I was a wee bit concerned about that, and they were already cutting before my DH even got there. And then, a few minutes in, I FELT something. I felt like someone had stabbed me from inside my incision DOWN into my pelvis/vagina. OMG. I started screaming, it was so painful, and the anesthesiologist gave me some super mix of drugs that numbed me and made me stop shivering. And then...I started to trip. I hallucinated dying, all sorts of blood and crazy horrible stuff...I opened my eyes at one point and could barely talk but I told DH that I was dying. I couln't keep my eyes open, I had no idea what was going on with the baby, alhtough I could hear a baby crying I thought I was dreaming it. It swas pretty awful. They finally finished and I managed to keep my eyes open for a brief glimpse of my son, and then I fell asleep.
...more later!
sorry, nak attempt....
anyway, a while later i was in a recovery room and was managing to keep my eyes open long enough to see my DH, MIL and mw/doula. They even brought in Joey and we tried nursing but he was too sleepy. I could finally see that he's healthy, beautiful, and a pretty all-around laid-back guy! I'm just glad it's OVER. Really nothing went the way I envisioned except of course the outcome - my handsome son! I'll be in the hospital until Sun. They're great here - encourage rooming in, bf'ing, etc and every one of the nurses is super sweet. The little man has latched on sucessfully twice for good 15-min feedings! Hoping to continue this pattern - nd get him on my right boob cuz he's only been good with Leftilda. It'll be easier for me tomorrow when they take my IV out of my arm...
and thanks to all for thecongrats on the post by my ddc buddy hipmummy!
s. Please rest.....You poor thing....what a traumatic ordeal Thankfully you have a beautiful baby boy to make things a little smoother.
:
