Announcing Calliope Wren, born 9/18/09 (I'm a bit late in posting...), 7lbs 15 oz, 20 in. long
Didn't get a homebirth, which we knew wasn't in the cards a few days before her birth, when my BP started to rise and rise and rise...Even tho' only one set of tests came back positive for PIH/Pre-e, that one was OFF the charts, so we dashed to hospital to be induced. Was reallllllly stressful convincing them to admit me, even tho' I was preregistered (they weren't thrilled that my midwife had told me to go to hosp).
Induction didn't really work (very low dose of Pit, plus cervical ripener), but oooee, once my/her waters broke naturally, we were off & running. It was by FAR much more painful and awful and panic-inducing than my last, natural birth. Not sure why. (Very fast, too, maybe that was it.) I actually asked for an epidural, which surprised me, but, even more telling, I was fine w/it!!
The birth part, however, was great!! And ,honestly, I didn't miss the "ring of fire" feeling or feel bad about the weirdness of pushing w/an epi. The CNM, whom I had been seeing, had just had a baby at home, and my midwifery team was there; all that might have helped. My husband caught her, I reached down to scoop her onto my tummy, and the placenta hung out inside me, cord a beauuuuuutiful blue & pulsing, for about 30 minutes, and we all just chatted and hung out. Unheard of in that hosp! (Getting the placenta to take home was more of a challenge, but we managed that, too)
The day my m/w told me we had to rush into the hosp, I was sooooooooooooooooooo sad and upset about losing the homebirth. But, obviously, I was really sick and getting worse, and that wasn't what I wanted, either! I'm sure the feelings of disappointment & grief will hit later (no do-overs ,so to speak: I'm 41, and DONE!), and it was awful that my 4 yr old DS kept stroking my face saying, you're sad bec you have to go into the hosp and I'm sad bec I wanted to see the birth....But, I'm grateful I didn't develop full-blown eclampsia or HELLP, and that's what matters, for sure. [And, given the scene at the hosp, I'm glad DS wasn't there.]
Now to get my BP down...will be on meds for a long, long time....Still not out of the woods, but ever more hopeful w/each day.
Happy babies, everyone!
Didn't get a homebirth, which we knew wasn't in the cards a few days before her birth, when my BP started to rise and rise and rise...Even tho' only one set of tests came back positive for PIH/Pre-e, that one was OFF the charts, so we dashed to hospital to be induced. Was reallllllly stressful convincing them to admit me, even tho' I was preregistered (they weren't thrilled that my midwife had told me to go to hosp).
Induction didn't really work (very low dose of Pit, plus cervical ripener), but oooee, once my/her waters broke naturally, we were off & running. It was by FAR much more painful and awful and panic-inducing than my last, natural birth. Not sure why. (Very fast, too, maybe that was it.) I actually asked for an epidural, which surprised me, but, even more telling, I was fine w/it!!
The birth part, however, was great!! And ,honestly, I didn't miss the "ring of fire" feeling or feel bad about the weirdness of pushing w/an epi. The CNM, whom I had been seeing, had just had a baby at home, and my midwifery team was there; all that might have helped. My husband caught her, I reached down to scoop her onto my tummy, and the placenta hung out inside me, cord a beauuuuuutiful blue & pulsing, for about 30 minutes, and we all just chatted and hung out. Unheard of in that hosp! (Getting the placenta to take home was more of a challenge, but we managed that, too)
The day my m/w told me we had to rush into the hosp, I was sooooooooooooooooooo sad and upset about losing the homebirth. But, obviously, I was really sick and getting worse, and that wasn't what I wanted, either! I'm sure the feelings of disappointment & grief will hit later (no do-overs ,so to speak: I'm 41, and DONE!), and it was awful that my 4 yr old DS kept stroking my face saying, you're sad bec you have to go into the hosp and I'm sad bec I wanted to see the birth....But, I'm grateful I didn't develop full-blown eclampsia or HELLP, and that's what matters, for sure. [And, given the scene at the hosp, I'm glad DS wasn't there.]
Now to get my BP down...will be on meds for a long, long time....Still not out of the woods, but ever more hopeful w/each day.
Happy babies, everyone!
