Quote:
Originally Posted by
jodieanneanton 
What were your previous labors/births like? How would you like this one to go?
My first one was super fast. I used hypno birthing. My only complaint was when I called my doula and asked her to come to my house, as we had talked about, she told me to call her when we headed to the hospital. Have a few beefs with this doula and we didn't use her for the 2nd one. So, we finally go to the hospital and I'm only at 2cm. I'm using the hypno-birthing techniques and really focusing inward, but they have to get the IV in, then they have to monitor you for 20 mins before you're allowed to go to intermittent. This was TORTURE. Meanwhile, I'm keeping very quiet, with my eyes closed really focusing on the hypnobirthing techniques. They finally get the IV in (or so they think) after 1.5 of poking and the nurse decides to check me since it had been 2 hours and I was quiet. I was at 10. Then she sprang into action. I didn't feel the need to push, but this was my first labor, so when they start telling me to push, I did. But, it really took another hour before I felt the urge and baby was born after "2 hours" of pushing. My water actually broke right before he crowned. 5 lbs 7 oz, he was a little guy. I had some blood pressure issues and he was born at 38 weeks. The blood pressure was what my doctor attributed to the smaller size. They wouldn't take the IV out until I pointed out that nothing had dripped into me and than the post partum nurse just yanked it out. That, and I threatened to pull it out on my own since I couldn't push myself up on the bed. Nursing was horrendous, I didn't know to unwrap the baby buritto and listened to each person who walked into the room and told me I was doing it wrong without bothering to listen that the last person had corrected me to do what I was doing before they walked in. Baby latched on once, a nurse broke the latch and he wouldn't latch on, again, until he was 6 weeks old.
Second labor was less pleasant. The first one went so fast that the doctor was there at the start. I went in at 4cm and went fast to 9.5. Stayed at 9.5 for about 6 hours, which was not fun.The broke my water, they made me go from intermittent to constant monitoring. They made me use internal monitoring. And I could tell that the doctor was thinking C/S at that 6 hour point. I wanted to be awake for the birth since I could tell he was getting nervous, so asked for an epi, which they jumped on REALLY fast, as in minutes from my request (I think the guy was outside waiting). Getting into the position for the epi was what it took to get that last bit out of the way. I sat up after that and told them it was time to push and then the doctor sent the surgery team away. I wish someone had turned off the epi at that point (as was in my birth plan) but I wasn't thinking of it and no one did. 1/2-way through pushing I had to be directed and the epi fully kicked in once she was born. 45 minutes of pushing. 8 lbs 9 oz, born on her due date (by my chart, not my LMP). She had her hand near her face with the cord holding it up there, which explained why it took so long at the end to reach 10. This time, I didn't let them take her off my chest until she fell asleep. She nursed within 20 minutes of being born and actually started to have those BF poos before we left the next morning.
This time I am planning a home birth. If I do end up in the hospital, I will be much more vocal. It frustrated me that my plan was ignored even though everyone was aware of it, especially near the end. I really needed my doula and my husband to be more vocal about some things, like the epi being turned off or the baby not being taken from my chest (my son), but I think hubby was scared when I finally got the epi for the 2nd one because they "thought" they weren't telling me where I was headed but I could hear everything, even the stuff out in the hall.
Edited by Melany - 1/11/13 at 6:06am
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