My story is pretty disappointing to me, but I am dealing with it. I just am so grateful for my wonderful midwives.
All day Monday, March 22nd, I had cramps, but nothing that bad. I went to the maul to buy some last minute things and to kill time. That night, we went to see Dawn of The Dead. We got home around eleven or so.
Around midnight, I started getting real contractions. They came every seven minutes or so. I tried to sleep, but I only slept an hour that night. I wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not. I think I realized it was the real thing when I started throwing up around 5am and noticed some pink show. I got up for good around 5am and showered and stuff. I didn't wake Scott up yet because I wanted him to be well rested, so he could be there for me when I needed him.
I paged my midwife around 7 or so. She came over around nine to check me out and stuff. I was 3 cms dilated. After my exam, I had some major bloody show a couple times. I couldn't believe how much there was.
My midwife had to go do some postpartum visits, so she was going to come back around 12. She came back around 12. My contractions were 5-6 minutes apart. She checked me again, and I was 4 cms dilated. I was so excited because things were actually happening.
That afternoon, I took showers and baths to relieve pain, went for walks to get things going. It was really cold out, so I walked in the stairways, but they were dirty and dingy and depressing, so I finally went for a walk outside around 5 and the wind had died down, so it was nice out. I felt so relieved to be outside and felt so excited about my impending birth.
Around 5 or 6, my midwife checked me, and I was 5 cms dilated. I was very excited now. It was my due date and I was excited that my baby would be born on her due date (little did I know, she had other plans.)
Around 8 pm, my midwife called my secondary midwife to come stay with me while she had a break to go h ome and eat and pump.She came back around 9, and my other midwife left until I was ready to deliver.
At this point, I was still only 5 cms, which was a little discouraging, but whatever. I tried the birthing stool, and birthing ball to relieve pain. At this point, I was in a lot of pain. My contractions were every 2 minutes now.
My midwife checked me around 11 and I was still only 5 cms, so we decided to do an amniotomy to get things moving. After that, I was in a lot of pain. I thought I was dying, and doubting my ability to birth this baby.
My midwife checked me again around 2am or so, and I was still only 5 cms. I started bawling when I heard that because I was doing all that work for nothing. We decided to transfer to the hospital, so I could get pain relief and hopefully rest, so labour could get going.
The worst part of my entire labour was the transfer to the hospital. The car ride was hell. The last place I want to be is strapped in a small car when I am in that much pain. The five minute ride felt like it took forever.
We got to the hospital, and went straight to the labour and delivery room because Andrea called ahead. She took my blood, and started an iv, so I could get an epidural right away. The anaestist came and it took him a long time to put my epidural in. He kept trying and trying because he wasn't getting it in the right spot and he had to stop every time I got a contraction.
Epidural took effect, and I spent a few hours resting and drinking a whole lot of water. I have never been that thirsty in my life.
I had monitors on to check my contractions and the baby's heart rate. I had to have my temp and blood pressure checked every few minutes. At one point, my blood pressure was dangerously low, so Andrea had to turn my epidural down.
Around 5 or 6, Andrea called Lorna to the hospital, so she could home and pump and sleep and see her kids off to school, etc.
I was in a lot of pain again, so Lorna turned my epidural back up, and my blood pressure remained stable, so tht was good.
Around 10, I started feeling a lot of pressure, so Lorna checked me and I was 9 and a half cms dilated, so Lorna called Andrea to come because I would be ready to push soon.
Andrea came back and I was ready to push. At first, Lorna and Andrea held my legs while I pushed and Scott took pictures. When the baby crowned, Andrea got Scott to take my leg, so she could catch the baby. I didn't push for very long. Jocelyn was born at 11:41am after almost 36 hours of active labour.
I was so exhausted and happy and cried and cried.
It was so nice finally getting to hold her.
I delivered the placenta while Lorna checked the baby out and Scott cut her cord, etc etc.
I lost twice as much blood as I was supposed to, so they did active management, including oxytocin, and something else I forget. Anyways, that didn't work. They called in an ob/gyn to check me out, and she decided I needed a D&C, so off to OR with me. Lorna came with me, which was nice having someone I know in the room.
They could tell by the way the babys' head was shaped and by the fact that she had a bruise on her arm that her position was what prolonged my labour. The back of the head, instead of the top, was face down, and she had her left arm up beside her head.
After a couple hours, we moved to recovery. I got a semi-private room, which realy depressed me because we had requested a private, so Scott could stay overnight with me and such. The rooms were tiny. I only slept a couple hours in the hospital because I couldn't deal with someone sleeping like two feet away.
I had to stay until the next afternoon because I had to have a course of antibiotics because of the D&C to prevent infection. It was hell. The i.v. cart was huge and took up my entire side of the room. It was noisy, bright, etc.
I left the next day as soon as my anitibiotics were done. The nurses were trying to talk me into staying, but I needed to go home and sleep. Thank goodness my midwife discharged me.
As soon as I got home, my mood improved so much, and that is my abridged birth story (the one I have written down on paper is about four times as long. )
All day Monday, March 22nd, I had cramps, but nothing that bad. I went to the maul to buy some last minute things and to kill time. That night, we went to see Dawn of The Dead. We got home around eleven or so.
Around midnight, I started getting real contractions. They came every seven minutes or so. I tried to sleep, but I only slept an hour that night. I wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not. I think I realized it was the real thing when I started throwing up around 5am and noticed some pink show. I got up for good around 5am and showered and stuff. I didn't wake Scott up yet because I wanted him to be well rested, so he could be there for me when I needed him.
I paged my midwife around 7 or so. She came over around nine to check me out and stuff. I was 3 cms dilated. After my exam, I had some major bloody show a couple times. I couldn't believe how much there was.
My midwife had to go do some postpartum visits, so she was going to come back around 12. She came back around 12. My contractions were 5-6 minutes apart. She checked me again, and I was 4 cms dilated. I was so excited because things were actually happening.
That afternoon, I took showers and baths to relieve pain, went for walks to get things going. It was really cold out, so I walked in the stairways, but they were dirty and dingy and depressing, so I finally went for a walk outside around 5 and the wind had died down, so it was nice out. I felt so relieved to be outside and felt so excited about my impending birth.
Around 5 or 6, my midwife checked me, and I was 5 cms dilated. I was very excited now. It was my due date and I was excited that my baby would be born on her due date (little did I know, she had other plans.)
Around 8 pm, my midwife called my secondary midwife to come stay with me while she had a break to go h ome and eat and pump.She came back around 9, and my other midwife left until I was ready to deliver.
At this point, I was still only 5 cms, which was a little discouraging, but whatever. I tried the birthing stool, and birthing ball to relieve pain. At this point, I was in a lot of pain. My contractions were every 2 minutes now.
My midwife checked me around 11 and I was still only 5 cms, so we decided to do an amniotomy to get things moving. After that, I was in a lot of pain. I thought I was dying, and doubting my ability to birth this baby.
My midwife checked me again around 2am or so, and I was still only 5 cms. I started bawling when I heard that because I was doing all that work for nothing. We decided to transfer to the hospital, so I could get pain relief and hopefully rest, so labour could get going.
The worst part of my entire labour was the transfer to the hospital. The car ride was hell. The last place I want to be is strapped in a small car when I am in that much pain. The five minute ride felt like it took forever.
We got to the hospital, and went straight to the labour and delivery room because Andrea called ahead. She took my blood, and started an iv, so I could get an epidural right away. The anaestist came and it took him a long time to put my epidural in. He kept trying and trying because he wasn't getting it in the right spot and he had to stop every time I got a contraction.
Epidural took effect, and I spent a few hours resting and drinking a whole lot of water. I have never been that thirsty in my life.
I had monitors on to check my contractions and the baby's heart rate. I had to have my temp and blood pressure checked every few minutes. At one point, my blood pressure was dangerously low, so Andrea had to turn my epidural down.
Around 5 or 6, Andrea called Lorna to the hospital, so she could home and pump and sleep and see her kids off to school, etc.
I was in a lot of pain again, so Lorna turned my epidural back up, and my blood pressure remained stable, so tht was good.
Around 10, I started feeling a lot of pressure, so Lorna checked me and I was 9 and a half cms dilated, so Lorna called Andrea to come because I would be ready to push soon.
Andrea came back and I was ready to push. At first, Lorna and Andrea held my legs while I pushed and Scott took pictures. When the baby crowned, Andrea got Scott to take my leg, so she could catch the baby. I didn't push for very long. Jocelyn was born at 11:41am after almost 36 hours of active labour.
I was so exhausted and happy and cried and cried.
It was so nice finally getting to hold her.
I delivered the placenta while Lorna checked the baby out and Scott cut her cord, etc etc.
I lost twice as much blood as I was supposed to, so they did active management, including oxytocin, and something else I forget. Anyways, that didn't work. They called in an ob/gyn to check me out, and she decided I needed a D&C, so off to OR with me. Lorna came with me, which was nice having someone I know in the room.
They could tell by the way the babys' head was shaped and by the fact that she had a bruise on her arm that her position was what prolonged my labour. The back of the head, instead of the top, was face down, and she had her left arm up beside her head.
After a couple hours, we moved to recovery. I got a semi-private room, which realy depressed me because we had requested a private, so Scott could stay overnight with me and such. The rooms were tiny. I only slept a couple hours in the hospital because I couldn't deal with someone sleeping like two feet away.
I had to stay until the next afternoon because I had to have a course of antibiotics because of the D&C to prevent infection. It was hell. The i.v. cart was huge and took up my entire side of the room. It was noisy, bright, etc.
I left the next day as soon as my anitibiotics were done. The nurses were trying to talk me into staying, but I needed to go home and sleep. Thank goodness my midwife discharged me.
As soon as I got home, my mood improved so much, and that is my abridged birth story (the one I have written down on paper is about four times as long. )
So it did not go according to your plan, but like you said--she said her own agenda!!!
