Hi, my name is Stephanie and I am really new to these forums, been lurking around for a few days reading birth stories...I love reading them especially since I am 24 weeks pregnant with my second child, but I love reading them even when I am not pregnant. After reading so many, I finally decided I wanted to post the birth story of my first child, Elijah David who was born in a hospital on April 20th, 2003 (an Easter baby!). I had a mostly good experience with the hospital and I felt like I needed to share this to give hope to the women, like me, who had to have hospital births for financial reasons (our insurance wouldn't pay for a homebirth or birthcenter birth, and we have no money to pay out of pocket).
This is the first time I have tried to write it down and it's been almost 2 years so please bear with me.
My EDD was April 21st, 2003. On Saturday April 19th I was having contractions on and off all day, nothing regular or evenly spaced and they were pretty easy to ignore since me and my dh were doing a lot of running around and such in preparation for the upcoming birth and for Easter. I didn't really think anything of these contractions since I knew most first time mommies go over their due date, the thought never even crossed my mind that I would be holding and nursing my baby boy by the next evening. In the late afternoon we were planting radish, lettuce, and onion seeds in the garden...the day before we had broken and tilled the ground. I was still having contractions on and off, just felt like menstrual cramps, they were very tolerable and no big deal. I took a shower around 6:30pm, we had dinner and then settled in to watch Blade 2 (my dh picked it out, but it was pretty good). I had one really good contraction when the movie began, the thought crossed my mind that something might be up but then I just figured it was because of all the activity I had been doing all day. Then I had another good contraction and decided that maybe I should time it "just in case". The next one came about 20 minutes later, and was more intense...then they started to come regularly, every 20 minutes and lasting about 1 minute. It went this way the whole movie, there weren't so bad since I could watch the movie during them, but I knew something was definitely up.
We went to bed after the movie, I slept a little bit and woke up around midnight with a really good contraction, I timed some contractions, they were 10 minutes apart and still lasting about a minute...I still hadn't told my husband about them, I didn't want to alarm him unnecessarily. I got up to pee and then decided to just hang out in the shower and use the handheld sprayer on my back where all the pain was (I didn't even know until after the birth that he was posterior almost the whole time, I'm glad I didn't know as it probably would have made me worry). After about 30 minutes in the shower, I got out, dried off, peed again and walked about the house naked (I really didn't feel like clothes at this point) getting things ready to go to the hospital since I was pretty sure this was the real thing. When I had contractions I would lean face first against the wall and sway my hips back and forth and breathe and that really seemed to help. I tried to lay back down around 1:30 am, my dh woke up and I told him what was going on...he said he had pretty much guessed that was the case when he heard the shower running in the middle of the night lol...it's hard to keep anything from him, he's just way to perceptive. We laid in bed and he cuddled me and I think I actually dozed a little until around 2am when all of the sudden this weird thing happened, it was like a strange "pop" noise and a very weird sensation, at first I didn't realize that the noise came from within and asked my husband if he had heard a strange 'pop' noise...I think he thought I was crazy or something, but then I started to feel a wet trickle between my legs and realized my water must have broke. I went to the bathroom and peed and had a little blood and mucous (I assume it was my plug). My bag of waters wasn't gushing, just a little trickle, so I put on a pad and some panties. My contractions were a lot more painful now and I timed them since I hadn't done that in a while, they were now five-six minutes apart and I could not lay or sit down anymore. They stayed about 4-5 minutes apart lasting 50 sec.-1 min. for 2 hours, I paced about the house, breathed, squatted, got on all fours, swaying while leaning against the wall was just what seemed to work the best. Around 4am, I called one of the midwives (whichever was on call at the moment) and told her everything going on...she told me to come to the hospital since my water had broke. We got to the hospital at 4:30am (we only live 10 minutes away). They checked me over, I was a tight 5cm and about 80% effaced and at zero station...I just remember how impressed all the L&D nurses were with how far along I was, one said that when most women come in they are only 2-3 cm and begging for epidurals. I was slightly disappointed though because a week earlier at my midwife appointment I was already 2 cm 50% effaced and at zero station, so it didn't seem as if much more had happened.
They put us in our room and put a hep lock in my hand for an IV, that never even got used, it was just stupid and silly (I will not have it this time around) they offered me an epidural, "to let me sleep," they said, I politely but adamantly refused and they gave me no problem and didn't offer again, I thought that was really good. I puked quit a few times, from the pain, extreme pain always makes me puke...I did not like to sit or lay at all, I would just walk back and forth, and lean face first against the wall and sway my hips, I had horrible back labor. Most of the time I was in kind of a labor hypnosis, just trying to breathe and flow with the contractions and accept them and let them work, I was out of it for the most part and don't remember much other than doing a lot of internal focusing and my husband was just so good doing a lot of counter pressure massage on my lower back...the one bad thing I remember is the nurses kept making me sit every 20 minutes or so to put that stupid EFM band around my belly so they could monitor, I even remember crying and telling them to just leave me alone and that I just wanted to walk and that I couldn't sit down cause it would kill me...I'm fairly certain I was in transition at this point lol. We were admitted into the hospital at 5 am and I delivered my son at 7:17pm, the time between admission and when I began to push is mostly a big blur and I really have no recollection of time frames or anything. I do remember one thing, and that was during transition I was having the worst really horrible contractions and I remember my mind being very clear and thinking to myself to really focus and remember this pain, and to not let myself forget it, so I can remember and be prepared when I have my next baby, I can still very clearly remember that pain even now and I am glad that I do remember.
I pushed for 2 hours (he was posterior, although I didn't know it at the time, no one told me), it was stupid directed pushing while the L&D nurse counted and they also had me in a semi-reclining position and an oxygen mask (duh, don't they know that when a pregnant woman is on her back, it decreases oxygen to the baby, I didn't know that then but I know it now and I am NOT going to end up on my back again), I really hated that and it's the one thing I am not going to allow with this baby, they had me pushing and I didn't even feel the desire to push...I thought that was really stupid, and I am not going to push this time until I feel the desire to do so. But they did work with me and coach me, the pushing was a lot harder than I thought it would be, probably because he was posterior. Later on, after the birth, my midwife told me that he finally turned at the last minute and came flying out on the next push...if only he would have done that a little sooner lol, but it was okay, now that I know him I know that being posterior was just part of his little personality...he's very stubborn, non-comformist, high energy, kind of like his mother. The moment he was born they put him in my arms on my bare belly and let me hold him, he was so beautiful, not even a conehead which was surprising considering he was posterior...he was good and healthy and just so perfect...apgar score of 9 at one minute and 10 at five minutes. I started to breastfeed him even before the cord was cut, he was very alert and eager and took right to it and he even passed his meconium all over me lol, but it's ok it was still beautiful and perfect. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. I had a very slight tear that only required 2 stitches. Even though I had wanted a homebirth, I really couldn't have asked for a better hospital birth, it was a very good, very progressive hospital. They didn't even raise a fuss when I wouldn't let them give him a PKU or his first vaccinations, I just had to sign a waiver. (he still hasn't had any vaccines...shhhh, don't tell anyone as it's not very legal where I live). For a hospital birth I felt it went well, I will be having my second child in the same hospital with the same midwife and this time I have a birthplan so I get exactly what I want, my midwife has also told me they recently installed whirlpool tubs in the rooms, yippee! Thanks for reading my somewhat longwinded story, I hope it made sense and that you enjoyed it...remember, not all hospitals are bad, I think it more or less has to do with how well your midwife fits your personality and I was fortunate enough to have a midwife that was very much for natural childbirth, she helped me a lot, even taking on somewhat of a doula role at some points during my labor. I feel very fortunate and grateful, if my 2nd one goes as well as the first (despite a few problems) I will be satisfied.
This is the first time I have tried to write it down and it's been almost 2 years so please bear with me.
My EDD was April 21st, 2003. On Saturday April 19th I was having contractions on and off all day, nothing regular or evenly spaced and they were pretty easy to ignore since me and my dh were doing a lot of running around and such in preparation for the upcoming birth and for Easter. I didn't really think anything of these contractions since I knew most first time mommies go over their due date, the thought never even crossed my mind that I would be holding and nursing my baby boy by the next evening. In the late afternoon we were planting radish, lettuce, and onion seeds in the garden...the day before we had broken and tilled the ground. I was still having contractions on and off, just felt like menstrual cramps, they were very tolerable and no big deal. I took a shower around 6:30pm, we had dinner and then settled in to watch Blade 2 (my dh picked it out, but it was pretty good). I had one really good contraction when the movie began, the thought crossed my mind that something might be up but then I just figured it was because of all the activity I had been doing all day. Then I had another good contraction and decided that maybe I should time it "just in case". The next one came about 20 minutes later, and was more intense...then they started to come regularly, every 20 minutes and lasting about 1 minute. It went this way the whole movie, there weren't so bad since I could watch the movie during them, but I knew something was definitely up.
We went to bed after the movie, I slept a little bit and woke up around midnight with a really good contraction, I timed some contractions, they were 10 minutes apart and still lasting about a minute...I still hadn't told my husband about them, I didn't want to alarm him unnecessarily. I got up to pee and then decided to just hang out in the shower and use the handheld sprayer on my back where all the pain was (I didn't even know until after the birth that he was posterior almost the whole time, I'm glad I didn't know as it probably would have made me worry). After about 30 minutes in the shower, I got out, dried off, peed again and walked about the house naked (I really didn't feel like clothes at this point) getting things ready to go to the hospital since I was pretty sure this was the real thing. When I had contractions I would lean face first against the wall and sway my hips back and forth and breathe and that really seemed to help. I tried to lay back down around 1:30 am, my dh woke up and I told him what was going on...he said he had pretty much guessed that was the case when he heard the shower running in the middle of the night lol...it's hard to keep anything from him, he's just way to perceptive. We laid in bed and he cuddled me and I think I actually dozed a little until around 2am when all of the sudden this weird thing happened, it was like a strange "pop" noise and a very weird sensation, at first I didn't realize that the noise came from within and asked my husband if he had heard a strange 'pop' noise...I think he thought I was crazy or something, but then I started to feel a wet trickle between my legs and realized my water must have broke. I went to the bathroom and peed and had a little blood and mucous (I assume it was my plug). My bag of waters wasn't gushing, just a little trickle, so I put on a pad and some panties. My contractions were a lot more painful now and I timed them since I hadn't done that in a while, they were now five-six minutes apart and I could not lay or sit down anymore. They stayed about 4-5 minutes apart lasting 50 sec.-1 min. for 2 hours, I paced about the house, breathed, squatted, got on all fours, swaying while leaning against the wall was just what seemed to work the best. Around 4am, I called one of the midwives (whichever was on call at the moment) and told her everything going on...she told me to come to the hospital since my water had broke. We got to the hospital at 4:30am (we only live 10 minutes away). They checked me over, I was a tight 5cm and about 80% effaced and at zero station...I just remember how impressed all the L&D nurses were with how far along I was, one said that when most women come in they are only 2-3 cm and begging for epidurals. I was slightly disappointed though because a week earlier at my midwife appointment I was already 2 cm 50% effaced and at zero station, so it didn't seem as if much more had happened.
They put us in our room and put a hep lock in my hand for an IV, that never even got used, it was just stupid and silly (I will not have it this time around) they offered me an epidural, "to let me sleep," they said, I politely but adamantly refused and they gave me no problem and didn't offer again, I thought that was really good. I puked quit a few times, from the pain, extreme pain always makes me puke...I did not like to sit or lay at all, I would just walk back and forth, and lean face first against the wall and sway my hips, I had horrible back labor. Most of the time I was in kind of a labor hypnosis, just trying to breathe and flow with the contractions and accept them and let them work, I was out of it for the most part and don't remember much other than doing a lot of internal focusing and my husband was just so good doing a lot of counter pressure massage on my lower back...the one bad thing I remember is the nurses kept making me sit every 20 minutes or so to put that stupid EFM band around my belly so they could monitor, I even remember crying and telling them to just leave me alone and that I just wanted to walk and that I couldn't sit down cause it would kill me...I'm fairly certain I was in transition at this point lol. We were admitted into the hospital at 5 am and I delivered my son at 7:17pm, the time between admission and when I began to push is mostly a big blur and I really have no recollection of time frames or anything. I do remember one thing, and that was during transition I was having the worst really horrible contractions and I remember my mind being very clear and thinking to myself to really focus and remember this pain, and to not let myself forget it, so I can remember and be prepared when I have my next baby, I can still very clearly remember that pain even now and I am glad that I do remember.
I pushed for 2 hours (he was posterior, although I didn't know it at the time, no one told me), it was stupid directed pushing while the L&D nurse counted and they also had me in a semi-reclining position and an oxygen mask (duh, don't they know that when a pregnant woman is on her back, it decreases oxygen to the baby, I didn't know that then but I know it now and I am NOT going to end up on my back again), I really hated that and it's the one thing I am not going to allow with this baby, they had me pushing and I didn't even feel the desire to push...I thought that was really stupid, and I am not going to push this time until I feel the desire to do so. But they did work with me and coach me, the pushing was a lot harder than I thought it would be, probably because he was posterior. Later on, after the birth, my midwife told me that he finally turned at the last minute and came flying out on the next push...if only he would have done that a little sooner lol, but it was okay, now that I know him I know that being posterior was just part of his little personality...he's very stubborn, non-comformist, high energy, kind of like his mother. The moment he was born they put him in my arms on my bare belly and let me hold him, he was so beautiful, not even a conehead which was surprising considering he was posterior...he was good and healthy and just so perfect...apgar score of 9 at one minute and 10 at five minutes. I started to breastfeed him even before the cord was cut, he was very alert and eager and took right to it and he even passed his meconium all over me lol, but it's ok it was still beautiful and perfect. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. I had a very slight tear that only required 2 stitches. Even though I had wanted a homebirth, I really couldn't have asked for a better hospital birth, it was a very good, very progressive hospital. They didn't even raise a fuss when I wouldn't let them give him a PKU or his first vaccinations, I just had to sign a waiver. (he still hasn't had any vaccines...shhhh, don't tell anyone as it's not very legal where I live). For a hospital birth I felt it went well, I will be having my second child in the same hospital with the same midwife and this time I have a birthplan so I get exactly what I want, my midwife has also told me they recently installed whirlpool tubs in the rooms, yippee! Thanks for reading my somewhat longwinded story, I hope it made sense and that you enjoyed it...remember, not all hospitals are bad, I think it more or less has to do with how well your midwife fits your personality and I was fortunate enough to have a midwife that was very much for natural childbirth, she helped me a lot, even taking on somewhat of a doula role at some points during my labor. I feel very fortunate and grateful, if my 2nd one goes as well as the first (despite a few problems) I will be satisfied.
