Meade's birth story!!!!
So, I went to the OB last Tuesday for my 36 week check up and GBS test. She checked my cervix and said baby was head down, but cervix was tight and hard, and baby hadn't started dropping again. so I figured I had a while still...
Well, Wednesday around dinner time, I started feeling a little something -- strange sensations starting on my left side and wrapping around to the front and back, but only on the left side. I thought, hmm, wonder what that is? they weren't particularly regular, or if they were, it was pretty far apart so that I wasn't aware of the regularity.
At 1 a.m. I woke up with regular crampy contractions 7 min. apart. I managed to doze through some -- they really weren't bad -- and they remained 7 min. apart the whole night. In the morning I called the OB and she wasn't in the office -- it took her a while to get back to us, and she said to drink a lot of water and lay down for 2 hours to see if that would stop them (I think she thought that maybe it was just BH, but I knew it wasn't!!) We timed the contractions during that time and they continued, 7 min. apart the whole time, with varying lengths. Finally, I called her back in the afternoon -- it took her like 2 hours to get back to us -- and she said to go to L&D to get checked out. Meanwhile, DH was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, packing bags (which we hadn't done!!!) and cleaning the house!! At least ONE of us experienced "nesting"!!
When we arrived at the hospital (at 3:30), I was 3+, and the nurse could feel the bag of waters bulging through. I continued with slow, easy contractions for a few hours, at some point my water broke, and then the doc arrived around 7:30 -- she checked me and I was at 6-7 cent. The whole time I was just like, wow, this isn't bad at all! But apparently the doc was in a bad mood about something -- very out of character -- I had really liked her through the whole pregnancy, but now she comes in saying that she needed to give me pitocin to speed things along, that my contrax were still too far apart and at this rate it would take me 4 hours of pushing if they didn't speed up, and she had 25 years of experience, blah blah. Whatever. We said no, things are going well (as a first timer, I really didn't know anything, but was NOT going to have pitocin!!!) so she said she would check me again in an hour and if I hadn't progressed, she would give me the pitocin.
Our WONDERFUL labor nurse -- bless her heart, she deserves an award -- any ideas for a thank you gift for her??? saw that things were getting a little more serious and suggested that I go take a shower, which I finally did about 8:15 -- what a wonderful idea! I was in there for about 30-40 min, and when I got out, got on the toilet and immediately had the urge to push!!! DH ran to get the nurse and doc, they came in and I was fully dilated, and we were off!!!! I pushed for about 45 min. (strangely, my sister had a dream the week before that my labor was 45 min.) and he was born at 10 p.m. At the end, the doc told me to hold on after I pushed the head out, but I didn't hear her and I pushed so hard that his whole body came flying out and she literally had to catch him!!!
Wish I could have seen that!!! Unfortunately, I think that's why I tore, because I didn't stop there at the end, but I just HAD to push -- my body told me to!! It wasn't too bad of a tear -- doc said it was perfectly straight and easy to sew up -- so I shouldn't complain. And since he's so little (5 lbs. 12 oz at birth) he was "easy" to push out, I'm sure! But I think next time I'll read up on this, or maybe try perineal massage to try to avoid that.
All of the other women on the floor that night had been induced and were there since 7 a.m. that morning -- I was the last to deliver, but the nurse said I won the award for being the fastest!!!! Goes to show the efficiency of non-medicated birth (at least, in my body, it seems!)
I was amazed by the whole process and the fact that the great majority of my labor was nothing more than some menstrual cramps. My body really knew what to do -- we hadn't taken any classes yet (there's one next week -- guess I don't need it!!), but it all happened so naturally.
Best of all, DH agreed that next time we can try a birthing center with midwives!!!
I don't have the guts for homebirth (bless all of you who do, I think it's so wonderful!), but a birthing center just makes sense to me so much more than a hospital.
We are so happy and just enjoying our little guy! I'm so happy about this wonderful change in my life!!
Best wishes to all of you, and I can't wait to read the upcoming birth stories!!
Mary
So, I went to the OB last Tuesday for my 36 week check up and GBS test. She checked my cervix and said baby was head down, but cervix was tight and hard, and baby hadn't started dropping again. so I figured I had a while still...
Well, Wednesday around dinner time, I started feeling a little something -- strange sensations starting on my left side and wrapping around to the front and back, but only on the left side. I thought, hmm, wonder what that is? they weren't particularly regular, or if they were, it was pretty far apart so that I wasn't aware of the regularity.
At 1 a.m. I woke up with regular crampy contractions 7 min. apart. I managed to doze through some -- they really weren't bad -- and they remained 7 min. apart the whole night. In the morning I called the OB and she wasn't in the office -- it took her a while to get back to us, and she said to drink a lot of water and lay down for 2 hours to see if that would stop them (I think she thought that maybe it was just BH, but I knew it wasn't!!) We timed the contractions during that time and they continued, 7 min. apart the whole time, with varying lengths. Finally, I called her back in the afternoon -- it took her like 2 hours to get back to us -- and she said to go to L&D to get checked out. Meanwhile, DH was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, packing bags (which we hadn't done!!!) and cleaning the house!! At least ONE of us experienced "nesting"!!
When we arrived at the hospital (at 3:30), I was 3+, and the nurse could feel the bag of waters bulging through. I continued with slow, easy contractions for a few hours, at some point my water broke, and then the doc arrived around 7:30 -- she checked me and I was at 6-7 cent. The whole time I was just like, wow, this isn't bad at all! But apparently the doc was in a bad mood about something -- very out of character -- I had really liked her through the whole pregnancy, but now she comes in saying that she needed to give me pitocin to speed things along, that my contrax were still too far apart and at this rate it would take me 4 hours of pushing if they didn't speed up, and she had 25 years of experience, blah blah. Whatever. We said no, things are going well (as a first timer, I really didn't know anything, but was NOT going to have pitocin!!!) so she said she would check me again in an hour and if I hadn't progressed, she would give me the pitocin.
Our WONDERFUL labor nurse -- bless her heart, she deserves an award -- any ideas for a thank you gift for her??? saw that things were getting a little more serious and suggested that I go take a shower, which I finally did about 8:15 -- what a wonderful idea! I was in there for about 30-40 min, and when I got out, got on the toilet and immediately had the urge to push!!! DH ran to get the nurse and doc, they came in and I was fully dilated, and we were off!!!! I pushed for about 45 min. (strangely, my sister had a dream the week before that my labor was 45 min.) and he was born at 10 p.m. At the end, the doc told me to hold on after I pushed the head out, but I didn't hear her and I pushed so hard that his whole body came flying out and she literally had to catch him!!!
Wish I could have seen that!!! Unfortunately, I think that's why I tore, because I didn't stop there at the end, but I just HAD to push -- my body told me to!! It wasn't too bad of a tear -- doc said it was perfectly straight and easy to sew up -- so I shouldn't complain. And since he's so little (5 lbs. 12 oz at birth) he was "easy" to push out, I'm sure! But I think next time I'll read up on this, or maybe try perineal massage to try to avoid that.All of the other women on the floor that night had been induced and were there since 7 a.m. that morning -- I was the last to deliver, but the nurse said I won the award for being the fastest!!!! Goes to show the efficiency of non-medicated birth (at least, in my body, it seems!)
I was amazed by the whole process and the fact that the great majority of my labor was nothing more than some menstrual cramps. My body really knew what to do -- we hadn't taken any classes yet (there's one next week -- guess I don't need it!!), but it all happened so naturally.
Best of all, DH agreed that next time we can try a birthing center with midwives!!!
I don't have the guts for homebirth (bless all of you who do, I think it's so wonderful!), but a birthing center just makes sense to me so much more than a hospital.We are so happy and just enjoying our little guy! I'm so happy about this wonderful change in my life!!
Best wishes to all of you, and I can't wait to read the upcoming birth stories!!
Mary
to your little one!!
:
thank you for sharing!!!
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