Oh...wow...hey! *UPDATE! page 2* Guinevere Mina Briton is here :) - Page 2

[PinkPixie]

Wondering the same thing too. Haven't had any news for a few days.
I hope everything is going well for you Renee

[Titus2fam]

Anxious here too.... (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[nighten]

Hi all -- am utterly exhausted but wanted to give an update (and am nak so typing will be poor sorry)


After my "gee I'm handling this great" post i decided to take a bath to slow things down a wee bit for to sleep.

theory good -- reality bad. Bath was very nice but as soon as I got out the contrax went absolutely ballistic. Have never considered that level of pain even existed, honestly. I woke up DH, put on a brave face, kept up with my breathing while he applied counter pressure, etc, but then the vomiting started...and things got really bad after that.

My m/w came over around 2:00am or so and checked me -- I was 100% effaced but only dilated 2-3. But I couldnt stop shaking nor vomiting, even though there wasn't anything but water/gatorade in me. I was so confused by that point I was afraid I was in transition already. Obviously not. And things got worse. Anyway, by 4:00 I couldn't do anything -- the contrax were piggybacked on top of one another, and lasting over a minute and I couldnt get up off the bathroom floor -- I'd vomit and then two contrax would hit and if it weren't for my husband's incredible help I truly think something very bad would have happened.

M/w came back sometime around 4am and said it was time to go to the birth center (I was 4-5cm at that point but in really bad shape apparently -- dehydrated from being sick?). From that point it took us nearly two hours for me to be able to put on socks and a shirt and make it into the car. (Dh had aleady loaded our stuff -- I literally could not move when the contrax would hit. And they wouldn't stop hitting.)

i have never been so utterly overwhelmed and out of control in in my life. Doesn't matter how many books you read nor classes you take -- no birthing tool nor coping mechanism -- no matter how effective in coping with contractions -- works when it comes to vomiting. And the phenergan I took around 2 either did nothing or was promptly upchucked.

I really think I could have handled the labor pains bettter had I not been wracked over every 5 minutes. Let me tell you -- that sucked more than anything has ever remotely sucked in all my 37 years.

We somehow managed to make it to the birth center and into a room and I was crying and on the floor with my head in a bucket, begging them to give me an epidural because I didn't want to take anything (even for the nausea) that would affect the baby at that point, and the nurses were incredible: they helped me breathe. They got me hydrated again. They were precious and supportive and helped me until sometime that morning when the wonderful miracle man with the giant needle came.

Thank God for these people. Immediately, I was able to breathe again and the vomiting stopped. It just...stopped.

Turns out it was the pain causing it and once the pain was numbed, so was the nausea.

And I was finally able to have some reprieve. Truly, the labor had been bearable for the first 8 hours but after that bath, and once I started getting sick, it went beyond my ability to cope. I had forgotten what the purpose was. All I knew was I would die if something didn't stop. And that scared me.

But once the medication took effect, I was able to focus again. I still felt pain and pressure but it was NOTHING like before. And the nausea was gone.

I could hold my husband's hand, and talk to my mom, and I remebered there was a BABY coming! There was purpose to the pain! And once more I was able to cope.

So after 20 hours of labor (21 hours since my water first broke) the pushing began and lasted 26 minutes, with no pain meds at that point at all and no episiotomy. But the pain of pushing was a relief. It was driven and necessary but not torturous. And I wasn't alone. The baby was helping me.

And at 2:26pm, on 04/05/06, Guinevere Mina Briton <LN> was born. She weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and measured 19-1/2" in length. It was a gorgeous sunny spring day outside and she was born with blue eyes and blonde hair.

And the tiniest eyelashes you've ever seen.

But when she was born, the cord was wrapped around her neck and she was blue/gray. They laid her on me for a few seconds but then whisked her away. I was scared but then I started hemorrhaging. Things got pretty bad actually -- I told my husband to go to the baby and he did, not knowing I was about to faint. The m/w was able to get the placenta out in time but I lost a shitload of blood apparently.

And yet despite the scary stuff at the very end, we both ended up okay. It took some time and Winnie and I (and DH too of course) had to stay in the hospital longer than we'd hoped but we're home now, and working on BFing and sleeping.

So here I sit, late at night, a grand total of 12 hours of sleep since Tuesday night, and I am in awe and overwhelmed and amazed by this gorgeous little person that was inside me once but is now here in my arms. And I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to experience both the natural and medically-assisted aspects of her birth. I consider myself incredibly lucky in the end because things could have gone very badly for both me and my little girl, but my m/w (who is an angel straight from heaven) and precious husband and incredible medical staff at teh birthcenter kept us safe and sane and somehow we all managed to get through it and come out alive and kicking.

I think she's gorgeous. But I'm prejudiced like that.

<hugs>
-Renee

[KKmama]

Well let me be the first to say congratulations! She's beautiful! What a powerful birth story!

[AdinaL]

Congrats Renee!

[Stayathomemommy]

she is so cute!!! gosh, your story made me scared to go through it but once i saw the pictures of that sweet baby i got excited all over again for my labor to start so i can get it over with and have my baby in my arms too.

congrats. you did a great job through everything!!!

[FreeSpiritMama]

Congratulations Renee, she is absolutely gorgeous :

[mariank]

Congratulations Renee! She is really beautiful. Thanks for sharing your story. Marian

[PinkPixie]

She is so cute! Congratulations!:

[Black Orchid]

OMG, she IS gorgeous!!!! What a beautiful, perfect pink complexion!!! Good thing you were at the BC because if you had been at the hospital, I guarantee you the nurses would have wanted to keep her to themselves

Congrats Renee and welcome sweetheart!!!!

[Titus2fam]

OH Renee~I'm in tears! and she's BEAUTIFUL! *CONGRATULATIONS!* I love the awe in having her with you now~PTL! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[ZenMamaJen]

What a gorgeous baby!
Congratulations!

[BethSLP]

Soooo pretty!

Congrats mama!!

XOXO
B

[2+twins]

Wow! What an experience! You did great, mama! Beautiful baby you have there!

[celestialdreamer]

Guinevere is beautiful! Congrats Renee! I am so happy for you!!!

[thismama]

I'm not in your birth club, but congratulations! What a great thread.. the updates you were able to do were amazing.

I hear you about the pain. It's different for everyone from what I gather, but for me it was agonizing. Only an incredible amount of counterpressure helped. It's not like they tell you in the books, IME!

I'm glad your beautiful daughter is here, and you both are well!

[hannahi]

Congratulations, Renee! What an empowering birth story!

[Jennah_Gole]

Congratulations!! I am glad baby and you are doing well.

[kyle98sean02]

Renee, she is beautiful! Congrats

[Citykid]

Renee,

I'm late, but...congrats! She is beautiful. It sounds like you did a great job using all the resources available to you wisely to have the best birth possible.