Baby Jonah is here! 6-8-06 Birth story added... - Page 2

[SoCaliMommy]

CONGRATS Mama

[Mearaina]

Congrats!!!

[Amys1st]

congrats

[Paddington]

Birth Story...

We went to our prenatal appt and the midwife did a cervix check--I was 4 cm, could be stretched to 4 1/2. As I had been having contractions fairly regularly and been rather disappointed I decided to ignore the contractions that started after the check as I had been doing. They were semi regular but weren't hurting so I assumed they were more braxton hicks. The midwife had sent us to the pharmacy to pick up a homeopathic pill to help bring on contractions and I was supposed to use it the next morning. When I started having contractions I was to take the pills very 15 minutes for 2 hours. She wanted me to do it in the morning after having a good nights sleep. Dh was going to work a half day so that he could be home in case labor started.

We went to bed around 9 and I was dreaming and felt this horrible pain. I was on my side. I remember thinking, if this horrible pain stops this time, I will be so happy. It was a little after 11 in the evening.

I got up to go to the bathroom (of course) and kept feeling contractions. They were kind of close together so I decided to break my rule and time a few. They were 3 minutes apart--but were only lasting about 45 sec. I was supposed to go to the midwife at 5 minutes, 60 sec. After only timing them for about 15 minutes, I woke up my husband. For some reason, I figured this was really it this time and told him I thought we should call the midwife.

I called while he got the rest of the stuff in the car and she said she thought this was it and to head over to the birthing center. We go ds1 in the car, called my sister to tell her we were dropping him off and drove the 45-50 minutes to the birth center. We arrived at around 1:30. The midwife checked me and I was at 6 1/2 cm. I was really starting to have to concentrate during contractions but I was still able to stay on top of them. Dh was just starting to have to talk me through them.

My midwife wanted to check my urine but I couldn't pee. This baby was blocking my bladder something furious. I started drinking fluids to make sure I wasn't just dehydrated but an hour or so later I threw up all the water I had managed to get down. The midwife decided to put me on an IV so that I could stay hydrated. She checked me again and I was at 8 cm. I had been laboring in a semi-recline and to speed things along (as Jonah was posterior-just like my first child) my midwife decided I should turn on my side and she broke my bag of water. Of course, this started back that horrible back labor I had been hoping to avoid but it did the trick. During the contractions, the midwife or dh would push on my backside, just at my hip to counter the contraction. This helped tremendously.

I started losing my focus a bit during the contractions at this point and every once in a while got an urge to push but still had a lip and so couldn't. The midwife had an external monitor on me and started having trouble finding the baby's heart so I think she wanted me to birth as soon as possible--and as long as I was getting pushing contractions, she decided to take advantage of them. She held the lip of cervix and had me start pushing. After 19 minutes of pushing, 15 total contractions, Jonah was born. He had taken in a bit of amniotic fluid so they had to suction him pretty good. Because he had been posterior and came so fast, I had a pretty good tear that took about 40 minutes to suture up. I still felt pretty good all things considered and went home 3 hours after the birth.

[grace's voice]

Awesome story, thank you so much for sharing!

[Paddington]

Originally Posted by grace's voice

Awesome story, thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks The wonderful thing was: I was afraid having another posterior would mean another 41 hour labor like ds1 and that I wouldn't be able to make it naturally and am so grateful it ended up as 5 hours--though the last part was rather intense. And I am also grateful for finally getting the labor I wanted, drug free with my husband there and that I was able to go home so soon and be with my family and not have to hang around the hospital with bad food. And after 2 weeks, that tear is finally only a small twinge here and there--my episiotomy from my first birth took 2+ months to heal.....

Now, I just need to ensure I get the birth certificate stuff done and Los Angeles County doesn't try and make things more difficult because of not having birthed in a hospital.....

[grace's voice]

Oh wow 41 hours! Well, that's so awesome that you got the birth that you wanted and I'm glad I got to read about too. You know how it is just before you give birth, all those positive stories REALLY help so much! I'm definately nervous about the intensity. My last birth my water broke, hard labor began and she was born 3 hours later. That was a little scary! Very intense. I just keep trying to remind myself that WHATEVER happens during labor is exactly what needs to happen for my body to give me this baby... hopefully I can remember that during labor!

I'm so glad to hear you're healing well, recovery can be so hard. I know it was for me and I didn't even have an episiotomy... I just can't even imagine. My tiny 2 suture tear was hard enough. I'm such a baby.

[Paddington]

Originally Posted by grace's voice

Oh wow 41 hours! Well, that's so awesome that you got the birth that you wanted and I'm glad I got to read about too. You know how it is just before you give birth, all those positive stories REALLY help so much! I'm definately nervous about the intensity. My last birth my water broke, hard labor began and she was born 3 hours later. That was a little scary! Very intense. I just keep trying to remind myself that WHATEVER happens during labor is exactly what needs to happen for my body to give me this baby... hopefully I can remember that during labor!

I'm so glad to hear you're healing well, recovery can be so hard. I know it was for me and I didn't even have an episiotomy... I just can't even imagine. My tiny 2 suture tear was hard enough. I'm such a baby.

i wish this tear was only 2 sutures! the midwife had to use 4 suture kits to mend me! i asked her how many sutures and she just said alot! but, as i said, am feeling so much better now--2 weeks later. i can sit again!

i know you are going to do awesome though. i am looking forward to your birth story! just take it one contraction at a time and focus on them and make each one count. i know the last 6 weeks are really going to pay off for you when labor starts.

[grace's voice]

Originally Posted by Paddington

i wish this tear was only 2 sutures! the midwife had to use 4 suture kits to mend me! i asked her how many sutures and she just said alot! but, as i said, am feeling so much better now--2 weeks later. i can sit again!

i know you are going to do awesome though. i am looking forward to your birth story! just take it one contraction at a time and focus on them and make each one count. i know the last 6 weeks are really going to pay off for you when labor starts.

Thanks! : Its good to get confidence from someone who knows what labor is like. Dh tries, but this will be the first live labor he's ever even seen. He's just like, "you can do it." Well, duh, what choice do I have! What I want is to know that it'll be awesome, not just that I'll survive it! Silly men.