Warning -- this is not a happy birth story. I was hoping for a VBAC, it didn't happen... labor was long and difficult. BUT, Anna is so incredibly gorgeous and sweet. I'm completely in love.... 
She was born 6/18 at 2:32 pm and she was 7 lbs 12 oz, much smaller than I imagined. I had my water broken at 9pm the night before because I was 42 weeks along and could not remain in the care of my midwives if I went another day. I was 4cm dialated and basically started contracting right away. I labored to 8 cm by about 5am and did quite well... vocalized through contrax, had great help from Tony and my midwife and nurses. Went in the tub, etc. At 8cm I started having horrible back pain with each contraction. I was hopeful, though, that 8-10 would go quickly. Well, it didn't. By 9am I was a wreck, and still only 9cm. I was losing it, feeling like I had been in transition for hours (I had). I had no pushy feelings at all, and I knew that was a bad sign. I started saying I couldn't do it, I cried between contrax, I was giving up. They gave me a very slow drip of pitocin. This went on for many more hours. Finally at noon I was 10cm, and I started to push. It felt better but was still so incredibly painful and I was so tired. I don't remember things I said, but Tony said I was kind of delirious. I feel like my back got hit by a truck today, so I must have pushed hard. I pushed for 1 1/2 hours and we could see her head, and I could feel it. But she would NOT come down any further. The doctor came in and said we had two choices -- try the vacuum extractor once, or get a c-section. My midwife highly suggested the vacuum. Well, it sucked and did not work, and Anna may have jaundice because of it. At 2pm they all said that a cesarean was necessary. I yelled WHY IS THIS BABY NOT COMING OUT????!!! at the top of my lungs at everyone. My midwife (who had tears in her eyes) said "I don't know. Maybe she's really big, maybe she's trying to come out crooked."
Either way, at that point, I was so exhausted and in pain, that I didn't care how it ended, I just wanted it to end. They did the cesarean, and I knew right away she was not a big baby. She had a weird shaped head, so she was trying to come down with her head tilted, which probably caused my back pain and her getting lodged behind my pubic bone.
For the whole 2 days I was in the hospital I think every nurse on the floor came in to admire my laboring without pain medication throughout the whole process. They couldn't believe it and either can I. Of course, that doesn't mean I asked for "anything!!" several times...
She has beautiful dark violet eyes (seriously) and she has a little bit of dark hair. She was 21 1/2 inches long, and so she is sort of gangly in a delicious way. Long fingers, long toes, and she looks like Thor. She's very sleepy, though, and quite mellow. I have to encourage her to nurse. We go in tomorrow to get her jaundice checked and I SO hope it is down. I really don't want to deal with all the light box stuff...
She was born 6/18 at 2:32 pm and she was 7 lbs 12 oz, much smaller than I imagined. I had my water broken at 9pm the night before because I was 42 weeks along and could not remain in the care of my midwives if I went another day. I was 4cm dialated and basically started contracting right away. I labored to 8 cm by about 5am and did quite well... vocalized through contrax, had great help from Tony and my midwife and nurses. Went in the tub, etc. At 8cm I started having horrible back pain with each contraction. I was hopeful, though, that 8-10 would go quickly. Well, it didn't. By 9am I was a wreck, and still only 9cm. I was losing it, feeling like I had been in transition for hours (I had). I had no pushy feelings at all, and I knew that was a bad sign. I started saying I couldn't do it, I cried between contrax, I was giving up. They gave me a very slow drip of pitocin. This went on for many more hours. Finally at noon I was 10cm, and I started to push. It felt better but was still so incredibly painful and I was so tired. I don't remember things I said, but Tony said I was kind of delirious. I feel like my back got hit by a truck today, so I must have pushed hard. I pushed for 1 1/2 hours and we could see her head, and I could feel it. But she would NOT come down any further. The doctor came in and said we had two choices -- try the vacuum extractor once, or get a c-section. My midwife highly suggested the vacuum. Well, it sucked and did not work, and Anna may have jaundice because of it. At 2pm they all said that a cesarean was necessary. I yelled WHY IS THIS BABY NOT COMING OUT????!!! at the top of my lungs at everyone. My midwife (who had tears in her eyes) said "I don't know. Maybe she's really big, maybe she's trying to come out crooked."
Either way, at that point, I was so exhausted and in pain, that I didn't care how it ended, I just wanted it to end. They did the cesarean, and I knew right away she was not a big baby. She had a weird shaped head, so she was trying to come down with her head tilted, which probably caused my back pain and her getting lodged behind my pubic bone.
For the whole 2 days I was in the hospital I think every nurse on the floor came in to admire my laboring without pain medication throughout the whole process. They couldn't believe it and either can I. Of course, that doesn't mean I asked for "anything!!" several times...
She has beautiful dark violet eyes (seriously) and she has a little bit of dark hair. She was 21 1/2 inches long, and so she is sort of gangly in a delicious way. Long fingers, long toes, and she looks like Thor. She's very sleepy, though, and quite mellow. I have to encourage her to nurse. We go in tomorrow to get her jaundice checked and I SO hope it is down. I really don't want to deal with all the light box stuff...
Congrats! She sounds beautiful.
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enjoy your precious little girl...what beautiful color eyes!
Hugs, Ashley. I had a similar labor with Alex. I am glad to hear that she is ok and beautiful too! Hoping for a smooth recovery for you, and finding a good chiropractor!
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... and now he works for him too!
