I have learned so much from reading everyones birth stories that I feel it wouldn't be fair to not post my own 
My due date with Adalyn was October 14th. Well, it came and went with no sign of anything exciting. The past few weeks had been stressful and I was running out of optimism. I had been seeing a great CNM at a freestanding birth center and at my 36 wk visit they were unable to tell if the baby was breach or vertex. I was sent in for an ultrasound at a neighboring hospital and immediately told that she was "much too small" and threatened with induction. Of course this put a big damper on my spirit and also gave me a much needed boost of anger to decide I wasn't going back for a follow up ultrasound and that it was time to start trusting my body.
My midwife put me on a diet of milkshakes and movies and said to take it easy I was happy.
At 40 wks they swept my membranes and told me to start with the evening primrose oil in hopes of not having to go back to the hospital practice for a nonstress test because I was over my "mark".
On thursday the 20th I felt the first BH contractions of the entire pregnancy. I was so excited! Something was going on! Can you tell I was a first time mom?
On friday the 21st at 2pm I was hit with a combination of two things. First a real contraction that made me sweat and caused my neice to ask "Why is your face so red?" and the second was a major ego blow. All along I had been told the first contractions will feel like mild menstrual cramps. Obviously not to everyone
I decided to take my mind off of the early labor since ctxs were 10 mins apart. I set up an apt. to get my hair colored and had my hubby call in to let his boss know he wouldn't be coming into work that night. So we jumped in the car with huge grins on our faces and drove to the mall. On the way home from the mall (6pm) contractions were light and about 8-10 min apart. We went to walmart on the way home and got popcicles and juice to take to the the birth center. Next stop was to my chiro. for a quick adjustment before I was postpartum. We got home around 8pm and decided to try and watch a movie. I got out my exercise ball and sat on that in front of the TV rocking back and forth and walking around the living room for a while between ctxs. (2am) Ryan soon became intruiged with the movie and I told him I was going to lay down and try and get some rest. At this point ctxs were about 5-8 min apart and starting to pick up in intensity. I remember thinking "why didn't anyone tell that it was going to feel like this". If only I knew there were no words for it...
The second I layed down I had a ctx and realized there was no way I was going to be able to lat down thru these and there was no way I was doing to get any sleep. Ryan heard me in the bedroom and I saw jump over the couch to my rescue and hold me through the ctx. I decided to check in with the midwife on call. She told me that because we had an hour drive to go ahead and come in. She would meet us there at 3:30. Contractions were about 6 min apart on the way there and this being my first labor thought to myself "oh, the end must be near."
As soon as we got to the BC my contractions all but stoped.
I didn't realize at the time that I was very self consious of anyone seeing me handle a contraction. This was a problem that I hadn't thought of. I was 3-4 and about 80%.
At 6am nothing had changed. I was told receive a shot of nubain to get some rest because it was going to be a long labor or go home and come back. There was NO way I was driving back home. I got the shot at 6:30 and slept between contractions until 10 am. My mom and MIL brought Ryan and me breakfast about then. It was nice to eat and I felt so much better with the few hours of rest.
It was at about 12pm when all of the nubain was gone and active labor hit. I held Ryan while we stood outside of the BC and cried silently when I contraction would come. My mom who had never experienced a natural labor tried making conversation with me and I remember getting upset that she offered no active support and decided to go back to my room and shut myself in. Finally I was progressing. I was checked and was 6-7, 100%.
At about 2pm I got in the tub with Ryan and really enjoyed the warm water. Contractions were right on top of eachother and I wasn't getting much of a break. I started to panic at the thought that it could get even harder.
I got out of the tub and shut myself in the bathroom in the dark. I labored on the toilet and hit major transition. Lots of bloody show and waves of nausea swept over me. I haven't figued this out yet but for some reason I didn't get a break between contractions. There was a stabing pain in my left side that was much worse than the ctxs themselves that never vanished.
4pm: Back in the tub and was 9cm and strechy. My water broke during the exam and a contraction hit that had me screaming. My midwife looked discouraged and told me that my cervix went back to 7cm when my water broke. I was so upset. I knew I could not do this for hours more. She told me to get out of the tub and lay on my left side so that a cervical lip could melt away. This made everything 10X more painful. At this point I remember fading in and out of labor land and refusing to listen to any instuctions. I screamed with every contraction.
At 8pm I was complete again and finally feeling pressure. I started giving grunty pushes with my contractions and for the first time the pain completely subsided. All I felt was pressure!!! It was so wonderful. I pushed laying on my left side and began to worry that I had to use the bathroom from all of the pressure. I couldn't believe how intense it was. I felt myself starting to burn and reached down to see if I could feel her head. I could!! It was covered in tons of soft hair! I was so excited she would have hair!
My mom, MIL, SIL, and grandmother came into the room at this point to see the birth and couldn't care a bit who was around. I was so out of it! I was really enjoying pushing and kept saying to myself "push past the pain". With the next push her head was out! Talk about relief!!! It felt so good. With the next push she was born at 8:52pm. Ryan caught her and put her on my tummy because her cord was short. They went ahead and clamped it (I'm guessing because it was so short). This made me laugh because at the ultrasound the monster- oops, I mean Dr. had made the comment that there was so much cord and surely it would cause problems during the labor.
Ryan held Adalyn while I recieve two stiches for a minor tear and everyone else went out into the waiting area to tell the rest of my family about our new little girl.
She was 7lbs 4oz and 20.5 in.
She nursed for a while and then we packed up to head home.
Looking back on the experience there are a lot of things I'm planning differently for this birth. One, I'm planning a homebirth in hopes of letting my labor progress naturaly without me feeling insecure about others seeing me labor. I don't want to be checked for progress and would like more control of the positions I labor in. I am scared of having another 32hr labor and not having breaks while in active labor. These are issues that I am sorting out with my midwife and I am praying for a successful labor and birth and a healthy baby boy. Due Sept 07.
My due date with Adalyn was October 14th. Well, it came and went with no sign of anything exciting. The past few weeks had been stressful and I was running out of optimism. I had been seeing a great CNM at a freestanding birth center and at my 36 wk visit they were unable to tell if the baby was breach or vertex. I was sent in for an ultrasound at a neighboring hospital and immediately told that she was "much too small" and threatened with induction. Of course this put a big damper on my spirit and also gave me a much needed boost of anger to decide I wasn't going back for a follow up ultrasound and that it was time to start trusting my body.
My midwife put me on a diet of milkshakes and movies and said to take it easy
I was happy.At 40 wks they swept my membranes and told me to start with the evening primrose oil in hopes of not having to go back to the hospital practice for a nonstress test because I was over my "mark".
On thursday the 20th I felt the first BH contractions of the entire pregnancy. I was so excited! Something was going on! Can you tell I was a first time mom?
On friday the 21st at 2pm I was hit with a combination of two things. First a real contraction that made me sweat and caused my neice to ask "Why is your face so red?" and the second was a major ego blow. All along I had been told the first contractions will feel like mild menstrual cramps. Obviously not to everyone
I decided to take my mind off of the early labor since ctxs were 10 mins apart. I set up an apt. to get my hair colored and had my hubby call in to let his boss know he wouldn't be coming into work that night. So we jumped in the car with huge grins on our faces and drove to the mall. On the way home from the mall (6pm) contractions were light and about 8-10 min apart. We went to walmart on the way home and got popcicles and juice to take to the the birth center. Next stop was to my chiro. for a quick adjustment before I was postpartum. We got home around 8pm and decided to try and watch a movie. I got out my exercise ball and sat on that in front of the TV rocking back and forth and walking around the living room for a while between ctxs. (2am) Ryan soon became intruiged with the movie and I told him I was going to lay down and try and get some rest. At this point ctxs were about 5-8 min apart and starting to pick up in intensity. I remember thinking "why didn't anyone tell that it was going to feel like this". If only I knew there were no words for it...
The second I layed down I had a ctx and realized there was no way I was going to be able to lat down thru these and there was no way I was doing to get any sleep. Ryan heard me in the bedroom and I saw jump over the couch to my rescue and hold me through the ctx. I decided to check in with the midwife on call. She told me that because we had an hour drive to go ahead and come in. She would meet us there at 3:30. Contractions were about 6 min apart on the way there and this being my first labor thought to myself "oh, the end must be near."
As soon as we got to the BC my contractions all but stoped.
I didn't realize at the time that I was very self consious of anyone seeing me handle a contraction. This was a problem that I hadn't thought of. I was 3-4 and about 80%.At 6am nothing had changed. I was told receive a shot of nubain to get some rest because it was going to be a long labor or go home and come back. There was NO way I was driving back home. I got the shot at 6:30 and slept between contractions until 10 am. My mom and MIL brought Ryan and me breakfast about then. It was nice to eat and I felt so much better with the few hours of rest.
It was at about 12pm when all of the nubain was gone and active labor hit. I held Ryan while we stood outside of the BC and cried silently when I contraction would come. My mom who had never experienced a natural labor tried making conversation with me and I remember getting upset that she offered no active support and decided to go back to my room and shut myself in. Finally I was progressing. I was checked and was 6-7, 100%.
At about 2pm I got in the tub with Ryan and really enjoyed the warm water. Contractions were right on top of eachother and I wasn't getting much of a break. I started to panic at the thought that it could get even harder.
I got out of the tub and shut myself in the bathroom in the dark. I labored on the toilet and hit major transition. Lots of bloody show and waves of nausea swept over me. I haven't figued this out yet but for some reason I didn't get a break between contractions. There was a stabing pain in my left side that was much worse than the ctxs themselves that never vanished.
4pm: Back in the tub and was 9cm and strechy. My water broke during the exam and a contraction hit that had me screaming. My midwife looked discouraged and told me that my cervix went back to 7cm when my water broke. I was so upset. I knew I could not do this for hours more. She told me to get out of the tub and lay on my left side so that a cervical lip could melt away. This made everything 10X more painful. At this point I remember fading in and out of labor land and refusing to listen to any instuctions. I screamed with every contraction.
At 8pm I was complete again and finally feeling pressure. I started giving grunty pushes with my contractions and for the first time the pain completely subsided. All I felt was pressure!!! It was so wonderful. I pushed laying on my left side and began to worry that I had to use the bathroom from all of the pressure. I couldn't believe how intense it was. I felt myself starting to burn and reached down to see if I could feel her head. I could!! It was covered in tons of soft hair! I was so excited she would have hair!
My mom, MIL, SIL, and grandmother came into the room at this point to see the birth and couldn't care a bit who was around. I was so out of it! I was really enjoying pushing and kept saying to myself "push past the pain". With the next push her head was out! Talk about relief!!! It felt so good. With the next push she was born at 8:52pm. Ryan caught her and put her on my tummy because her cord was short. They went ahead and clamped it (I'm guessing because it was so short). This made me laugh because at the ultrasound the monster- oops, I mean Dr. had made the comment that there was so much cord and surely it would cause problems during the labor.
Ryan held Adalyn while I recieve two stiches for a minor tear and everyone else went out into the waiting area to tell the rest of my family about our new little girl.
She was 7lbs 4oz and 20.5 in.
She nursed for a while and then we packed up to head home.
Looking back on the experience there are a lot of things I'm planning differently for this birth. One, I'm planning a homebirth in hopes of letting my labor progress naturaly without me feeling insecure about others seeing me labor. I don't want to be checked for progress and would like more control of the positions I labor in. I am scared of having another 32hr labor and not having breaks while in active labor. These are issues that I am sorting out with my midwife and I am praying for a successful labor and birth and a healthy baby boy. Due Sept 07.
