My first time posting on mothering. Enjoy mamas!
Elias Benjamin, January 27, 2007, 5lbs, 2oz.
On January 27 I woke up at 1:00 AM to my water breaking. I was 36 weeks and 5 days, just 3 weeks before my due date. During my pregnancy I had a feeling Elias was going to arrive early, but my excitement for his arrival was hindered because there was no sign of contractions and a few other minor details…. with my water breaking I knew I had 24 hours to deliver before they would begin induction which wasn’t going to jive with my plan for a drug free birth. The birth center at the hospital where we planned to deliver requires women to be between 37-42 weeks to deliver. Being that I was 2 days short of the required gestation, I’d have to go to regular labor and delivery.
I called the midwife and being that I was group b strep positive I was instructed to come into the hospital to begin the required antibiotics…there went my intentions for laboring at home as long as possible. We spent a couple hours packing our bags, getting things ready for the dog sitter, showering, and grabbing a bite to eat. We arrived at the hospital around 4:00 am, still not feeling any contractions. The midwife on duty said after looking at my 18 week ultrasound and the date of my last menstrual cycle, she put my dating into 37 weeks, therefore qualifying us for the Birth Center. Woohoo I was stoked! I still believe my actual due date was very accurate because my cycles were really irregular when I conceived and knew my ovulation date based on charting. I wasn’t going to mention those details!
We spent most to the morning hours trying to rest because we only had about 2 hours of sleep. I started feeling contractions in the morning hours but they were very minor, more like menstrual cramps. The Birth Center was short on nurses so we had to stay in labor and delivery until about 4 pm in the afternoon. Spending the better part of the day waiting to be moved, psychologically, I think may have slowed my labor. Around noon the midwife suggested a cocktail of castor oil and orange juice to get things moving along. The castor oil intensified my contractions but never did ‘clear me out’ as I have heard happens. Around 2 pm we had our doula, Laurie join us at the hospital. By this time I was upright and ready to get things moving! Contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart. During contractions I leaned over at the waist with my elbows on the rolling hospital cart and swayed my hips side to side, in between resting on the exercise ball. Jason and Laurie took turns rubbing my back, placing heat packs and keeping me relaxed. I took another castor oil cocktail and at 4 pm we moved upstairs to the Birth Center. Laurie and I walked the stairs up the two floors! Once we arrived, Laurie set up the shower for us and Jason used the massaging shower head on my back, felt like heaven! After the shower, we spent some time walking the halls. During contractions I’d lean on Jason against the wall and Laurie would apply pressure on my back. Contractions were getting more intense but seemed very manageable, I took one at a time and stayed relaxed. Our room at the birth center was super roomy, loved the big double bed. We had the lights low, and “Elias’ mix” playing on the stereo.
I hadn’t had my cervix checked all day because of the risk of infection with my water breaking. At 6pm the midwife said she hadn’t planned to check me until 7pm but asked if I wanted to be checked and have my membranes swept. I was hoping at that point I’d be 5 cm and therefore able to get into the tub so I agreed. The membrane sweeping was very painful! The midwife said I was fully effaced but only 2 cm and I cried. I couldn’t believe I had been at the hospital all day and was still only 2 cm. With the membrane sweeping my contractions became very intense very quickly. I couldn’t get comfortable and threw up. A half hour later, Laurie had my midwife come check me again and I was 6 cm. I spent a couple contractions in the bathroom alone and I think the privacy was really helpful. Thinking I still had a way to go I started to really doubt I could make it through delivery. I asked Jason to have them order up some narcotics (morphine or nubain, since the Birth Center doesn’t do epidurals) to help me rest. In the meantime I told the doula I felt like I had to push. She said don’t push because I was only 6 cm and I could irritate my cervix. I told her I really had to push and squatted beside the bed, saying I’ve either got to push or I was going to have a bowel movement right there on the floor.
The midwife came to check me to make sure I wasn’t too far along for the narcotics and announced I was fully dilated! From 2 to 10 cm in an hour! No wonder I was doubting myself, I had no idea I was in transition. The out of control feeling was normal. I was standing beside the bed, bent at the waist with my arms resting on the bed. The midwife quickly started setting up to deliver the baby with me in the standing position. They let me push as I wanted with each contraction. As the head started to crown, Elias’ heart rate dropped and stayed down and in the next few moments everyone in the room was frantic and began yelling at me that I had to push the baby out now! I kept thinking I wasn’t pushing right and that if I had another minute I could figure it out. The midwife then had me moved onto the bed, on my back and had the nurses pulling my legs back. I honestly don’t see how women birth babies on their backs it was so hard to push. My perineum wasn’t stretching enough and it became apparent that an episiotomy was the next option which made me super motivated to get him out! The midwife had to make a small incision (she was more upset about it than me, it was only her 7th episiotomy and it’s not the norm at the Birth Center). Elias’s cord was around his neck and as he came out, the cord was cut immediately and he was whisked to the warming table. At that point I had a major moment of panic but I soon heard his little voice crying, what a relief! Jason joined him at the warming table and as soon as he began talking to Elias, he stopped crying and was alert and looking around. He was perfectly healthy, his apgar scores at 8 and 9. He was alert and awake for about 3 hours and we spent the evening falling in love with him, celebrating our family with just the three of us.
Elias Benjamin was born at 7:34 pm, weighed 5 lbs, 2 oz. was 18 inches. Even with the frantic moments at the end, my birth experience was awesome. I felt very lucky to have a great birth team and my husband, Jason who was the best birth partner!
Because Elias was early and so little we spent 5 days at the hospital so that he could be treated for jaundice and begin to gain weight. We were very excited to finally bring our little guy home.
Elias Benjamin, January 27, 2007, 5lbs, 2oz.
On January 27 I woke up at 1:00 AM to my water breaking. I was 36 weeks and 5 days, just 3 weeks before my due date. During my pregnancy I had a feeling Elias was going to arrive early, but my excitement for his arrival was hindered because there was no sign of contractions and a few other minor details…. with my water breaking I knew I had 24 hours to deliver before they would begin induction which wasn’t going to jive with my plan for a drug free birth. The birth center at the hospital where we planned to deliver requires women to be between 37-42 weeks to deliver. Being that I was 2 days short of the required gestation, I’d have to go to regular labor and delivery.
I called the midwife and being that I was group b strep positive I was instructed to come into the hospital to begin the required antibiotics…there went my intentions for laboring at home as long as possible. We spent a couple hours packing our bags, getting things ready for the dog sitter, showering, and grabbing a bite to eat. We arrived at the hospital around 4:00 am, still not feeling any contractions. The midwife on duty said after looking at my 18 week ultrasound and the date of my last menstrual cycle, she put my dating into 37 weeks, therefore qualifying us for the Birth Center. Woohoo I was stoked! I still believe my actual due date was very accurate because my cycles were really irregular when I conceived and knew my ovulation date based on charting. I wasn’t going to mention those details!
We spent most to the morning hours trying to rest because we only had about 2 hours of sleep. I started feeling contractions in the morning hours but they were very minor, more like menstrual cramps. The Birth Center was short on nurses so we had to stay in labor and delivery until about 4 pm in the afternoon. Spending the better part of the day waiting to be moved, psychologically, I think may have slowed my labor. Around noon the midwife suggested a cocktail of castor oil and orange juice to get things moving along. The castor oil intensified my contractions but never did ‘clear me out’ as I have heard happens. Around 2 pm we had our doula, Laurie join us at the hospital. By this time I was upright and ready to get things moving! Contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart. During contractions I leaned over at the waist with my elbows on the rolling hospital cart and swayed my hips side to side, in between resting on the exercise ball. Jason and Laurie took turns rubbing my back, placing heat packs and keeping me relaxed. I took another castor oil cocktail and at 4 pm we moved upstairs to the Birth Center. Laurie and I walked the stairs up the two floors! Once we arrived, Laurie set up the shower for us and Jason used the massaging shower head on my back, felt like heaven! After the shower, we spent some time walking the halls. During contractions I’d lean on Jason against the wall and Laurie would apply pressure on my back. Contractions were getting more intense but seemed very manageable, I took one at a time and stayed relaxed. Our room at the birth center was super roomy, loved the big double bed. We had the lights low, and “Elias’ mix” playing on the stereo.
I hadn’t had my cervix checked all day because of the risk of infection with my water breaking. At 6pm the midwife said she hadn’t planned to check me until 7pm but asked if I wanted to be checked and have my membranes swept. I was hoping at that point I’d be 5 cm and therefore able to get into the tub so I agreed. The membrane sweeping was very painful! The midwife said I was fully effaced but only 2 cm and I cried. I couldn’t believe I had been at the hospital all day and was still only 2 cm. With the membrane sweeping my contractions became very intense very quickly. I couldn’t get comfortable and threw up. A half hour later, Laurie had my midwife come check me again and I was 6 cm. I spent a couple contractions in the bathroom alone and I think the privacy was really helpful. Thinking I still had a way to go I started to really doubt I could make it through delivery. I asked Jason to have them order up some narcotics (morphine or nubain, since the Birth Center doesn’t do epidurals) to help me rest. In the meantime I told the doula I felt like I had to push. She said don’t push because I was only 6 cm and I could irritate my cervix. I told her I really had to push and squatted beside the bed, saying I’ve either got to push or I was going to have a bowel movement right there on the floor.
The midwife came to check me to make sure I wasn’t too far along for the narcotics and announced I was fully dilated! From 2 to 10 cm in an hour! No wonder I was doubting myself, I had no idea I was in transition. The out of control feeling was normal. I was standing beside the bed, bent at the waist with my arms resting on the bed. The midwife quickly started setting up to deliver the baby with me in the standing position. They let me push as I wanted with each contraction. As the head started to crown, Elias’ heart rate dropped and stayed down and in the next few moments everyone in the room was frantic and began yelling at me that I had to push the baby out now! I kept thinking I wasn’t pushing right and that if I had another minute I could figure it out. The midwife then had me moved onto the bed, on my back and had the nurses pulling my legs back. I honestly don’t see how women birth babies on their backs it was so hard to push. My perineum wasn’t stretching enough and it became apparent that an episiotomy was the next option which made me super motivated to get him out! The midwife had to make a small incision (she was more upset about it than me, it was only her 7th episiotomy and it’s not the norm at the Birth Center). Elias’s cord was around his neck and as he came out, the cord was cut immediately and he was whisked to the warming table. At that point I had a major moment of panic but I soon heard his little voice crying, what a relief! Jason joined him at the warming table and as soon as he began talking to Elias, he stopped crying and was alert and looking around. He was perfectly healthy, his apgar scores at 8 and 9. He was alert and awake for about 3 hours and we spent the evening falling in love with him, celebrating our family with just the three of us.
Elias Benjamin was born at 7:34 pm, weighed 5 lbs, 2 oz. was 18 inches. Even with the frantic moments at the end, my birth experience was awesome. I felt very lucky to have a great birth team and my husband, Jason who was the best birth partner!
Because Elias was early and so little we spent 5 days at the hospital so that he could be treated for jaundice and begin to gain weight. We were very excited to finally bring our little guy home.
