ok. maybe something is happening...

[cicely_m]

so i might be the last pregnant person here. but. i did just have some pink-brown mucus, which must be a sign of something starting to happen.... right??

[Mama2-4]

I think it is for sure a sign! That is how it all began for me. It began 4 days before I actually went into labor, but it is an indication that things are starting to happen! Good luck Mama and keep use posted, you will soon be holding your sweet little baby! :

[sarahn4639]

Yay!! Keep us posted! We'll be cheering for you! :

[cicely_m]

ugh. no labor yet. i thought i was leaking amniotic fluid this morning, but it seems to just be... discharge... or something... based on the Ph test i did.

[True Blue]

Aw man you had me so excited!! I did have that slow leak for a couple days, yet DD2 was still born with a nice sac of water in front of her...a high leak?

[True Blue]

Any updates????

[sarahn4639]

i'm wondering too! :

[cicely_m]

funny that you guys should have asked fro upadates on the 11th.... that's the day that little Violet was born!!!!

Here's the story:

i have to say that it wasn't the labor of my dreams-- it would be
interesting to know my doula's perspective...

i started having strong contractions in the wee hours of saturday morning, and I lost the rest of my mucus plug at about noon. The contractions increased in intensity throughout the day, but didn't ever establish a pattern. Like, 13 minutes for a while, then 40 minutes. Then 6 mintues. Then 20 minutes. same thing on sunday. sunday night, i was still only 1 cm dilated, which i had been the week before. the thing is, they *HURT*-- it was not tiny little early labor contractions; I had to stop and lean against my husband, or get on my hands and knees and have someone push on my back to get through them. But they just weren't doing anything. I called my midwife, who saw me and stripped my membranes. A couple hours later, I started having even stronger contractions about 5 minutes apart. i called my doula over and seemed to be going into proper labor-- it was really hard and they got pretty close together-- 4 to 3 minutes, lasting well over a minute most of the time. i was doing a good job, and even happy between contractions, because a baby was finally going to come..... BUT. but the nasty contractions still didn't really settle into a pattern, and then at 3 AM, they pretty much stopped. so no baby. Again.

SO.... monday, more of the same. upshot is that i checked into the
hospital monday night, and they gave me cervidil and a sleeping drug. (this was a very hard decision to come to, but I honestly don't think I could have made it without some intervention at this point.)

tuesday morning, i was 3-4 cm, and given another dose of the cervidil. i
quickly moved to 5-6 cm, and then *very* quickly went into transition.
unfortunately, i did not even then believe that i was ever going to
deliver a baby, so i started to become a big pain in the ass about giving
up and wanting an epidural. luckily, the doula, the midwife, and my husband formed a coalition to trick me into finishing labor without one. i was in the shower laboring, and they kept saying "well, the midwife is out of the room for a second" (she wasn't) "but when she comes back, she'll check you, and then we'll go get the anesthetist." i kept crying that everyone was CHEATING!!! Luckily, by the time she actually checked me, it was time to push!!!! Pushing took, like, 15 minutes. And was such a relief!!!!

the other unfortunate thing was that although the hospital tour guide had told me it would be ok, at the last minute i was informed that there would be no labor tub allowed. which was disappointing, but although i had *hoped* for
a water birth, I had always tried to realize that these things don't
always go according to plan.

all in all, it wasn't so bad!! i just wish I had known that there was
actually an end in sight!!!! By which I mean that after so long, I didn't really believe that the contractions were ever going to work, and it was going to get worse and worse and worse and still there would be no baby. I just lost perspective. I don't think I actually believed that a baby was going to come out until her head was fully emerged!

She was born at 2:56 on tuesday and is, objectively speaking, the most beautiful baby ever to exist!!!!

So worth waiting for.

Sorry I kept you guys waiting!!
We've had an exhausting few days.... thanks for being curious!



(Can someone remind me how to put pictures in a post?)

[lilyblossom]

CONGRATS! I honestly thought I would be one of the last people hanging in there so I know how you felt. My baby did not seem to want to come out but now that she has, it's the greatest feeling in the world.

Enjoy your new little one, it really is the greatest miracle in the world!

[True Blue]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :BIRTHDAY: I'm so excited for you!!!! It sounds like it was a great birth overall, despite having to transfer. You know, my first birth was a hospital birth and my mw, DH, and sister tricked me into not getting drugs, too. LOL!!!

[steph117]

YAY CICELY! : looking forward to seeing pics of your little cutie!!!

[sarahn4639]

it sounds really difficult and really wonderful!! congrats mommy!!

[cicely_m]

Thanks, everybody!
It was wonderful... Although at the time I thought nothing could be worse, I'd now do it again in a heartbeat, of course.

anyway, I'm up and about these days, so should be back online! hope everyone is doing well with their own tiny perfect ones.

[applecore]

Congratulations! You're so strong for getting through such a long labor! Can't wait to see a picture!

[jaxinsmom]

What a great birth story, and I'm sure it must feel wonderful to look back and know you did it without drugs! I cannot wait to see a picture...here's how I do it.

1. transfer a pic from your PC to a sharing site like photobucket or facebook.
2. copy the url from the site
3. highlight something (anything) on the message thread for MDC
4. click on the little globe with the chain in the message box you are typing in(just under the smiley face and font choice)
5. hit paste

voila!

hope this helps, if it makes no sense, you can ask in the questions section of mdc and someone more articulate can help!

Congrats on your little one

(I wonder if you were the last one...??)

[cicely_m]

ok, trying pictures: just born, and a day later:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...102AYtWbVi0YsR

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...102AYtWbVi0YsR

[sarahn4639]

I don't think I've ever seen such long hair on a newborn before!! She is gorgeous!!