Wow! I had been having preparatory contractions all weekend, peetering out & then picking up again at night. Some of my friends had an informal dinner/shower for me Sunday night, and while I was there they were definitely progressing. I called the mw at about midnight, as they were definitely cooking at this point, and labored with her until about 2, when I heard a small pop and my water broke. The mw took one look and saw there was meconium in the fluid, and said we have to do a hospital transfer in case the baby was overly stressed and/or inhaled some of the ick. Big bummer, but I was in la la labor land and just wanted the baby out. At this point (about 2:30) I was 5 cm dilated, so mw said we have lots of time. They set up a spot in the back of the car for me to labor in, (dh came in a separate car) and in theory it looked okay, but add to that the movements of the car, smell of exhaust, etc. it was almost unbearable. Then, about 10 minutes from the hospital, I was ready to push and the mw was coaching me the whole way to breath high and not low, but let me tell you that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do! We got to the hospital, somehow made it inside and onto a bed, and the little one was born 12 minutes later! She was a peanut, though pink and healthy, no visible signs of stress or illness, so we probably won't ever know why the meconium was there (and there was a lot!) The hospital staff was truly amazing and respected my desire for a natural birth, and even hands off care afterwards for the most part. I was dissapointed that they clipped the cord before she even took a breath (!) and that they didn't say a word about skin to skin or getting her to latch on the first hour, (though I just did it anyway), but she's here, and healthy! We stayed there about 18 hours and they discharged us a little early as we were all doing well. Here are the specs:
Saryn Linnae
born 6.2.08 at 3:12 am
6#, 8 oz, 19 1/4" long
(Hope these links work...)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/...b41fe49c_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/...7eaa09.jpg?v=0
Saryn Linnae
born 6.2.08 at 3:12 am
6#, 8 oz, 19 1/4" long
(Hope these links work...)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/...b41fe49c_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/...7eaa09.jpg?v=0
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