Mothering Forum banner

Caroline Elizabeth is here!

590 views 13 replies 14 participants last post by  JordanKX 
#1 ·
She arrived Tuesday afternoon (one day before she was due) at 16:01, 8 lb 12 oz, 21 inches.

My water broke that morning, but just a slow leak (the outer bag, perhaps). No action, though. I had an acupuncture appt scheduled for 11:15 that morning in hopes that I would have her on her due date (9/9/9). I'd been having early labor signs daily for two weeks, and I was having more "easy" contractions than I'd had before, but nothing worth calling anyone about. I talked to the midwife on call and she said I could do castor oil in the evening if I really wanted to do the 9/9/9 birth date, but I was tired of leaking every time I moved so I kept the acupuncture appt.

They did acupuncture for about 40 minutes. Toward the end (around noon) I started to have very mild cramping, but nothing more than that. So my mom and I went home with the boys and fed them lunch. While we were at home, I started having contractions I needed to move through. They ranged from 2 to 5 minutes apart but weren't exactly regular. They were building, though, so around 1:30 we headed to the hospital.

I was 4-5 cm when they checked me around 2:00. My doula arrived soon after and I was moving a lot during contractions. Around 3:00 they checked me and I was 6 cm. I got in the tub. At that point, I started to vocalize during contractions. My doula and nurse predicted we'd have a baby within an hour to an hour and a half, but after two weeks of early labor signs, I still wasn't a believer.

Around 3:30 I had contractions with urges to push at the peak, like the urge to vomit when you have the flu. The midwife hadn't arrived yet, though they'd called her and she was going to see one more patient and then come over (she was six minutes away). They checked me and I was only 8 cm, but since I'd mentioned "urge to push" the nurses had all come running and one bossy one said I had to get out of the tub if I was pushing and the midwife wasn't there. I told them I wasn't pushing (LIE! - I was doing whatever my body wanted to do). The next contraction was easier and didn't have as much of an urge to push. Then the midwife was there after that and a nice calm returned to the room.

Up to this point, my contractions still weren't regular in intensity or timing. It was still 2 to 5 minutes and the longer the break, the stronger the contraction. My mom was in the lobby with my boys who I wanted to see the birth and they were brought in at this point.

The urge to push was very irregular as well. It would come in waves during the contractions and the waves were by no means even. My birth with ds2 was also in the tub but the contractions were very much similar and built gradually and such. This was very different. I was vocalizing and would do the push grunt when I was pushing.

I could finally feel baby up there, but I didn't feel hair so I figured the bag of waters was still in the way. I asked the midwife to break my water. She showed me how to do it, but I still had her do it and she said I had an anterior lip. They said to do a couple contractions on my hands and knees even if it hurt more.

I had my hand up there feeling what was going on during each contraction and it felt like everything but baby was coming out and the contractions still had those erratic urges to push. I finally decided to give it all I had and it only took a couple contractions and her head was out. The midwife checked for the cord, but didn't feel it.

She came out on the next contraction and was a little limp so they rubbed her a lot. Her first apgar was only 6 but the rest were 9. All the rubbing massaged the vernix in, and since the cord was still attached, I wasn't really alarmed. After about ten minutes, I got out of the tub and moved over to the bed. The midwife said the cord was still pulsing so we didn't cut it before I moved. It was a really long cord, and she said she thought it was around baby's neck, even though she hadn't felt it when she checked. Baby was bruised a lot, too, like her shoulders got stuck or something.

The placenta finally came out on its own and it felt so much better. I had told them it felt like I had another baby in there, and they assured me I didn't. I got to cut the cord. I also asked the midwife to show me the placenta and the tree of life was so pretty. The midwife sewed me up, and it hurt a lot less this time than last time. I was actually kind of glad I tore because I was still feeling a ring of fire down there and being numbed up in order to be sewn up felt good. I had a 2nd degree tear along my previous scar and a small tear on one of the inner labia.

We left the hospital at 10:00 p.m., six hours after baby was born. Our ped came right after she was born (he was on the floor, actually, and had just finished up assisting on a c-section). I had requested early discharge so the midwife, our ped, and the hospital were all very accommodating. I was so glad to be home and not trapped in the hospital with my babe swaddled in the bassinet next to me instead of in my arms.

I am surprised at how tired I am after this birth. I've really done hardly anything but sit around and hold the baby, go potty and eat, but I'm really weak when I get up. The bleeding is still red but pretty light at this point, so I'm healing well. I've been sleeping in the recliner with baby in a sling on my chest. She is nursing pretty well, but I'm going to try and see a lactation consultant today because I don't think she's getting enough nipple in her mouth and it's hurting me.

The whole early labor thing that went on for two weeks(!) was a whole new experience to me, and even when I did go into labor, it was never regular. When my boys nursed, they latched on, got their meal, and got off, and this little one is an irregular nurser as well - sucks a little, then rests, then sucks a little, then rests.

Sorry if this birth story is totally scatterbrained. I'm so tired, and I've done quite a bit of napping, which helps, but I'm still in dire need of rest.

Good luck to all the mamas who are still waiting - your turn will come!
 
See less See more
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top