Birth Stories: Past or Present

« WellTellMe • Forum • Natural Health • Women's Health • Pregnancy • Birth Stories: Past or Present »

(Read 24995 times) 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7 8 ... 11

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #150 on: January 12, 2008, 08:13:44 PM » by SarahLaRae

I'm so happy that things went so well for you! Congrats!

Logged

My family blog spot.... http://benandsarahmoorefamily.blogspot.com/

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #151 on: January 12, 2008, 08:30:41 PM » by *MommaJo*

Quote from: linemansgirl98 on January 12, 2008, 08:04:07 PM

Quote from: *MommaJo* on January 12, 2008, 07:49:42 PM

Congrats! Great story!
Did I miss it or was this an induction without drugs? Did they break your water and that was all?

Yes, all she did was break my water. Normally for me as soon as my water breaks I am in hard labor. This time I had to help a bit, but I didn't have any drugs.

That's great! I didn't know it could be done that way. I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever have to be induced.

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #152 on: January 13, 2008, 09:54:24 AM » by Roehrmomma

Beautiful story Linesmansgirl! Love you Hope to see her soon!!

Em

Logged

Homemade soap

www.simplycleansing.com

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #153 on: January 16, 2008, 10:15:33 PM » by *MommaJo*

Hey eveyone!
Here is our official birth announcement! Cally was born on Monday, January 14th at 5:47 p.m. Nine days before her due date.
She weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches.

We went to a doctors appointment on Monday morning. At 11 a.m. the doctor checked me and I was 3 centimeters and 70 % effaced, which is what I had been for a week. We had some shopping to do so we went to Wal-Mart and I began having contractions consistantly 4 minutes apart. Since we live so far away from the hospital (an hour) we decided to stick around town. We walked and walked and walked the stores. At 4:00 the contractions were still consistant so we called my doctors office to see if he'd check me again. He agreed and I had gone up a centimeter. He didn't think it was wise for me to go home so he sent us to the hospital to be monitored. My doctor was there anyway and she'd check me once she was out of surgery.
So, we went to the hospital and I got hooked up to the monitors. My doctor came in around 5 and I hadn't dilated anymore. But, she also knows how far away we live and knows from experience how quick my labors are. She said she'd break my water and progress things if I wanted her to. Well, we didn't have anything better to do that day, so why not!?!

So, at 5:29 she broke my water. The contractions got really painful then and were quite close together. The doctor patted my leg and said "ok, we'll give that a few hours!". I turned over on my side. I'm way more comfortable that way. The doctor said I could walk around or get into the shower if I wanted to. Thank God I didn't. Cally's heart rate started dropping so they wanted to put in a special thing that sticks to the top of her head and gets a better reading. When she did this she realized I'd gone from 4 centimeters to 7 in about 5 minutes! She laughed and said she'd better stick around. I rolled over on my side and was there for only a few more minutes and suddenly felt like I had to push! Of course they weren't quite ready yet, but I couldn't help it. She was coming and I made that very clear!

The nurse told me to roll over onto my back and as soon as I did a contraction (which were now on top of each other) pushed Cally's head out. As soon as that happened another contraction hit and the rest of her came out! Thankfully they hadn't taken the birthing bed apart because she'd have fallen onto the floor! The doctor got her gloves on just in time to scoop her up!
Cally was born at 5:47 p.m. Just 18 minutes after the doctor broke my water!
We have so many things to thank God for! Besides a beautiful, healthy girl. We are so thankful that we didn't leave town, that she wasn't born in the car, and I praise God for such a quick labor! I feel good and Cally is nursing well.
As far as her name, we couldn't decide between Callie or Cally. We figured that Cally was less girlie girl and more 'I-have-2-big-brothers-to-keep-up-with', so thats what we went with. I made dh decide. If he didn't I was going to put one spelling in one hand and the other in the other hand and make him pick one!

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #154 on: January 16, 2008, 11:42:31 PM » by andeebeth

Oh wow MommaJo..that was fast!! Congratulations!! Welcome Cally!

Logged

~andrea..wife to gabe, momy to five princes and one princess born 12/11/07~

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #155 on: January 18, 2008, 12:04:53 PM » by earthymomof2

MommaJo, WOW. That was fast. I'm so glad it was easy (well, relatively, anyway) for you!!! Congratulations!!

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #156 on: January 18, 2008, 12:05:51 PM » by earthymomof2

Sorry, this is really long. I just had to capture everything.

Well, I think I finally am in a frame of mind and body to be able to sit and type out my birth story.

As most pregnant women can understand, the last week or so of my pregnancy, I began to think I would be pregnant forever. I actually began to accept that this baby would most likely be 2 weeks late and I'd better just get used to the idea.

Saturday morning, January 12, I woke up to no movement from the baby and this came after a night of unusually /long/ BH contractions so I was worried and called the midwife. I also posted on a forum about this and got some encouraging replies. An experienced doula replied and told me it sounded like labor was closeby. This really made my day, especially coming from someone who is with so many laboring women on a regular basis. She must know what she’s talking about, right? His movements picked up and I felt a lot better that he was just fine. We went on to have a normal Saturday of doing a bit of laundry, cleaning, and spending time with my family. I even assisted my husband in fixing our washing machine (no, I didn’t overexert myself). I made homemade pizza for dinner. As it was baking I felt REALLY tired and went to lie down on the couch. I felt refreshed by the time the pizza was done and got dinner on the table. We sat down to eat around 6:15. As we were eating I felt a crampy contraction and took a mental note. I had to breathe through it, so my husband noticed too.

As we cleaned up dinner, I felt crampy and backachy and I wondered, "Hmm, this could be something." Hmm, another mental note of another labor sign. I went back to the kitchen and cleaned and seasoned a chicken so it would be ready for Sunday’s lunch. I commented to my husband how crampy I was feeling. He looked a bit excited, though he tried to hide it. I was getting excited too, wondering if this was it. I felt a little agitated and felt like I had to go to the bathroom. I tried, but couldn't go. Hmm, still another mental note of a labor sign. We got the boys ready for bed. I was going to bathe them, but asked my husband to because, again, I was feeling like I couldn't settle down and was getting some more cramps. As they were being bathed I started timing and saw that my contractions were about 12 minutes apart, then 7, then 6 all lasting about a minute. We kissed our boys goodnight and put away a load of laundry. Then I hopped into the shower. I had more contractions about every 5 or 6 minutes in the shower, though they were a little shorter while I was in there. They had been about a minute long until then, and they were averaging about 30-45 in the shower.

After that, I called the midwives to let them know what I was feeling (8:30 PM I guess). I still honestly wasn't sure this was it but told them it did remind me of early labor with my second son. My husband and I decided to relax and watch a movie, so we did. All the while, lying on the couch, I kept getting contractions about every 4-5 minutes now. They were getting a little more painful now. After and hour of this (9:30) I called the midwives back and told them I thought they should come. While we waited for them to come, I rocked, and moaned and moaned and leaned (on the kitchen counter) through contractions. I think the midwife and her assistant arrived around 10:15. They checked the baby's heartbeat (he was happy) and set up their stuff. They suggested we relax in bed to see if I could get some rest between contractions. My contractions had spaced out and become less painful upon the arrival of the midwife. Hmmm. I was alone in bed for a little while, bummed out and wondering why the contractions seemed to be spacing out and getting shorter. My sweet hubby came to bed with me and we snuggled, and a few short minutes later I got a HUGE contraction. A couple of minutes later I got another HUGE contraction. I couldn't stay in bed anymore and I told the midwife this reminded me of 7 centimeters. She checked me and guess what? I was 7. I was so surprised and happy. But I knew what was ahead. TRANSITION!!!

Then things got really serious. My husband started to fill the pool. I'm rocking back and forth as I'm leaning on our bed. A huge transition contraction rocked over me. I groaned and rocked, telling the midwife this was the part I wasn't looking forward to. Another huge contraction washed over me just a minute or two after the other one. I threw up. One piled on right on top of that one and as I was groaning, I started pushing. What?!?! Already. The pool was only a 1/4 full and I was pushing?!?! Well, never mind. I tried to get in the pool anyway, but another contraction hit. I couldn’t get in and I was pushing. So the midwife quickly suggested hands and knees on the bed, and that sounded just right so that's what I did. I pushed my baby down with each intense contraction, just then my water broke (some meconium was in it, they told me later). My husband had gone down to get a pitcher of water a few moments earlier, so the assistant ran to get him. As the baby was crowning, my husband got back to the room and couldn’t believe his eyes. The baby was right there. He (the baby) seemed to linger forever as he was stretching my perineum and as I tried to ease him out. Finally, after what seemed like a lot longer than the 4 minutes they tell me, my pushing efforts yielded an entire head (and a hand next to it), and after one more push my little boy Jeremy slid into this bright world, pink and crying vigorously at 11:46 PM. We were astonished!!! He was born on the 12th, not the 13th. We couldn't believe it. What a trip. What a relief!!
As I was enjoying my little one immediately after his birth, my midwife asked me if I had bled heavily with any of my other births. Apparently, I was bleeding heavily now. I was feeling okay, though, and enjoying my baby. Within 10 minutes, the cord stopped pulsing, so my husband cut it and I quickly delivered the placenta. I was still bleeding. Strangely enough, my little guy had latched on right away, my uterus was very firm, I had no cervical lacerations, the placenta was complete, and the tears I did have were not gushing, BUT I was still bleeding. The midwife did give me a shot of pitocin and the bleeding did eventually resolve, but its puzzling why I was still bleeding and everything seemed in order. The midwives are puzzling over this too. She concluded that I did have a hemmorhage of about 500 cc including the clots.

After the birth, I got to enjoy my tub. :-) Jeremy and I soaked and nursed. But in the end I stayed in too long, was overheated and my blood pressure went WAY too low. I nearly passed out. The midwife gave me a homeopathic remedy (carbo veg) and I rehydrated with coconut water. Both of these helped immensely and very quickly. When I was stable and back in my clean-ish bed (my waterproof mattress cover failed and the bed got two huge blood stains on it), the midwife took a look at my perineum. Turns out I tore around my old episiotomy scar, and also up toward the front a little. I stretched well, but unfortunately my little guy had his hand up by his head so I did end up tearing. I have a handful of sutures, mostly in the back. Only one or two up front.

I must say I felt very weak and pale the first couple of days after all this, but very happy and restful. I am getting my strength and color back thanks to LOTS of help and Floradix with Iron.

I'm having a great postpartum. :-)

« Last Edit: January 18, 2008, 01:43:28 PM by earthymomof2 »
Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #157 on: January 18, 2008, 12:48:40 PM » by *MommaJo*

OH EARTHYMOM....
Congrats and what a WONDERFUL story! Are your boys just lovin' the little guy?!
Enjoy and try to rest!

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #158 on: January 18, 2008, 01:52:21 PM » by goatgirl

earthymom, that is a beautiful, perfect birth story! I am on my way to two weeks over due and am starting to think that I should be checked for worms instead of thinking that there is a baby in there! You know big belly, large appetite, lots of movement under the skin! I really want to meet this baby! We are also having a home birth(praise God). I hope that my birth story is as peaceful and "uneventful" as yours. Praise the Lord for a healthy baby. Kim

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #159 on: January 18, 2008, 03:43:57 PM » by its_me518

Quote from: KristenA on January 09, 2008, 11:30:38 AM

None of the OB/GYN’s felt quite right, so we settled on a Midwife, Linda, for a homebirth with a doctor back-up in case of hospital transport.

This isn't Linda Marks from Washington, is it?? I just don't know how many midwives are named Linda...

Logged

http://www.GenuineAid.com is the Natural Health Blog for Nutrients and Benefits of Fruits, Vegetables, Berries, Nuts, Meats, Dairy, Herbs, and other Foods.

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #160 on: January 18, 2008, 04:20:19 PM » by KristenA

Quote from: its_me518 on January 18, 2008, 03:43:57 PM

Quote from: KristenA on January 09, 2008, 11:30:38 AM

None of the OB/GYN’s felt quite right, so we settled on a Midwife, Linda, for a homebirth with a doctor back-up in case of hospital transport.

This isn't Linda Marks from Washington, is it?? I just don't know how many midwives are named Linda...

Remember.....

Quote from: KristenA on January 09, 2008, 11:30:38 AM

*Names Changed to Protect the Innocent. (hahaha!)

but no, it's not the same midwife

Logged

Visit My Blog! Simply Kristen

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #161 on: January 19, 2008, 04:52:22 PM » by earthymomof2

MommaJo, we had name troubles too. We had a bunch of J's picked out but it wasn't until about 30 minutes after he was born that we got a good look at our son and decided he looked like a Jeremy.

And, yes, my boys love him. They haven't gotten to spend much time with him, though, because they've been sick. Jeremy and I have been quarantined upstairs where it's warm and quiet and away from all the sickies. I feel bad, but soon enough they'll get to know eachother.

I just read KristenA's birth story. What a journey you've been on. Congratulations on successfully birthing your baby the way you wanted. Sounds very much like my journey which began after my second son was born (vaginally, but was induced and the whole nine yards...I was very dissatisfied with the experience and knew there was something better).

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #162 on: February 01, 2008, 11:14:59 PM » by SarahK

I've had a double handful of labors. They have ranged from "poorly informed first timers" to "been there, done that" sorts of experiences.

This most recent one was mostly a simple process. I have always had an AROM (artificial rupture of membranes). I've been dilated to ten and remain intact. I tell them it's from the teflon coating on the pans I used when we were first married. This time I thought I would skip that part and see how things went.

In a nutshell, they went long and slow. After 12 hours of contractions every 5-10 minutes when awake, we went in to the hospital where we planned to deliver. We were there about 2 hours before the doc came in (shift change) and I was offered the option to snag that bag. I hate that decision. I know it's gonna make it hurt more but get it done faster. I just hate deciding.

So we did it. Dilation completed with a hold up between 9 & 10 cuz I have one spot that has never, ever fully effaced right. Once we got around that (manually), it was time for that 3 minute delivery that I usually have. Only this time it didn't work right. Baby was OP (face up) and kept getting held up against my pelvic bone in front. We all knew something was not right and I said each time "What do I need to do here? He can't be that big but he seems stuck." It was like I was pushing up against glass. No pain to me, but there was no baby descent at all at that point. After 3 contractions it was discovered what was the problem, but baby's heart rate dropped each time and each time it was harder and harder to get it back up. I was on oxygen and it still was dipping lower and lower. Contraction #4 was done with short, fat doctor fingers attempting to hook him around that corner - didn't work and was very not fun for me. (I think what I said was "Hey! Knock it off! You aren't supposed to push back, ya know!") And the heartrate dropped quite low again. At that point we decided to do a mini-vac assist. Next contraction got him around the corner & I was able to deliver him completely right then. No problems with baby at all. Less than an hour from AROM to delivery.

But I got my first stitch. I know lots of you moms out there have had more stitches then you can count - but this was unheard of for me... After 11 births, I'm all stretch. Let's say that some places are not designed for heavy traffic, thick hands and a hard, plastic vac thingy.

In retrospect, The Man & I both think I needed to shift positions. I've delivered a bigger baby than this one face up before w/o problems - but we think I was just at the wrong angle. Unfortunately, we didn't think of it in the 3-4 contractions we had and then the heart rate was a serious overhanging worry. We think that if we moved me a bit flatter back or a bit to one side, we may have been able to avoid the vac. But we were low on ideas and running out of time.

All in all, it was a good labor and delivery ended up with minimal damage to me and a baby that has peed on himself twice already.

And, yes, I actually said that to the doc. I speak just like I post here - and in labor I am even more nutsy. For example, we have the vac in place & are waiting the 45-60 seconds to the next contraction to deliver this baby. Heart rate is back to safe and I say "OK, I need to know what is written on that tag on your gown. I can read it but I don't know what it means." Doc reads the label, explains how it is for tying a sterile robe with assistance and I say "OK. Thanks. Now we can have this baby." Contraction. Birth. Done.

Logged

I have learned enough to know I still have lots to learn. Teach me.
My WTM Intro updated 5/2009

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #163 on: February 01, 2008, 11:53:56 PM » by JeffAngie

SarahK
You crack me up. I am due in 2 months this will be #3 for me I sure hope things go easily for me I am planning a VBAC after 2 Sections.
Have fun with the new little one.
God Bless,
Angie

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #164 on: February 02, 2008, 12:13:33 AM » by amy3js

Quote from: JeffAngie on February 01, 2008, 11:53:56 PM

I am planning a VBAC after 2 Sections.
Angie

I'm cheering for you! You can do it!

Logged

You get what you get, what matters is what you do with it.

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #165 on: February 02, 2008, 07:15:09 AM » by MrsUkraineBible

Birth #1, 2002
I had had THE classic pregnancy: about 2 days of slight nausea, no vomiting, felt the baby move at the 'textbook date' (whatever that I was, I don't remember which week... around 18, I think), hemoglobin and all other levels stayed good throughout, and on and on. The day before my due date I woke up thinking I'd wet the bed. "How embarrassing," I muttered, stumbling to the bathroom. We had been praying for a late baby since my husband was in the middle of his winter exams ("Please Lord, if the baby is just one week late, then dh will be off for three weeks. It would be REALLY nice to have him around, you know?"), so I was surprised to see something that look remarkably like a mucus plug in the toilet that morning. ("What a minute, Lord! This is too soon!") Believe it or not, I actually considered NOT telling dh. He had a major exam that afternoon and I didn't want to distract him. I quickly came to my senses, however, and broke the news as gently as I could to my tousled-headed, half-asleep hubby. Immediately, he was wide-awake. "Are you sure? What does THE BOOK say to do now?" [Note: THE BOOK was the fateful "What to expect when you're expecting", a book I'd relied on and one which I now scorn, for this was the book that so confidently told me 'every woman should be prepared for the possibility of a c-section'. Boo! hiss!] After consulting our 'faithful' pregnancy guide, we decided on the following plan of action. 1.Hubby would go to the university and take his exam, calling the dr from town to see what she thought we should do. 2.I would finish packing my bag (which of course was nowhere near ready... after all, we'd been praying for a week delay!) and wait for his call. Ok, off he went and I started sifting through the piles of stuff for baby and me. Oh yea, I'd been meaning to stock up on basic food stuffs, so I ran to the market (we didn't... and still dont... have a car, so I was really running) and bought, oh, about 25 pounds worth of food to stock the pantry. The snow was falling and I was panting under my load, but singing blithely away that 'we're going to have a baby today!' Dh called to say that the dr thought I should come in to be checked. We agreed to meet at the hospital after his exam and I bundled up, grabbed my 2 overstuffed backpacks and headed for the bus stop. On the way to the hospital I had to stop at a clinic to pick up the results of dh's health tests, a prerequisite for his being with me at the birth. Those precious results in hand, I ran, big belly, huge bags and all, across the icy road to catch the trolley bus that was just about to leave. (In hind sight, its a wonder I didn't bellyflop on that ice!) Safely arriving at the hospital, hubby met me with "I passed with top marks!" Hooray, one victory down, now we're ready for the next one. He also informed me that he'd been through 'birth classes' (i.e. a 15-minute chat with the head midwife) and was officially approved to be with me in the delivery room. Thoroughly hyped and ready to 'get down to business', we headed for the dr's office. All hopes were dashed however when after checking me, the dr said, "Your water didn't break, you're not dialated, its not time." Pfffff... out when all the enthusiasm, and I was left just another pregnant, over-anxious gal. "But," the dr went on. "I think you should check in to the hospital and stay here because things could start up any time." Wait a minute! Stay here? Why, if I'm not ready to deliver? Who will take care of dh? I don't like to sleep in hospitals. But there was no changing her mind. I trudged out to the waiting room to tell hubby and he was as bummed as I. You can't buck the system (or so we thought... let me remind those of you who may not know that I was, and still am, in the country of Ukraine), so I allowed myself to be led off for registration. Dh was sent home and I was settled in to a drab, 2-person room to await the big event. My roommate was pacing around, looking like she was really going to have a baby, whereas I was stuck there without so much as a twinge of a contraction. Thinking of dh going home to a dark apartment and me left here in an unfriendly maternity ward, the tears just wouldn't be held back. A passing nurse heard my sniffling and asked, "is it so bad here?" "Can't you just let me CRY?!" I shot back. "Help yourself," she returned and went on her way. In the midst of my pity party, I started to get these little crampy things that irritated me. Being a totally naive, first-time mother, I ignored them and went on feeling sorry for myself. Around 5 pm I was summoned for an exam, upon which the dr on duty very seriously (as if it was bad news) told me, "You're going to have this baby tonight." Woo-hoo! Sprinting down the hall, I called hubby (who'd just gotten home, exhausted after the early morning, intense exam and various hospital dealings) to tell him to 'grab a taxi, pick up my dr on the way and get back here! We're going to have a baby... TONIGHT!" Contractions were just strong enough to convince me of the dr's accuracy, not nearly as bad as what I'd expected. "Hmph, this is no big deal!" I thought smugly to myself. I was prepped, and soon dh came shyly in, all decked out in a green dr suit. What a handsome guy! We joked and held hands tightly on the elevator ride up to the delivery wing. I was unceremoniously escorted to a side room, situated in a torture-chair left over from the Spanish inquisition and my bag of water ripped to shreds. Whoa, Nelly! That hurt! "Hmm, its kind of green," the dr muttered to herself, ignoring my groans. Back to the delivery room, where dh was still in a jolly mood. I, by this time, was not. Contractions were coming hard and PAINFULLY and, with a monitor-thingy strapped to my belly, I was lying on my side, gripping hubby's hand for dear life. After several minutes of staring intently at a screen, the dr informed us that the baby was in distress (dumb, naive me... why didn't I think to tell her, "OF COURSE, he's in distress! You just stuck a metal rod into his little haven and his world is all topsy-turvy now!" Alas, I was to trusting drs, and in too much pain now, to argue with her.). "I'm sure you could handle delivery," she went on to me, "but I'm worried about the baby (like, who isn't?!). The monitor isn't even showing his heart rate during contractions anymore. Its going off the charts, showing 'alarm alarm'. I think we need to do a c-section." Mind you, this was a little before 9 pm. I'd only been in 'real labor' for about 15 minutes, if that. But, thanks to the counseling of "What to Expect", I knew this was a possibility for "any woman". Dh on the other hand was in shock. "But she's had a perfect pregnancy? What.. but... can't we...?" Obviously convinced that this was the way to go, the dr. assured him that everything would be fine and I was wheeled away. Feebly waving goodbye to my poor, distraught husband, I was taken to the operating room where there were about a dozen people milling around, all looking at me as if I were at death's door. By this point, I was resigned to anything, just give me the gas. A few deep breaths and I was out. Within 10 minutes, dh was given our PERFECTLY HEALTHY son while I wandering in the land of unconsciousness. My darling husband was beside himself with joy. He was a father! What a precious gift from God.. a son! Later, when I came too, dh was there, stroking my arm, telling me how perfect our baby was, how cute he was, etc., etc. I tried to act happy, but I felt so out of it. As is standard procedure here in Ukraine, I was kept in ICU for 24-hours after the surgery for observation and only after that, once in a regular room, did I finally meet my baby. He was already a day and a half old, but it was love at first sight for me. I didn't feel any regret, only deep joy at the bliss of motherhood. Unlike many, I didn't have depression over the way the birth went. There were no 'bonding' problems. My milk came in great (a little TOO great... ouch!) and on day#5 Daddy came to take us home. How Number 2 was born and how we want Number 3 to be born will have to wait for another time. Thanks for listening!
MrsUkraineBible

Logged

Check out our blog to learn more about us and our ministry: www.bibleua.com

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #166 on: February 02, 2008, 08:50:09 AM » by earthymomof2

Great story MrsUkraineBible!! Can't wait to hear the rest.

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #167 on: February 21, 2008, 07:21:13 AM » by littlemama24

Hi everyone! We had our first WTM baby yesterday, Miss Zoe Hosanna was born at 8 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long. I started having more contractions around 3 pm on Tuesday and they were accompanied by surges of back pain. It wasn't real bad but I have never had back labor before so I thought it might be "it". I was due the day before so was just waiting for it. Anyway, they got real regular and increasingly stronger so my dh and I decided to send the kiddoes with their grandma and go in to be checked. The dr's decided to keep me overnight to watch me and see if they got closer or what-not being that I was "overdue" and live so far from the hospital etc. I was dilated to a 3 at that point and have a history of dilating fast. All the staff were supportive and wonderful and let us call many of the "shots". I was very surprised as I have had many many negative hospital experiences. Anyway, contractions came regularly throughout the night but began to space out and by morning they were only 13 minutes apart as opposed to the 3 minutes apart they were when I got there. We were debating whether or not to go home and come back later but dh decided to go for a reserved amount of pitocin instead due to us being self-payers (no insurance) it was going to cost us a LOT to leave and come back and redo all the IV's and still run the risk of getting pitocin anyway, etc. I was so happy to have dh to defer to and just let him make decisons as I was so worn out by this point only having slep 3 hrs in 2 nights.
They started the pitocin and things progressed until I thought I must be ready to have her because the pain was so intense and I was so exhausted. Her heart rate stayed wonderful the whole time. The nurse checked me and I was only to a 5. Shocked

I was so discouraged. I was so tired and fears (from the last baby we lost) started to overtake me. I ended up reluctantly asking for an epidural. The few I have ever had didn't work and the process was worse to recieve than I expected so I was really hoping this would be different as I was desperate for a little break - I was dozing off and starting to get real cloudy and scared at the same time. Anyway, the anesthesiologist was great and it wasn't a bad procedure. The nurse was so supportive, et. The OB dr was very willing to let dh make decisions and he knew all the reasons why to be cautious but he also knew how much we wanted VBAC and he really wanted one for us too so he helped us weigh all that.
After the epidural I relaxed enough I guess that I dilated rather quickly from that point on. I could still feel contractions enough to push when it was time so she came out in 1 big push (separated into 3 little ones, really). Dr. said he wished it was always that easy!. Zoe Hosanna was born! I was shocked by how large she was! She felt so much smaller than my boys who were all in the mid 7 pound range and here she was 8 pounds 11 ounces! She is a champion nurser! Latched on right away and nursed 25 minutes on one side and then wanted to switch! Shocked

We are very happy with our experience even though it was nothing like what we had planned for... it turned out well and we are not disappointed. I thought I would be with myself because I usually don't have that many interventions and especially not with pain relief but I am glad we decided what we did for the circumstances and there are no regrets here! Grin

Well, that's our story. This mama is headidn back to bed! Wink

Logged

check out my blog
http://littlemamasthoughtson.blogspot.com/

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #168 on: February 21, 2008, 12:29:12 PM » by Gigi

Thanks for your story, Littlemama! Now, get some sleep as soon as you can, and then do it again after that, ok?

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #169 on: February 21, 2008, 12:59:39 PM » by Whiterock

Quote from: Gigi on February 21, 2008, 12:29:12 PM

Thanks for your story, Littlemama! Now, get some sleep as soon as you can, and then do it again after that, ok?

Absolutely! get lots of sleep. And because all that sleeping can really tire you out, you may need to take a nap. Grin

Logged

Who Needs God?

My Blog - Yarb d'Farb Knarb Check out the Wellness Wednesday tag for your health-related blog posts!

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #170 on: February 21, 2008, 01:57:45 PM » by steadygirl

I am so glad your birth went well and you are happy with it! Enjoy your little one. Kiss

Logged

<img src="[url]http://lbdf.lilypie.com/Ld0Em6.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie Pregnancy tickers" />[/url]

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #171 on: February 21, 2008, 04:49:16 PM » by AndysJess

You did great Littlemama24!!! Sleep, sleep, sleep. Those big babies really wear your body out!!!

Logged

Helpmeet to Andy for over 10 years. Mama to Drew, Dylan, Cullen & Avery...new baby due in May 2010

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #172 on: February 22, 2008, 12:01:37 AM » by Blue Rose

So happy for you, Littlemama. Good birth story. Isn't God good to give us hubby's who look out for us and protect us with good decisions? So glad your girl is here. I am still preggo and waiting for our baby to arrive. My thing is making sure I make the right call so that I don't end up with a house full of people too soon. Tongue

Soo happy for you and your family and the arrival of little Zoe! Don't forget about all that resting we talked about. How long did we say was appropriate? 1 week? 2 weeks? a month? Grin

Enjoy your family!!

~Blue Rose

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #173 on: February 22, 2008, 12:08:46 AM » by Leilani

OK, obviously I am slacking since littlemamma beat me to the birth stories thread! Grin

I guess I will do mine now too!
On Saturday I had contractions all day that were a little painful but not too bad. Later in the evening they got to the point where I didn't want to answer the kids questions while having one but still not real close together. I was pretty worn out and went to bed early.

I slept till hub came to bed around 11 and then couldn't go back to sleep and was having contractions pretty often. I decided to get up and time them and move around a little and watch a dvd. From midnight to 1 they were 3 minutes apart, I figured we were going to have a baby soon so decided to try to get more sleep went back to bed and STILL couldn't sleep with the contractions so I decided to take a shower. While in the shower they were getting closer and were only1 1/2 min apart I decided since it was number 4 and I might be pretty quick I should call the midwife before I waited too long. The midwife was shocked to hear from me hehe she said YOU were not one we were expecting this weekend. Told me to come in we called hubs parents to come stay with the kids and got to the hospital at about 3 am.

So I go in and they check me and... 2-3ish CM Angry

And while at the hospital the contractions of course started spacing out to about 5 min. While they had me on the heartrate monitor they noticed baby's heartrate dropped every time I had a contrax but it popped right back up after. The midwife said (wisely) that they would not break my water because of that since probably the cord was down where it would come out. So as the night/morning progressed I moved around and every time I would lay down or get into a bath my contractions would slow and space way out. I had progressed to 5 sometime in the early morning so was definitely in labor but it was just a sloooow process I guess. The only way to keep the contractions coming at a decent rate was to walk and stand during contrax. Which I HATE!! so I was getting really tired and frustrated because I couldn't do my normal comfort measures. Finally at around oh 11am I said I can't do this anymore I have to get into the bath and I don't CARE if labor stops Grin

So I got in the tub and (praise the Lord) they kept coming steady and I stayed there dozing off in between until I felt "pushy" then I got out and was checked and was at 7+. Midwife said "NOW I can break your water and we are going to have this baby soon." That was at 11:40 There was merconium in the fluid, that paired with the heartrate drops in baby made them want to call a peds DR in just in case. After a few more horrifying contractions (which were STILL really far apart) and some throwing up, The midwife said OK push when you feel like you are ready. She didn't have to tell me twice Grin

hehe I pushed that kid from 0 station to out in one contraction! Well her head anyway. They were not prepared for that! Cheesy

I was soo done though and that kid was coming out! So one more contrax and our little girl was born crying and perfectly fine at 12:30pm.

She is my smallest at 7.15 only by an ounce though. She had a short (skinny Huh

) cord that was wrapped around her neck twice, and they merconium was old they thought maybe a week or so ago. We stayed overnight in the hospital and came home the next day where my parents have been taking care of me and I do nothing but sleep and take care of baby Grin

This labor was soo weird and different than I expected. My first with NO IV's or pitocin or any kind of interventions. I expected it to be quick...

Logged

Leilani married to my Mr Visionary for 11 years!
my sweet boys 8, 7,3 and our baby girl just turned 1

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #174 on: February 22, 2008, 12:24:09 AM » by Blue Rose

And she is soo cute too. I am glad that you have parents there to take care of everything and all you have to do is get to know that baby and heal. Good for you! Miss our talks, but so glad you have your girl. Am hoping to be holding my own little one soon.

Any cravings for Pineapple recently? Tongue

~Blue Rose

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #175 on: February 22, 2008, 08:45:55 AM » by SarahLaRae

What wonderful stories LM and Leilani! I'm so happy for you both!

Logged

My family blog spot.... http://benandsarahmoorefamily.blogspot.com/

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #176 on: February 27, 2008, 01:51:19 PM » by sweetestday

I figured I better get birth #2 up on here since I am pregnant with #3.

I had my first baby 8 days early, so going on that my mom and sis had each baby a week earlier than the one before it, My MW came to stay with us a few weeks in advance. (She's a sweet single gal that still lives at home... but 8-9 hours away from us!)
Well, this baby took his sweet time in coming! It was making me nervous, because my MW had another mom due a bit after my due date, and she lived pretty far away.
Week after week past, until the MW had been with us for 3 weeks! That was nice to have the extra help, especially with a busy 16 month old, but it was getting to be a long wait!
Each night we watched a different Moody Science DVD with the MW, and on the night of 2/13/06, I was pretty sure my water began to break/ leak. I didn't say anything, because we had had plenty of false alarms, so I just put on a pad, and went to bed. ( I had gone for a long walk through deep snow with DH earlier that evening, and there was a full moon nearing!) Well, contractions soon started in earnest, and my water was leaking with each one. I began soaking pad after pad, and was soon out of underwear. For some reason, I had this need to have clean undies on during the entire labor, so while everyone was sleeping, I made trip after trip up and down the basement steps doing a couple loads of laundry. Cheesy

I did wake up the MW a couple times to inform her of my progression, but otherwise was letting everyone sleep as much as possible. At around 2am I called my oldest sis, and let her coach me though contractions, and just chat, as I knelt rocking in front of an exercise ball in my sewing room. She kept track of time, and told me I better call my youngest sis who was planning to be at this birth, so she could make it in time. I did that, then woke up DH and asked him to get the MW, at about 3:30am. I wanted to keep laboring in the sewing room, but they made me move to the bedroom. Roll Eyes

Then, to my dismay they made me take off my underwear! Cheesy

I think I would have had that baby right into my undies if they would have let me! My sis showed up about 5 minutes before I pushed the head out. Baby's hand was up by his face, so it was difficult to get him past that point... the MW had me roll over from the all 4's position I was in, to a lying back position. He came right out, then, and looked just like a little black baby, with a squished flat nose, and very blackish blue complexion. (4:07am) As I watched, his face slowly began to pink up, and he began to look Asian. Cheesy

I was concerned because he still hadn't started to breathe, but the MW said since the cord was still pulsing he was OK. Sure enough, he soon began to cry, and was just fine! Oh, and as a bit more time went by, he looked like the Caucasian baby he was supposed to be. I just remember how funny that was to see him change appearance right before my eyes!
And that is the wonderful, fast birth of boy #2, Friederich Scott!

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #177 on: February 27, 2008, 08:20:24 PM » by happyhomemaker

I didn't know we were having a race on the birth stories! Wink

A little "late" is better than not getting it done at all. Cheesy

Tuesday, February 19th
The day had gone on like all the others. No contractions, nothing really to speak of and no hope that things were going to start. Huh

We had been on Monday to the doctor for a NST & Sonogram. Everything turned out fine and they were willing to let me go as long as I wanted to before induction. At this point, I was a week and one day “past due”. We really felt like waiting was the thing to do. After dinner, we were sitting in the den talking and I started to feel something odd. I told hubby about it, and kept feeling this strange “sliding” feeling. I had no idea what it was, but after talking it over with hubby decided to call my midwife. She called back right away and through the conversation I learned that she was on call till the next evening ( Grin

!!!). We had prayed and prayed that she would be on call when I went into labor. She said that we could come in and let her check me, and that since I was already at 4cm, she wouldn’t send us home since we live so far away. At this point, we had decided that if I didn’t go into labor on my own, Wednesday morning we would induce in one form or another. After talking it over, we decided to go ahead in. I called my Mom, who was sick and told her what was happening. Both my Dad & Mom were of the opinion that we should go in. We put the kids to bed, and finished collecting the stuff that we needed. The Lord was gracious, and the kids fell asleep right away. They heard nothing of our departure, and that made leaving so much easier! Since I wasn’t in labor, we didn’t hurry. We stopped on the way out of town at Burger King for a milkshake. Cheesy

It sounded good, and it was like having a date on the way to the hospital. Wink

We arrived around 11:30pm. and started the process of getting settled. When they checked me, I was 5cm and 60% effaced and baby was a -2, but I was not having not having contractions that I could feel (I was having them though). By the time all the nurses had done their thing, it was 1am, Wednesday morning. We were tired and ready for some sleep.
Wednesday, February 20th
I had only been asleep about 30 minutes, when I woke up with contractions and my back hurting. I knew it was the real thing. The contractions were kinda irregular and some were long and some were short. The long ones were 70 seconds long, and the shorter ones were 40 seconds. Because of the back pain, I got up and started rocking. It wasn’t long before I could feel them getting closer together. The back pain was pretty strong, but walking and rocking helped me stay more comfortable. DH woke up around 4am, and glanced at my bed. He was puzzled that I wasn’t in bed, but I filled him in on how my “night” had been. Originally, we were planning to have my midwife break my water to start things off around 7am. By 6:30am, they were very close together and I was pretty uncomfortable. I was avoiding getting in bed like the plague! Sitting or laying down just sounded awful. Hubby kept asking me if I wanted him to call the nurse so our midwife could check me. Finally around 7:15 I got into bed. It was really getting tough and I was guessing I was around 9 cm. At 7:30am, my midwife came in and checked me. I was indeed 9 cm and the baby was at 0 station and I was completely thinned out. We went ahead and had my midwife break my water around 7:30, and really thought that things would progress quickly. Labor did not progress, but rather it came to a stop. I got up and walked (that was hard to do!) and did all kinds of things trying to get things going again. Slowly but surely things started up around 8am. About 9:00 things started to happen, and the first real pushing contraction came. At 9:15 things got more serious and I started to really push, but not much happened. The pain was so great in my back that I was doing all I could do to get it over with. I really did not know if I could push him our or not. Hubby assured me that I could do it and I went with that. At 9:28 I pushed 3 times back to back and our big baby was here! Benjamin Luke had arrived and started crying within 10 sec. He was 10lbs. 2oz. and 21” long. I had no idea he was going to be that big, but I knew he was “big.” His feet and hands were a little blue, but they told me that happens when babies are so large. I was kind of surprised to see that his skin was a little dry and flaky since the sonogram showed lots of fluid. Because he came so fast (relatively) and he was so big, I had lots of stitches. I really had expected an easy birth, because my previous one was pretty easy and fast. This was one of the hardest things I have ever done! Next time we do this, we plan to just have me induced around 38 weeks. Thus far each baby has gotten larger for me (8lbs. 15oz, 9lbs. 14oz. & 10lbs. 2oz.) so going early is probably going to happen next time around! I guess that’s our story. Cheesy

Logged

Happyhomemaker

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #178 on: March 16, 2008, 03:54:48 PM » by Isaacsmama

OK, I guess I have a little time right now, so I will try and write this out. As most know, I started ahving BP problems the last couple weeks. We did a blood panel and it wasnt signs of preeclampsia, but still a concern. When laying down I averaged around 138/84 and when up doing things, it would go to around 152/98 or so. So, my prayers for going VERY late were not going to happen, unless I wanted to risk going to the hospital. So, a couple days after my due date, my MW suggested stripping membranes, so I said yes. But, she could not do anyything because I was still high and tight, it took two days later before she could get in there to do anything. IT hurt too, not very enjoyable. That was a Thursday night when she stripped them, I was barely open to 1.5. So the next dayI had pidly contractions about an hour apart. Then Saturday I had more contraction, but still piddly. In the evening my sister suggested a short walk, I went around the block and my blood pressure went like 160/100, so I layed down. About an hour later, contractions started again and started to get more frequent. When they were about 3-7 minutes apart, we called the MW(my midwife happened to be out of town so this was her on call person) This was about 9pm. So the MW and her assistant, and my midwifes assistant and my doula and my mom and sister were there. My doula brought her birthing pool. Very neat, it blows up but is very sturdy and you can sit on the sides of it. Once I got in the water, my BP evened out and it wasnt a worry then on out. This was close to 10pm. So, I labored in the tub. MY husband called from IRaq about 4 times during the labor process, towards the end I was unable to talk to him, but he heard what was going on. When the MW checked me I was around 9 but the water still intact, so I told her to break it and then she aso tried to help things along by stretching my cervix. Around 12:30, things got VERY hard, WAY worse than I expected the pain to be. My sister got in the pool with me and was holding me up a lot of the time. I ended up in sort of a hands and knees position for pushing and pushed so hard he shot out in the water, my sister caught him. I was in agony those last 20 minutes and am surprised I didnt wake the whole neighborhood up. Isaac slept through the whole thing in the next room. PTL! So, the MW was worried about blood loss so all these women had to lift me up out of the pool to put me on the couch, that was interesting. Javan screamed the first 20 minutes or so. They said that was odd as water born babies are usually very quiet. I tore slightly but no biggy. We were expecting a girl(just our own feelings, no ultrasound) so I had to wait until I got some pictures emailed to my husband so we could pick a name for our new boy. My hubby called about 20 minutes after birth so he got to hear him! So, that is it in a nutshell. thanks for the prayers and encouragement!

Logged

Re: Birth Stories: Past or Present
« Reply #179 on: March 16, 2008, 05:41:40 PM » by doddsgirl