So I know that I sort of just abandoned this blog but once I had my son life just sort of got crazy and I didn't really have a chance to update it. And now since it has been over a month since I have last written and I don't remember much of week 39 I am just going to skip that post and move on. But my mother keeps telling me that I need to start writing on this again and to write my birth story here so here it goes and I am going to share details I am sure some people do not need to know about me so if you don't want to hear it, stop reading now and just come back for the next post. :) (it will be about baby Liam so it should be fun). Oh and this is going to be very long too, sorry...
So on Thursday, December 6, 2013, I went to my doctor at 2 PM for my now weekly appointment because I was almost at the end. I was still dilated to a 2 and was told that I most likely wouldn't have him until after my due date (so the chances for getting a baby on 12/12/12 was going to be unlikely). He offered to strip my membranes and said it would hurt a little and would help speed up my going into labor. So I looked at hubby and we were both like, why not. My doctor said I might have a little cramping for about 5 minutes afterwards but it shouldn't be a big deal. So he did it and it didn't hurt that bad and I didn't cramp at all, so we went to make our 40 week appointment thinking that of course we were going to have to come back.
So I went on with my day and around 8 PM I noticed that I was leaking a little. I thought it was kind of odd but thought it was because of what the doctor had done earlier. So when my husband and 2 roommates wanted to run to McDonald's I said alright but only if I can use the iPad (which technically belongs to my husband) to look at stuff. So I started googling. I found out (from reading forum posts mostly) that when you get your membranes stripped it works in one of 2 ways. Either it does nothing and you have to have it done again or you go into labor within 24 hours of getting it done (again no real science behind what I am saying just from what I read that is how it seems). So I decided to tell my hubby what was going on and he told me to call my doula.
I did and she said to lay down for an hour and if I was still leaking I could go into the hospital and they could tell me if my water broke. I then call my mom (by then it was around 8:30, 9) and she said that we should just go into the hospital and see because what else could I really be leaking (good point...). So I compromised. She came and got me but I didn't make hubby go and told him if I get checked in I would call and then he could come to the hospital to me.
Off to the hospital we went. We go into a nice little waiting area and there is no one there (it is night so it makes sense) we wait for a few minutes not sure what to do and why no one is coming out to help us, so I call my doula again (she also work in Labor and Delivery at the same hospital) and was told we had to pick up the phone and they would let us in. Yeah it was late and a blonde moment for me. So once we got into the right place they checked me and yes my water was broken, I was still only dilated to a 2 and I was now stuck at the hospital on a time crunch because once you check in you have to deliver within 24 hours. Crap.
They got me all checked in and I called my husband to let him know what was going on but told him that to try and get some sleep and I would call him once it started getting more exciting. Now I know that I haven't said that I was having contractions at this time but it was because I didn't really think I was. I was told that my whole belly would tighten and it wasn't feeling like that. Basically it felt like period cramps only in my pelvic area, not on my belly at all. But apparently that is how they decided to be my entire labor, so I was having contractions at this point.
My mom called my doula and asked if she could come in now and of course she did. The nurse came and hooked me up to a machine to hear the baby and started giving me information. And more information and talked to me about how I might have to get Pitocin if my labor doesn't progress. I just realized that I have not mentioned what I wanted my labor to be like. I wanted all natural. No drugs at all, not even fluids, so taking Pitocin was something I really wasn't wanting to do. They tried giving me fluids and I told them that I was OK and I would just drink lots of water from the water bottle that I brought (I might have been a little annoying to them but it was OK). And the nurse kept talking and talking and finally to just make her stop I asked to go to the bathroom. I felt overwhelmed by all of the information she was throwing at me, knowing that already this was not going as planned and having her push the fact that I was most likely going to have to get Pitocin. I then decided that because I have been up since 4 in the morning (I had worked earlier) I was tired and wanted to try to go to sleep. Everyone left me alone and I tried sleeping. Nope wasn't going to happen.
I called everyone back in so that I would have company and decided that it was time for hubby to come in. So around 1:30 AM he got there. Now the contractions were starting to get worse but I was still doing alright. The problem now was that I was feeling like I was going to throw up so it would make it worse. After dealing with a bunch of contractions like that my doula explained that they have medication that they could give me that would make me feel better and it wouldn't affect the baby so finally I gave in and let them give me I think it was Zofran (?) and some fluids. Once they were all done I promptly threw up and then felt better. (not sure what good the medication was).
Since the contractions were starting to get worse now we decided to try the labor tub. So I got in and it was really nice for the first bit. Now after this time gets really screwy for me so I have no real memory of how long I was anywhere. So I started getting really bad contractions, and my back started hurting. I somehow got in an odd position where I was hanging on the side of the tub, leaning my head on the edge. The contractions were lasting around 20 minutes. They felt like they were never going to stop. This was when I started to ask for drugs. I was pretty much ignored. The nice nurse (a different one from the one that had helped me originally) wanted to check me to see how far I was but I didn't want her to because it hurts when she does that and I was in enough pain at the time but my team (aka my mom, doula and hubby) convinced me to let her check because the contractions had gotten so bad it means that I had been progressing a lot. (I don't remember when I was told this but they checked me at some point before and I was told that I was at a 4) So she checked me and I was think I would be at a 6 or something like that, nope. I was at 4 and a half.
I was very upset at that. I wasn't stupid about this. I knew labor was normally 18 to 24 hours and I knew that I could not last with this amount of pain for that long. They convinced me to get out of the tub and I sat on a low stool for a bit before they could convince me to go back to the bed. (Every time I moved a new contraction would start and they were so painful that I was terrified of doing anything that would cause one, hence my team having to convince me to do anything) They tried to get me to stand but I didn't want to so I grabbed the rolling stool that was in there, leaned on it and proceeded to walk while on my knees back to the bed. Once back on the bed I must have been in another bad position because the contractions went back to being 20 minutes long.
It was bad, I would try to concentrate on my breathing like I was supposed to and I would go from breathing to just screaming because it hurt so bad. Mind you, this entire time I have been asking for drugs and have been ignored. And my team kept telling me how good I was doing. I didn't really believe them considering I was asking for drugs and screaming, to me that means I was sucking at this and they were just saying that to be nice. So finally I get told that they are going to get me drugs, they just have to call the doctor to get the OK for them. (when I say drugs, I mean something in my IV, not and epidural) I then asked why they didn't do that 10 minutes ago when I was asking then. A bit later I get told that they got the OK for drugs, they just have to check me first. I told her no, that I didn't want her to do that because it hurts and will start another contraction but she said they have to before they can give me anything so I let her.
She told me I was at an 8 and I was thrilled. Then she told me that means that it is too late to give me any drugs, that they wouldn't do any good. I was pissed but at least I knew I was closer to the end. Around that time a different CNA came on for her shift and came to help. She decided that my position wasn't helping me and because I was still being stubborn and refusing to move she took it upon herself to get a blanket under me and have my team help lift my up using the blanket so that I was sitting upright. Then it was a lot better. I had breaks between the contractions and because I was exhausted, I would try to sleep between them. I was told to let them know if I got the urge to push. And after awhile I told them that I think I felt like I wanted to.
They said that was alright and got me told me when i had a contraction to push for 10 seconds and then to take a breath so that the baby would get oxygen still. So I would push and not feel like anything was happening. Then the doctor got there and said that it might be the position I was in and so they laid me down and told me to do the same thing, for for 10 then breathe and they would count for me. So they told me that they could see the head and that he had hair (something I was really wanting) and asked me if I wanted to feel it, I told them no.So they kept telling me, just one more push so they would count to 10 and I would push and then I would keep pushing because I wanted to be done now, and then they would remind me that I do need to breathe and not just continue pushing. So finally they told me that he was coming out and told me to watch to which I told them no again and just kept pushing.
He came out and they put him on my chest but since I was laying on my back I couldn't see him very well and I tried to pull him up more, to which I was told I couldn't really do that because he was still attached to me (they keep the umbilical cord attached for a minute to let all the extra blood and nutrients get to him). He cried like he was supposed to and my mom cut the cord. Then they wrapped him up partially and gave him to me to hold. He was so perfect.
I don't really remember the order of what happened next (by this time I had been up around 28 hours straight). They took him and weighed him and did all of that stuff. He got the APGAR test to which he got a 9 on. My mom held him, and he cried a little and then hubby held him and he calmed down immediately. He knew us. I don't remember if he got a bath before or after I fed him (which he did great, no problems there) and at some point I got to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. That order might be really off but I know all of those things happened. My mom packed up her stuff and went home to sleep and within 2 hours of giving birth they let me go up to the maternity ward where I would stay the rest of my time there.
I stayed another night in the hospital and the only time I really got to hold him when when I was feeding him because we had so many visitors coming and going. I got to shower which felt wonderful and the food there was great (it might have been because I was starving but who cares). I only got to sleep a half an hour during the day and then I went to bed around 10 at night but I was decently awake. Liam didn't want to sleep much his first night and I was up almost every 20 minutes to comfort him but I didn't mind. I went home at around noon the next day.
All in all, when people ask me how it was I tell them horrible. That it was really bad. Everyone that was there says I was amazing and I did great but I really don't think that I did. I had a 10 hour labor and pushed for only 30 minutes, which I am told is not that long at all. My son Liam was born at 7:52 AM on December 7, 2013. He weighed 7lbs 3ozs and was 20 inches long. He is my perfect boy and it was all worth it to get him.
