AnnaSaRa
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Hi there!
My name is Anna. I thought I would share my wonderful birth story with all of you... our baby girl came to us at 38w3d, a little earlier than we expected (I thought for sure she would be late!)! You can read more about my TTC and pregnancy journey in my journals.
To summarize, Valentina's birth went alot better than I expected. Labour progressed very nicely and I was able to have the natural birth I had hoped for. I had a fairly short labour. From active labour to her birth it was about 9 hours.
So here is the story:
After hitting 38 weeks (On Tues), I just had a feeling things were getting started. I started to get AF-like pains and more severe Braxton Hicks in the middle of the night, but they were super irregular and would die off as soon as I woke up in the morning so I didnt think too much of it.
Early Wed morning (Oct 24) I woke up with those same AF-BH contractions but instead of being irregular and stopping when I woke up they continued all day. They started off at around 5am, I started to time them and they lasted about 30 seconds every 10 minutes or so. About an hour after getting up that morning, I started to have them every 5-8 minutes but it wasnt too consistent so I tried not to think too much of it. DH did not want to go into work but I insisted he go and at least go and get stuff done just in case things happen soon I told him Id be in touch with him and definitely call him if anything got worse.
The contractions started to die down around 11am - they were now 12-15 min apart so I figured I was definitely going through false labour. I was a little disappointed but at the same time I was kind of relieved since I could use just a little more time! I continued about my daily activities, made some beef barley soup to freeze, took a shower, did my hair. Then around 2-3pm the contractions started up again more regularly and then around 5 I had a few bad ones that kind of took me by surprise. I texted DH and asked him when he was coming home (but I tried not to scare him or anything although I had a feeling things were definitely moving along). He came home around 7, made us some pasta for dinner while I sat on my birthing ball and swayed with each contraction. I started to time them again and hey were around 30s every 3-5 minutes. DH became worried and insisted I call the doula to see what she said. I gave her a call and explained my situation. Since I hadnt lost my plug (that I knew of although I kept checking) or my water hadnt broke yet she said things could either continue like this for a few days or things could progress but it was hard to tell. She told me to call her if there were any signs of plug or water breaking or if the contractions became unbearable to the point where I couldnt speak or walk through them and I had to hold on to something to get through them. In the meantime, she told me to distract myself and go for a walk. DH and I had dinner (my fave, pasta with meatballs) and I got through each small contraction and it wasnt too bad. We went for a walk with our dog and some of the contractions I had to stop and pause but they weren't unbearable.
I was so worried about getting to sleep that night. The contractions weren't terrible but I could definitely not sleep through them. I went to bed around 10 and slept for maybe 5 minutes when I had a TERRIBLE one that left me squirming in agony. After one more like that I realized I could not stay in bed and went downstairs to watch TV. I was still in agony with each one I tried different positions, sitting on the ball moving around but nothing really helped. Finally I decided to try my hypnobirthing CD and surprisingly I got through 2-3 really bad contractions in a trance. However, that didnt last long because I fell out of the hypnosis and started to get really tired and worried.
After that point he contractions were so bad I had to moan through them and grasp onto things. The worst was after going to the washroom. I would go pee and immediately have a terrible one right after that. Eventually around 12:30am I woke up DH and he was like were going to the hospital I actually agreed.
My bags were all packed and ready, DH (as disorganized as usual) just threw some stuff together last second. DH called the hospital ahead of time to let them know we were coming and we were off.
I had a few contractions in the car ride, that wasnt too fun but I just held on and went with them. I think the worst ones were the 2 I had in the elevator, especially when DH pressed the wrong floor button! I could have killed him!
Haha
Finally we got to L&D and they attached me to some monitors. I had a good half hour of contractions lying down (which was awful) I just got through them moaning and singing (at one point I started singing Rollercoaster of Love because my contractions on the monitor reminded me of a rollercoaster) Finally a nurse came to check me and told me I was 3-4cm dilated. OK not too bad, I wish I was further along but better than nothing. They admitted me and we called our Doula to let her know we were there. She arrived shortly after .
All I can say is thank goodness for her. After she got there she had me start walking around. With each contraction I leaned over, swayed my hips back and forth and held on to the leaning bar they had around the walls Doula and DH held and massaged my back and Doula coached me on deep breathing through each one Breath slowly in through your nose slowly out through your mouth This helped so much I cant even tell you
With each contraction we tried different positions, sitting on the birth ball and, squatting, and walking were the ones that really helped me along. Finally around 5am the doctor was able to see me (she was really busy with surgeries) and told me I was 5-6cm arg still a long way to go but still, a progression. She suggested we break my waters to get things really moving along. She went in and suddenly I felt this release and fluid came drippling out, it felt kind of nice, therapeutic. The contractions were already getting stronger. I had to lie on the bed and be monitor for 20 min. It was 20 min of pure torture. It was at this point I was starting to doubt if I could handle this without any pain relief. All I wanted to do was get up and walk around. I watched the clock with each contraction and they were about a 1 min long with very little relief in between. I kept asking Doula how long much longer. She went to find the nurse who at this point was one of the rudest nurses I have ever met.
Eventually, Doula stepped in and basically told her off and asked if there was another nurse we could see. I was super impressed since Doula was more the quiet, relaxing type but she came through and spoke up for me when I needed it. 
Eventually I was unhooked and we continued walking. Contractions were awful but soo much better than being strapped to the bed. Around 6am the contractions became very different I started to feel this intense pressure on my cervix and bowel and with each one I had to moan really loudly and I was shaking through each one. The doctor checked me again and I was around 8cm. Almost there. They were really impressed that in an hour I progressed so nicely.
We decided to try getting in the shower to help with the pain. I went in and DH sprayed my back with hot water with each contraction. THIS was the best. The contractions were bad but they were definitely more manageable and I started to get my confidence back. I just kept thinking if I could get through as many as I could in the shower I could definitely handle this.
Eventually, the nurse (a new nurse Tiana - best nurse ever by the way!) told me OK time to get out, we dont do water births here She wrapped me in the warmest blanket ever (felt like it just came out of the dryer) and we headed to the bed. I had a few contractions leaning against the bed, then some facing DH and nuzzling into his shirt. The smell of him and his touch soothed me. Nurse Tiana had had me on the bed now, facing up and leaning over the edge with my tummy against the top of the bed and my arms hanging downwards. These contractions were the most intense of them all. I could no longer control my voice and I let out loud wails with each one. Both Doula and Nurse Tiana kept telling me to breath and if my hands were tense had me relax them. Finally after 3 or 4 I felt this really strong urge to push - the heavy feeling in my cervix and bowel remained even after the contraction was over. I lied with my back on the bed and she checked my cervix 10cm. Next contraction, we will start to push My head was spinning at this point
we are so close I couldn't believe it.
Pushing during the contractions was actually a huge relief. All that energy was able to go somewhere! I could feel actually feel the baby moving down through my birth canal with each push. I did a few pushes on my back, then she had me lie on my left side for some, then on the right side. Doula and DH kept telling me how amazing I was doing. All of a sudden Tiana went I can see the head At this point DH got super emotional and started to get teary. I on the other hand had no time for emotions I had to keep going. Suddenly we had one more set of pushes when Tiana told me to STOP and pant. No more pushing. It was time to get the doctor. Baby was ready to go!!!!
Doctor came in and after 2 sets of pushes babys head was out The doctor knew we were team yellow and right before she pulled her out she went What is it, boy or girl?? with one final push (and quite a bit of stinging/burning pain which at the moment I ignored because all I could focus on was meeting baby) she came out Its a girl!!!! at 8:24am Fri Oct 25.
After a quick wipe they put her right on my chest I was literally in shock. I could not believe what just happened. Right away I looked at DH and said its our Valentina I then delivered the placenta then doctor gave me a few stitches but it wasnt too bad.
They cleaned her up a little more, weighed her (6lbs 11oz) and put her on me skin to skin where we had a small feeding.
The rest is history and we are so blessed to have this miracle in our lives!
My name is Anna. I thought I would share my wonderful birth story with all of you... our baby girl came to us at 38w3d, a little earlier than we expected (I thought for sure she would be late!)! You can read more about my TTC and pregnancy journey in my journals.
To summarize, Valentina's birth went alot better than I expected. Labour progressed very nicely and I was able to have the natural birth I had hoped for. I had a fairly short labour. From active labour to her birth it was about 9 hours.
So here is the story:
After hitting 38 weeks (On Tues), I just had a feeling things were getting started. I started to get AF-like pains and more severe Braxton Hicks in the middle of the night, but they were super irregular and would die off as soon as I woke up in the morning so I didnt think too much of it.
Early Wed morning (Oct 24) I woke up with those same AF-BH contractions but instead of being irregular and stopping when I woke up they continued all day. They started off at around 5am, I started to time them and they lasted about 30 seconds every 10 minutes or so. About an hour after getting up that morning, I started to have them every 5-8 minutes but it wasnt too consistent so I tried not to think too much of it. DH did not want to go into work but I insisted he go and at least go and get stuff done just in case things happen soon I told him Id be in touch with him and definitely call him if anything got worse.
The contractions started to die down around 11am - they were now 12-15 min apart so I figured I was definitely going through false labour. I was a little disappointed but at the same time I was kind of relieved since I could use just a little more time! I continued about my daily activities, made some beef barley soup to freeze, took a shower, did my hair. Then around 2-3pm the contractions started up again more regularly and then around 5 I had a few bad ones that kind of took me by surprise. I texted DH and asked him when he was coming home (but I tried not to scare him or anything although I had a feeling things were definitely moving along). He came home around 7, made us some pasta for dinner while I sat on my birthing ball and swayed with each contraction. I started to time them again and hey were around 30s every 3-5 minutes. DH became worried and insisted I call the doula to see what she said. I gave her a call and explained my situation. Since I hadnt lost my plug (that I knew of although I kept checking) or my water hadnt broke yet she said things could either continue like this for a few days or things could progress but it was hard to tell. She told me to call her if there were any signs of plug or water breaking or if the contractions became unbearable to the point where I couldnt speak or walk through them and I had to hold on to something to get through them. In the meantime, she told me to distract myself and go for a walk. DH and I had dinner (my fave, pasta with meatballs) and I got through each small contraction and it wasnt too bad. We went for a walk with our dog and some of the contractions I had to stop and pause but they weren't unbearable.
I was so worried about getting to sleep that night. The contractions weren't terrible but I could definitely not sleep through them. I went to bed around 10 and slept for maybe 5 minutes when I had a TERRIBLE one that left me squirming in agony. After one more like that I realized I could not stay in bed and went downstairs to watch TV. I was still in agony with each one I tried different positions, sitting on the ball moving around but nothing really helped. Finally I decided to try my hypnobirthing CD and surprisingly I got through 2-3 really bad contractions in a trance. However, that didnt last long because I fell out of the hypnosis and started to get really tired and worried.
After that point he contractions were so bad I had to moan through them and grasp onto things. The worst was after going to the washroom. I would go pee and immediately have a terrible one right after that. Eventually around 12:30am I woke up DH and he was like were going to the hospital I actually agreed.
My bags were all packed and ready, DH (as disorganized as usual) just threw some stuff together last second. DH called the hospital ahead of time to let them know we were coming and we were off.
I had a few contractions in the car ride, that wasnt too fun but I just held on and went with them. I think the worst ones were the 2 I had in the elevator, especially when DH pressed the wrong floor button! I could have killed him!
HahaFinally we got to L&D and they attached me to some monitors. I had a good half hour of contractions lying down (which was awful) I just got through them moaning and singing (at one point I started singing Rollercoaster of Love because my contractions on the monitor reminded me of a rollercoaster) Finally a nurse came to check me and told me I was 3-4cm dilated. OK not too bad, I wish I was further along but better than nothing. They admitted me and we called our Doula to let her know we were there. She arrived shortly after .
All I can say is thank goodness for her. After she got there she had me start walking around. With each contraction I leaned over, swayed my hips back and forth and held on to the leaning bar they had around the walls Doula and DH held and massaged my back and Doula coached me on deep breathing through each one Breath slowly in through your nose slowly out through your mouth This helped so much I cant even tell you
With each contraction we tried different positions, sitting on the birth ball and, squatting, and walking were the ones that really helped me along. Finally around 5am the doctor was able to see me (she was really busy with surgeries) and told me I was 5-6cm arg still a long way to go but still, a progression. She suggested we break my waters to get things really moving along. She went in and suddenly I felt this release and fluid came drippling out, it felt kind of nice, therapeutic. The contractions were already getting stronger. I had to lie on the bed and be monitor for 20 min. It was 20 min of pure torture. It was at this point I was starting to doubt if I could handle this without any pain relief. All I wanted to do was get up and walk around. I watched the clock with each contraction and they were about a 1 min long with very little relief in between. I kept asking Doula how long much longer. She went to find the nurse who at this point was one of the rudest nurses I have ever met.
Eventually, Doula stepped in and basically told her off and asked if there was another nurse we could see. I was super impressed since Doula was more the quiet, relaxing type but she came through and spoke up for me when I needed it. Eventually I was unhooked and we continued walking. Contractions were awful but soo much better than being strapped to the bed. Around 6am the contractions became very different I started to feel this intense pressure on my cervix and bowel and with each one I had to moan really loudly and I was shaking through each one. The doctor checked me again and I was around 8cm. Almost there. They were really impressed that in an hour I progressed so nicely.
We decided to try getting in the shower to help with the pain. I went in and DH sprayed my back with hot water with each contraction. THIS was the best. The contractions were bad but they were definitely more manageable and I started to get my confidence back. I just kept thinking if I could get through as many as I could in the shower I could definitely handle this.
Eventually, the nurse (a new nurse Tiana - best nurse ever by the way!) told me OK time to get out, we dont do water births here
She wrapped me in the warmest blanket ever (felt like it just came out of the dryer) and we headed to the bed. I had a few contractions leaning against the bed, then some facing DH and nuzzling into his shirt. The smell of him and his touch soothed me. Nurse Tiana had had me on the bed now, facing up and leaning over the edge with my tummy against the top of the bed and my arms hanging downwards. These contractions were the most intense of them all. I could no longer control my voice and I let out loud wails with each one. Both Doula and Nurse Tiana kept telling me to breath and if my hands were tense had me relax them. Finally after 3 or 4 I felt this really strong urge to push - the heavy feeling in my cervix and bowel remained even after the contraction was over. I lied with my back on the bed and she checked my cervix 10cm. Next contraction, we will start to push My head was spinning at this point
we are so close I couldn't believe it. Pushing during the contractions was actually a huge relief. All that energy was able to go somewhere! I could feel actually feel the baby moving down through my birth canal with each push. I did a few pushes on my back, then she had me lie on my left side for some, then on the right side. Doula and DH kept telling me how amazing I was doing. All of a sudden Tiana went I can see the head At this point DH got super emotional and started to get teary. I on the other hand had no time for emotions I had to keep going. Suddenly we had one more set of pushes when Tiana told me to STOP and pant. No more pushing. It was time to get the doctor. Baby was ready to go!!!!
Doctor came in and after 2 sets of pushes babys head was out The doctor knew we were team yellow and right before she pulled her out she went What is it, boy or girl?? with one final push (and quite a bit of stinging/burning pain which at the moment I ignored because all I could focus on was meeting baby) she came out Its a girl!!!! at 8:24am Fri Oct 25.
After a quick wipe they put her right on my chest I was literally in shock. I could not believe what just happened. Right away I looked at DH and said its our Valentina I then delivered the placenta then doctor gave me a few stitches but it wasnt too bad.
They cleaned her up a little more, weighed her (6lbs 11oz) and put her on me skin to skin where we had a small feeding.
The rest is history and we are so blessed to have this miracle in our lives!
