Moraine
Mom to a cutie pie!
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2007
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Well, it's rather late but here is my birth story.
Lucius Howard
Born 8:09pm PST
Sunday, November 2nd. 2008
21 inches
9 lbs 14oz
I started having very manageable contractions in early evening Nov. 1st. They were around 5-7 min apart. At 10:30 my water first broke. Then again at 11:10 the rest of it went. Then the real contractions started! I didn't call the midwife until, well actually I don't remember what time it was really, I think around 3:00am or so, because I hadn't felt the baby move for a while. She came and did a check and he was fine, just sleeping I guess. I was 4cm dilated at that point, contractions were around 4 minutes apart.
The midwife left to go get stuff from the office, but came back within the hour. We set up the birthing pool and it felt soooo good to get in! I laboured in the pool for hours, the contractions coming every three minutes, then a little sooner. It was very painful, I also laboured in the shower, and walked around a bit. I was dilating, but his head was not coming down. I was having pretty harsh back pain by this time. Around 10:30am I was 8cm dilated, but the baby had not come down any more, the contractions were very painful at this point.
The midwives decided I had to go to hospital as baby was just not budging. We decided to call an ambulance so as to make the trip faster and more comfortable. Once in the ambulance I started having severe contractions that were so close together it was like one continuous contraction, it was a very painful ride.
Once at the hospital I was still having that contraction that never seemed to end, and I was having trouble dealing with it. I had some gas and it was very nice. They got me hooked up to an IV which was VERY painful because the skin on my arms was swelled to tight. I got into a gown and into bed and thankfully the anesthesiologist showed up very shortly after. I got an epidural and all was well! The midwives called in an obstetrician who checked me out, I was 9cm on one side, but still short of that on the other side. He left me to the midwives. Before long I was fully dilated, but babies head had not come down. I was ready to try pushing. I pushed for probably close to two hours, and by then the epidural had completely worn off. It was the worst pain I've ever had in my life. I couldn't take it anymore. I was completely incoherent and out of it, barely understanding what people were even saying to me. I had been in transition for a while, and baby was obviously stuck. Plus he had pooped by that point. The obstetrician said they were going to do a c-section. I was so out of it I couldn't push anymore anyway so I was fine with it. I wasn't able to push anymore so I was huffing gas like it was no tomorrow, and that helped with the pain a bit.
The anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block this time, and I couldn't feel my legs at all, like even to wiggle me toes. The numbness went all the way up to my neck. I had problems breathing, but was told I was breathing fine. I felt like I couldn't breath and started panicking, it was the most horrible feeling. I felt like that until they actually pulled Lucius out. It took a really long time to get him out, longer than usual. He was stuck down in my pelvis so they had to use the vacuum and forceps to get him out. I bled a lot more than usual as well. When they finally pulled him out, the doctor said, "this isn't a baby, it's a toddler!" He was handed over to the pediatrician to have the meconium sucked out of his lungs, then I go too see him, he was so perfect! And big!
My sister who was in the delivery room with me got to cut the cord (my husband was MIA, but that's a whole nother story!) and then she went up to the room with him while they cleaned me out. Apparently there was some problem with my organs not being where they should have been, so this took some time as well. I don't remember a lot, as I was so out of it. I was then taken to recovery and it took over an hour before I could feel my legs again. Then I got to go up and see baby, I felt loads better by then, just really tired.
Turns out I lost so much blood that my hemaglobin went down to 62. So I actually fainted the next morning on the toilet of all places! There was discussion of giving me a transfusion, but in the end they went with iron pills. I stayed in the hospital until Wed evening, then went home.
I'm on daily iron supplements to get my hemaglobin back up, I'm still really tired and often dizzy because of it, though the muddle headedness has improved. I am not supposed to climb the stairs and am pretty much stuck in bed. But the baby is doing fabulous, he is an eating machine! He latched on the first time we tried breast feeding and hasn't let go since! He was down to 8lbs 13oz before we left the hospital, but as of yesterday was back up to 9lbs 10oz!
Here are a few pics,
https://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1849/08110901002akz5.jpg
https://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3956/08110901014brp1.jpg
https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/4272/08110901017cij6.jpg
Lucius Howard
Born 8:09pm PST
Sunday, November 2nd. 2008
21 inches
9 lbs 14oz
I started having very manageable contractions in early evening Nov. 1st. They were around 5-7 min apart. At 10:30 my water first broke. Then again at 11:10 the rest of it went. Then the real contractions started! I didn't call the midwife until, well actually I don't remember what time it was really, I think around 3:00am or so, because I hadn't felt the baby move for a while. She came and did a check and he was fine, just sleeping I guess. I was 4cm dilated at that point, contractions were around 4 minutes apart.
The midwife left to go get stuff from the office, but came back within the hour. We set up the birthing pool and it felt soooo good to get in! I laboured in the pool for hours, the contractions coming every three minutes, then a little sooner. It was very painful, I also laboured in the shower, and walked around a bit. I was dilating, but his head was not coming down. I was having pretty harsh back pain by this time. Around 10:30am I was 8cm dilated, but the baby had not come down any more, the contractions were very painful at this point.
The midwives decided I had to go to hospital as baby was just not budging. We decided to call an ambulance so as to make the trip faster and more comfortable. Once in the ambulance I started having severe contractions that were so close together it was like one continuous contraction, it was a very painful ride.
Once at the hospital I was still having that contraction that never seemed to end, and I was having trouble dealing with it. I had some gas and it was very nice. They got me hooked up to an IV which was VERY painful because the skin on my arms was swelled to tight. I got into a gown and into bed and thankfully the anesthesiologist showed up very shortly after. I got an epidural and all was well! The midwives called in an obstetrician who checked me out, I was 9cm on one side, but still short of that on the other side. He left me to the midwives. Before long I was fully dilated, but babies head had not come down. I was ready to try pushing. I pushed for probably close to two hours, and by then the epidural had completely worn off. It was the worst pain I've ever had in my life. I couldn't take it anymore. I was completely incoherent and out of it, barely understanding what people were even saying to me. I had been in transition for a while, and baby was obviously stuck. Plus he had pooped by that point. The obstetrician said they were going to do a c-section. I was so out of it I couldn't push anymore anyway so I was fine with it. I wasn't able to push anymore so I was huffing gas like it was no tomorrow, and that helped with the pain a bit.
The anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block this time, and I couldn't feel my legs at all, like even to wiggle me toes. The numbness went all the way up to my neck. I had problems breathing, but was told I was breathing fine. I felt like I couldn't breath and started panicking, it was the most horrible feeling. I felt like that until they actually pulled Lucius out. It took a really long time to get him out, longer than usual. He was stuck down in my pelvis so they had to use the vacuum and forceps to get him out. I bled a lot more than usual as well. When they finally pulled him out, the doctor said, "this isn't a baby, it's a toddler!" He was handed over to the pediatrician to have the meconium sucked out of his lungs, then I go too see him, he was so perfect! And big!
My sister who was in the delivery room with me got to cut the cord (my husband was MIA, but that's a whole nother story!) and then she went up to the room with him while they cleaned me out. Apparently there was some problem with my organs not being where they should have been, so this took some time as well. I don't remember a lot, as I was so out of it. I was then taken to recovery and it took over an hour before I could feel my legs again. Then I got to go up and see baby, I felt loads better by then, just really tired.
Turns out I lost so much blood that my hemaglobin went down to 62. So I actually fainted the next morning on the toilet of all places! There was discussion of giving me a transfusion, but in the end they went with iron pills. I stayed in the hospital until Wed evening, then went home.
I'm on daily iron supplements to get my hemaglobin back up, I'm still really tired and often dizzy because of it, though the muddle headedness has improved. I am not supposed to climb the stairs and am pretty much stuck in bed. But the baby is doing fabulous, he is an eating machine! He latched on the first time we tried breast feeding and hasn't let go since! He was down to 8lbs 13oz before we left the hospital, but as of yesterday was back up to 9lbs 10oz!
Here are a few pics,
https://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1849/08110901002akz5.jpg
https://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3956/08110901014brp1.jpg
https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/4272/08110901017cij6.jpg
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