Thistledown
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I had a very long pre-labour, lasting a little over a week. On the evening of Nov 20th, I started getting contractions over night, every half hour or so. Didn't get too excited about it, since even though they were painful, they were pretty infrequent. They subsided in the morning, other than a few scattered throughout the day. That evening (the 21st) they started getting stronger and closer together. Went to bed, and the contractions started coming about 5-10 minutes apart and lasting for 45 seconds or so. After about an hour, I woke my OH up and told him we might be going to the hospital soon. We spent the first part of the night with me pacing the house and OH timing my contractions - he convinced me to wait to go in to the hospital, since the contractions weren't getting any stronger or closer together. At some point we sat down and watched some TV, and eventually around 4 am or so the pains started getting further and further apart. I was able to go to bed and get some sleep finally around 5 or 6 am.
The same pattern went on all week - not much happening during the day, but lots of close contractions at night (so very little sleep). I soon discovered that sleeping lying down made the pains worse and closer together, so started sleeping sitting up on the couch as much as a could. Pacing would make them spread out quite a bit though.
Friday the 25th I had a scheduled prenatal appointment. My doctor checked me over, and told us that I was 2-3cm dilated and fully effaced. She offered to sweep my membranes then, but by this point I was pretty exhausted and wanted to try and nap more during the day to catch up a bit before trying to hurry things along. So we made an appointment for Monday the 28th and headed home.
I was still having night-time contractions with no sign of baby making an entrance any time soon when Monday rolled around, though unfortunately I hadn't gotten much additional sleep. Sunday night I spent a good portion of the night walking, as it was the only thing that spaced out the pains. So at 3pm we went in for the sweep. At this point I was 5cm dilated and baby had dropped down lower. The doctor said that if only I was having regular contractions, she'd say I was in active labour! The sweep wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I was fearing it would be, and since the doctor suggested walking to get things moving, we stopped for groceries before heading home. Contractions started up again in the evening, and were about the same as most nights, except they weren't abating at all while pacing or sitting down. It was a really long night and I was getting so frustrated by this point. OH said if I was still having contractions in the morning he'd call the doctor and see what she had to say. Well, come morning I was still contracting, and the doctor suggested going in to the hospital and getting assessed. We took our time heading in - OH got some chores done, making sure the livestock all had enough food and water for a couple days, and I made myself eat some lentil soup and crackers. I also texted our photographer and let her know we were heading in to hospital.
The car ride to the hospital wasn't fun - I was having pains every 3-5 minutes, and bumps in the road don't feel very good during contractions! Anyway, we got to the hospital at about 3pm, and after being admitted in the emergency dept, we were sent up to Labour Assessment. A very nice nurse there gave me some advice on breathing and relaxing, and hooked me up to the continuous monitors for 20 minutes (closer to 1/2 an hour). I had to lie on my side for that, and it was just agonizing! The contractions were so much stronger on my side. At the end of the trace, a doctor came in and they both examined it. They said nothing on it looked worrying, though it "wasn't quite as reassuring as they would like". The doctor then did an internal, and told us I was 6cm. Anything above 5cm they consider active labour, so off we went to the Active Labour ward! We had our own private room, with a bed, recliner, shower, and a warming bassinet - which is apparently standard for the active ward. Once there they started an IV for penicillin (for Strep B) and doing intermittent monitoring. The "not as reassuring as they would like" part of the strip from assessment was that the baby wasn't moving as much as they like to see, but then she gave a few good squirms and kicks for them and all seemed to be well. We got settled in and our photographer showed up shortly after. OH put some music I'd brought along on the CD player, and we chit-chatted between contractions (about 3 minutes apart for 45-60 seconds at this point). I had a saline lock IV, so once the penicillin had made it through the nurse uncoupled the IV and I was able to move around more again. At some point they brought me supper - the nurse asked if I wanted solids or not, and since I wasn't really feeling like eating I chose to go with the clear liquids (beef broth and red jello, mmmm).
After about an hour they offered to check me again. Still 6cm (stretched to 7) but baby was starting to engage. They suggested moving around a bit more, and to try kneeling and leaning over the back of the bed (with the bed reconfigured so the back was completely vertical). The baby was facing my side, and the kneeling might encourage her to rotate. So I spent a while walking around, then got up on the bed. The contractions definitely got stronger in that position, and they were coming closer together - 2 to 3 minutes apart. Laboured like that for about 1/2 an hour before a nurse came by to do another intermittent check. And all hell broke loose.
Baby's heart rate had dropped from 130-140bpm to only 60bpm. The nurse had me switch from hands and knees to lying down a few times, with no change. Neither I or Roy remember what she did (I assume she pulled the call cord out of the wall), but hospital staff started to appear seemingly from no where (OH said later it was like one of those movies where ninjas descend from the ceiling). I was hooked back up to an IV, and the nurse put her hand inside to prod at baby's head to try and get her heart beating faster. Her bpm rose to around 80, but stayed there. I was still being asked to change position, all the while still having contractions. It wasn't long before they decided it was time for an emergency c-section. I was whisked down the hall to the operating room, and slid from the bed to the table. The anesthesiologist was going over details of the general anesthetic with me (such as some people report hearing some of what's going on, but don't feel anything) and they were just about ready to put me under when her heart rate suddenly came back up! So instead they gave me a spinal. It took them a bit of effort to place the spinal block - I was shaking pretty bad from exhaustion/adrenaline at this point, plus it was very hard to curl up on my side (especially as I was still contracting!). But they got it in finally, and I really don't remember feeling much of anything from either the local numbing they put in first, or the spinal itself. Having the catheter inserted was really the worst part - no one warned me it was coming, and I wasn't numb yet! Of course it started to kick in shortly after that, and was really effective - I was numb from the chest down, and my fingers went all tingly.
Soon after the spinal was put in, they got the curtain put up and let OH join me. I really didn't feel much while they were working on me, barely even registered the pressure. I do remember the anesthesiologist telling me at some point that they'd already made the incision - I'd had no idea! The anesthesiologist was just wonderful, very kind and willing to answer questions.
I really don't remember how long it took - looking back it seems like it wasn't long at all before we heard that wonderful first cry. I think I remember OH looking over the curtain to see her before they spirited her off to the side to make sure she was okay - they said there was some meconium in the waters, so they had to suction her before we could see her. It was only a few minutes before they called Roy over to see her, and let him bring her back for me to hold (with his help, my arms were still tingly!) I still can't believe how completely in love with her I was from the first moment I saw her. I barely noticed them putting me back together, the only sensation I had was my back rubbing into the table while they were removing the placenta - I commented that if anything it kind of felt like a back massage! Oh, and I do remember hearing someone saying at one point while they were closing me up "Oh, I almost left that in there!" *lol*
I'm not sure how long we spent cuddling her on the table, but eventually I had to ask OH to take her off my chest as I was starting to feel ill. OH took her to the recovery room, and when I was done being sick and they finished sewing/stapling me back up they wheeled me over there too. I was able to have skin to skin pretty much right away, though I had to hold off on trying to feed her for about 20 minutes or so - until I had feeling back in my chest. Our photographer was able to come to the recovery room and take some photos, and my parents and sister and OH's mom stopped in to meet our new addition. Once I had feeling back, I tried feeding her and she latched right on. We were told that she had excellent apgar scores - 8 right at birth, and 9 just 5 minutes later, so the odds are really good that the short time that her heart rate was low won't have any effect on her. We still don't know why her heart rate dropped. Her cord was around her neck when she was born, and one of the nurses speculated she may have started turning and managed to trap the cord with her shoulder. I also later found out I was 9cm dilated by the time we got to the operating room - I may not have been able to deliver her naturally, but I'm pretty proud of how far I made it regardless!
And here she is, Alexis Leanna! Born at 8:22pm on November 29th, weighing 8lbs, 3 oz, and measuring 20 3/4" long. She was exactly 1 week overdue.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/cassiadawn/nov30-2011-noon.jpg
Once I got to recovery, we weren't separated at all for our entire time in hospital. We were moved to a semi-private room on the postpartum ward (no private rooms available) which honestly was the worst part of the whole experience (I did get itchy from the medication in the spinal, but it wasn't bad at all). We didn't have to share the room for the first night, but someone else was moved in the next day... which made it so hard to get a good sleep! OH stayed with us for the first night on a cot, which made things so much easier - I wasn't up for getting out of bed at all with the catheter and IV and brand new incision that first night, and it saved me from having to call the nurses every time Alexis cried. I was sick a couple more times the first night, but stopped having any nausea pretty quickly... and the french toast they brought me for breakfast was just heavenly. A lot of the details of the next few days kind of blur together. My parents and sister and OH's parents and other family came to visit for a bit every day, we had lots of checks and tests (hearing test, blood test, etc), and I got a pertussis/tetanus booster. Getting released was a bit of a challenge, since my doctor discharged me conditionally - the condition being that the surgeon was okay with it. No one checked the file though, so we had to bug the nurses for awhile to get someone to call and get the surgeon's go-ahead! But we finally made it out of there around 3pm on Dec 2nd.
Alexis nursed like a champ right from the get-go, though we did have a little trouble getting the latch right. I saw the lactation consultant twice while in hospital, but I was getting very sore by the time we went home. I'm not sure what happened, but at some point it just seemed to "click" for us, and I stopped having to curl my toes in pain every time she nursed.
By and large I was impressed with all the staff at the hospital. The nurse we had in assessment was so friendly, knowledgeable, and very calming. The two nurses(shift change) we had on active labour were great, especially the second who got to start of her shift with our little whirlwind! All the people who appeared so fast when we needed to get to the OR were acting quickly, but purposefully, and I never got the feeling anyone was frantic, or that I was being ignored while they just dealt with what was happening - which really helped me to not panic. And the postpartum nurses were all good and pretty easy to get along with (though I have a special fondness for the student nurse on the last day who snuck me a couple extra pairs of the mesh panties to take home). I may not have gotten to follow my "birth plan" as much as I would have liked, but all in all I'm happy with my birth experience, and just over the moon to have my darling little girl at last!
The same pattern went on all week - not much happening during the day, but lots of close contractions at night (so very little sleep). I soon discovered that sleeping lying down made the pains worse and closer together, so started sleeping sitting up on the couch as much as a could. Pacing would make them spread out quite a bit though.
Friday the 25th I had a scheduled prenatal appointment. My doctor checked me over, and told us that I was 2-3cm dilated and fully effaced. She offered to sweep my membranes then, but by this point I was pretty exhausted and wanted to try and nap more during the day to catch up a bit before trying to hurry things along. So we made an appointment for Monday the 28th and headed home.
I was still having night-time contractions with no sign of baby making an entrance any time soon when Monday rolled around, though unfortunately I hadn't gotten much additional sleep. Sunday night I spent a good portion of the night walking, as it was the only thing that spaced out the pains. So at 3pm we went in for the sweep. At this point I was 5cm dilated and baby had dropped down lower. The doctor said that if only I was having regular contractions, she'd say I was in active labour! The sweep wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I was fearing it would be, and since the doctor suggested walking to get things moving, we stopped for groceries before heading home. Contractions started up again in the evening, and were about the same as most nights, except they weren't abating at all while pacing or sitting down. It was a really long night and I was getting so frustrated by this point. OH said if I was still having contractions in the morning he'd call the doctor and see what she had to say. Well, come morning I was still contracting, and the doctor suggested going in to the hospital and getting assessed. We took our time heading in - OH got some chores done, making sure the livestock all had enough food and water for a couple days, and I made myself eat some lentil soup and crackers. I also texted our photographer and let her know we were heading in to hospital.
The car ride to the hospital wasn't fun - I was having pains every 3-5 minutes, and bumps in the road don't feel very good during contractions! Anyway, we got to the hospital at about 3pm, and after being admitted in the emergency dept, we were sent up to Labour Assessment. A very nice nurse there gave me some advice on breathing and relaxing, and hooked me up to the continuous monitors for 20 minutes (closer to 1/2 an hour). I had to lie on my side for that, and it was just agonizing! The contractions were so much stronger on my side. At the end of the trace, a doctor came in and they both examined it. They said nothing on it looked worrying, though it "wasn't quite as reassuring as they would like". The doctor then did an internal, and told us I was 6cm. Anything above 5cm they consider active labour, so off we went to the Active Labour ward! We had our own private room, with a bed, recliner, shower, and a warming bassinet - which is apparently standard for the active ward. Once there they started an IV for penicillin (for Strep B) and doing intermittent monitoring. The "not as reassuring as they would like" part of the strip from assessment was that the baby wasn't moving as much as they like to see, but then she gave a few good squirms and kicks for them and all seemed to be well. We got settled in and our photographer showed up shortly after. OH put some music I'd brought along on the CD player, and we chit-chatted between contractions (about 3 minutes apart for 45-60 seconds at this point). I had a saline lock IV, so once the penicillin had made it through the nurse uncoupled the IV and I was able to move around more again. At some point they brought me supper - the nurse asked if I wanted solids or not, and since I wasn't really feeling like eating I chose to go with the clear liquids (beef broth and red jello, mmmm).
After about an hour they offered to check me again. Still 6cm (stretched to 7) but baby was starting to engage. They suggested moving around a bit more, and to try kneeling and leaning over the back of the bed (with the bed reconfigured so the back was completely vertical). The baby was facing my side, and the kneeling might encourage her to rotate. So I spent a while walking around, then got up on the bed. The contractions definitely got stronger in that position, and they were coming closer together - 2 to 3 minutes apart. Laboured like that for about 1/2 an hour before a nurse came by to do another intermittent check. And all hell broke loose.
Baby's heart rate had dropped from 130-140bpm to only 60bpm. The nurse had me switch from hands and knees to lying down a few times, with no change. Neither I or Roy remember what she did (I assume she pulled the call cord out of the wall), but hospital staff started to appear seemingly from no where (OH said later it was like one of those movies where ninjas descend from the ceiling). I was hooked back up to an IV, and the nurse put her hand inside to prod at baby's head to try and get her heart beating faster. Her bpm rose to around 80, but stayed there. I was still being asked to change position, all the while still having contractions. It wasn't long before they decided it was time for an emergency c-section. I was whisked down the hall to the operating room, and slid from the bed to the table. The anesthesiologist was going over details of the general anesthetic with me (such as some people report hearing some of what's going on, but don't feel anything) and they were just about ready to put me under when her heart rate suddenly came back up! So instead they gave me a spinal. It took them a bit of effort to place the spinal block - I was shaking pretty bad from exhaustion/adrenaline at this point, plus it was very hard to curl up on my side (especially as I was still contracting!). But they got it in finally, and I really don't remember feeling much of anything from either the local numbing they put in first, or the spinal itself. Having the catheter inserted was really the worst part - no one warned me it was coming, and I wasn't numb yet! Of course it started to kick in shortly after that, and was really effective - I was numb from the chest down, and my fingers went all tingly.
Soon after the spinal was put in, they got the curtain put up and let OH join me. I really didn't feel much while they were working on me, barely even registered the pressure. I do remember the anesthesiologist telling me at some point that they'd already made the incision - I'd had no idea! The anesthesiologist was just wonderful, very kind and willing to answer questions.
I really don't remember how long it took - looking back it seems like it wasn't long at all before we heard that wonderful first cry. I think I remember OH looking over the curtain to see her before they spirited her off to the side to make sure she was okay - they said there was some meconium in the waters, so they had to suction her before we could see her. It was only a few minutes before they called Roy over to see her, and let him bring her back for me to hold (with his help, my arms were still tingly!) I still can't believe how completely in love with her I was from the first moment I saw her. I barely noticed them putting me back together, the only sensation I had was my back rubbing into the table while they were removing the placenta - I commented that if anything it kind of felt like a back massage! Oh, and I do remember hearing someone saying at one point while they were closing me up "Oh, I almost left that in there!" *lol*
I'm not sure how long we spent cuddling her on the table, but eventually I had to ask OH to take her off my chest as I was starting to feel ill. OH took her to the recovery room, and when I was done being sick and they finished sewing/stapling me back up they wheeled me over there too. I was able to have skin to skin pretty much right away, though I had to hold off on trying to feed her for about 20 minutes or so - until I had feeling back in my chest. Our photographer was able to come to the recovery room and take some photos, and my parents and sister and OH's mom stopped in to meet our new addition. Once I had feeling back, I tried feeding her and she latched right on. We were told that she had excellent apgar scores - 8 right at birth, and 9 just 5 minutes later, so the odds are really good that the short time that her heart rate was low won't have any effect on her. We still don't know why her heart rate dropped. Her cord was around her neck when she was born, and one of the nurses speculated she may have started turning and managed to trap the cord with her shoulder. I also later found out I was 9cm dilated by the time we got to the operating room - I may not have been able to deliver her naturally, but I'm pretty proud of how far I made it regardless!
And here she is, Alexis Leanna! Born at 8:22pm on November 29th, weighing 8lbs, 3 oz, and measuring 20 3/4" long. She was exactly 1 week overdue.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/cassiadawn/nov30-2011-noon.jpg
Once I got to recovery, we weren't separated at all for our entire time in hospital. We were moved to a semi-private room on the postpartum ward (no private rooms available) which honestly was the worst part of the whole experience (I did get itchy from the medication in the spinal, but it wasn't bad at all). We didn't have to share the room for the first night, but someone else was moved in the next day... which made it so hard to get a good sleep! OH stayed with us for the first night on a cot, which made things so much easier - I wasn't up for getting out of bed at all with the catheter and IV and brand new incision that first night, and it saved me from having to call the nurses every time Alexis cried. I was sick a couple more times the first night, but stopped having any nausea pretty quickly... and the french toast they brought me for breakfast was just heavenly. A lot of the details of the next few days kind of blur together. My parents and sister and OH's parents and other family came to visit for a bit every day, we had lots of checks and tests (hearing test, blood test, etc), and I got a pertussis/tetanus booster. Getting released was a bit of a challenge, since my doctor discharged me conditionally - the condition being that the surgeon was okay with it. No one checked the file though, so we had to bug the nurses for awhile to get someone to call and get the surgeon's go-ahead! But we finally made it out of there around 3pm on Dec 2nd.
Alexis nursed like a champ right from the get-go, though we did have a little trouble getting the latch right. I saw the lactation consultant twice while in hospital, but I was getting very sore by the time we went home. I'm not sure what happened, but at some point it just seemed to "click" for us, and I stopped having to curl my toes in pain every time she nursed.
By and large I was impressed with all the staff at the hospital. The nurse we had in assessment was so friendly, knowledgeable, and very calming. The two nurses(shift change) we had on active labour were great, especially the second who got to start of her shift with our little whirlwind! All the people who appeared so fast when we needed to get to the OR were acting quickly, but purposefully, and I never got the feeling anyone was frantic, or that I was being ignored while they just dealt with what was happening - which really helped me to not panic. And the postpartum nurses were all good and pretty easy to get along with (though I have a special fondness for the student nurse on the last day who snuck me a couple extra pairs of the mesh panties to take home). I may not have gotten to follow my "birth plan" as much as I would have liked, but all in all I'm happy with my birth experience, and just over the moon to have my darling little girl at last!
