sil
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Let me start my story by saying I planned on having a medicated birth (epidural). With DS1 I had horrible back labor, put pressure on myself to have a natural birth, but just couldn't take it anymore and got an epidural at 6 cm. I felt much better after that and birthed him no problem. I figured this time I wouldn't put any pressure on myself and would just get an epidural when I needed it and be okay with it.
On July 17th, I woke up at 1 AM with tightening in my stomach that felt like Braxton Hicks. By 4:45 AM they were getting slightly stronger so I went to the hospital. They were coming every 4 minutes. I got checked at 5:30 AM and was only 2 cm dilated..the same as I was at my doctor’s appointment last week. They decided to keep me another 3 hours and monitor me hourly and at every check I was still unfortunately 2 cm despite the frequent contractions which were getting stronger. They sent me home and told me to call back after I felt them last a little bit longer. “Wait until they last 60 seconds per contraction, then wait an additional hour to make sure they are consistent and call us back”
I went home and took a nap. My contractions tapered off to once every 15 minutes by around noon-2 so I thought maybe it was a false alarm. All of a sudden, they picked straight back up to every 5 minutes, very intense 45-60 second long contractions at around 2:45/3:00. I called the hospital back at 4 (after waiting an hour like they said), and they said to come back in. As soon as I hung up, I felt a big gush and thought it was my waters breaking. I went to the bathroom and looked down and I was covered in pouring blood. I instantly called back the doctor and asked if I should drive to the hospital or call an ambulance, and he said to hang up and call 911.
All of a sudden, next thing I know there was a fire truck, ambulance, and police car all at my house. There were 8-10 people in the house trying to get me out, and one of the neighbors even came in to see what was going on (I just turned around and she was there sitting inside of my house even though nobody invited her in and she's never been in my house before in her life!). My DH kept my 2 year old DS in the other room so he wouldn’t get too upset, and they followed us in the car. He called his parents and they met him at the hospital to pick up DS.
I didn’t feel baby move once since the gush of blood and was very upset. The contractions were coming faster. They got me into the hospital and up to the maternity ward but there were no beds. A nurse told me to get up and walk around to help progress labor while I waited and it took everything in my power to not punch her. I was in so much pain I couldn’t get out of the stretcher and was terrified for my baby.
Finally, 30 minutes later at 4:40, they got me into a room and checked me. “You’re 7 CM!” they said. I had another huge gush of blood. (nobody could tell me why I was bleeding, but they did not like the amount that I was). “We have to transfer you to a delivery room immediately!”. I guess the room they put me in was a “pre-delivery” room where they just check you to make sure you are in labor, and then you get moved if they determine it’s the real thing. They wheel me down the hall and I start to feel a big change in the way my labor felt. Everything was much much more intense and I felt like I was going to die in the hallway. They finally got me into the delivery room at 5:00.
I was begging them to check me again, so a nurse checked me, gasped, said “You’re 10 CM and waters is bulging! I have to call the doctor!” (by this time it was around 5:20). I held out until 5:30 when my waters broke. I screamed that I had to push and the nurse told me to wait but I couldn’t. My body was taking over and pushing for me.
The nurses gloved up, I started pushing, and my baby boy was born 9 minutes later, medication free. Somewhere in the middle of pushing, the guy who was supposed to give me an epidural popped his head into the room and they had to send him away and tell him it was too late! I felt the intense pressure and burning but when it came time to push I put all of my energy into pushing and could barely feel the pain anymore. Pushing was almost a relief. I felt his head as it was coming out and it gave me the motivation to keep going. I got a 1st degree tear and labial tear. My sweet Julian Alexander came out calm as can be, let out a little wail, and just laid on my chest and looked at me. It was beautiful. The cord pulsed for a few minutes and my husband cut the cord. He was 7 pounds 7 ounces (38w2d gestation) and 21.5 inches. The doctor finally came in a few minutes after I gave birth and was there for delivery of the placenta (how weird/squishy that felt!).
I hadn’t planned to go natural, but now that I did, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, it hurt, but I’m so happy that I got to experience a natural birth and I feel so empowered by it. My recovery is much easier than my DS1’s, my tear is much less, and I had to push a much shorter time because I could feel everything that was going on. I did end up bleeding more than they would have liked after, but I was monitored and cleared to go into the recovery room an hour and a half later.
Unfortunately we had to stay in the hospital 48 hours (I planned on going home the same day) because Julian was born only 1 hour after arriving in the hospital, and only 20 minutes after arriving in the delivery room. I was strep b positive and they were not even close to getting in the recommended antibiotic dose.
We are now home, happy, and healthy!
Big brother is adjusting well and loves to "pet" Julian's feet.
On July 17th, I woke up at 1 AM with tightening in my stomach that felt like Braxton Hicks. By 4:45 AM they were getting slightly stronger so I went to the hospital. They were coming every 4 minutes. I got checked at 5:30 AM and was only 2 cm dilated..the same as I was at my doctor’s appointment last week. They decided to keep me another 3 hours and monitor me hourly and at every check I was still unfortunately 2 cm despite the frequent contractions which were getting stronger. They sent me home and told me to call back after I felt them last a little bit longer. “Wait until they last 60 seconds per contraction, then wait an additional hour to make sure they are consistent and call us back”
I went home and took a nap. My contractions tapered off to once every 15 minutes by around noon-2 so I thought maybe it was a false alarm. All of a sudden, they picked straight back up to every 5 minutes, very intense 45-60 second long contractions at around 2:45/3:00. I called the hospital back at 4 (after waiting an hour like they said), and they said to come back in. As soon as I hung up, I felt a big gush and thought it was my waters breaking. I went to the bathroom and looked down and I was covered in pouring blood. I instantly called back the doctor and asked if I should drive to the hospital or call an ambulance, and he said to hang up and call 911.
All of a sudden, next thing I know there was a fire truck, ambulance, and police car all at my house. There were 8-10 people in the house trying to get me out, and one of the neighbors even came in to see what was going on (I just turned around and she was there sitting inside of my house even though nobody invited her in and she's never been in my house before in her life!). My DH kept my 2 year old DS in the other room so he wouldn’t get too upset, and they followed us in the car. He called his parents and they met him at the hospital to pick up DS.
I didn’t feel baby move once since the gush of blood and was very upset. The contractions were coming faster. They got me into the hospital and up to the maternity ward but there were no beds. A nurse told me to get up and walk around to help progress labor while I waited and it took everything in my power to not punch her. I was in so much pain I couldn’t get out of the stretcher and was terrified for my baby.
Finally, 30 minutes later at 4:40, they got me into a room and checked me. “You’re 7 CM!” they said. I had another huge gush of blood. (nobody could tell me why I was bleeding, but they did not like the amount that I was). “We have to transfer you to a delivery room immediately!”. I guess the room they put me in was a “pre-delivery” room where they just check you to make sure you are in labor, and then you get moved if they determine it’s the real thing. They wheel me down the hall and I start to feel a big change in the way my labor felt. Everything was much much more intense and I felt like I was going to die in the hallway. They finally got me into the delivery room at 5:00.
I was begging them to check me again, so a nurse checked me, gasped, said “You’re 10 CM and waters is bulging! I have to call the doctor!” (by this time it was around 5:20). I held out until 5:30 when my waters broke. I screamed that I had to push and the nurse told me to wait but I couldn’t. My body was taking over and pushing for me.
The nurses gloved up, I started pushing, and my baby boy was born 9 minutes later, medication free. Somewhere in the middle of pushing, the guy who was supposed to give me an epidural popped his head into the room and they had to send him away and tell him it was too late! I felt the intense pressure and burning but when it came time to push I put all of my energy into pushing and could barely feel the pain anymore. Pushing was almost a relief. I felt his head as it was coming out and it gave me the motivation to keep going. I got a 1st degree tear and labial tear. My sweet Julian Alexander came out calm as can be, let out a little wail, and just laid on my chest and looked at me. It was beautiful. The cord pulsed for a few minutes and my husband cut the cord. He was 7 pounds 7 ounces (38w2d gestation) and 21.5 inches. The doctor finally came in a few minutes after I gave birth and was there for delivery of the placenta (how weird/squishy that felt!).
I hadn’t planned to go natural, but now that I did, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, it hurt, but I’m so happy that I got to experience a natural birth and I feel so empowered by it. My recovery is much easier than my DS1’s, my tear is much less, and I had to push a much shorter time because I could feel everything that was going on. I did end up bleeding more than they would have liked after, but I was monitored and cleared to go into the recovery room an hour and a half later.
Unfortunately we had to stay in the hospital 48 hours (I planned on going home the same day) because Julian was born only 1 hour after arriving in the hospital, and only 20 minutes after arriving in the delivery room. I was strep b positive and they were not even close to getting in the recommended antibiotic dose.
We are now home, happy, and healthy!
Big brother is adjusting well and loves to "pet" Julian's feet.
