My son Owen (middle name Thomas) was born last Wednesday July 30th at 7:22 pm. 6 lb 8 oz and 18.5 inches long.
I had gestational diabetes and my blood pressure spiked about 2 weeks prior to my due date, so I was scheduled for an induction on July 30th. I went in on Tuesday night (29th) at 7:30pm. Had myself a big dinner before hand. Started me on cytotec because my cervix was unfavorable. I felt some mild period like cramps but they got weaker throughout the night. Those labor and delivery beds are so not comfortable at all, and with the contraction and baby heart rate monitors strapped on I only got about 2 hours sleep.
Around 7:30am my doctor came in and checked my cervix, which was only 1cm dilated. She broke my water at that point, I was not expecting that! Did not hurt though...but man I hate the feeling of wetting myself, and it keeps coming with contractions for a while..I actually had my husband (I'm glad he's so nice) wipe me down there occasionally because I could not stand feeling wet. The contractions started pretty quick 2-4 minutes apart and they started me on a low dose of pitocin. Things moved realllly slowly for a while...by noon I was maybe 3cm dilated and the contractions were getting stronger. Around 1pm I got a drug called Stadol...it was wonderful...I still felt contractions but they did not feel as long and drawn out and I was so out of it from the meds I did not care...that only lasted about 45 minutes so it was just a nice rest from the whole ordeal.
At around 2pm I was 4cm dilated so they gave me the epidural. That was also not as bad as I expected it might be...the most annoying part about it was having to sit up and bend over during a contraction with the wires from the monitors (now internal) coming out of me and the blood pressure cuff squeezing my arm all at the same time. I was so frustrated by all that that the epidural was easy. About 20 minutes passed and I felt great.
About an hour later I started getting frustrated...my cervix was not moving...I was stuck on my right side for hours because that was the position in which the baby was responding to my contractions the best. I have a bad shoulder which I was supposed to have surgery on before I found out I was pregnant...so being on it for so long was pretty crappy. Also the epidural seemed to be wearing off...I could feel and move my legs and feet and was feeling painful contractions on the right side. The nurse during that shift was not helpful, told me i was supposed to feel something and that if we complained to the anesthesiologist again they would just redo the epidural.
So just when I was really getting worried about how things were going...around 5:30-6pm my doctor showed up and saved the day. She sat down and I told her about how they were ignoring my pain and that the epidural was not working on my right side, that I really wanted to sit up for a while. She was not happy either that my pitocin was so low. She told the nurse to let me sit up and get the anesthesiologist in to up my epidural and to up the pitocin..the nurse actually tried to argue with her. The babies charts looked great all day my doctor said...he was doing just fine. So after a few minutes all those things changed...I got to sit up and my epi increased along with pitocin.
Within 20 minutes everything changed. I felt so good sitting up...my epidural felt like I figured an epidural should...my left side, which had reacted well from the beginning was completely numb...and my right side was now comfortable and semi numb. The pain of contractions were gone but there was instead a pressure, like I had to poop. I knew this is a good thing and the doctor was really happy. Just prior to being sat up in bed she checked me and said I was at 6cm...so I was SO happy that things were moving along. She told me let her know when the pressure became really strong. About a half hour passed and I told her to check...and sure enough I was at 10cm! I had thought it would take a few hours...but I was there. We waited a little while and then she said time to push. I pushed for 10 minutes, easier than I thought it would be except of course the last 3 pushes were when he was coming out and it was not really painful as much as like...whoa...baby is exiting. Then I felt a great relief and he was out. It was amazing. My parents both came in the room and my husband and sister were already there and they paid attention to the baby while I was being stitched up. I got a second degree tear in the perineum and a periurethral tear which for the first week was Horrible...but has started to get better day by day now.
So here is the best part, my son Owen
First week home has been really nice. People sort of made me think it would be hellish but it has been so amazing being a mother. My husband is super helpful, he cooks and cleans and does dishes and after I do a night feeding he gets up to settle Owen down into bed so I can get back to sleep, which is really really helpful and I can get 3 hours sleep at a time usually between waking up to feed him.
Just an overall amazing feeling and for all you other first time moms about to go through labor...good luck and enjoy it all...some of it is hard but after a week you really start putting the hard stuff behind you and just remember how amazing it was.
I had gestational diabetes and my blood pressure spiked about 2 weeks prior to my due date, so I was scheduled for an induction on July 30th. I went in on Tuesday night (29th) at 7:30pm. Had myself a big dinner before hand. Started me on cytotec because my cervix was unfavorable. I felt some mild period like cramps but they got weaker throughout the night. Those labor and delivery beds are so not comfortable at all, and with the contraction and baby heart rate monitors strapped on I only got about 2 hours sleep.
Around 7:30am my doctor came in and checked my cervix, which was only 1cm dilated. She broke my water at that point, I was not expecting that! Did not hurt though...but man I hate the feeling of wetting myself, and it keeps coming with contractions for a while..I actually had my husband (I'm glad he's so nice) wipe me down there occasionally because I could not stand feeling wet. The contractions started pretty quick 2-4 minutes apart and they started me on a low dose of pitocin. Things moved realllly slowly for a while...by noon I was maybe 3cm dilated and the contractions were getting stronger. Around 1pm I got a drug called Stadol...it was wonderful...I still felt contractions but they did not feel as long and drawn out and I was so out of it from the meds I did not care...that only lasted about 45 minutes so it was just a nice rest from the whole ordeal.
At around 2pm I was 4cm dilated so they gave me the epidural. That was also not as bad as I expected it might be...the most annoying part about it was having to sit up and bend over during a contraction with the wires from the monitors (now internal) coming out of me and the blood pressure cuff squeezing my arm all at the same time. I was so frustrated by all that that the epidural was easy. About 20 minutes passed and I felt great.
About an hour later I started getting frustrated...my cervix was not moving...I was stuck on my right side for hours because that was the position in which the baby was responding to my contractions the best. I have a bad shoulder which I was supposed to have surgery on before I found out I was pregnant...so being on it for so long was pretty crappy. Also the epidural seemed to be wearing off...I could feel and move my legs and feet and was feeling painful contractions on the right side. The nurse during that shift was not helpful, told me i was supposed to feel something and that if we complained to the anesthesiologist again they would just redo the epidural.
So just when I was really getting worried about how things were going...around 5:30-6pm my doctor showed up and saved the day. She sat down and I told her about how they were ignoring my pain and that the epidural was not working on my right side, that I really wanted to sit up for a while. She was not happy either that my pitocin was so low. She told the nurse to let me sit up and get the anesthesiologist in to up my epidural and to up the pitocin..the nurse actually tried to argue with her. The babies charts looked great all day my doctor said...he was doing just fine. So after a few minutes all those things changed...I got to sit up and my epi increased along with pitocin.
Within 20 minutes everything changed. I felt so good sitting up...my epidural felt like I figured an epidural should...my left side, which had reacted well from the beginning was completely numb...and my right side was now comfortable and semi numb. The pain of contractions were gone but there was instead a pressure, like I had to poop. I knew this is a good thing and the doctor was really happy. Just prior to being sat up in bed she checked me and said I was at 6cm...so I was SO happy that things were moving along. She told me let her know when the pressure became really strong. About a half hour passed and I told her to check...and sure enough I was at 10cm! I had thought it would take a few hours...but I was there. We waited a little while and then she said time to push. I pushed for 10 minutes, easier than I thought it would be except of course the last 3 pushes were when he was coming out and it was not really painful as much as like...whoa...baby is exiting. Then I felt a great relief and he was out. It was amazing. My parents both came in the room and my husband and sister were already there and they paid attention to the baby while I was being stitched up. I got a second degree tear in the perineum and a periurethral tear which for the first week was Horrible...but has started to get better day by day now.
So here is the best part, my son Owen
First week home has been really nice. People sort of made me think it would be hellish but it has been so amazing being a mother. My husband is super helpful, he cooks and cleans and does dishes and after I do a night feeding he gets up to settle Owen down into bed so I can get back to sleep, which is really really helpful and I can get 3 hours sleep at a time usually between waking up to feed him.
Just an overall amazing feeling and for all you other first time moms about to go through labor...good luck and enjoy it all...some of it is hard but after a week you really start putting the hard stuff behind you and just remember how amazing it was.
