Beltane
Mother of 3 Boys!
- Joined
- May 2, 2008
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My gorgeous son is finally here and my birth story is well overdue so here it goes!
I was scheduled to be induced at my local community Hospital for Monday the 26th of January at 7am. Even though I was only 1 day overdue, my doctor had offered me the induction because my last labor was fast and furious. She didn't want me taking any chances as she assumed this baby would come even quicker than my previous 3 hour birth.My due date of January 25th came and went and I was somewhat sad as I really wanted him to enter this world naturally. The idea of getting induced seemed as if I was almost altering the way the stars might have been aligned.
We woke up early Monday morning and my husband turned to me with sparkles in his eyes... " We're going to meet our son today."We got out the door (late as always) and stopped at the convenience store where we grabbed some breakfast sandwiches, lottery tickets and a magazine. Then we headed on our way. We arrived at the hospital and went in through the ER. A swooshy adorable gay man at the front desk had me sign some final paperwork and then walked us to the elevator and took us to the labor & delivery ward. As we stepped on the elevator he said " You're soo having a
girl!" and I nodded my head no and told him it was a boy.
We met our nurse Michelle when we arrived in L & D. I remembered her from the tour she gave us back in the fall and felt right at home. She walked me into the familiar room that I had envisioned I would be birthing in- the one she showed me on the tour. I was thrilled. It was one of the largest suites they had and was so perfectly comfy. I got into the birthing gown that she gave me and I was hooked up to some saline liquids and pitocin right away. The pitocin was set very very low so we made ourselves comfortable and watched Pinks on the speed channel and my favorite talk shows all morning. I was too nervous to eat or drink anything beforehand. I read my magazine and flipped around on the tube waiting for something to happen. Michelle pointed out my contractions on the monitor and although they were big ones, I didn't feel them. She upped the pitocin about every half hour and had to unhook my wires numerous so I could go pee. I remember keeping my eyes glued to the monitors constantly. At some point, the doctor came in a broke my water. That was by far the most painful part of the whole labor.I had expected a big gush of fluids but it was only a little splash. Suddenly. my son's heartbeat began to drop rapidly. Another nurse rushed in and I began to panic. Apparently when your water breaks, the baby can sometimes land on the umbilical cord and that is what happened. The doctor instructed me to roll onto my side and I quickly did so. My husband remained calm but told me afterwards that on the inside he was panicking more than I was. The baby's heartbeat stabilized and thing returned to normal within in a few minutes. Around 1PM, the epidural man came by to give me my much needed relief. Contractions were not terrible but felt like unruly period pains. I decided to get it sooner than later. They sent my husband out of the room and got to work.The epidural man ended up being a chatty mellow hippie type who was fascinated with my body art and kept me distracted by asking me questions about my work. The procedure was quick and felt like someone using a Barbie sized screwgun on my spine. The nurse inserted a catheter afterwards and I was on my way. Now all I needed to do was get to 10 cm! From that point forward, I felt nothing- not an ounce or smidgen of discomfort. Michelle continued to up my pitocin for the next few hours and around 3:30 I got the urge to push.This is when my waters decided to burst out onto the bed! With each push, tons of liquid gushed out all over the place. They had to keep replacing the pads underneath me. I pushed for about an hour when my doctor noted that the baby was sunny-side up. Normally the do an emergency c-section if this is the case but she allowed me the chance to push further because he was so close. The doctor used an oil on my perineum and stretched it out with each push. In between contractions, the Dr, nurses and I all watched Judge Karen on t.v.
My husband was cracking jokes and everyone in the room was in great spirits. She brought the mirror over and thats when I really got motivated to meet my son! At 4:39 p.m., Tristen Orion Shields was born. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 21 inches long. His poor head was very swollen at first but I gazed into his grey-blue eyes and instantly fell head-over-heels in love! I walked away with just three stitches from a 1st degree tear on my inner labia. No episiotomy though! We spent the next few days in the hospital and other than a slight case of jaundice, baby Tristen is perfect and doing wonderful. I would do it all over again the blink of an eye. I must say that choosing the right hospital and doctor made ALL the difference in the world. I am truly blessed beyond my wildest dreams.
I was scheduled to be induced at my local community Hospital for Monday the 26th of January at 7am. Even though I was only 1 day overdue, my doctor had offered me the induction because my last labor was fast and furious. She didn't want me taking any chances as she assumed this baby would come even quicker than my previous 3 hour birth.My due date of January 25th came and went and I was somewhat sad as I really wanted him to enter this world naturally. The idea of getting induced seemed as if I was almost altering the way the stars might have been aligned.
We woke up early Monday morning and my husband turned to me with sparkles in his eyes... " We're going to meet our son today."We got out the door (late as always) and stopped at the convenience store where we grabbed some breakfast sandwiches, lottery tickets and a magazine. Then we headed on our way. We arrived at the hospital and went in through the ER. A swooshy adorable gay man at the front desk had me sign some final paperwork and then walked us to the elevator and took us to the labor & delivery ward. As we stepped on the elevator he said " You're soo having a
girl!" and I nodded my head no and told him it was a boy.
We met our nurse Michelle when we arrived in L & D. I remembered her from the tour she gave us back in the fall and felt right at home. She walked me into the familiar room that I had envisioned I would be birthing in- the one she showed me on the tour. I was thrilled. It was one of the largest suites they had and was so perfectly comfy. I got into the birthing gown that she gave me and I was hooked up to some saline liquids and pitocin right away. The pitocin was set very very low so we made ourselves comfortable and watched Pinks on the speed channel and my favorite talk shows all morning. I was too nervous to eat or drink anything beforehand. I read my magazine and flipped around on the tube waiting for something to happen. Michelle pointed out my contractions on the monitor and although they were big ones, I didn't feel them. She upped the pitocin about every half hour and had to unhook my wires numerous so I could go pee. I remember keeping my eyes glued to the monitors constantly. At some point, the doctor came in a broke my water. That was by far the most painful part of the whole labor.I had expected a big gush of fluids but it was only a little splash. Suddenly. my son's heartbeat began to drop rapidly. Another nurse rushed in and I began to panic. Apparently when your water breaks, the baby can sometimes land on the umbilical cord and that is what happened. The doctor instructed me to roll onto my side and I quickly did so. My husband remained calm but told me afterwards that on the inside he was panicking more than I was. The baby's heartbeat stabilized and thing returned to normal within in a few minutes. Around 1PM, the epidural man came by to give me my much needed relief. Contractions were not terrible but felt like unruly period pains. I decided to get it sooner than later. They sent my husband out of the room and got to work.The epidural man ended up being a chatty mellow hippie type who was fascinated with my body art and kept me distracted by asking me questions about my work. The procedure was quick and felt like someone using a Barbie sized screwgun on my spine. The nurse inserted a catheter afterwards and I was on my way. Now all I needed to do was get to 10 cm! From that point forward, I felt nothing- not an ounce or smidgen of discomfort. Michelle continued to up my pitocin for the next few hours and around 3:30 I got the urge to push.This is when my waters decided to burst out onto the bed! With each push, tons of liquid gushed out all over the place. They had to keep replacing the pads underneath me. I pushed for about an hour when my doctor noted that the baby was sunny-side up. Normally the do an emergency c-section if this is the case but she allowed me the chance to push further because he was so close. The doctor used an oil on my perineum and stretched it out with each push. In between contractions, the Dr, nurses and I all watched Judge Karen on t.v.
My husband was cracking jokes and everyone in the room was in great spirits. She brought the mirror over and thats when I really got motivated to meet my son! At 4:39 p.m., Tristen Orion Shields was born. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 21 inches long. His poor head was very swollen at first but I gazed into his grey-blue eyes and instantly fell head-over-heels in love! I walked away with just three stitches from a 1st degree tear on my inner labia. No episiotomy though! We spent the next few days in the hospital and other than a slight case of jaundice, baby Tristen is perfect and doing wonderful. I would do it all over again the blink of an eye. I must say that choosing the right hospital and doctor made ALL the difference in the world. I am truly blessed beyond my wildest dreams.
.....I ticked over into the 27th
