most women I know who've had both pitocin and no pitocin have said that the pitocin is much worse, but obviously, everyone is different. And since I have no idea what things would have been like at that point without pitocin, I have no basis for comparison (though I will say that the contractions became FAR more intense within 5 or 10 minutes of starting low-dose pitocin...no telling if that would have happened anyway, but we don't think so - I'd been stalled for a while).
The problem that *I* found with the pitocin is that it limited me to laboring in bed on my back, and with all the contraction pain being in my back, that was the WORST place for me to labor - I had probably 70% relief anytime I stood up to go to the bathroom, or leaned over the bed - even though technically that was verboten.
We'll call her Tobie to keep up with our West Wing cast... Ah. I've never watched "West Wing" (except for the occasional clip), so I didn't realize there was a theme. He reminded me that we hadn't yet had a single discussion about names. I was actually wondering about that, when the initial announcements (from both of you) didn't include a name. (We had already agreed on boy names, but not girls names yet, when the sonagram told us Richard would be a boy. Every now and then people ask us what we would have named him if he'd been a her; well, we hadn't decided yet - although we were down to a short list.) "I just. I just need you to come here." To his credit, Seth didn't miss a beat and said "I'm packing up; I'm on my way." Glad to hear that he could make it. I was also getting worried about that, a paragraph earlier. Seth and I worked out a plan to take care of the kids - he brought them to a friend who also has four kids and he spent Shabbos with them. So they had eight for Shabbos? Whoa. Must be a good friend. It wasn't a need for a "
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well, the theme with the names was unintentional. We named Abby and Ellie pretty quickly, and I realized those were both West Wing characters (Abby was the First Lady, Ellie was one of the first daughters). I told Seth we'd have to be careful to avoid WW names for our son (it took a couple weeks to figure out a name for him - no joke). We avoided Joshua and Toby and CJ and Josiah (that one wasn't so difficult to avoid), etc. But I'd forgotten all about one of the central characters - Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe's character) - because he wasn't in the last few seasons. I was so proud of myself for picking a non-West Wing name and Seth broke the news to me that I hadn't actually done so. Whoops! With our latest addition, I had two rules about her name: It couldn't be an androgynous name - it had to be distinctly feminine and it couldn't be another West Wing character. I lost on both counts, not because I was forced into it, but because Tobie just is her name. Joke's on me. ;) Anyway, girls are named in the synagogue on days that
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Obviously, my husband rocks I already knew that. But don't tell him I said that. …and he wouldn't have waited a second longer than I told him he could, so he was at the hospital within 20 or 30 minutes of my call (considering he had to clock out at work, let his boss know what was going on, and drive from Silver Spring to Shady Grove, I was pretty impressed with his response time. :) I think it's important that the father be there. I've developed a dislike for those old TV shows from the 1940s-50s where the father sits out in the waiting room chain-smoking cigarettes until the doctor comes out and tells him "It's a boy/girl!" Yes, it was a very good friend - but when you've got four kids, what's four more? (Their kids are older for the most part… That helps, if the older ones can assist in looking after the younger ones. That's the only way mothers like mine could stay (relatively) (OK, slightly) (maybe) sane. Regarding your friend not having the option for the VBAC, there could be a couple things at play. How long ago was her c-section and
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::sniffles madly:: I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy you got your VBAC, even if it was terrible. It's kind of funny that you wanted a VBAC to avoid your panic point and I absolutely had to have a C-section to avoid mine :D
And so it was Dr. S(whose name I can't spell)? Isn't she absolutely amazing? I wanted her to deliver Barak so badly :( But she was there almost the entire four days I was in on the mag (right after the other Dr. S put me on it!) and I adore her.
Oh, BTW, I believe that a lot of women break at 3 cm. I think I was told the same thing. I suspect that those are the women who haven't been through infertility. Know what I mean?
That is definitely irony - I can understand why you needed the c-section to keep your sanity. But my last c-section sucked so badly, and the spinal. Oh god, the spinal. Gah. If I'd had to have a c-section this time, I was seriously considering general anesthesia - no joke. As it turned out the epidural *was* a lot better. I could still move my legs, sort of (well, I could totally move my right leg, and sort of move my left leg), but more importantly, the epidural wore off nearly immediately after turning it off. When I had the spinal, it was HOURS later before I had any sensation back, and even longer before I could actually trust my ability to move my legs - they felt like lead weights until the next morning. I had specifically asked the anesthesiologist with the triplets to give me an epidural rather than a spinal so that it could be TURNED OFF (whereas the spinal just has to wear off). She told me that they use epidurals when they need them to last longer, but that it takes just as long to wear off as a spinal once you
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yeah, most people assumed I had a c-section (and that's partly my fault for not specifying ... but the thing was the important piece of information was that Tobie had arrived, not the method of arrival and that was something I was very clear about).
I think it was mostly because the doctors around here don't do vbac so I just assumed you were in for another c-section. Tobie's safe and healthy arrival was the most important thing. But you are important too. It must have been very empowering to give birth. And I am so glad you were able to experience it. I am glad for my c-section considering his very large size and breech position. But it was a little disappointing to not be able to participate in the delivery. I can't wait to hear more about Tobie...I can't wait to see what her personality is going to be like.
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The problem that *I* found with the pitocin is that it limited me to laboring in bed on my back, and with all the contraction pain being in my back, that was the WORST place for me to labor - I had probably 70% relief anytime I stood up to go to the bathroom, or leaned over the bed - even though technically that was verboten.
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We'll call her Tobie to keep up with our West Wing cast...
Ah. I've never watched "West Wing" (except for the occasional clip), so I didn't realize there was a theme.
He reminded me that we hadn't yet had a single discussion about names.
I was actually wondering about that, when the initial announcements (from both of you) didn't include a name. (We had already agreed on boy names, but not girls names yet, when the sonagram told us Richard would be a boy. Every now and then people ask us what we would have named him if he'd been a her; well, we hadn't decided yet - although we were down to a short list.)
"I just. I just need you to come here." To his credit, Seth didn't miss a beat and said "I'm packing up; I'm on my way."
Glad to hear that he could make it. I was also getting worried about that, a paragraph earlier.
Seth and I worked out a plan to take care of the kids - he brought them to a friend who also has four kids and he spent Shabbos with them.
So they had eight for Shabbos? Whoa. Must be a good friend.
It wasn't a need for a " ( ... )
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Obviously, my husband rocks
I already knew that. But don't tell him I said that.
…and he wouldn't have waited a second longer than I told him he could, so he was at the hospital within 20 or 30 minutes of my call (considering he had to clock out at work, let his boss know what was going on, and drive from Silver Spring to Shady Grove, I was pretty impressed with his response time. :)
I think it's important that the father be there. I've developed a dislike for those old TV shows from the 1940s-50s where the father sits out in the waiting room chain-smoking cigarettes until the doctor comes out and tells him "It's a boy/girl!"
Yes, it was a very good friend - but when you've got four kids, what's four more? (Their kids are older for the most part…
That helps, if the older ones can assist in looking after the younger ones. That's the only way mothers like mine could stay (relatively) (OK, slightly) (maybe) sane.
Regarding your friend not having the option for the VBAC, there could be a couple things at play. How long ago was her c-section and ( ... )
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Mazal tov to all of you.
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And so it was Dr. S(whose name I can't spell)? Isn't she absolutely amazing? I wanted her to deliver Barak so badly :( But she was there almost the entire four days I was in on the mag (right after the other Dr. S put me on it!) and I adore her.
Oh, BTW, I believe that a lot of women break at 3 cm. I think I was told the same thing. I suspect that those are the women who haven't been through infertility. Know what I mean?
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I was sure you were having a girl too :-)
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I am glad for my c-section considering his very large size and breech position. But it was a little disappointing to not be able to participate in the delivery.
I can't wait to hear more about Tobie...I can't wait to see what her personality is going to be like.
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