Birth Story, Finally
So, I figured that since Lydia is almost four months old (next Thursday) I should get around to posting her birth story.
It is long and fairly detailed and maybe has a little bit of TMI!
I began labor on September 21st somewhere around noon. I had known that it would be soon, because the Sunday before I had lost my plug, and my body had spent the two days prior to the onset of labor cleaning itself out, if ya know what I mean. I was having small contractions every seven minutes or so and hadn't told my husband yet because I didn't want him to worry, and I needed to keep these special first moments to myself.
He was down in the garage working on building the changing table (which wasn't done yet because we weren't expecting Lydia for two more weeks) Once I discovered that I had the 'bloody show' I went downstairs and told him that I was pretty sure I was in labor. He got all excited, so we went out to the car and installed the car seat, then came back in. After that I decided that we needed to go to the grocery so that we wouldn't have to worry about it after the baby was born. While we were there, we actually ran into a woman who was friends with Tim's mom, and she was asking about the due date and all that, and I didn't feel like I could tell her that I was in labor right then, so we gave her the whole 'yeah, two weeks, I can't wait' and giggled about it for the rest of the shopping trip.
We got home, and Tim went back down to hurry up with the changing table, and I decided to go ahead and take a shower. After that, I decided that I wanted some company, so Tim and I played Yahtzee for a while and then I watched him and Curtis eat dinner (I was too keyed up to eat anything). We were timing the contractions, and they were about 5 minutes from start to start, so I called the midwife. She told me to take a bath, and if it didn't change the contractions, to go ahead and call her back and come on in. We ended up leaving for the hospital at about 10:30 PM.
Anyway, we got there and a nurse tried to get me set up with an IV, and I said that I just wanted a hep-lock. She was mad, but she did what I wanted. My Midwife, Sue, showed up and checked me and said I was about 5 cm dilated. We went on to our birthing 'suite' and I changed into my pajamas. By this time, the contractions were hurting pretty good, and I felt like I was on an adrenaline high. We walked and walked and walked forever. The labor pains were bad enough by then that I had to stop walking and breathe (I sounded like a train) through the contractions.
Around 3AM, Tim and I got in the shower (he was in swimming trunks) and stayed in for about 1/2 hour. By this point, my contractions were VERY productive, and with each one there would be a little splatter of blood/mucous on the floor. Also, with each contraction, my back started feeling like it was on fire.
I was pretty surprised that I had been able to stay calm and that I hadn't cried yet, because the pain was excruciating. After the shower, we went back to the room for fetal monitoring, and then walked some more, until I decided that I needed to rest. Sue came back in and told me that I was at 10 CM and fully effaced. An hour later she came back and told me that she was going to go ahead and break my water for me. I had no clue how much amniotic fluid there would be...it was like a waterfall! Everytime Lydia moved more would come out.
There was a lot of meconium in the fluid, so Sue told me that a team of Neonatologists would come close to the end of the pushing to make sure that Lydia didn't inhale any because that could cause a lung infection. Which meant that they would have to take her from me right away. I wasn't thrilled with that, but I didn't want her to get sick, so fine. Then Sue asked me where my contractions hurt the most. This question confused me a little bit, so I indicated my abdomen just because that is where contractions are supposed to hurt. At this point I was having HUGE contractions...one and then 30 seconds later another. Sometimes they were clustered in threes, and then a two minute break. This was the point in time that I started to think about maybe wanting meds, but I decided not to. It was probably too late anyway.
Sue told me that she thought Lydia was posterior (her belly toward my front rather than the other way around) and that was what was causing the horrible back pains with each contraction, and also what was causing the clustered contractions. She said that we needed to go ahead and get Lydia out as soon as possible anyway, and the quickest way to do that would be for me to get up on my knees and put my arms over the back of the bed (which was raised).
After I did that, it was insane. Lydia spun right around and made her way into the birth canal. The pain was horrible, but the pressure was even worse, and for the first time I kind of freaked out. I was pushing and yelling that it hurt. According to Tim I also did a whole lot of cussing, but I don't really remember what came out of my mouth.
Sue said, "You're in labor, and labor hurts. Now PUSH!"
That got me back on track pretty quick. I pushed as hard as I could. So hard, that it felt like like my butt-hole was going to turn inside out, please excuse the TMI. I wanted Lydia to go right back up into my belly and stay there forever. But then, I started getting mad. I mean PISSED! So I pushed and grunted and yelled (my husband said that I even bit him at one point, but I don't remember this). I felt her crowning and gave it everything I had. I felt her head come out and it was like blissful relief, like someone had thrown water on the fire. Sue wanted me to stop pushing then so that she could suction Lydia's nose and throat out. It was so hard to not push. I was still on my knees, looking up and panting to keep myself from pushing any more. Sue gave me the go ahead to push and it took about two to get Lydia the rest of the way out. She was finally out! She was born at 6:55 AM on September 22, 2003 (my birthday!!!) and weighed 7lb 10oz with a length of 21 inches. That's a big baby for my little 5'1" self!
I looked behind me and saw my husband cut the cord (his hands were shaking) and then they took her over to the Neonatologists to check her over. Apgars of 9 and 9. She was perfect. Her hair was about two inches long on top, and was brown with two lighter streaks. Gorgeous!
I had third degree tears into my sphincter muscle so they had to give me shots (ouch!) and stitch me up after the placenta was delivered. Placentas are extremely cool looking BTW!
So, it went mostly the way I had wanted. No drugs, no IV, no delivering on my back. Ideally I had wanted her cord to be left alone until it stopped pulsating, and I had wanted to deliver into my hands, but it just wasn't possible this time. Maybe next time :)
Oh, I also probably would not have done nearly so well if Tim hadn't been with me. He was so calm and loving. He even braided my hair for me after our shower. He stayed up with me and held my hand the whole time, and rubbed my back when it hurt, and gave me foot massages. Hmmm, maybe I should rent him out to other women in labor?
Anyway, now Lydia's here and I seriously could not be happier!
It is long and fairly detailed and maybe has a little bit of TMI!
I began labor on September 21st somewhere around noon. I had known that it would be soon, because the Sunday before I had lost my plug, and my body had spent the two days prior to the onset of labor cleaning itself out, if ya know what I mean. I was having small contractions every seven minutes or so and hadn't told my husband yet because I didn't want him to worry, and I needed to keep these special first moments to myself.
He was down in the garage working on building the changing table (which wasn't done yet because we weren't expecting Lydia for two more weeks) Once I discovered that I had the 'bloody show' I went downstairs and told him that I was pretty sure I was in labor. He got all excited, so we went out to the car and installed the car seat, then came back in. After that I decided that we needed to go to the grocery so that we wouldn't have to worry about it after the baby was born. While we were there, we actually ran into a woman who was friends with Tim's mom, and she was asking about the due date and all that, and I didn't feel like I could tell her that I was in labor right then, so we gave her the whole 'yeah, two weeks, I can't wait' and giggled about it for the rest of the shopping trip.
We got home, and Tim went back down to hurry up with the changing table, and I decided to go ahead and take a shower. After that, I decided that I wanted some company, so Tim and I played Yahtzee for a while and then I watched him and Curtis eat dinner (I was too keyed up to eat anything). We were timing the contractions, and they were about 5 minutes from start to start, so I called the midwife. She told me to take a bath, and if it didn't change the contractions, to go ahead and call her back and come on in. We ended up leaving for the hospital at about 10:30 PM.
Anyway, we got there and a nurse tried to get me set up with an IV, and I said that I just wanted a hep-lock. She was mad, but she did what I wanted. My Midwife, Sue, showed up and checked me and said I was about 5 cm dilated. We went on to our birthing 'suite' and I changed into my pajamas. By this time, the contractions were hurting pretty good, and I felt like I was on an adrenaline high. We walked and walked and walked forever. The labor pains were bad enough by then that I had to stop walking and breathe (I sounded like a train) through the contractions.
Around 3AM, Tim and I got in the shower (he was in swimming trunks) and stayed in for about 1/2 hour. By this point, my contractions were VERY productive, and with each one there would be a little splatter of blood/mucous on the floor. Also, with each contraction, my back started feeling like it was on fire.
I was pretty surprised that I had been able to stay calm and that I hadn't cried yet, because the pain was excruciating. After the shower, we went back to the room for fetal monitoring, and then walked some more, until I decided that I needed to rest. Sue came back in and told me that I was at 10 CM and fully effaced. An hour later she came back and told me that she was going to go ahead and break my water for me. I had no clue how much amniotic fluid there would be...it was like a waterfall! Everytime Lydia moved more would come out.
There was a lot of meconium in the fluid, so Sue told me that a team of Neonatologists would come close to the end of the pushing to make sure that Lydia didn't inhale any because that could cause a lung infection. Which meant that they would have to take her from me right away. I wasn't thrilled with that, but I didn't want her to get sick, so fine. Then Sue asked me where my contractions hurt the most. This question confused me a little bit, so I indicated my abdomen just because that is where contractions are supposed to hurt. At this point I was having HUGE contractions...one and then 30 seconds later another. Sometimes they were clustered in threes, and then a two minute break. This was the point in time that I started to think about maybe wanting meds, but I decided not to. It was probably too late anyway.
Sue told me that she thought Lydia was posterior (her belly toward my front rather than the other way around) and that was what was causing the horrible back pains with each contraction, and also what was causing the clustered contractions. She said that we needed to go ahead and get Lydia out as soon as possible anyway, and the quickest way to do that would be for me to get up on my knees and put my arms over the back of the bed (which was raised).
After I did that, it was insane. Lydia spun right around and made her way into the birth canal. The pain was horrible, but the pressure was even worse, and for the first time I kind of freaked out. I was pushing and yelling that it hurt. According to Tim I also did a whole lot of cussing, but I don't really remember what came out of my mouth.
Sue said, "You're in labor, and labor hurts. Now PUSH!"
That got me back on track pretty quick. I pushed as hard as I could. So hard, that it felt like like my butt-hole was going to turn inside out, please excuse the TMI. I wanted Lydia to go right back up into my belly and stay there forever. But then, I started getting mad. I mean PISSED! So I pushed and grunted and yelled (my husband said that I even bit him at one point, but I don't remember this). I felt her crowning and gave it everything I had. I felt her head come out and it was like blissful relief, like someone had thrown water on the fire. Sue wanted me to stop pushing then so that she could suction Lydia's nose and throat out. It was so hard to not push. I was still on my knees, looking up and panting to keep myself from pushing any more. Sue gave me the go ahead to push and it took about two to get Lydia the rest of the way out. She was finally out! She was born at 6:55 AM on September 22, 2003 (my birthday!!!) and weighed 7lb 10oz with a length of 21 inches. That's a big baby for my little 5'1" self!
I looked behind me and saw my husband cut the cord (his hands were shaking) and then they took her over to the Neonatologists to check her over. Apgars of 9 and 9. She was perfect. Her hair was about two inches long on top, and was brown with two lighter streaks. Gorgeous!
I had third degree tears into my sphincter muscle so they had to give me shots (ouch!) and stitch me up after the placenta was delivered. Placentas are extremely cool looking BTW!
So, it went mostly the way I had wanted. No drugs, no IV, no delivering on my back. Ideally I had wanted her cord to be left alone until it stopped pulsating, and I had wanted to deliver into my hands, but it just wasn't possible this time. Maybe next time :)
Oh, I also probably would not have done nearly so well if Tim hadn't been with me. He was so calm and loving. He even braided my hair for me after our shower. He stayed up with me and held my hand the whole time, and rubbed my back when it hurt, and gave me foot massages. Hmmm, maybe I should rent him out to other women in labor?
Anyway, now Lydia's here and I seriously could not be happier!