So the birth story...
As you know I had a doc appointment that morning where he stripped my membranes. We don't know if he accidentally broke my bag of waters OR if my water broke coincidentally. Anyway, it does not really matter.
We arrived at the hospital for observation at 4 p.m. At that time we both expected to be sent home because I wasn't sure if the contractions I was feeling were valid or an indication of labor. Apparently, they were 5 minutes apart, each one a minute long so they kept me. We made all of the calls we needed to make to the parents and settled into labor. I felt like my contractions were growing in intensity and it turned out I was right. They quickly became 2 minutes apart lasting about a minute each - basically they were right on top of each other.
I tried laboring in a jacuzzi and in a side lying position on the bed. Finally at at 8 pm the nurse suggested I try some drugs. She gave me Stadol. I remember feeling disappointed that I couldn't go it alone anymore but she reminded me that I couldn't relax between contractions which was making it worse for me breathe through them. The Stadol, a narcotic, really worked but it was still strange to be high and in labor.
The grandmothers took turns rubbing my feet and back hands, reminding me to breathe and breathing with me. Mark was at my side the whole time too.
At 10:00 my nurse barely mentioned the word epidural and I jumped at the chance to get it. However, I also was crying and apologizing for needing the epidural especially when I was only 3 centimeteres dialated. I remember saying over and over "I can't believe I can't do this. I can't believe I need an epidural at only 3 cm dialated". The contractions were still so close together and I wasn't making any progress after six hours of labor so they also started me on a pitocin drip. I was devastated at needing so much medication and I became pretty fixated on that.
Receiving the epidural was a terrible experience. I had to lie in a fetal position and be absolutely still while they put in the needles. I was contracting the whole time and having a contraction in the fetal position was hard for me. But I managed and once the needle was in the epidural worked right away.
At midnight I still had not made any more progess. The machines showed that I was contracting up a storm but my cervix wasn't dialating. I was supposed to be relaxing enough to sleep because of the epidural. The automatic blood pressure cuff I was hooked up to went off every 1/2 hour. So just as I'd fall asleep it would go off and take a reading which was uncomfortable and prevented me from sleeping. I was exhausted too from all of the drugs and the contractions.
At 2:30 a.m. the doctor arrived to check up on me. He put in a tube (I can't remember the name of it now) up near the baby so that they could mention the intensity of my contractions. He also mentioned the word "C Section" for the first time. I also noticed they moved the baby's monitor away from where I could see it. I think now she was beginning to be in distress but they didn't tell me at the time.
They let me rest, but they put me on oxygen. This really freaked me out and I lost it. I was hysterical and I wanted to know if the baby was okay and why I was on oxygen. Mark had been napping at this point. At this point the familys had gone home to try and get some rest.
At 3:30 the doctor returned. I had not made any progress even though my contractions were coming at "ramming speed". I guess the baby was trying her hardest to come out (she was a zero station at this point, a good sign) but my body was just not ready. He turned off the pitocin since it wasn't doing any good. I was actually happy about that because it meant there was one less drug in my system, and thusly, hers.
I took this opportunity to write in my journal. I realize alot of it was the drugs talking but here is some of what I wrote:
Should I have had the Stadol? I felt very much out of my body which helpedme to feel calmer ironically, but seemed to slow things down. Why did things slow down? Why can't I do this? Did the pitocin and epidural screw things up? Everyone is here to support me to do something I can't do. I am a failure".
The doctor returned and at 4 told Mark to begin calling our family so that they could be there when they did the C Section at 4:30. It was a call I hated hearing him make.
They prepped me for surgery which was scary. I was layed out on a table arms out to my sides and shaved. I didn't need a catheter because I'd already had one at an earlier point in the evening, but I did have alot of other monitors strapped to me.
In the operating lights above me I could see them scrub my belly for surgery. Several people were in the room at the time of the surgery - more people than I'd imagined there would be. I was given an oxygen tube and the anesthiologist began giving me the epidural. The epidural was quite cold going in and I felt it instantly throughout my body. He continued to explain what was going on. I think Mark finally showed up at this point in his scrubs.
I felt the tugging sensation and the pressure that they said I would on various organs and whatnot. At one point it felt like someone was sitting on my abdomen. Less than twenty minutes later, Sydney was born!
The recovery has been quite painful. I can't get in and out bed without help. And now I found out I have a post operative endometrial infection too. I was actually happy to have a catheter because the idea of getting into and out of bed to pee was brutal.
As you know I had a doc appointment that morning where he stripped my membranes. We don't know if he accidentally broke my bag of waters OR if my water broke coincidentally. Anyway, it does not really matter.
We arrived at the hospital for observation at 4 p.m. At that time we both expected to be sent home because I wasn't sure if the contractions I was feeling were valid or an indication of labor. Apparently, they were 5 minutes apart, each one a minute long so they kept me. We made all of the calls we needed to make to the parents and settled into labor. I felt like my contractions were growing in intensity and it turned out I was right. They quickly became 2 minutes apart lasting about a minute each - basically they were right on top of each other.
I tried laboring in a jacuzzi and in a side lying position on the bed. Finally at at 8 pm the nurse suggested I try some drugs. She gave me Stadol. I remember feeling disappointed that I couldn't go it alone anymore but she reminded me that I couldn't relax between contractions which was making it worse for me breathe through them. The Stadol, a narcotic, really worked but it was still strange to be high and in labor.
The grandmothers took turns rubbing my feet and back hands, reminding me to breathe and breathing with me. Mark was at my side the whole time too.
At 10:00 my nurse barely mentioned the word epidural and I jumped at the chance to get it. However, I also was crying and apologizing for needing the epidural especially when I was only 3 centimeteres dialated. I remember saying over and over "I can't believe I can't do this. I can't believe I need an epidural at only 3 cm dialated". The contractions were still so close together and I wasn't making any progress after six hours of labor so they also started me on a pitocin drip. I was devastated at needing so much medication and I became pretty fixated on that.
Receiving the epidural was a terrible experience. I had to lie in a fetal position and be absolutely still while they put in the needles. I was contracting the whole time and having a contraction in the fetal position was hard for me. But I managed and once the needle was in the epidural worked right away.
At midnight I still had not made any more progess. The machines showed that I was contracting up a storm but my cervix wasn't dialating. I was supposed to be relaxing enough to sleep because of the epidural. The automatic blood pressure cuff I was hooked up to went off every 1/2 hour. So just as I'd fall asleep it would go off and take a reading which was uncomfortable and prevented me from sleeping. I was exhausted too from all of the drugs and the contractions.
At 2:30 a.m. the doctor arrived to check up on me. He put in a tube (I can't remember the name of it now) up near the baby so that they could mention the intensity of my contractions. He also mentioned the word "C Section" for the first time. I also noticed they moved the baby's monitor away from where I could see it. I think now she was beginning to be in distress but they didn't tell me at the time.
They let me rest, but they put me on oxygen. This really freaked me out and I lost it. I was hysterical and I wanted to know if the baby was okay and why I was on oxygen. Mark had been napping at this point. At this point the familys had gone home to try and get some rest.
At 3:30 the doctor returned. I had not made any progress even though my contractions were coming at "ramming speed". I guess the baby was trying her hardest to come out (she was a zero station at this point, a good sign) but my body was just not ready. He turned off the pitocin since it wasn't doing any good. I was actually happy about that because it meant there was one less drug in my system, and thusly, hers.
I took this opportunity to write in my journal. I realize alot of it was the drugs talking but here is some of what I wrote:
Should I have had the Stadol? I felt very much out of my body which helpedme to feel calmer ironically, but seemed to slow things down. Why did things slow down? Why can't I do this? Did the pitocin and epidural screw things up? Everyone is here to support me to do something I can't do. I am a failure".
The doctor returned and at 4 told Mark to begin calling our family so that they could be there when they did the C Section at 4:30. It was a call I hated hearing him make.
They prepped me for surgery which was scary. I was layed out on a table arms out to my sides and shaved. I didn't need a catheter because I'd already had one at an earlier point in the evening, but I did have alot of other monitors strapped to me.
In the operating lights above me I could see them scrub my belly for surgery. Several people were in the room at the time of the surgery - more people than I'd imagined there would be. I was given an oxygen tube and the anesthiologist began giving me the epidural. The epidural was quite cold going in and I felt it instantly throughout my body. He continued to explain what was going on. I think Mark finally showed up at this point in his scrubs.
I felt the tugging sensation and the pressure that they said I would on various organs and whatnot. At one point it felt like someone was sitting on my abdomen. Less than twenty minutes later, Sydney was born!
The recovery has been quite painful. I can't get in and out bed without help. And now I found out I have a post operative endometrial infection too. I was actually happy to have a catheter because the idea of getting into and out of bed to pee was brutal.
posted by Swiftyjess at 6:59 AM
6 Comments:
zOMG BABY!
The question is: when can the out of towners visit?
ouch.
Congratulations. I know it was a tough go, but the best part, I know is when they put her in your arms, wasn't it?
I laughed madly at the Anesthesiologist when they told me to lie in a fetal position while in labor. Yeah, right!
Out of state folks can visit whenever...:-) They are always welcome.
Here's a tip from my sister - when getting in and out of bed - prop yourself up on your side and get your knees under your (like in crawling position) then go off the bed feet first backwards. You'll have both hands on the bed for support and both feet on the floor for support - lessening the pull and pressure on the abs. Does that makes sense? It's a lot harder the explain than I thought :)
Sweety, don't be down on yourself about how the delivery went. Everyone is different, and I know exactly what those contractions are like. I honestly got scared to push when the contrax were on top of one another like that. I think that was part of my problem. So just look at the end result, your beautiful daughter, and realize you did an amazing job!
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