Labor and Delivery

(If you wish to skip the story and want to see pictures, please just scroll down the page)

My labor began on Saturday, November 3, 2001 when I had gotten out of bed at 450am to use the bathroom. I noticed that I had lost my mucus plug and that was followed by a bloody discharge (show). At around 5am I started to have some mild to moderate cramping…the kind you would get with your period. Of course at this time I couldn’t get back to sleep, as I was excited/nervous/anxious. I did however wake Keith to tell him what was happening, and I think he was excited as well.

We got out of bed around 7ish and had breakfast. I petered around the house most of the morning, doing dishes and some other chores still continuing to have cramping/contractions every 20 min or so. Sometimes these would come a little closer together sometimes a little further apart. I tried to remain calm (impending labor and I want to remain calm!! Yea right!!)

1pm—we needed to go to BJ’s and the grocery store to pick up a few things. In the back of my mind, I was thinking if I go into the hospital tonight or this weekend I really don’t want an empty refrigerator to come home to. So off we went…walking around BJ’s was painful to say the least…the contractions seemed to be coming quicker and stronger every 4 or 5 minutes at this point. I had to stop several times in BJ’s to catch my breath from the contractions. I was getting very excited thinking YES this is finally it!!

We made it through the grocery store, and headed home as I was hungry and it was 2pm at this point. I made lunch for us, we ate around 245…as my contractions continue to grow stronger and now were any where from 2 to 4 minutes apart and they definitely were starting to be in a pattern. I told Keith I wanted to lie down and see if that would either stop them or make them stronger or change pattern. Keith wanted to watch a DVD while we lay down. 330pm, I couldn’t lay comfortably in bed and watching TV was out of the question at this point. The contractions continued to be any where from 2 to 4 minutes, and still just felt like now bad period cramps. I got out of bed, headed for the computer of course, to email a few people about what might be happening this weekend. I could barely type through the contractions as they were becoming increasingly distracting. I was also speaking with a friend on messenger on the computer as well and had to quit talking several times. I told Keith this. Keith says MAYBE we should head to the hospital. I of course was reluctant to truly believe that this might be it for us. I said well call the dr first, so he can notify the hospital. Dr called back around 345 and said get to the hospital NOW. So off we went for our 20-minute drive to the hospital. I continued to have the contractions every 2 to 4minutes and they were increasing in intensity. We arrived at the hospital around 415, and headed right for the admitting department. I was admitted through them and taken up to L&D triage by 430. 5pm, I was examined by a resident dr that determined me to be about 50% effaced and 3cm dilated. (I was 2cm on Thursday Nov 1). Ok, not much progress yet and I was still in the early stages of labor.

By around 6pm, lab work was drawn. I was still having contractions 2 to 4 minutes lasting about 45 seconds. I was working well with my body…doing my breathing and relaxation. I was drinking my water and Gatorade to keep up my strength. Around 8pm it was determined that I was a little dehydrated even though I had drank a quart of Gatorade and about half quart of water. My L&D triage nurse attempted once to start an IV in my left hand and it blew as soon as she started it. Time to call the IV team to come start my IV please. The IV team started my IV without any problems, didn’t even know when it went in as they used a little topical anesthesia. I initially had said NO IV’s except for a Saline Lock for my antibiotics, which my dr and I determined would be necessary based on my history of Mitral Valve Prolapse. But being dehydrated, I needed the fluids and I didn’t want to make my labor any harder then it might be.

10pm I was checked again by a resident dr and determined that I was still 3cm and that they were going to call my dr to see what he wanted to do. I was still having contractions every 2 to 4 minutes lasting any where from 45 to 60 seconds. My dr called back and wanted to keep me and send me up to labor and delivery. By 11pm I was on my way to a “REAL” room on the labor and delivery floor. I was very happy to be in a more comfortable bed then the stretcher I was on down in triage.

1115, the chief ob/gyn resident came in, introduced herself and said she had spoken to my dr and he wanted to rupture my bag of water. At this point I had already been laboring for about 18 hours. Even though I said I would rather not have my water broken in my birth plan, I was ready to get things moving along. So the resident dr broke the bag of water..not only did the water come out but it was evident that Allyson had already passed meconium and it was in the water. I was preparing myself mentally for stronger and closer together contractions now that my water was ruptured. Around 1130 I was informed that they would need to insert an Amnio-flush to clean the meconium out from my water to prevent infection in the baby and me. 1200am contractions were coming quicker and stronger, lasting any where from 60 to 90 seconds, and only 2 minutes apart. I was getting no rest between them. By 1230 I told Keith I didn’t think I could do this, as I was so tired already after being up for almost 20 hours. We spoke with my nurse and it was determined between all of us, that I would try something to let me rest. I didn’t think I wanted to take an epidural so she offered me Stadol. By 1245 I was given the Stadol and it worked quickly. I felt like I was floating in no time, I could still feel the contractions but nothing like I was having. I did manage to sleep until around 2am, when the Stadol started to wear off at that time. I was getting very uncomfortable again.

3am I was checked again, and was only 4 cm and about 80% effaced. Damn I hadn’t gotten far in several hours even after having my water broken. Again the resident dr called my dr and he determined that he wanted to try a “LITTLE” pitocin to see if that would get things going…another thing we were really hoping to avoid. After we discussed the pitocin administration it was also discussed that I might want to try an epidural as the contractions are going to get much worse with the administration of pitocin. I looked at Keith and said ok I think I have tried. 330am my epidural was inserted. Don’t let anyone fool you, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience in my life, but once the medication was started I started to feel much better. What a strange feeling not to feel much in your legs. I could still move my legs, but they were numb. My nurse put in a Urinary catheter at this time. I still had the Amnio flush running to flush my cervix/uterus . Keith and I were slowly watching all that we wanted in our birth plan going out the window. 23 hours of labor so far, I guess I had given it a good shot on my own without pain medication. 430am my dr arrives, does a quick check and determined I was around 5cm and 80% effaced . So a little progress…half way there I tell Keith. The dr wanted to insert an internal scalp monitor to help monitor the baby’s heart rate (better then using the external monitor and more accurate). That was done. I was crying because we were watching our birth plan dissolve by the minutes. Keith kept reassuring me that everything would be ok, and the most important thing is to deliver our daughter healthy.

From 5am until around 8am I was able to rest, not sleep, as I was to excited/nervous and anxious about our impending birth. Dr determined that I was now 6cm dilated. I called my sister to update her on my progress, as I had not spoken with her since around 9pm the night before. I asked her if she wanted to come up, and she said she would come up as soon as she showered and could get up there. She arrived around 9 or 930. I was checked again at 9 and was now 9cm. WHOA at least I had made some progress in the dilatation department.

By 1030am I was told I was 100% effaced and 10cm dilated but still had a small anterior lip on my cervix but I could try to push through that. So I started to push. The more I pushed the more intense my hip and back pain became. By 1115 I was to tired to push anymore and was in serious pain with my hip and back.. I was crying to Keith for him to do something to take this pain away. IT was by far the WORST pain I had EVER had in my life. I had no urge to push any longer and I was exhausted. I continued to cry to just take the pain away. On that scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst pain, mine was like a 15!! 1130, my dr called anesthesia to come and give me more epidural. It probably took 15 minutes for anesthesia to get there, but it felt like 4 hours!! 1145 am second hit of epidural was administered and I no longer had the horrible pain in my hip and back. I was sprawled out on the bed, arms hanging off the bed, legs up in stirrups and I was pretty much passed out from shear exhaustion…in walks my dr and says I guess your pain is better, you look like a wet noodle. I opened an eye and said yea whatever!! 12pm I was a little more awake, but still without hip pain. Dr said he wanted to get baby out soon as her heart rate was starting to go down a little bit and that he wanted to use forceps to help deliver her. At that point I was not caring anymore what he had to do to get her delivered healthy, safe, just so I could rest. Started to push even though I had no “URGE” that everyone talks about. The nurse would tell me when to push. My sister and Keith encouraged me to push as hard as I could. At one point I told Keith to “SHUT UP” (some strange force made me say that to the most wonderful man in the world…sorry honey, I still love you more then anything in this world). Then I told my sister to stop also. I could count to 10 on my own. Dr started with the forceps inside of me. OK, fine. I looked around the room and wasn’t in to much pain, saw a few “EXTRA” people standing around. So I said OK so who do we have in the peanut gallery to watch me in all my glory. Dr said standing near the isolette was the team from the NICU. OMG WHY I thought and asked. My nurse reassured me that it was normal to have them here for all births with meconium. I had already kicked out a little pesky med student who was only adding early to my frustration of saying push………1, 2.3 etc. I started to push again with much encouragement from my nurse and sister. I was grabbing Keith’s hand hard at that point. Dr was pulling so hard my sister said that he almost pulled me off the table across the room. As the head started to crown I screamed to just get her out. Her cord was wrapped around her shoulder and dr needed to slip it off. She was born at 1221pm. Next thing I hear is a sucking sound and I felt this gush of water from me. Then I didn’t hear any baby crying. I sort of looked up and said WHATS wrong with my baby why isn’t she crying. Dr said he didn’t want her to cry yet, as he wanted to clear her mouth and nose of any potential meconium that she might have inhaled or swallowed. Next thing I knew I had this little person on my chest. She was a little bluish and very slimy but I just kept saying oh my god, oh my god. Unfortunately she was quickly whisked away to the isolette for the waiting NICU team to assess her. I was able to watch everything, they administered oxygen and I noticed that she wasn’t overly responsive yet either. Within several minutes her color became better and she was crying. I could breath a sigh of relief. Her first apgar score was 6 then the second was 8/9. Within 20 minutes or so she was wrapped up and handed to me and placed on my chest. I was sobbing and Keith was sobbing. She was the most beautiful little thing I had ever seen and to think we created her. Keith was snapping pictures, and my sister was as well. Allyson was 7 pounds 3 oz’s and measured 20 and ¾ inches (later in the nursery they remeasured her and she was 21.5 inches so that was the “OFFICIAL” length at birth.)

Dr stood by to wait for the 3^rd stage of labor to start—the passing of the placenta. After waiting for 45 minutes no placenta yet. Dr checked me, said the placenta hadn’t even started to detach itself yet, and he wanted to get it out or there might be other problems. So he started manual detachment of my placenta!! My dr had his hands up inside of me up to his elbows my sister said. After another 30 minutes of this my placenta was finally out. The pain from the manual detachment was so intense. My dr kept apologizing for hurting me. At least it was over. Now came the final part, check for tears internally and externally. I said did I tear…dr said that he had to do an episiotomy. Ok, so now officially EVERYTHING I was hoping to avoid I didn’t in my birth plan except we had a healthy baby girl. Started to stitch me up. I am not sure how many I ended up with but the dr was stitching me a good long time- at least 40 minutes worth. I asked how many he gave me but I never got an answer. OUCH I could feel the last of the sutures going in… so I was given a little local anasethia. Finally around 230 everything was done. I was beyond exhausted. Keith was holding Allyson Rachel next to me. She was by far the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen in my life.

At 4pm I was moved down to the post partum floor. The nursery charge nurse was a good friend of mine I had gone to nursing school with so I felt much better that my friend would be looking after my new little girl.

Thanks for reading about my experience giving birth to my first child.

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