MelissaMBoys
12-02-2002, 08:13 AM
Monday, November 25th, started out with my doula arriving at my home. We decided to try castor oil after much research on my own about the benefits and risks with it and the risks associated with artificial rupture of membranes and/or c-section that would happen later on in the week. The castor oil didn’t really do anything all morning and my doula couldn’t believe I wasn’t running back and forth to the bathroom yet. She had decided she was going to stay with me throughout the day to just talk and support and do some acupressure to encourage labor as well.
At about 1:30 in the afternoon we went to our local armory (remember, we’re in a VERY small town!) to do some walking. We walked for over an hour and I was having a pretty regular tightening. Nothing that was any big deal, but I still had to urinate every 15 minutes and it was getting on my nerves! So we headed home.
At about 4 p.m. the castor oil kicked in and I was in and out of the bathroom for the next two hours. My dh finally arrived home and by 7:30 p.m. I had been having regular contractions for over two hours so we headed to the hospital after calling my doctor to let him know this was it. (As a side note, my doctor’s awesome reaction to me telling him I was in labor was a resounding “YES!” He’s awesome.)
We got to the hospital about 8:30 p.m. and they hooked me up to the monitor. Contractions were coming every three minutes. My doctor came in and checked me and I was only at 1-2 cm. I was pretty disappointed, but I was 50% effaced and it was a major improvement from the last time I’d been checked. I considered going home but everyone encouraged me to walk for a bit first. So we walked for not even an hour before I stopped to go to the bathroom and had major bloody show. After returning to the room I went to the bathroom again and had a lot of blood, like a heavy period. I called my doula in and asked her if this was normal. She got the nurse who had me return to the bed and the monitor and called the doctor back in. We were concerned since this was a VBAC and were worried that this may be a sign of uterine rupture.
Upon monitoring, the baby’s heartbeat was very reassuring and once I was checked I was at 4-5 cm already! They figured the bleeding was either from an old placental abruption or was just from my cervix changing so fast. At this point my contractions were becoming very difficult to handle. I moved from the birthing ball to a rocker, then to my knees on the bottom portion of the bed with my head in dh’s lap. He was sitting on the bed and they had lowered the foot of the bed for me to kneel on. This position helped for quite some time, but I was very uncomfortable and didn’t get up and move around like I had wanted to. I was also hooked up to an IV for antibiotics for strep B, so the nurse wasn’t comfortable with me going to the tub, even though my doctor thought it would be okay.
The contractions continued to change, getting stronger and harder for me to tolerate. I was moaning through them and trying my best to open up, even though all I wanted to do was say “no”. I had planned to have an unmedicated birth, and probably would have done just fine with that, however, I decided that I felt like I wasn’t making a whole lot of progress and was losing control during contractions. I asked to have my doctor come to check me and had decided if I hadn’t changed from the 5-6 cm I was earlier, that I’d ask for some nubaine. He checked and I was still at 6 cm and the head was still not engaged so I did get a shot of nubaine through my IV. The only thing it did for me was make everyone in the room really fuzzy!
About two hours later (I think – I completely lost track of time during my labor) I was still only at 7 cm and the baby had not engaged. My doctor asked me if I wanted him to break my water. In my birth plan I had stated I didn’t want my water broken unless we had dilated to at least 6 cm and progress was not being made. He felt that the baby’s head would not engage until my water was broken. I agreed that he could go ahead and break my water. At that point things picked up very quickly.
About twenty minutes after my water was broken I felt an urge to push. I thought that was crazy since I had just been at 7! Everyone kept telling me not to push and the nurse called my doctor back in. He checked me and I was at 9 cm. I had this horrendous need to push and my body took over. I pushed and then I hurt, really bad. I told my doctor I thought I’d done something really bad. He checked and said, “no, I think you did something really good. You’re at 10. Ready to push?” The whole question of whether I was ready or not was hilarious because it didn’t seem to matter who was ready, my body was taking over.
The doctor walked across the room to prepare for delivery and the nurse called him back, telling him the baby was crowning. This whole process was very different from my first son. With him I had to push for over 2 hours before having an episiotomy. I had never known what the “ring of fire” meant. This time there was no doubting that was what it was, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I just kept thinking how badly I hurt and how I couldn’t possibly push. I didn’t need to though because less than 5 minutes after we agreed to start “pushing”, McKynzie Jean was born! Her head had not molded at all since she wasn’t engaged until my water was broke and she was born with her fist up next to her head. We went from 7 cm to birth in a half hour!
I had some tearing upwards on my labia, which the doctor felt was unusual. I had about five stitches but it took several to stop some of the bleeding. That part is very sore.
McKynzie was 8 lbs. 4 ½ oz. and 21” long. She was born November 26th, 2002 at 3:52 a.m. She is gorgeous and nurses so well. Besides the tears, the birth went beautifully. I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor or better team for labor support. Her big brothers are also in love with their little sister. I have a feeling she will be a wee bit spoiled!
Thanks for reading!!
Melissa
At about 1:30 in the afternoon we went to our local armory (remember, we’re in a VERY small town!) to do some walking. We walked for over an hour and I was having a pretty regular tightening. Nothing that was any big deal, but I still had to urinate every 15 minutes and it was getting on my nerves! So we headed home.
At about 4 p.m. the castor oil kicked in and I was in and out of the bathroom for the next two hours. My dh finally arrived home and by 7:30 p.m. I had been having regular contractions for over two hours so we headed to the hospital after calling my doctor to let him know this was it. (As a side note, my doctor’s awesome reaction to me telling him I was in labor was a resounding “YES!” He’s awesome.)
We got to the hospital about 8:30 p.m. and they hooked me up to the monitor. Contractions were coming every three minutes. My doctor came in and checked me and I was only at 1-2 cm. I was pretty disappointed, but I was 50% effaced and it was a major improvement from the last time I’d been checked. I considered going home but everyone encouraged me to walk for a bit first. So we walked for not even an hour before I stopped to go to the bathroom and had major bloody show. After returning to the room I went to the bathroom again and had a lot of blood, like a heavy period. I called my doula in and asked her if this was normal. She got the nurse who had me return to the bed and the monitor and called the doctor back in. We were concerned since this was a VBAC and were worried that this may be a sign of uterine rupture.
Upon monitoring, the baby’s heartbeat was very reassuring and once I was checked I was at 4-5 cm already! They figured the bleeding was either from an old placental abruption or was just from my cervix changing so fast. At this point my contractions were becoming very difficult to handle. I moved from the birthing ball to a rocker, then to my knees on the bottom portion of the bed with my head in dh’s lap. He was sitting on the bed and they had lowered the foot of the bed for me to kneel on. This position helped for quite some time, but I was very uncomfortable and didn’t get up and move around like I had wanted to. I was also hooked up to an IV for antibiotics for strep B, so the nurse wasn’t comfortable with me going to the tub, even though my doctor thought it would be okay.
The contractions continued to change, getting stronger and harder for me to tolerate. I was moaning through them and trying my best to open up, even though all I wanted to do was say “no”. I had planned to have an unmedicated birth, and probably would have done just fine with that, however, I decided that I felt like I wasn’t making a whole lot of progress and was losing control during contractions. I asked to have my doctor come to check me and had decided if I hadn’t changed from the 5-6 cm I was earlier, that I’d ask for some nubaine. He checked and I was still at 6 cm and the head was still not engaged so I did get a shot of nubaine through my IV. The only thing it did for me was make everyone in the room really fuzzy!
About two hours later (I think – I completely lost track of time during my labor) I was still only at 7 cm and the baby had not engaged. My doctor asked me if I wanted him to break my water. In my birth plan I had stated I didn’t want my water broken unless we had dilated to at least 6 cm and progress was not being made. He felt that the baby’s head would not engage until my water was broken. I agreed that he could go ahead and break my water. At that point things picked up very quickly.
About twenty minutes after my water was broken I felt an urge to push. I thought that was crazy since I had just been at 7! Everyone kept telling me not to push and the nurse called my doctor back in. He checked me and I was at 9 cm. I had this horrendous need to push and my body took over. I pushed and then I hurt, really bad. I told my doctor I thought I’d done something really bad. He checked and said, “no, I think you did something really good. You’re at 10. Ready to push?” The whole question of whether I was ready or not was hilarious because it didn’t seem to matter who was ready, my body was taking over.
The doctor walked across the room to prepare for delivery and the nurse called him back, telling him the baby was crowning. This whole process was very different from my first son. With him I had to push for over 2 hours before having an episiotomy. I had never known what the “ring of fire” meant. This time there was no doubting that was what it was, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I just kept thinking how badly I hurt and how I couldn’t possibly push. I didn’t need to though because less than 5 minutes after we agreed to start “pushing”, McKynzie Jean was born! Her head had not molded at all since she wasn’t engaged until my water was broke and she was born with her fist up next to her head. We went from 7 cm to birth in a half hour!
I had some tearing upwards on my labia, which the doctor felt was unusual. I had about five stitches but it took several to stop some of the bleeding. That part is very sore.
McKynzie was 8 lbs. 4 ½ oz. and 21” long. She was born November 26th, 2002 at 3:52 a.m. She is gorgeous and nurses so well. Besides the tears, the birth went beautifully. I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor or better team for labor support. Her big brothers are also in love with their little sister. I have a feeling she will be a wee bit spoiled!
Thanks for reading!!
Melissa