Birth Stories

ljinaz: Collette's Birth Story

2008-08-07T14:35:00Z

"I was in total shock -- some relief that this pain wasn't going to last forever -- but still shocked that it was really happening..."

I woke up about 3 a.m. with back pain and thought, “Oh please God don't let me be getting another kidney infection." I went to the bathroom and laid back down for about 20 minutes. This process went on until about 5 when my husband, Brent, woke up.

Brent: "Honey are you okay?"

Me: "I don’t know. I think I’m having contractions but they could just be Braxton Hicks. My water hasn't broken. OW!"

Brent: "You shouldn't go to work today."

Me: "I don't want to waste my maternity leave."

Brent: "You don't want to have the baby on the highway in traffic either. You shouldn't go to work today."

Me: "I'll go to the doctor and see what he says. I hope that they aren't going to feel like this till I deliver. I can't take two weeks of this pain."

I went to the bathroom again only this time I actually turned on the light and discovered that there was some blood and what was probably my mucus plug. I told Brent and he replied, "You're not going to work today."

Brent went into the kitchen and made some oatmeal and brought it back into the bedroom, feeding me in between my wincing and rocking in the glider. He wanted to stay with me but I urged him to go to school. He only had one more week of this class and couldn't miss anymore time or he would have to retake it. So reluctantly, he went. I promised to call him as soon as I saw the doctor. I called my boss' voicemail about 6 a.m. and told her that I was going to the doctor before I came to work because I wasn't sure if I was in labor. Being a nurse, I'm sure she found this funny and probably dismissed it when I told her that it probably wasn't labor and I would just be late.

I felt stupid having to call the hospital, but I did. I told them that I was pregnant with my first baby and wasn't sure if I was in labor, but could I come in and have them check. She said to come whenever I was ready. I hung in until about 7:10 a.m. when I decided that I was just going to drive over there. Since the hospital and my OB's office are in the same complex, I figured I'd sit in the parking lot and decide if I could wait until 8:30 to see the doc or if I just need to head into the hospital. I managed to drive over there without issue even through the contractions. They really were hurting now and coming closer together; but since I was still in denial that I was actually having a baby I just knew that the hospital was going to be sending me home.

I sat in the parking lot until about 7:45 and decided that I just couldn't take it anymore. I kept thinking, "Please God don't let this cost anything! and please don't let this pain last for another two weeks!" I made it up to the Labor & Delivery ward and signed in. They put me in triage and the nurse came in about 15 minutes later. I told her that I wasn't sure if I was in labor to which she replied "If you're not sure then you’re probably not." She asked me if my water broke and I told her that I didn't think so, but there had been some blood. She hooked me up to the monitors and had me pee in a cup (which let me tell you is even harder with a big belly! you almost have to be a contortionist). She said she'd be back in about 15 minutes and would do an internal. I did all those stupid breathing techniques as much as I could but they really don't help and they kind of made me light headed. Luckily the nurse came back quickly and did the exam. Holy crap, it was the most painful exam to date. And the end result was "The baby is head down but you're only 2cm. We'll check your sample but I don't think you're in labor." She came back about 10 minutes later and said, a little sheepishly, "Well your water broke, so we're going to admit you."

I was in total shock, some relief that this pain wasn't going to last forever, but still shocked that it was really happening. I wasn’t due for another 2 weeks and I just knew I was going to be 2 weeks late. They pretty much immediately moved me to a L&D room and I called Brent. He was very calm and said, "Okay baby I'll be there as soon as I can". He later told me that he went up to his instructor to say he was leaving because I was in labor expecting to get hassled (they haven't been too compassionate about their students having lives outside of the school) and was happily surprise when the instructor's response was, "Well, what are you still doing here?" The instructor was even nice enough not to comp him the full amount of time that he was gone.

I'm not really sure how fast he got there, but it was so good to see him walk in the door. He walked with me and held me while we waited for the nurse to come back in. When she did I quickly informed her that I wanted the epidural just as soon as they could give it to me. I'd had enough. She told me that she would get the IV set up asap and call down to the anesthesiologist just as soon as I'd gotten hooked up. It took 3 nurses 4 attempts to get the IV in. Apparently despite the drug addict like veins in the crook of my elbow, the veins on my hands are impossible. My original nurse (I hate that I can't remember her name, there were so many of them) then took my history.

Registered Nurse: “This says bottle fed.”

Me: “I'm going to try to breastfeed, but I had reduction surgery and don't know if I can.”

Registered Nurse: “Well we'll just change that and give it a try for now. Do you plan on having your tubes tied?”

Me: “Ask me that in a few hours.”

Still a little bit of humor left in me, but it was fading fast. It was about another hour before the anesthesiologist arrived. Brent had just left to get something to eat, so the nurse held me. I had to sit on the edge of the bed with my shoulders rolled forward and not move, no matter the pain or what contractions came. She just about had to hold me down. They had to stick me 4 times (seems to be the magic number) with the Novocain because every time he went to put in the Epi it hurt like hell. I think the Novocain never really took effect because it hurt until he was done. The nurse was so sweet and kind, and by the time the drug kicked in I was okay with the pain it caused going in. The nurse then inserted the catheter and a fetal monitor. Brent came back a little while after the Epi took full effect and we spent the next few hours watching T.V.

I do not know how women have natural births. You all who have are amazingly strong and I admire you a lot. I think you may all be slightly crazy, but still I admire you. The Epi experience is strange because you can feel some sensation but it is very mild. I kept touching my legs and they felt twice their size and water logged. And when the nurse would roll me over I felt like I was perfectly round and would roll back over onto my back unless she got me perfectly on my side. The nurse would flip me every hour or so to make sure that the meds were circulating properly. I think around noon they found that the baby was lying on her cord and her heartbeat was dropping slightly. To fix this they inserted a fetal IV, which apparently just put saline into the placenta. This worked almost immediately and her heartbeat returned to normal.

They checked me every few hours and I was making continuous progress. I got a new nurse around 4 or 5 p.m. and she stayed with me through the delivery. I believe her name was Lori (the only one I remembered because it was so close to mine). She was great and pretty much stayed with me from the moment she came on shift. It was comforting to have just one nurse who was dedicated to my care. She checked me about 7 p.m. and found that I was really close. She said that she would inform the doctor and then we would practice pushing. I didn't realize you practiced this. Dr. Howard came in and checked me and said that it looked like we'd be ready to go really soon. He then sent in the anesthesiologist to turn down the Epi so that I could feel to push; I wasn't excited about this part. Not long after that I could feel my toes and so the nurse said we were good to start pushing.

The side effects of the Epi got a little yucky when they turned it down. I began to shake like I was really cold and threw up several times. I shouldn't have had all those fluids through out the day, I guess Brent was right. Still, I think the Epi was definitely worth it.

Brent and the nurse had to help me hold my legs and then we were off. The 10 count is a lot longer than you think it will be. Then you follow that by doing three in a row and I quickly learned just how out of shape I was. Apparently it was showing because she put an oxygen mask on me. It was nice at first but it dried me out really quickly. The nurse said that I was a great pusher (thanks!) and that she'd better let the doctor know, it would be sooner rather than later. So I got to take a break while she went to find him. He came in and said "Wow! Okay, you are a good pusher." They did whatever setup it is that they do and then he informed me it would just be a little while longer and then we'd have the baby.

Brent was so sweet the whole time. He kept rubbing my hair and telling me how great I was doing. It wasn't long before I was pushing again. The Epi had successfully turned down and I was definitely feeling everything, dulled still I'm sure, but not like before. Dr. Howard said I was doing great but that I was beginning to tear and so he was going to do an episiotomy. That hurt! I pushed a little while longer and he told me that he was going to use this little suction cup thing. We didn't want the forceps or the vacuum, but this seemed harmless enough so I agreed. But guess what, this hurt like hell! I think he actually inserted it in me around her head, yowza! But about 2 more pushes later she was here! Brent looked shocked at the amount of fluid (it sounded like Niagara Falls as it hit the floor), but we later realized that a lot of it was from the fetal IV. I heard the doctor say "Oh, you got me good!" and I thought he meant me but, Brent later told me that right as she came out she coughed mucus all over the doctor.

First thing I asked was "Is it still a girl?" This had been a big issue because there hadn’t been a girl in at least 5 generations on Brent’s side of the family. Brent said it was, kissed me and told me she was beautiful with tons of hair. She was 8lbs 4oz, 20 inches long with a 14&1/2 inch head. They gave her to me while they cleaned her off a little. She was amazing. That suction cup thing had warped her head, but the doc assured us it would round out soon (and it did). I was so weak and a little afraid I would drop her (I later found out that I had apparently lost a lot of blood and was very close to needing a transfusion). Soon they took her and put her in the warmer while I delivered the placenta. Next the doctor sewed up the episiotomy--yowza! Dr. Howard kept telling Brent that he was being as gentle as he could. I think he was afraid Brent was going to hurt him since he was hurting me--Brent said that he's probably had baby daddy's yelling at him to stop hurting baby's momma's.

When they were done with me I told Brent to go be with her. She had quite a bit of fluid in her lungs but they got it out. She took her shots like a champ. Cried a little with the first and then gave up being mad with the second. Because of a lack of communication between the nurses at shift change she was given the eye ointment and the vitamin K shot that we weren't going to give her. This is where that birth plan would have come in handy. But she's just fine so I got over it, Brent was less forgiving.

Brent's parents arrived in record time right as I was about to start pushing but the nurse had them wait outside. They came in as the nurse was giving Colette her first bath. They got some pictures and told us how beautiful she was, and then gave us sometime alone with her.

It was a completely surreal experience. I still can't really believe that we are parents. She is a wonderful baby and really only cries when she's hungry or has a tummy ache. She's tolerating diaper changes a lot better now and is even beginning to enjoy baths. She was diagnosed with a heart murmur at her first doctor’s appointment. They referred us to a pediatric cardiologist, who assured us that it's very mild and whether or not it corrects itself, it won't in anyway impede her life. She's come down with a cough this week, but seems to be getting better and even when sick, she's a happy baby.

> Read more about ljinaz!
> Got a great birth story of your own? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com!

southernbelle82: Kenley's Birth Story

2008-07-30T16:00:00Z

"Kenley's so beautiful and so sweet and the perfect addition to our family. I can't wait to see her personality develop..."

The day I had my precious baby girl, I truly saw God. She is an absolute miracle and I have to give Him all the glory for her. He truly blessed us with an easy, healthy pregnancy and a perfect cesarean delivery. We are so undeserving of all the blessings He has given us and certainly the precious daughter He has blessed us with.

We knew from the get-go that this was probably going to be a big baby, as far as length goes. My husband Jonathan was 21.5" long at delivery and I was 22.75", and we both grew to be tall adults. My belly size was concurring with our 'big baby' theory and at my 30 week appointment, our thoughts were confirmed when she officially measured two weeks ahead. Our doctor kept an eye on Kenley's size and at 36 weeks, we had a growth ultrasound estimating her weight to be 7 lbs 11 oz and her head measurement to be around 90%. This was when we first started discussing the possibility of a cesarean birth.

During the next few weeks, Kenley continued to measure large (as did my belly -- it reached a whopping 52 inches around!). The doctor predicted we could be looking at a nine-pounder. Due to her size, the fact that she had not dropped, and the fact that my cervix was not making any progress, a c-section as scheduled. Needless to say, this was not my ideal method of having my child. I started praying immediately for the courage and strength to handle the upcoming surgery.

The morning of June 17, I had so many emotions running through my body that I was almost numb. I certainly couldn't believe we were going to meet our daughter that day! Before we left, my husband Johnathan led us both in prayer, asking the Lord to keep His hand on me, the baby, and the doctors... and that's when the waterworks started!

We checked into the hospital at 10:30 a.m. and started prepping for surgery. This process seemed to take forever. When we finally walked into the Operating Room, the reality of what was about to happen hit me. They gave me my spinal (which stung a good bit, but was do-able), and they laid me down. My legs went numb very quickly! Once they got me ready, they brought Jonathan in the room. He was dressed in his scrubs and he looked like my very own McSteamy! I grabbed his hand and started crying (and continued to cry throughout the whole surgery).

It's true what they say about cesareans -- you don't feel pain, you feel pressure. I could feel them pushing, tugging, and pulling. They had to lean on me very hard to get her out (so hard I couldn't breathe!) They even had to make my incision bigger, just to get her out. Ten I heard our precious daughter cry for the first time. It was the most amazing moment in my entire life, which made me (of course) cry even more. They brought her over for me to see, but then took her away to clean her up. Then they weighed her -- 10 lbs. 2 oz! I was in SHOCK! I knew she was big, but Oh. My. Goodness! Kenley was was also 20.5" with a 15" head. No wonder she didn't drop -- she couldn't! I was immediately grateful that we went ahead with the c-section and that I didn't chicken out. She was born at 39 weeks and 5 days, so I can't imagine how much bigger she would have been if we had waited any longer!

We are so unbelievably in love with our sweet girl. We are so humbled that God has trusted us to raise her and so touched that He picked her just for us. Kenley's so beautiful and so sweet and the perfect addition to our family. I can't wait to see her personality develop and to watch her grow up.

> Read more about southernbelle82 !
> Want to share your birth story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.

MrsALW: Julianne's Birth Story

2008-07-24T17:10:00Z

"Now that she is here, I can't even remember my life without her. When she cries and I'm able to calm her down, I feel like a superhero..."

A very happy birthday

When I woke up on June 11, (my birthday), I didn't expect to feel contractions. I had been cramping for a few days prior, but these "cramps" were much different. They were about ten minutes apart and I was able to talk and function through them, but I had a feeling labor would be starting soon, so I packed up everything and went to work. I'm glad I did because it kept my mind off the pain and got my mind off the work (and also, because my coworkers got me an ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday). My contractions during the day were ranging from 8-10 minutes apart. After work, I went home and got ready to go out to dinner for my birthday. My husband's family was meeting us at the Cheesecake Factory. When we arrived, the wait was an hour, but they assured us we would be seated much sooner. After waiting for an hour and 15 minutes, I gave up, and decided I was in too much pain to stay there.

My contractions were about four minutes apart and I was getting to the point where I couldn't talk through them. When my husband and I left, I called my doctor and he told me to go to labor and delivery to get checked. Since my husband didn't get to eat anything, we went to a fast food place and got something to go. Then we went home, and while I was taking a shower my husband packed our stuff into the car. Neither of us thought we should take anything because we thought they would send us home.

The hospital

When we got to the hospital, it was 8:45 p.m. We waited to be admitted and then I was told to change into a gown and a nurse hooked me up to monitors. After answering a bunch of questions, the nurse finally checked me and said, "Well, you're more than one centimeter dilated, you're already five centimeters!" I was shocked! We called both of our families to tell them to come to the hospital (they each live about three hours away). At 10 p.m. I was sent to a labor and delivery room and was given an IV. They asked if I wanted an epidural, but I said no because it actually wasn't that bad. When I got to 7 cm, I asked for pain medication to help take the edge off. The first dose worked and it helped me sleep in between contractions. It took awhile to get past 7 cm and when I finally got to 8, my husband was begging me to get an epidural. But I still didn't think I needed it. The pain medication wasn't working anymore, but I still asked for it again.

Every contraction was like a blur. I would sleep in between them and at one point, I woke up hitting the bed trying to wake up my husband (since I couldn't say anything). I can remember the contractions were painful because I was able to completely deflate a tennis ball; but in between them, it didn't hurt at all. My mom and sister arrived at the hospital first, but they didn't stay in the room very long, because the doctor broke my water at 8 cm. After that, the contractions got very intense. I didn't want them to see me in that kind of pain, nor did I want to say something that I would regret later, so I asked them to wait downstairs.

The pushing

Around 3 a.m., I suddenly felt like I needed to push. The nurse checked and said I was only at 9 cm. I was devastated because I really thought I would have been at 10 cm by this point. About an hour later, I told the nurse again that I needed to push, so she checked me again and I was fully dilated. Around 4 a.m., I started doing practice pushes, but it was much more difficult than I could ever imagine. I did this for an hour and when my doctor came in, I knew I had to start pushing "for real." With a lot of coaching from my husband Tim and my nurse, Julianne finally made her arrival at 5:13 a.m. The cord was wrapped around her neck twice, so the doctor immediately cut it and gave her to the nurses. She started crying instantly, which gave me the best relief! I couldn't believe she was here.

Love at first sight

As I was getting stitched up (thanks to a small tear and an episiotomy), Tim was taking pictures of our little girl. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 6 oz and was 20.5" long. I finally got to hold her after they cleaned her up and instantly fell in love with her. She looks just like her dad! Tim went downstairs to tell our families and I think he was very proud of the fact that she looked like him, because that was the first thing he mentioned. Our families were so eager to hear the news. My sister was standing behind the security guard, watching the monitors to see when Tim came out the door and was going down the hall to the elevators. After we moved to the postpartum room, our families were able to join us. My husband and I were very fortunate to have so many relatives drive all the way to see our little girl.

Our new lives

Julianne Faith is a very healthy little girl. Although she did have a little bit of jaundice, it cleared itself up within a few days. She is my world and I love everything about her, even the fussy moments. Now that she is here, I can't even remember my life without her. She has such a cute personality (which changes daily). When she cries and I'm able to calm her down, I feel like a superhero. I know that sounds lame, but it really is the most gratifying moment when she puts her head on my shoulder and stops crying. I never imagined how much I could love someone so fast.

Thanks for reading our story and I wish everyone a happy pregnancy and a safe labor and delivery!

> Read more about MrsALW!
> Have a great birth story of your own? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com!

Latersaystater: Luke's Birth Story

2008-07-16T16:45:00Z

"I thought I had to pee, so I got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom. That's when I heard a 'pop'..."

The beginning

Maybe I've watched too many movies. Maybe I'm naturally a pessimist. Wasn't I supposed to be screaming for an epidural and threatening the life of my poor husband for doing this to me? At the very least, wasn't labor supposed to take more than a couple of hours?

Let me back up a bit and start at the beginning. It was February 20th and I had just entered by 36th week of pregnancy. (Just one more month! -- Ha.) I'd been feeling like crap lately, doing lots of complaining and sleeping, but that Wednesday I was feeling pretty good. I'd met my mom for lunch, made my way to the library to check out books on labor and delivery, and then spent my night making dinner and watching American Idol with my husband Ben. (I'm lame, I know.) Ben went to bed around midnight but I just couldn't get comfy with this baby kicking at my ribs. So I stayed downstairs and decided to get started on one of the books I'd just checked out. I was literally reading Easy Labor when my water broke.

Luke decides to come early

So it's at this point that my night took a crazy turn. I thought I had to pee, so I got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom. That's when I heard a "pop," and then...was that water? With a bowling ball of a baby sitting on my bladder, I imagined it was quite possible I may have just peed myself. But... what if? Was I really going to wake Ben up and give him the scare of his life over a little pregnancy-induced incontinence? Yes -- because I was very shaken and now really needed a hug. I remember standing over him watching him sleep peacefully in bed. I tried to form words but what came out was a ridiculous babbling -- something like, "I don't know... I mean... it's possible I guess... but it sounds crazy...I think my water broke...blah blah blah." All Ben heard was "water broke," before his eyes flew open and he jumped out of bed. He grabbed two pregnancy books from the nightstand and started scanning them for info on labor symptoms. While I was still blabbing about maybe just calling my doctor, Ben had already abandoned the books and was in the closet throwing on clothes for the hospital. Meanwhile, I couldn't believe it. Could this be IT? Right NOW? TONIGHT? Suddenly the contractions came on like they had a mission. There was no doubt at this point that my water had definitely broken. I was in L-A-B-O-R. And out the door we went.

Rushing off to the hospital

Forget the bag that was just half-packed and sitting on the floor. Forget the rough draft of my birth plan. Were my contractions less than three minutes apart like the books had said? I think they were more like 10 SECONDS! We made it to the hospital in about four minutes and Ben did the wildest parallel parking job in a spot directly across from the ER doors. We didn't even pay the meter (sorry). It was an absolute miracle that the ER was empty. Minus us, of course, there was only one lady in front of us (who may have been suffering from a paper cut, because she looked FINE to me). I just stood there, trying to handle the contractions as Ben grew paler with each minute. I got called back and a nurse took her good 'ole time checking my vitals and asked me the "on a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?" question. I could tell she didn't believe I was in labor. (I later found out they get women all the time who say their water has broken just to get admitted. Why anyone would do that is beyond me.) So I was wheeled up to the maternity ward where I was given the same attitude by those nurses. I was questioned about my pain again and when my answers were to their liking, I was awarded a gown and a bed. They checked my vitals (again, since no one but me seemed to be taking this seriously), and checked to see if I was dilating. I will never forget the look on that nurse's face when she found that I was already six centimeter's dilated! I wish I could have seen my face! I had been trying to convince these people that I was in labor, but until that moment, I truly didn't believe it myself!

Panic in the ER

The next five minutes that followed played out to be the craziest moments of my entire 25 years of life. It's a little hazy to me now, but basically I was being hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and I mentioned to the nurse that I sure hoped the baby had turned around, because during the ultrasound just last Thursday , he was breech. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as the nurses looked at each other in a panic. (Guess I should have mentioned this earlier?) They called for an emergency ultrasound and sure enough, there was Luke, breech as a check mark. In that same breath, the fetal heart monitor showed Luke's heart rate dropping. I was having non-stop contractions, so it really didn't sink in at the moment how serious it was. All I saw was the nurse putting on a glove and telling me -- and I quote -- "I'm so sorry, but this is REALLY going to hurt." That's never good to hear. And she was very accurate -- it really DID hurt! A lot.

A speedy delivery

In just those couple of minutes, I'd progressed in labor very, very quickly and Luke was already making his way into the world. He was coming down butt first and his umbilical cord was being crushed, which was slowing his heart rate. He had to be pushed back up by a nurse's gloved hand (and believe me when I say that's a very painful thing to endure). This did the trick and his heart rate returned to normal. My contractions were unfazed by any of this and I felt like I was ready to start doing some pushing. Everyone was rushing around, calling out orders to each other. It felt like everyone was panicking but me. At some point I'd gone into Zen mode, reciting songs in my head and doing deep breathing through my contractions. I couldn't exactly help with anything, so I decided to relax and trust them to do their thing. Dr. Knapp was being called in to perform my emergency c-section, while nurses were suiting up in front of me. I remember someone asking where the doctor was and another replied, "four minutes in," which I guess meant four minutes away. It all felt so surreal. I couldn't believe I was going to have a c-section -- I would have a baby within the hour! Luke, evidently, did not like this plan and had his own agenda in mind. I heard the blonde haired nurse yell, "Flip her over! Flip her over!" I snapped back into reality, as the other nurse told me to hold on to the bed rails and rolled me onto my side. (What was happening?!) Luke couldn't wait a minute longer. He was coming out, like it or not.

The next thing I knew, the bed started moving and they were rolling me out for surgery. I was put in a gigantic operating room and Dr. Knapp appeared a few minutes later. He still had sheet marks on his face, and I remember hoping he was awake enough to be playing with my organs and my impatient little baby. He was, and he did a fine job. Just two hours after my water broke, our precious little Luke Xavier was born, healthy as can be. Even at one month early, he weight in at 6 lbs., 2 oz. We just love him!

> Read more about Latersaystater!
> Have a great birth story of your own? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com!

Ashabel: Dylan's Birth Story

2008-07-09T15:25:00Z

"The doc was about a half-hour late, but they were telling me that I may not be able to wait that long. I set in my mind I would have this baby before my doc got there, and that would show him!"

The beginning

I woke up at about 12:30 a.m. on June 19, and felt damp. Thinking I was stupid and that no one goes into labor that early, I went back to bed. I got up again at about 2:30 and realized this was a little more serious -- my shorts were nearly soaked! So I got up and waited around to see if I was contracting. The contractions were very light and coming every 8-10 minutes, so I went back to bed for awhile. I obviously didn't sleep, and finally called Labor and Delivery at 3:30 for advice. They suggested I wait for either stronger contractions to come, or less time between them, and then call the doctor. At about 4 a.m. I called my doc, and they had been six minutes apart for the last 30 minutes. It was suggested that I come in, so I finally woke up DH. We took our time getting ready and got to the hospital at about 5 a.m.

At that point, the doctors said I was dilated about two centimeters and was admitted. By 8:30, I was still at two, and was put on a Pitocin drip. As this was not really something that excited me, I did question it. Because my water had broken about eight hours previously, they needed me to start progressing. By about noon, my contractions were very strong, lasting about 50 or 60 seconds and coming every 1-2 minutes. They checked me again, but I was still at two centimeters.

This was when I finally said that I needed an epidural. I was so exhausted, I just don't know that I could have made it otherwise. After I got the epidural, I felt another contraction and then fell asleep for an hour-and-a-half. When I woke up, I was pretty much all set to go -- there was just a "little lip" left, they kept telling me. I have no idea what that means.

Starting to push!

I began pushing at 2:15. The doc was about a half-hour late because he was stuck in a meeting, and they were telling me that I may not be able to wait that long. So I set in my mind that I would have this baby before my doc got there, and that would show him! (Show him what, I don't know). Well that didn't happen. He got there, sat on the couch in my room, and watched as me as I pushed for another hour-and-a-half with DH and two nurses. Things were progressing, but very slowly. I labored on my back, then on each side, and then repeated all positions over again. They put up the push bar above my head, and it did nothing but confuse me, so we stopped with that. However, putting my legs on it did seem to help.

After about seven rounds of pushing with them telling me "this was it," I wanted to die. I was crying, and pretty much just lost all energy. I began begging them to do something to get the baby out. Obviously, a rational person knows that at this point, of course I have to get the baby out! But at one point I felt the head kind of suck back in, and that was when I pretty much lost it. I was positive I couldn't do this, and I knew that the baby's heart rate was falling. I was terrified I was killing my baby. Two more pushes, and his head was out; one more push, and our perfect little baby was officially born. At 4:36 p.m., he came out face down, with his cord between his legs. Because of this, it seemed like about an hour before we actually knew he was a boy. The nurses had been really excited about the fact that we didn't know what he was, and everyone was very excited.

Meeting baby Dylan

When they put Dylan on me, I can't even describe what it was like, other than totally surreal an amazing. They had some kind of specialist in there, since Dylan was 22 days early, and technically a preemie by eight hours. They then took him to check his height and weight and all that. He pooped on the floor and peed on the nurse... and that was when we were sure he belonged to DH! (Just kidding, of course!) Everyone was talking to me at once, and I have very little memory of what was said. I know I had a stage two tear, but thank god the epidural hadn't worn off by the time I was stitched up, because I think the pain may have really gotten to me.

Dylan Joseph was officially 19.5 inches long, weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces, and scored an 8-9 on his Apgars test -- all of which were great. When we left the hospital on Saturday, he weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces, which was still good. He had to have tons of tests because he was a preemie, but thankfully there were no real problems other than a slight case of jaundice.

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MrsTotty: Jackson's Birth Story

2008-07-02T16:00:00Z

"I didn't think it would ever happen, but I finally got baby's head out, and he practically fell out after that..."

The beginning

I started having contractions at work on Tuesday, June 10, around 11 a.m. I wasn't really sure how to time them, or whether they were the "real" thing, but they were painful enough to send me home so I could lay down and time them like I was supposed to. I went home, and luckily DH was at home that day as well. The contractions were pretty sporadic, and anywhere from five to ten minutes apart, but my OB's office wanted me to go into Labor and Delivery to be checked anyway. I was still only one or two centimeters dilated, but I was definitely having regular contractions. Also, the nurse noticed that my blood pressure was pretty high, which isn't something that had been going on throughout my pregnancy.

Decision time

The on-call doctor came in about an hour later and started talking about my options. She decided that she wanted to monitor my blood pressure overnight and I was admitted. She also mentioned that my OB would be in in the morning to check me and decide where to go from there. I called my parents (who live about five hours away) so they could start the drive up. By this time, my contractions were between two and five minutes apart and I was really starting to feel them. The nurse brought my an Ambien to help me sleep and to "take the edge off" the pain. When I woke up the next morning, my OB checked me and I hadn't progressed at all. My contractions had all but stopped. My blood pressure however, was still way up. She gave me two options: I could either go ahead and start an induction that afternoon, or I could go home and stay on bed rest for the next two days until my next OB appointment. I would probably be readmitted at that time, (because she didn't think my blood pressure would go down on its own) and be induced then. Since it was only two days away and I was already here, we decided to go ahead with the induction then

They started Cervidil at 2 p.m. for the next 12 hours. By about 5:30 p.m. my contractions were back with a vengeance and I was in a lot of pain. Finally I was checked, but I had made absolutely no progress. I seriously felt like crying. At about 8 p.m. my nurse (who was awesome) got me some pain meds (which felt great by the way), so I would be able to sleep. They wore off in a few hours, and at about 3 a.m. I was given an epidural and was started on Pitocin. I was kinda nervous about the epidural, but it was honestly less painful than getting my IV put in, and it felt so wonderful. I immediately fell asleep.

Making some progress

At 7 a.m. the nurses woke me up for the shift change and noticed not only that my water had broken in my sleep, but also that I was between six and seven centimeters dilated. Thank Gawd, finally some progress! The epidural was great, because I was having some major contractions and wasn't in pain; but I could still feel my tummy tightening with each one, letting me know when they were coming. At just after 10:30 a.m., I was fully dilated and could tell it was time to push, because of all the pressure I was feeling. Pushing took an hour and 40 minutes, and was so tiring. My DH was great though, and got me through every push by holding both my shoulders and legs. (He describes it as trying to fold a chair in half -- he found this hilarious).

Here he comes!

I didn't think it would ever happen, but I finally got baby's head out, and he practically fell out after that. Jackson Dane was born at 12:09 p.m.! He weighed 7 lbs and 6 oz and was 20.25 inches long. He was also two-and-a-half weeks early! He hardly cried at all, and was placed on my chest, given a couple of coughs and opened his eyes to look at me. He was absolutely beautiful.

While the doctor was working on getting me all fixed up (I needed a couple of stitches, due to a minor tear), DH was busy snapping pictures and watching little Jack. I was finally able to really hold him, and then was given the chance to breastfeed. While this was going on, I started to feel a lot of pain and finally had to give Jack up because I couldn't sit up anymore -- there was so much pain in my rectum. Apparently, I had developed a nasty hemorrhoid. Lovely. I was given some pain meds to deal with that while Jack as taken to the nursery. DH went to let everyone in the waiting room know all the details. We were all kept in the hospital for just over 48 hours after that, which was great; but after more than four days there in total, we were so ready to go home.

Jack is perfect in every way. DH and I couldn't be happier, and can't believe our little man is finally here!

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Snickers83: William's Birth Story

2008-06-25T20:42:00Z

"I was quite the screamer...according to my father, he could hear me in the waiting room down the hall!"

Hoping for an early arrival

Being a tax accountant, I had been anxiously awaiting the birth of our son who was due on April 16, hoping to get out of a few days of the busy season if he came early. But sure enough, April 15 rolled around and still no baby boy. My husband Adam and I headed to the after-tax party around 5 p.m. on the 15th. We got so many "You're still here?" comments that I could have screamed! But I was feeling good, so I had nothing to complain about.

The beginning...

About four hours after my after tax party (great timing, huh?) I started having contractions and awoke in pain around 2 a.m. I sat up all night on the couch, counting and timing the contractions. I knew that this was the beginning (this was the morning of the 16th, my due date). I didn't wake DH, since I knew they weren't close enough to bother him with; but when he woke up on his own at 5:30, he freaked! Still, I told him to go to work and we'd go to my scheduled appointment at 9:30, since they were still about eight to ten minutes apart. At about 8 a.m., the contractions had stopped altogether! They had me do a non-stress test, and still nothing! I was so bummed. The doctor stripped my membranes and told me to go for a walk. DH and I headed to the mall and walked for about an hour and then went out to eat. We then headed home and I laid down for a nap at about 2 p.m.

At about 2:15, the contractions started again and were closer together (apparently my child did not want me rested). I took a bath and relaxed for the afternoon at home. Around 5:30, we went for a short walk and then came in to shower. As soon as I got out of the shower, my contractions starting coming every five minutes or so. After many phone calls with my sister and mom, we decided we better go in. (I was getting "yelled" at for being stubborn and was told to get my butt to the hospital!). We grabbed our suitcase and headed in. I arrived at the hospital around 6:30/7 p.m., but had to wait for about a half hour for a room. Once in the room, the doctor put my on a monitor and checked me. I was about four centimeters and 70% effaced. At my appointment that morning I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She told us to walk for another half hour and then she'd check again.

Showtime!

When we were checked again I was five or six cm and 100% effaced -- this was it! We were immediately moved to a labor room. Since I didn't want medication, I decided to jump in the whirlpool tub. Now wasn't that a sight! I laid there with a towel over me, eating a Popsicle, and doing my best to deal with the contractions. During this time, I was still smiling and so excited, and handling the contractions well. But once I got out of the tub (around 10:30 p.m., the contractions started to get stronger. When they checked me I was at eight centimeters! The doctor asked me if I wanted her to just break my water and I said sure, since it seemed to be on the verge of happening on its own. Once my water broke, the contractions started coming one after the other, and were very strong. About an hour later, I was at 10 cm and ready to push. I couldn't believe I was doing this with no epidural! I was asked if I wanted any meds around 11, and I let them give me some, but it only made me feel drunk and did nothing for the pain.

The pushing

Pushing was very difficult but well worth it in the end. I don't even remember them telling me I could push, I just started pushing because of the pressure! At one point they lost his heartbeat and I had to rotate onto my side. They found it, thank God, and things went back to normal. My mom and Adam were both with me, giving me tons of support. Adam was so incredible and tried as much as possible to help me with my breathing. Apparently, I was quite the screamer, since a few nurses came in asking if I was okay. And according to my father, he could hear me in the waiting room down the hall!

William's speedy delivery

My doctor arrived just in time and after about 40 minutes of pushing, William Kent was welcomed into the world. According to my mom, Will came out so fast that my doctor didn't even notice -- her head was turned the other way. Because of this, she wasn't able to "ease" him out of me, so I was pretty torn up. I didn't care one bit, though. He came out screaming and healthy. My mom was in the room with me and ran out to get my dad. We told him right away the name (Kent is his name) and everyone was crying! My DH was so emotional and it was such an amazing moment that I will never forget.

The recovery

Since Will did a number on me, it took my doctor about an hour and a half to sew me up. That was very uncomfortable, since I could feel every stitch. They had to put a catheter in since I ripped as badly as I did; however, they were able to take that out the next morning. We were in the hospital for two days straight. Breastfeeding was definitely a challenge, but well worth it. I think I only had one breakdown moment of crying and feeling that I just couldn't do it. Will was pretty fussy on the breast, but eventually he got the hang of things. We only had to supplement the first few days until my milk came in fully. Since I am now back at work, we are exclusively pumping. Will has gotten very used to the bottle and when I try to breastfeed he gets fussy since the milk isn't coming out fast enough. Thinks are going so well though and Will is such an amazing baby. He's sleeping through the night (five to six hours) and is handling daycare well. We are truly blessed and thank God every day for our little miracle.

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amclain60: Hailey's Birth Story

2008-06-18T15:14:00Z

"I am so ready to do it again and I'm the biggest chicken in the world! If I can do it, anyone can..."

The beginning

I knew before I was even pregnant that the only way I was going to make it through labor was to get an epidural. I had walked around 2 cm dilated and 100% effaced for two weeks and even though my doctors were amazed that I hadn't went into labor yet, I was convinced that I was going to be overdue. I was 39 weeks exactly when I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and came back to bed to feel a warm gush. I went back into the bathroom and examined my underwear when I felt another small gush. I went in and woke up my husband, who was sure that I had just peed my pants. I decided to take a shower and then see how I felt. One I got out of the shower, I still kept on feeling small gushes. Every time I moved, it trickled more! After waiting for an hour and feeling no contractions yet, I finally convinced my husband that we needed to go to the hospital.

Once I got the the hospital they called me on-call OB and he said to go ahead and start my Pitocin around 5 a.m. Even by now my contractions weren't regular. When the OB came in around 7:30 to check me, I was at 3 cm. He decided to up my Pitocin and keep it coming every 20 minutes. Around 9:30 a.m., I decided to go ahead and get the epidural. I was in pain, but it wasn't unbearable; I was mostly worried about the pain I was going to feel!

The epidural

The epidural was a breeze. It was hard staying still during contractions, but I knew relief was on the way. I could feel the pressure and knew something was in my back, but it didn't hurt. It took about 10 minutes for the epidural to take effect, but once it did I could not stop shaking. I was shaking like a mad woman! They even tried putting hot blankets on me, but nothing worked. This was around the time of the shift change, and my new nurse (who ended up being the absolute best) thought that I needed to be checked, since I hadn't been since 7:30. The doctors also had changed, and around 11 a.m. the new OB came in and saw that I was at 10 cm! I was in shock, because I had thought for sure it would be after dinnertime by the time I had this baby.

The doctor decided to go ahead and let me start pushing with the nurse, but Hailey was sideways, so I had to push on my sides for awhile. Again, I cannot tell you how much this nurse helped my husband and I -- she was so amazing, and helped keep both of us calm. At first I could not feel the contractions or know when I needed to push, so they had to tell me; but it wasn't long before I started feeling the pressure. They had turned up my Pitocin even more and my contractions still weren't following any set pattern. I wasn't feeling pain as much as I was feeling such extreme pressure. Finally, after about an hour of pushing, Hailey was beginning to crown and the doctor came in. But right after he came in, they had to come and get him for an emergency delivery!

Holding back

So for about 30 minutes I had to sit there with Hailey crowning and wasn't allowed to push.This was probably the worse part of all. I was definitely in pain now, probably just from trying to hold her in. The OB finally came back in and within a couple of minutes, she was out! They put her on my chest right away and my husband cut the cord. Hailey came out face up, which caused me to tear up instead of down, but it was still only a first degree tear. I also tore on the inside, which also required some stitches. I could feel the doctor stitching me up, but as soon as I told him, he gave me a numbing shot and I didn't feel a thing.

Hailey weighed 8 lbs even, was 20.5 inches long, and scored nines on her Apgar's. She is absolutely amazing and being a mom is the greatest thing in the world. My husband was truly changed by this experience and now is just amazed by women. I am so ready to do it again and I'm the biggest chicken in the world! If I can do it, anyone can!

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