Saturday, September 29
IG's due date came and went.
Sunday, October 7
At church, I felt a contraction. Then another. Then another. There weren't Braxton Hicks; they felt different: more irritating, more consistent, more noticeable. They kept coming, every 8-12 minutes, all day long. We went home, alerted my doula, and she told us to be patient, and to let her know when the contractions were 5 minutes apart.
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Monday, October 8
Another 24 hours of the same. Consistent, fairly regular, unceasing early labor. I was getting a bit annoyed at the anticipation that wasn't amounting to anything.
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Tuesday, October 9
More of the same. I was frustrated. Tired. Feeling slightly defeated. I decided to start my maternity leave, because I was grossly overdue anyway, and I wasn't in the mental space to teach. Brittany, my doula, told me what I had been experiencing - this extended early labor phase - was called prodromal labor.
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Wednesday, October 10
6am. A contraction - strong - woke me up. They were strengthening, but still spaced apart. Luckily, we had had an appointment scheduled with my OB anyways, since IG was so overdue (11 days, at this point).
10 am. At the appointment, we did a "biophysical exam," which started with an ultrasound. They checked her position, activity, heartbeat, and practice breathing. They didn't see the practice breathing, but it could be because she was snoozing in utero. Next, we did a fetal monitoring test. My belly was hooked up to a machine and the doctor looked for accelerations and decelerations in her heart rate - which they didn't see. My OB checked my cervix: I was 4cm dilated. She recommended we go straight to the hospital. She wasn't concerned, but she wanted us to be monitored. I was bummed, because my goal was to labor at home, and also I was SO HUNGRY. At the hospital, they don't let you eat! How was I going to make it through labor and delivery?
12pm. We checked into the hospital, I got into a gown, and had an IV put in. We had signed papers, given homemade cookies to the nursing staff, and provided them with our birth plan. The doctor on call strode into the room after a while, insisted on checking my cervix (though the nurse had checked it just 20 minutes prior), and, against my wishes, asked me: "Would you prefer to start Pitocin, or should I break your water?" I reiterated the goals on my birth plan: unmedicated labor and birth; no Pitocin; minimal cervical checks; do not offer medical intervention unless requested... He pushed harder. I told him that my OB had wanted us to be monitored, and that she wasn't concerned. Everything was looking fine on the fetal heart rate monitor at the hospital - those accelerations and decelerations were showing now, according to my nurse. The doctor dug his heels in, and threatened: "You're putting yourself at risk for a stillbirth if we don't get your labor progressing." I burst into tears. My labor was progressing (finally)! Tony and I talked; I told him, "This is why I wanted to labor at home. So I wouldn't be pressured into a birth experience that I don't want! He can't tell me what to do with my body. The baby is not at risk!" Tony suggested we call my OB and ask if we could be discharged to labor at home. When the nurse told her the heart rate was looking right, we got her blessing to go home.
4pm. At home, I was so glad we had made the decision to leave the hospital, although my contractions were really starting to ramp up, and I was feeling anxious that I may need to turn right back around and go back to the hospital. I had a PB&J, though by now I didn't have much of an appetite. Contractions were coming closer together, but not regularly enough. Some were still 8 minutes apart, others were 6 or so. We waited.
11pm. My doula arrived. She and Tony helped me through each contraction, as they were getting stronger and closer together. After a while, I was so exhausted from laboring all day, my labor started to stall slightly. She suggested we try to get some rest. Tony and I napped in the 4-5 minute intervals between contractions.
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Thursday, October 11
3am. I don't know how I knew, but I was ready to go to the hospital. Contractions were 3 minutes apart. Tony and I got into the car, and Brittany followed us during the 15 minute drive to the hospital. We parked, entered the hospital, and got admitted. Between the entrance and my room, I had to stop and hold on to the wall, desk, or whatever was near me. I got undressed and put on the hospital gown; I was 7cm dilated. Contractions were coming on stronger and faster. A greenhorn nurse put in my IV and must have missed a couple times - there was blood all over my arm. I hardly felt a thing though. She kept asking me to sign papers - I could hardly keep my eyes open. Finally, I raised my voice at her, "Can you wait until the contraction is over before you ask me to do things?" After that, she used Tony as a liaison.
4am. One of the benefits to being free of an epidural is that you can walk, move around, get out of bed, use the restroom, try different birthing positions, etc. You're not confined to the bed. But at this point, I'd been laboring for 21 hours and was too fatigued to take advantage of those freedoms. I did once try to use the bathroom, but the monitors on my belly went berserk. The nurses rushed me back to the bed; IG's heart rate was declining. Suddenly, an oxygen mask was being pulled over my face; I was panicked. The doctor - yes, unfortunately, the same one who had harassed me 12 hours prior - insisted on breaking my water. I resisted at first, because I was scared. He told me, "I need to put an internal monitor on the baby's head. If you don't let me, you could need an emergency C-section. I don't know what the hell is going on with your baby." As if that was going to help calm my anxieties; no, it made me even more frightened. The medical staff was telling me what to do, but not explaining why, and it made me feel powerless. My doula explained what was going on, and I accepted that having my water broken was best for baby.
5am. I could feel the warmth wash over my feet. The contractions were merciless. IG's heart rate settled and I had the oxygen mask removed. It was time to push. I felt like I was ripping in half, but it meant an end to the contractions, so I kept pushing.
5:58am. After forty-five minutes or so, I heard a doctor or a nurse say, "Here she comes. She has red hair like mom!" and then, 8lb 4oz, 20.75in IG was born!
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| Peep me in the background, bleeding to death :) |
