Phoenix Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Birth Story... (almost)
Hi girls... I know I promised a birth story, but I typed it up and it's 2.5 pages. Is that too much to post on here? Should I even bother? Who's going to read 2.5 pages worth of stuff? lol
Re: Birth Story... (almost)
Me Me Me... LoL... i love reading birth stories :-)
You could post it as a note on your FB... or you could email me, lol!
i was thinking about it, but wanted to run it by my mom. i'm afraid some of my very old fashioned family members might freak out about some of the details (which isn't bad at all.)?
Andrew?s Birth
Matt had been bugging me about having a ?09-09-09 baby? forabout a month!!! I kept saying, it?s really not up to me (obviously.)? I had a regular appointment with my midwife,Janice on Wednesday, 09-09-09.? Shedecided to check to see if I was dilated at all.? The previous week I wasn?t even at 1 cm.? Today, however, it?d be different.? She was shocked to hear that I wasn?t havingsuper painful contractions and said I was dilated to about 5 cm. She even said,that I?m stretching to almost 6 cm. Janice was certain that I?d be going to thehospital within 12 hours.?
I left Janice?s office and though I should probably put gasin my car and went to Costco. I?d hate to run out of gas on my way to thehospital if I?m in labor.? Then, I wentto Chipotle to grab lunch for my mom and I.?
When I got home and we were eating, I noticed mycontractions were getting a little bit more noticeable each time, especially ifI was on my feet.? I text Matt and toldhim what was going on to which he replied, ?so I can?t go to the gym tonight??PROBABLY NOT!!!
Matt got home at about 6 pm and by this time, thecontractions were pretty regular. At about 8 pm, I called Janice.? She said that since I was so dilated already,I shouldn?t try to labor at home and to go ahead and go to the hospital. Shesaid if my water breaks at home, I may not make it to the hospital. So, Mattand I finished getting ready and went to the hospital at 9:30 pm.? (Same time as with Noah.)
We checked into L&D. At this point I was at 6 cm.? I was admitted and went to the Deliveryroom.? I called Katie, my Doula. She cameover at this point.? Brooke was myL&D nurse.? She was VERY sweet andwas very supportive of me not wanting any drugs. She says she loves workingwith Janice and Janice likes her because she?s one of the few who can handle anatural childbirth.? They hooked me up tothe monitors to check the baby, but only for 20 minutes/hour. So, I was on for20 and walking around for 40.?Contractions were steady. Nothing too painful, but they were definitelythere. I was told that I needed to have an IV ready to go in case of anemergency later. This was honestly, the worst part of the whole night.? I HATE needles.? I told Brooke of my experience with the IVwhen Noah was born (3 nurses, 5 pokes to finally get it to work.)? She said that if she doesn?t get it the firsttime, she?ll get another nurse. Well, heeeeeeere we go. She couldn?t get it towork because she hit a valve. 2nd nurse couldn?t get it work becauseshe hit a valve in another location. Ditto was a 3rd nurse and theyfinally called in an anesthesiologist. He got it to work and didn?t hurt so badbecause he was able to numb the area first.
When Katie arrived, I sent Matt off to eat. He wanted In ?nOut and was strictly warned to stay away from the onions on the burger, or elsedon?t plan on coming into the room. He wasn?t too happy about it, but followedmy rule.
Janice had arrived already and said she?d be resting untilshe heard from Brooke. We decided to check for progress at 3 am if my waterdoesn?t break by then.? At this point werealized that there is no way we?re having an 09-09-09 baby unless he camewithin 15 minutes.
Everything was going wonderfully.? During my walks with Katie, we talked aboutdifferent options for pain management. Water was #1 on my list.? I didn?t want to inconvenience anyone bysetting up the birth tub if I didn?t need it so I figured we?ll just go withthe shower and see how it goes from there.
At 3 am, I was hooked up to the monitor again to check thebaby. He was SUCH a sleeper and they wanted to make sure he was awake andmoving around. So I had to move around in the bed to keep him active.? This was taking a while so Janice wasn?tcalled in until 4:30 am.? She came in andwe decided we?d go ahead and break my water or I could be in laborforever.? I didn?t think I?d be ok withthis, but I was.?
Water was broken at 4:45 am.?I SOOOO didn?t realize how much water is actually in there.? I couldn?t move without water goingeverywhere.? Really weird feeling!!!? Within minutes, I felt my first CRAZYcontraction and already I started thinking, should I have gotten the epidural?I knew there was no point in thinking about it now because if I asked for it, itwould take at least 45 minutes for it to kick in and work. I started shakingand felt nauseated ? all normal I guess.?At this point, I told Matt to go ahead and turn on my ?medication ofchoice? ? my boyfriend, Josh Groban.? Hecouldn?t find the CD so he had to pull it up on Slacker Radio.? I LOVE technology!!!?
I had a few contracted while in bed. Then I put my arms andchest on my yoga ball and was swaying back and forth.? Between contractions, I moved closer andcloser to the shower.? While in theshower my contractions got stronger and stronger.? I had probably 4 or 5 contractions in theshower when I said ?I feel like I need to go to the bathroom.? Katie called forBrooke and I was told to get out of the shower right away.? I tried to get out really quickly, but thecontractions were so strong it took me a while to get back to the bed.? When I got there I was ready to push.? Janice was ready for me.? I lay down, but wasn?t on my back.? I was comfortable lying on my side.? Katie stood by me and let me ?break? herhand.? I was trying not to make TOO muchnoise, but was told to go ahead and let out some grunts and moans if I need toand that it would help. So, I did. It DID feel good.? Some don?t believe me, but betweencontractions, I was actually falling asleep.?Josh Groban is THAT good. J? I would wakeup as soon as I?d get a contraction, I?d push, relax and go back to sleep. Itwas great!
I pushed for an hour and half ? though it truly didn?t feellike it was that long. (Probably because I was sleeping.)? At 6:18 am my little boy arrived. Janiceconfirmed right away that he was in fact a boy.?She laid him right on me and he started crying right away.? He was absolutely beautiful and the firstthing I said was, ?Oh my gosh, he looks exactly like Noah!??
Janice waited a while until the umbilical cord stoppedpulsating before telling Matt to cut the cord.?Then she told me to push one more time so I can deliver theplacenta.? I was having a lot of crampingand was told all that is normal.? Beforethey took baby away to clean and weigh him, I was actually able to nurse him.He was a champ and went right in and started nursing. Perfect latch and all!!!
He weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz. and was 21.5 inches long.?
People ask me if I would go through natural childbirthagain. ABSOLUTELY.? I?m so happy I didn?tget the epidural. I have something to compare it to because I did have anepidural with Noah and I was miserable. My spine hurt like a bruise for a year.Because I was told when to push (and didn?t push when it felt right), I hadtearing. I ended up having to get pitocin and was swollen for days.? Noah was also very swollen. He looks so muchbigger than Andrew in pictures, but he weighed less and was shorter inlength.? I had a bladder infectionbecause of the catheter. I couldn?t sit or walk normally for almost 2 months. Icould keep going.?
This time around, I was up and walking right away andfeel great. I even had a photo shoot less than 2 weeks after giving birthwithout any discomfort. I LOVE that I saw a midwife? I LOVE that I had a Doula?I LOVE that my husband was supportive of the whole ?no epi? thing? I LOVE thatI have another beautiful son!!!Awwww.
I responded over on the tini, but I'll respond here too.
I'm so happy for you that it all went the way you wanted it to. It sounds like a great experience, and I'm really excited for you that you got to have a doula (especially since she's just awesomeness)
Beautiful story.
Meg - I think it's a very personal decision whether to go natural or get the epi. I had a great experience with my epi, and fully intend on getting one next time. I can't imagine my contractions without it (although I had pitocin). On the flip side, other people I know (including Nia) would say the opposite. It's definitely a decision that you should make based on what you feel is the right decision for you.
And I want to add that no matter what you decide, don't let anyone try to make you feel bad or sway you the other way. And also if you get there, and decide against going natural as you get into it, do not feel bad about changing your mind.
And now I'll stop hijacking Nia's post.
Pmeg: Sharon is right. You shouldn't let other people try to influence your decision. ?My own sister kept telling me how stupid I was for not getting an epidural. I didn't want her at the hospital at all because I knew she would stand there and again tell me how crazy and dumb I am for wanting to have a natural childbirth. ?Well, she showed up anyway and sure enough said I was stupid. I'm SOOO happy she got really tired and went to take a nap just before my crazy contractions began.?
Shannon: I delivered at Chandler Regional. ?You're right. They don't allow water births. HOWEVER, you are able to LABOR in the water. My midwife (last I checked) had only 2 Drs. left to convince to allow for water births. I'm hoping by baby #3, they will in fact allow water births there.
As far as my story helping others, I'm SO happy for that. I didn't write out my birth story with Noah because I didn't have a good experience at all. ?This time, it was perfect.
For those expecting, HIRE A DOULA!!! Just know you have a Doula with you helps out sooo much. If you need my Doula's information, please let me know. She was awesome!!!?
Just to further hijack...
I soo agree to make and follow OR totally change your own birth plan! Don't let anyone make you feel bad about your choices! Labor is called labor because it is hard work. I've had kids both ways and there are advantages to both. I had every intention of having all 3 kiddos naturally and it didn't work for out, I am really proud of having ds with nada, but during my last labor I don't think I could have done it with the pitocin (evil drug).
::butting out::
Shelly - I also had pitocin. It IS evil. I had no intention of going natural when I first went in there, but there was no way in hell I was not getting an epi once my contractions started getting stronger with the pitocin.
oh... Shelly, that reminds me...
I agree with being able to change your mind. ?I told my midwife ahead of time that I was trying to be a "hero" by not getting the epi. I just didn't want to deal with all the crap I dealt with last time. ?I told her that I wouldn't be disappointed in myself if I did end up asking for an epi. So, it's ok, if you change your mind. Just know that it takes a while to go from asking for it to it having an effect on you.
Shannon, in my "medical" books that I've read, it says you shouldn't be in the water after your water has broken. However, all my "doula/midwife" type books say it's no problem.?
By the time I got to the hospital I was 6cm, by the time I got upstairs I was 8, and then 9 very shortly after, I got my epi and then they broke my water so I really didn't have time for the shower. I did take one at home before leaving and it felt SOOOO much better. Next time I will probably try to do most of my labor at home too, maybe just get in the tub!
Hopefully next time around I can at least get in the shower till then. And HOPEFULLY I have the balls for it like you did, lol.
Thanks for sharing your story Nia! It is definitly an accomplishment to be proud of....
And for those questioning an epi (to have or not to have). Go in with an open mind. If you want to go with out any meds... give it a try and if you switch over, dont feel bad about it. Only you know what you can handle...
Side story... With the first three, I did not have an epi. I dont remember what I had with Christian but the only thing it did was make me sleepy inbetween contractions because I figured if i didnt breath, it wouldnt hurt.. haha! But Chad and Kaleb were 100% no meds. With Will, I had heard so many amazing stories about the epi so i said "eh, why not... i am not doing this again". Yeah, I regret it. Knowing that 3 times i delivered with out it really sucked when I had the spinal headaches and such. I was that person who was in the low instance where something went wrong with the Epi. My back is still very sore to this day and I have to see someone about it on a monthly basis...
Thanks for sharing Nia! I love reading birth stories.
I'm so happy you were able to have the experience you wanted
Nice story! Not long at all compared to some of the birth storys on the bump board!
Sounds like you had the delivery you wanted! Very awesome! Congrats again!
Wow, what a great story. That's aweome that everything worked out perfectly for you!!!! I want to have a natural birth some day too so I love hearing when others can do it.
Esp. after hearing of 2 women that have died from c-sections/epidurals, I am determined not to get one. lol
Congrats again!!!