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xp:Wyatt's med-free birth story...(long)
On 5/27/11 at 41 weeks 4 days I had another appointment with my MW to check to see how baby dragon was doing. Everything at the appointment was perfect I was 4 cm dilated, 90% effaced and 0 station. I had my MW strip my membranes for the 3rd time but didn't think anything would happen since the last 2 times my membranes were stripped did nothing. We left the office with another appointment scheduled for Tuesday 6/1 to induce if the baby had not arrived. After my appointment I headed back to the office to finish up a few things and headed home for a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. After the appointment I started having lower back pain but didn't really think anything of it since I my back had hurt after the other 2 times my membranes were stripped with no results.
Around 7:30, while watching Jeopardy I noticed that my back pain would come and go occasionally. I posted a thread to the board asking if this was labor and some of the ladies responded that it sounded like back labor! I tried not to get excited since the contractions were not consistent. The contractions continued and as the night went on and I started to time them around 10 to see if they were getting closer together. They weren't so Kelly and I decided to head to bed around 11 to get some sleep. I couldn't sleep with the amount of pain and Kelly tried to help ease the pain with counter pressure on my lower back but after a while that didn't help the pain at all. At that point I dealt with the pain by alternating between laying on my left side on the bed hugging my snoogle pillow and standing in the shower to let the hot water hit my lower back.
By about 12:30 I managed to lay on our bed (after puking my brains out) and was able to doze off slightly between the contractions and the uncontrolled shaking that my body started to do. By 2am I had had enough and woke Kelly up and told him we needed to get to the hospital because I couldn't handle being at home any longer. We loaded up the car with our bags and headed to the hospital, but not before Kelly had to stop by where his work truck was to drop off the gas card for his employee. When he mentioned that he had to stop to me while I was having a contraction I wanted to yell at him but I was to focused on breathing through the pain.
We arrived at L&D and were taken back to triage around 2:30am. They hooked me up to the monitor and when my MW checked me I was 6.5 cm. The L&D staff had a copy of my birth plan in my record and I was lucky enough to get a nurse who was very supportive of me going natural. She even agreed with my request to not have a saline lock even though I was told by my MW that they like everyone to have one just in case they were needed. We were taken to my labor room and my nurse asked me how I wanted to labor. I was in so much pain that any position I tried seemed to hurt and leave me speechless. The nurse and Kelly suggested that I could labor in the whirlpool tub and I agreed since at that point I couldn't remember any of the labor positions I had learned due to the amount of pain I was in.
I was able to labor in the tub for 3 hours with DH's help of rubbing my arms during contractions, putting cold washcloths on my face and back and replacing the tub water once it got cold. The nurse was awesome at leaving us alone most of the time expect for the few times that she had to check the baby's heart rate with the doppler. Laboring in the water was nice but the tubs really didn't have jets like I thought it would that would massage my lower back. At one point after a contraction I remember looking at DH and telling him that Wyatt maybe an only child because I didn't think I could go through this pain again.
At around 6am the nurse came in and asked me how I was and I told her and Kelly that I just wanted an epi since the pain was so intense. (I realize now that I was hitting transition when I started asking for the epi) They both told me how great I was doing and that I was handling the pain and the nurse suggested that maybe I wanted to get out of the tub for a while since it seemed to not be helping me. I got out of the tub to pee and for some reason felt the need to get back into the tub. Once I was back in the tub I had another contraction and after it was over I stood up to move back to the room. At that point I felt this sudden urge to push and then felt this "pop" and said "oh sh!t, I think my water just broke." I got out of the tub and went to the bed so they could check me and I was complete and ready to push!
I started pushing at 6:17 and thought pushing would be the easy part but after each push and Wyatt still not out I kept cussing and praying that it would all be over. My nurse and Kelly were great at each holding my legs and rooting me on through each push telling me that Wyatt was almost there. Wyatt was finally born at 7:32am weighing in at 8lbs 9oz and I cannot tell you of the immediate relief there was once he came out! He was screaming immediately and they placed him on my chest for bonding time for me and DH. Once the cord stopped pulsating DH got to cut it. There was a little difficulty with my placenta being delivered, it was stubborn just like Wyatt! I didn't want the cord pulled on during delivery of the placenta and I declined the pitocin shot as well which later came back to bite me in the ass. I did end up having a 1st degree tear clitoral tear due to Wyatt coming out posterior. Yep, I had no idea that you could tear UP since that was never mentioned to me whenever I heard about possible tearing.
I ended up declining the pitocin shot when
delivering the placenta since I didn't feel that I needed it but
apparently I had issues with my uterus clamping down and shrinking the
way they wanted it to. I had major issues with bleeding that kept in
recovery longer than normal. When I was finally moved up to the family
care unit I was still bleeding way more than they wanted and the nurses
and my MW were concerned so I ended up consenting to getting a shot
(something stronger than pitocin, can't remember what it was called) to
help my uterus contract. I later found out I was close to hemorrhaging
so when we have another baby I won't be declining the pitocin shot
during delivery of the placenta. When they moved me to the family care
unit I had the nurse in my room pretty much every hour pushing on my
stomach to get my uterus to contract down to the size they wanted and at
one point ended up passing a clot the size of a plum..gross I know!
Re: xp:Wyatt's med-free birth story...(long)
Thank you for sharing your story! I'm sorry about the after-effects and hope once you heal everything will still function the right way
Wyatt is an adorable little man!
How is it that my BABY is going to be 3?
BFP-2/25/11; 8 Wk U/S-3/25/11-No HB, measured 6.5 wks; D&C
Thank you for sharing. I hope to go natural when I get pregnant and it makes me feel better about it every time I hear about someone who did. Sounds like you did an awesome job and have an adorable baby as an outcome.
Thanks for sharing! Did you take a class or just read about certain techniques for a med free birth? If so was it helpful or could you have went med free with out any preparation?
I am leaning towards a med free birth but have done nothing to prepare. I would love to hear what your opinion is.
Congrats again!
You seem very happy with your decision and Wyatt is adorable.
This solidifies my decision to get the drugs, also reading "clitoral tear" just made me want to consider adoption. I literally did a gay gasp when I read that part.
I had the exact same reaction. Also didn't know that was possible.
Congratulations again. It really was a beautiful story and you have my utmost respect for making it through the entire process med free. Wyatt is a total cutie pie.
You are one tough lady! I am so impressed with you
Congratulations once again!
My Ovulation Chart
I hope everything functions the right way as well. When my MW told me I tore the first thing I asked her was if it was going to affect sex later on.
I didn't know a clitoral tear was possible either before mine. It was never mentioned during childbirth classes. Honestly, the only pain I felt was the initial tear and it wasn't that bad. I am sure having a perineal tear would be more painful after the birth.
I think I am pretty much recovered from the tear. I guess I will find out when I have my 6 week checkup but after the initial pain there hasn't been any.
Oh that's really good!