+1, aka Nina, was born on Monday. We're all well but tired.
Here's a birth story, since I love reading everyone else's: Monday morning I had tests scheduled to check on the baby because it was a few days past the due date. Baby was not reactive enough to pass so by 11 am I was sent to L&D for what I thought was more monitoring. I got to the desk and they were talking admit and induction. Ack! So we sat around, waiting for a room and decided to kill time by dropping off another test I had at the lab and going to the apartment for my bag, last minute emails and a fast shower.
I got a message from the midwife which I didn't check until later - they all thought I was an escapee and not coming back, hehe. By 1pm or so I was back in L&D getting hooked up to a bunch of stuff that makes it hard to move around and get out of bed. According to the monitor I was having contractions which I didn't feel at all and I was already at 3-4 cm. We sat around, watching MSNBC which prompted the staff to make all sorts of comments about Sarah Palin. At 3 or 4pm I was at 5 cm and the midwife broke my water. I started to feel the contractions at that point, but no big deal. They did progress over the next hour or two, but the hypnobirthing stuff I read was great for relaxing during each one so I never felt like I wanted pain relief.
Around 5pm the midwife checked me again, mentioning the dreaded P word (Pitocin, ughhhh, my wonderful labor could come to an end...) but I was at 9cm! She had me lay on my side where I think I went through the quickest transition known to womankind. Within a minute, I felt like crawling up the wall and ready to push. We turned off Chris Matthews at that point. A lot of people say pushing feels like a relief but I think it really sucked. It was hard to get a mental grip and focus during that part. Mr. ended up seeing a heck of a lot more than I did because I had my eyes closed while squeezing my guts inside-out.?
The baby was born at 6:34pm and weighed 9lbs. 1oz. She did great the whole time. Her heart rate was steady throughout and her Apgar score was 9/9. My lady parts did not fare quite as well; I got a 2nd degree tear which took a while to repair. Even though I disliked being stuck in the bed, I'm really happy for a med-free induction. Everything is still sinking in... what a crazy week!?
Re: @ we're mr+ms+1!
woo hoo! congrats to you and yours! and i absolutely love the name nina.
can you tell us more about this "hypnobirthing stuff"? i'm intrigued.
congrats!!!
so you were induced but then got no drugs after that? Or did she really just come on her own?
and double congrats on having a 9+ pounder!
Thanks
Hypnobirthing is a "method" that basically says pain is caused by fear, tension, etc. so it's mostly about relaxation techniques like breathing and visualizations for working with what's going on in your body. I read the book but there are classes in some areas, too. I thought they went overboard with the labor can be painless and fast stuff, but who knows? I guess it worked out despite my skepticism 
Thanks! The "induction" ended up being just the midwife breaking my water and no other drugs, thank goodness. At the end of my pregnancy I was drinking raspberry leaf tea (it's supposed to "tone" your uterus), taking evening primrose oil (helps soften the cervix) and going on lots of walks so I think that could have contributed to having things ready to go.
And congratulations on your healthy baby girl.
attempting PIP...?
that sounds fantastic! huge congrats, again. and i love the pic, what a doll!
Congratulations!! What a great story, I'll definitely have to keep that hypnobirthing stuff on file.
Seriously, our E08 babies are unnaturally adorable for newborns. Is there any way I can drink the supercute baby water, and just save it for later?
YAY congrats! She is SO adorable!! That's amazing that you had a 9+ lb baby without meds! I'm glad everything went well, apart from the tear ugh. I hope your recovery is speedy and uneventful.?
And I love the name Nina too. ?
Congratulations! Nina is adorable!
She's a doll!
Congrats!!!
Yeah, that was it for the induction. I feel really lucky. Word on the tear. It doesn't feel as bad as it sounds at this point.
I'm also loling at her nickname "+1." So cute!!
my read shelf:
Congratulations on the little one !!
And here's to a speedy recovery for you...