Ben's Super Long Birth Story

yvdukana · August 2012

Friday August 17 started out with me waking up to 2 missed calls from Jessica, my BFF. After calling her back and nearing her awesome news about a BFP, I did my usual morning stuff and then went on my 1.75 miles walk and had 2 contractions while on the walk. Spent the rest of the day not doing much, and then about 3:20 pm I started getting a cramp in my lower back. Started timing them and they continued. Tony came home and I was still contracting and we were still timing. Around 5pm I went to the bathroom and there was my mucus plug. They were getting more uncomfortable, so we had dinner, I took a shower and tried to relax. Called Jessica and chatted to try to distract myself. Played WWF with my mom and chatted for a while, but sitting in bed was getting really hard and all the pain was in my back, but they were still varying times and lengths. Tony went to bed around 12 am and I tried to lay down, but after writhing in pain for 2 hours and no sleep I decided to get up.
I went into the nursery on the recliner for a bit, but nothing sitting or laying was helping. Finally around 3 am the contractions were more regular at 4:30-5 mins apart and 30-45 secs. I called the dr and she told us to go into L&D. We got dressed, Tony ate some cereal, and shaved and we headed out. We arrived at the hospital just before 4 am and got checked in and over to triage. Dr. Leak checked me and said I was 1-2 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and baby at -3 station. They gave us 2 options, go home and wait for active labor, or stay and walk the halls. We decided to go home. Tony went back to bed and I stayed downstairs watching tv. I tried to eat some whole wheat toast, but promptly regretted it. I was having tremendous heartburn and popping tums. At 6 am I called Aunt Tara after getting her email and she kept me company on the phone. The contractions were still all in my back and about 5 mins or so apart and still 30-45 secs long. I also felt awful and ran to throw up about 6:30 am.
Tony got up at 8 am and called his parents to tell them what was happening. I still was having the back labor and nothing was helping, not sitting, standing, laying down. I would stand around and rock and Tony would come rub my back, but I was majorly tensing through them still. I got in the shower around 8:15 am for some relief. I continued laboring and trying to keep busy, we started the laundry. And I got sick again.
Finally around 9:30 am I was at a breaking point, the back contractions were coming stronger and longer, about 1 min long and 3 mins apart. I got in the shower again. I broke down and kept crying to Tony and my mom on the phone that I couldn't do it. My mom told me to breathe and encouraged Tony to be my coach and to watch him, I was still having issues focusing and not tensing up. The pressure was horrendous and I just couldn't get comfortable. Finally around 11 am I told Tony we needed to call the dr again because they were getting worse and I was running to either pee, which was hard, or throw up, water was not my friend. Tony called Dr. Grundy, who said to come in.
We arrived back in L&D around noon, I had 2 awful contractions on the car ride, and more on the way up. Dr. Grundy checked me in triage and said I was 3-4 cm dilated, 90% effaced and baby was at 0 station. I was staying. The awesome nurse Naomi asked if I planned on an epidural, to which I promptly said yes! I had planned to wait and see if I'd need one, but after 21 hrs of back labor, I was dying for relief. She started an IV and got me checked in and in a L&D room. I asked for water. Tony got me some and I drank a few ounces. While we were getting situated in our room. The nurses left to do some stuff and I told tony I needed to throw up, he rushed and got me a basin and I promptly puked up all the water I had and couldn't stop for a few seconds. A little while later anesthesia arrived to do my epi and they sent tony out to move the car and eat. The epi was sweet relief! It didn't really hurt, right away my right leg went numb and it stayed this was throughout much of labor.
Feeling so much better after the epi, Tony returned around 1 pm and called all the family to tell the what was happening, then Dr. Grundy and Naomi decided that we should get some sleep. I slept on and off. Tony slept. Dr. Grundy came in around 2 and checked me and said I was 3.5-4 cm and once I got to 5 or 6 cm she'd break my water. We cotinued to nap. About 3 Naomi came in and said I was contracting beautifully still and baby was happy and we were progressing. I couldn't feel a thing. The epi is the best thing ever. I asked if I could eat, but was told only clear liquids and would have to watch out since I had been throwing up. I got ice chips and water. Finally around 4:30 pm Naomi came back and turned me to my other side and I got some Maalox for my awful heartburn.
Things were pretty uneventful until around 6:30pm hen Dr. Grundy came back and checked me. She said I was at 6 cm and she could break my water, but Tony had just gone home to eat, so she said she'd wait for him to come back, just because sometimes the baby's heart rate could be effected and she didn't want that to happen and me be alone. Finally, 7:30 pm rolled around and shift change happened, my beloved Naomi was gone and Jackie was on. Jackie did say I could have Popsicles, Jello, and juice now though. She brought me a red twin pop, strawberry jello, and apple juice. It all never tasted so good! Dr. Grundy came in and broke my water at 7:30 pm and Tony returned. I then fell asleep until about 9:15 pm.
I started feeling some pressure in my back and lower belly, I gave myself an epi bolus, but it didn't seem to help. Finally around 10:30 pm Dr. Grundy came back in after I was talking about my pressure, and she said I was complete and baby was at a +1 to +2 station and I could push. So at 10:40 pm we began pushing. Pushing wasn't bad, but slow moving, Tony held my one foot and nurse Jackie the other. I couldn't feel much thanks to the epi, but I would feel the pressure with each contraction down low and I'd push. The hardest part was I was still having heartburn, and even after more Maalox, the acid would come back up my throat making me feel sick, plus holding my breath was hard. A few times Dr. Grundy told me to feel and I could feel baby's head. After an hour of pushing baby was crowning and I could feel the ring of fire. A few times I had to push even without a contraction. Finally, after about an hour and 18 minutes of pushing, at 11:58 pm on August 18, 2012, our baby was born!
Dr. Grundy placed him on my chest and Tony told me "It's a boy!" I immediately began crying and looking at my son. But nurse Jackie whisked him away right away. I was sad I couldn't see him while she cleaned him off and performed tests on him. Tony went over to the warmer and watched him while Jackie worked on him. In the meantime Dr. Grundy was working on me. The placenta was delivered immediately, and then I was informed I have some very small tears. A bilateral labial laceration, and a not even first degree perineum tear. I got 3 stitches. The left side labial laceration was the most sensitive.
Finally they brought baby boy back to me, he was 6 lbs 15 oz, 20.5 inches long and scored 8 and 9 on his apgars. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I nursed him for 30 mins before they took him away to the nursery for a bath and more tests, and I had to stay in L&D until my epi started to wear off. Finally 3.5 hrs after his birth, after we were moved to the maternal-child unit, they brought him back to me. The next day after some debate we gave him his name, Benjamin Louis. We're so in love with him!