i know people have been curious about my "pretty dramatic labor experience" and so i wanted to write it down since many of the details are already becoming fuzzy. when i was pregnant, i loved reading and hearing peoples' birth stories. there is so much diversity and it really helped me to mentally prepare for what was to come. however, i don't think any of our classes, readings, or birth stories really prepared me for what eventually happened.
the short story: my labor lasted only 3 minutes but i pushed for over 6 hours and all without any pain medication. the baby was posterior, so i also had back labor. some people have responded with surprise that i went "all natural", but i can assure you that none of the pain can compare even remotely to the psychological pain of pushing for 6 hours overnight. but of course, all of it was SO WORTH IT! :)
the long story: i started to have cramping on december 5th and on december 12th, i learned that i was 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. i also had one random contraction that day. my cramping steadily increased in frequency and intensity and by december 15th, i woke up that morning with regular, yet low pain, contractions. by 11 am, they were 5 minutes apart. since we were told to go to the hospital when they become 4 minutes, we decided to have our last meal at cheesecake factory (thanks sally for the gift card!). by 2 pm, they were about 3 to 4 minutes apart so i contacted our doula terri (who is amazing, by the way) who came over to help me labor at home as long as possible.
what was really strange is that my contractions were quite low on the pain scale. terri had never seen anything like it and we all kind of assumed i just had amazingly high pain threshold. my contractions were at 2 to 4 minutes apart and i could easily walk and talk through them. however, at around 8 pm, i started vomiting, and that was when we decided to go to the hospital since vomiting can be a sign of transition (when you are 8 to 10 cm dilated).
by the time we were sitting in triage, all we could talk about was how amazing it was that i was experiencing such little pain despite my relatively strong contractions as indicated on the contraction monitor. i actually began to think that i would have a super easy labor experience. when my doctor came in to see me, i was joking around and reading steve job's biography. i asked him if he was going to be the one to deliver me, and he replied, "uhh, just by looking at you right now, i can tell you that i don't think you will be delivering tonight." he checked my cervix, and i was shocked to learn that i was STILL 2-3 cm dilated!! i was so disappointed and we were sent home. terri suggested that i take a bath to slow my contractions down so that i could sleep that night to potentially prepare myself for a saturday delivery.
by the time we got home, i was in major pain. my contractions were 1 to 2 minutes apart!! however, i did NOT want to be rejected at the hospital twice in one night so i was determined to soldier through them. the bath did not help at all and we decided to just return to the hospital. on the car ride there, i called terri and i couldn't even leave a phone message because i was screaming. when we got to triage again, my doctor seemed surprised that i was there just 2 hours later but checked me anyway: i was 4.5 cm. and then immediately, my water broke. that sealed the deal; i was staying. YES!
by the time i got to the labor and delivery room, i was in EXCRUCIATING pain and my contractions were right on top of each other. now comes the best part. i became what can only be described as a crazy, feral animal. i immediately jumped off the hospital bed they were wheeling me in and instinctively got on all fours on the ground. i wasn't thinking anything, just #*$&#!!! bryant and the staff tried to get me on the labor bed in order to get an IV in me (since i was positive for group B strep). i then jumped off the labor bed at least twice and the hospital staff kind of freaked out and i remember one nurse screaming, "please don't jump off the bed! it's too high!" i HAD to get the antibiotic since it takes at least 4 hours to absorb in time for the baby to be safe. but all i wanted to do was to be on all fours and i lost all coherent thought.
the head OB of kaiser said that i needed to be checked again. she knew something was up. she checked me and exclaimed, "she's complete!", which means that i was fully dilated and ready to push. all the staff was shocked since they knew i was just 4.5 cm dilated just like 3 minutes prior. and now it makes complete sense why i needed to be on all fours; my body wanted to push that baby out and that is one of the best pushing positions.
i am relieved because i would likely be meeting our daughter within the hour, as most pushing times go without an epidural. by the time i got the baby down, the staff discovered that i had some kind of bony ridge that was making it very difficult to push elise out at the end. so that is where the true torture began. we could see elise's head poking in and out for hours but i just couldn't get past that ridge. i remember the hours ticking by, 4 am, 5 am, 6 am, 7 am, 8 am, and seeing the sun come out. i have never been so exhausted and spent in my life. i even managed to fall asleep during some of the respite times that lasted less than a minute, only to be awoken up by contraction pain to push with all my strength. towards the end, elise's heart rate wasn't holding up as quite as well (she was such a trooper!) and the entire staff was rooting for me. there was even a shift change and some staff stuck around to cheer me on. one nurse in particular, my angel, massaged me the entire time and was told to take breaks multiple times throughout the night, but she refused. i need to buy her a gift.
at around 8 am, they suggested that i use a vacuum since elise was so close and i was so exhausted. we agreed and by 8:25, she was born! there are no words to describe what i was feeling. to be so simultaneously overwhelmed by the relief of all of it being over and the joy of meeting my daughter. no words.
it's hard to believe that it has only been a few days since elise's birth day. i've probably slept about 7 hours total since friday; i don't even know how i'm functioning right now. it's horrible, i can't sleep because i just want to stare at her all the time while she's sleeping. sigh, we are so in love with her.
PS: experienced moms will be interested to know that i typed this entire entry while pumping. i'm learning the art of mommy multi-tasking.
edited to add: i forgot to include that i also had back labor because she was sunny-side up. it's funny, but when i think about my experience, i always forget about the pain because the pushing part was so difficult.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Photos from the Hospital
Elise was born at 8:25am Saturday, and we stayed at the hospital (Kaiser Sunset) until Monday afternoon. Here are a few of our favorite photos from the first two and a half days.
We could see downtown from our post-partum room.
Sleepy . . .
. . . and alert.
Sally & Courtney
Daddy has a talk with me.
Evelyn and Pastor John
Fiona and the girls
We decided to make Elise pose for a few photos before we left. She was more interested in sleeping at that particular moment!
Our nurse Clarita, along with our other nurses and our doula Terri-Leigh, were just incredible. They took such good care of us and we are forever thankful for their kindness.
First Minutes
Our dear Elise was born on Saturday morning, after a very quick and intense period of active labor and six long (and intense) hours of pushing. Mar is my hero for making it through all of that with such courage!
I took a few videos during Elise's first physical exam, a few minutes after birth.
She was not a big fan of the measurement process.
She weighed in at 7 lbs and almost 7 oz.
The quivering lower lip cry makes me melt.
Look, I have a tongue!
Not a big fan of being washed.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
first real blog post
We will attempt to be hip 21st-century parents and document our family life on this blog. Right now, I (Margaret) am 39 weeks pregnant and am more than ready to meet Elise! I joke that her ideal due date is December 19th since we actually have a pretty busy schedule up until then including: a Kanye West/Jay-Z concert, a job interview, several Christmas parties, a graduation party, meals with friends, an introduction to sewing class, and hosting our friend Lindsay from Wednesday to Saturday. But if Elise decides to come sooner, that's OK, too. We found out today that I am 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I've had some early labor signs so we are on alert!
We've been in nesting mode, cleaning and organizing our lives and preparing Elise's room. Here are some pics of the progress so far. I'm still waiting on a few items, including things I hope to learn how to make after taking the sewing class this Saturday. :)
I decided to go with a girly yet gender-neutral color theme. Thank you Auntie Sally for helping to make the pom-poms. It's very obvious which ones are hers (the perfect ones).
Elise's side of the room. The other half consists of Bryant's office and 2 mirrored closets. That's a foot massager you see under the chair, which I will use if I need to induce labor. And that's the La-Z boy chair that has been a lifesaver during acid-reflux filled nights.
A dresser/changing table we bought at the last minute from Ikea. As soon as I knew we were buying it, I hightailed it to Anthropologie to get some knobs, of course!
I'm in love with this Penguin Classics book collection. I always thought it would be perfect in a little girl's room and now I can actually make it happen!
It's a bird pirate! Also a sneak peek into Elise's bathroom. Thank you to Uncle Nic for helping us uninstall the sliding door so that she can take proper baths!
Now we just need a baby to complete the room!
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