My beautiful little girl was born Tuesday, June 12th at 6:49 in the evening. A VERY healthy 10lbs 4oz and 22.5 inches long.
I couldn't decide if I wanted to post the birth story first or my Hypnobabies review, so bear with me cuz I'm doing it all in one. If you haven't read my Hypnobabies post, it might help you understand what I'm saying. (Link: http://www.thegoodlet-down.blogspot.com/2012/06/hypnobabies.html)
I started this all off with a very specific, yet somewhat flexible plan in mind. I wanted a natural birth. I wanted to keep things private and personal. I'd read up and decided not to give Hepatitis B, no vitamin K injection, no eye cream. No circumcision (if it were a boy). No formula. No pitocin. No breaking my water. Wow, I sound really high maintenance.
The morning of the 12th, I woke around 8:30am and got up to pee. I always have lots of contractions and sleep like crap at night, and it seemed like a pretty ordinary night to me. I usually would have contractions when I turned around to reposition or what-not, and I don't remember that night being any different than any other night. Immediately when I woke, I starting having contractions that were much stronger than any I’d been having and by 9:00 I was certain I was in labor. Lee had to be at work at 9am, so he had literally JUST left home. I called him back home and he was by my side within a few minutes. At this point, my pressure waves (contractions) were about 5-7 minutes apart.
The morning of the 12th, I woke around 8:30am and got up to pee. I always have lots of contractions and sleep like crap at night, and it seemed like a pretty ordinary night to me. I usually would have contractions when I turned around to reposition or what-not, and I don't remember that night being any different than any other night. Immediately when I woke, I starting having contractions that were much stronger than any I’d been having and by 9:00 I was certain I was in labor. Lee had to be at work at 9am, so he had literally JUST left home. I called him back home and he was by my side within a few minutes. At this point, my pressure waves (contractions) were about 5-7 minutes apart.
Isabelle was still asleep at the time, so when she woke Lee started taking care of her while I finished getting ready. So. . . yes, I knew I was in labor, but I still had the umph to shower, get dressed, put on makeup, etc. I was trying to use my Hypnobabies techniques as much as I could, so early on I took my deep breaths, turned my light switch off, spent some time in my safe place, and then continued throughout the rest of my labor at home, usually in the center position so I could move around freely. Hypnobabies suggests you bring treats for the labor and delivery nurses (since they'll have to put up with your unusual demands and so they like you) so I started baking brownies. During contractions, I would usually close my eyes and find something to support me and continue with the hypnosis scripts to ease myself through the pressure waves. At one point, I was leaning on the kitchen counter with my head in my arms and B asks me, "Mommy?? You okay?" :) I assured her mommy was fine and that I was just trying to relax.
Lee started to worry - perhaps the fully awake, taking, joking me to the sudden Hypnobabies me freaked him out, but he ordered me upstairs to lie down. After maybe an hour, the contractions were only every 3-4 minutes. I called Lee upstairs and asked him to call my dad to watch B, because I might need him and we might need to leave soon. I was having a lot of pain in my back, and remember thinking it would be nice to get a back rub :) While Lee called my dad, packed out bags, and got things together, B stayed in the room with me while I labored. It was really probably the most memorable part of my labor, having her there with me in bed and cuddling. I had my Hypnobabies tracks playing on the iPod, and she would listen in with me. It was kind of funny watching her close her eyes like mommy, too. We rubbed eachothers backs, gave hugs and kisses. . . it was pretty great.
Around 11 (only 2 hours after my labor seemed to begin) we decided to head to the hospital. When I arrived I was shocked to find out I fully effaced and 7cm dilated. While the contractions were strong, I was expecting worse. I was uncomfortable, but not in any extreme pain. I got lucky and had a WONDERFUL nurse, who was actually the same nurse that delivered B. They put me in a room with a tub, and having the warm water was wonderful. Really, my belly and legs weren’t too bad during contractions, but I was having HORRIBLE back labor that I hadn’t prepared for and that was the worst of it. Hypnobabies had prepared me for the belly and leg discomfort, but not so much the back labor. Back labor usually means that the baby is posterior, so we (or the nurse) was concerned that the baby was "back to back" and was suggesting positions to help her turn. The nurse was great at offering suggestions for new positions and things that might keep me comfortable. After 3 hours of laboring in the hospital, I asked the nurse to check me again and found out I was STILL at 7cm. WHAT?! I went from 3-7 in virtually no time but now I've been at 7 for over 3 hours?! I did find out later that it's normal for women to get "stuck" at 7cm for awhile. This is right before transition when things can get really intense, so it's your body's way of taking a break. This, in conjunction with being in a hospital, is what I blame. It is also normal for your body to slow down labor when you get to an unfamiliar place, hence why home births can be better for many women. By 3:30 I hit transition and then they got really strong. Again - the back pain I wasn't prepared for!! I think when I hit transition, all of my Hypnobabies skills went down the crapper. My sister (go Jen!) was kind enough to suggest and get my iPod for me to listen to some audio, but at that point I had already broken my concentration (I think when I got frustrated at my lack of progress) and I was having a hard time focusing on what the audios were saying. Mostly because I couldn't get the darned ear plugs to stay in my ears!! Around 4:45 I wasn’t sure I could keep doing it. It was somewhat pain-based - it DID hurt, but it was mostly fear telling me to get an epidural. I started to worry that the baby was too big. . . that I wouldn't be able to push her out and would need a cesarean. Or that I would get too tired and not be able to continue. . . I started to believe that it was never going to end!!! All of the stuff they TELL you you will think and say when you are in transition and ALMOST done. Everyone kept insisting I was doing a great job and I was almost there. ('LIARS!' I thought) What I really should've listened to was my Birth Affirmations CD. . . but hind-sight is always 20/20, right? When the nurse checked I was almost 10cm and just had a tiny lip to go on one edge of my cervix. 5:00 I was ready to push and she called for the Dr.
First I didn't realize the doctor isn't normally there for the pushing. I laugh at myself a little because I was dreaming of a "two pushes and she's out" birth, so I was kinda afraid to do anything! But. . . I did. About 5 pushes in my water finally broke and shot about 10’ across the room, Luckily my mom had gotten out of the way, or she would've had quite a clean-up on her hands. And body. And legs. And maybe even her face. It was full of meconium (baby poo), so they had to have the NICU team called just incase the baby inhaled any during delivery and aspirated. So I pushed. And pushed. And pushed. I was getting discouraged when we still couldn’t see a head after an hour. I was asking the nurse, "Why can't we see her head yet?!" "What if she's too big?!". She just kept reassuring me, but also couldn't promise she was GOING to come. I was scared.
Finally around 6:20 we saw the head. . . She would be SOOOO close, feelin' that ring of fire, and then dip back in. The doctor was able to feel her head and see that she was posterior and probably knew I needed some help getting that giant head out. He numbed my perineum with some lidocaine at 6:45 and the next push gave me an episiotomy and she FINALLY came out after about an hour and 45 minutes of pushing. Because of the meconium, the NICU team had to sweep her away immediately so I wasn’t able to see her and Lee wasn't able to cut the umbilical cord. The first time I saw her was actually a picture my sister took that I looked at on the viewfinder of my camera. :/ The placenta came out soon after. . . I think the doctor pulled on the cord a little and I was/am upset about that b/c I had asked that he not But my pain was still so high and I was so exhausted I didn't have the energy to argue. He gave me 3 more syringes full of lidocaine to help numb me for the repair. . . but you wouldn't have known. It was pretty painful; honestly maybe even more painful than any of the labor or birth. I think not being able to see her was the hardest part of the whole process. When the doctor finished suturing, he double checked me internally and found a tear that went all of the way through further up. Apparently when Sophia came out, not only was she posterior but was twisted and twisting around in strange ways and caused the internal trauma. The repair was too extensive to do with local anesthetic, so I had to go to the O.R. for surgery. By now about 45 minutes had passed; I was finally able to see Sophia for about 10 min before I left. She nursed great and was absolutely beautiful. . . the procedure took about 50 min and I had to get a spinal (not the same as an epidural, but similar). Which was kinda depressing, but I was glad I still at least birthed naturally and honestly it was nice to have relief from the pain.
By the time I got back to the recovery room, held my baby, and moved to the post-partium room it was already past 9pm and I was BEYOND exhausted. Thinking back on everything that happened in the last 12 hours. . . WOW! At the same point, I remember thinking it didn't seem like 12 hours had passed - definitely more like. . . 4-5. Which sounds totally crazy, but that's even what they say happens with Hypnobabies. I remember at one point during labor looking at the clock and asking my mom if the time was right b/c it seemed to be at least a few hours fast. And now, I totally understand what everyone says about birthing naturally! It was very empowering. I know it's not for everyone, but in some effect, I feel like every woman should experience it; like a rite of passage. It totally changes the birth experience in a positive way. You do feel some pretty big lows when you are in the middle of it, but looking back it wasn’t all that bad. Either that or hypnobabies screwed w/ my mind to make me believe it to be that way! I loved the control I felt this time around. Part of it might have just been because I was more informed, but I really felt like a active participant in my childs birth, and not so much just another patient rolling through the doors. But Totally, 100% without a doubt worth it!!
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