What Kind of Birth Did You Have?

[Lorah]

Just wondering what kind of birth(s) everyone had?
All Natural, Natual w/anesthesia, Natural assist, C-section?

Were you births (if applies to you) different from each other? Why?




I had Mav just like I wanted .

[Brookepanda]

All natural for me too. She was born at Memorial, I was to be induced the morning I went into labor...so I had spent the night in the hospital....I was given cervadil the day before...to ripen my cervix...and was to get pitocin the following morning...so I spent the day in the hospital...ripening......after they removed it I was still 2 cm dilated but I was more ripe....so it did it's job....so I slept...but was awkened at 4:30am in pain....not realizing it was the real deal...I waited to call dh for a while since he was home because we were sure I wasn't needing him there since I wasn't even supposed to be induced for another hour and a half! Not to mention this was a month early as it was....

So anyway...yeah....the cervadil worked and I had her at 7:29am with no drugs :)

It hurt LIKE A MOTHA!

[Luckylove]

I ended up having a c-section. I went into labor, water broke, went to the hospital and labored for 10 hours before they figured out that Ava was frank breech (butt down) and I ended up having a c-section. Its not how I wanted it to end up but Im OK with it now. For our next child I will most likely have a repeat c-section. I had her at Sutter.

[colleen&Kail]

i was in labor for 20 somethign hours woth kail-honestly i stopped counting. LOL iw as pushing for 3 of thsoe hours and i did get an epideral after being in labor (after my water broke) for 2 hours. it was A LOT easier after that. (well until teh pushing) Lol at the end the doc did have to come in and use a vaccum to get him out....poor baby! but it sure worked!

[LMS]

i was induced by choice and had pitcoin, they broke my water, then i had nubain and epi.

[JuliaSannar]

All natural for me. I squatted her out after crowning for 45 minutes. I LOVED being in labor. It is amazing what our bodies are meant to do.

[Sara]

I had a wonderful birth experience with both children. With J I was induced, they started the pit & broke my water at 8:30am, labored hard (dialated 1-7 in 2 hours) until 10:30 when I got the epi. He was born at 12:30pm. With A I slowly went into labor over a week long period of prodomal labor. Then I started to get more regular and got to the hospital at 1:30am. I dialated about 1cm overnight, so they broke my water, got a little pit going and I got my epi by about 10:00am. She came at 2:35pm to a room full of my friends and family. The epi was turned down so low that I could feel the pressure, pushing and her coming out without most of the pain :)

I am happy with my experiences and wouldn't change either one for the world. It was a fun lighthearted atmosphere, I was relaxed and happy, and I got to share it with the people I love :)

[Tracee]

I wasn't sure if I wanted to have an epi with Kailyn.....well, I changed my mind pretty quickly when the dr came and said I looked like I was about a 3 on the pain scale (yeah, I thought I was at about an 8!). I said, okay, I'll have the meds! From the first *real* contractions to when she was born was 38 hours. We think the pit wasn't up high enough and the nurse must have been new because when the day nurse came back the next morning she was surprised I was still around and when she was in charge things started going much quicker.

By the time I was ready to push the dr told me I'd be pushing for 2-3 hours. I *nicely* told her to shut it and pushed her out in 30 mins. Cord around her neck and everything. It was pretty scary because they took her to the NICU for about two hours before I got to see her...DH went with and that made me feel better but it was an awful feeling to be lying there not knowing whats going on.

I feel better about the whole situation now, but at first it was really traumatic and I didn't like to think about it. Now I feel really strong and powerful....I think birth is an empowering experience even if everything doesn't go exactly as planned. For the next one I think I might try it au naturale, but who really knows in the heat of the moment (and pain).

[lmfike]

1st was planned csection as it was first pregnancy and was breech(Kaiser-at least in S CA would not attempt to turn baby on first time mom)

2nd was vaginal-approx 5 hrs from start to finish.

3rd was planned c section due to wanting tubes tied and wanting dh at the birth(he had no time off and we couldn't afford for him to miss more than a day-had been out of work for 8 months or so before finding a contract position)

[TaivensMama]

With Taiven I had no fluid left and was 5 days overdue so they gave me pitocin. I had been 3 cm dialated for weeks so once they gave me the pitocin it didn't take long...I was given Pitocin at 6:00pm and started getting contractions at 9:00 pm and Taiven TORE his way out at 9:16pm.....I did not have any meds aside from the pitocin

With Skye I took Castor oil and a long walk around spring lake....My water had broken 30+ hours before and by the end of the walk even with a pad the size of CHINA on I still had water on my pants to my mid calves! haha what a sight!...I labored for 3 hours at the birthing center, first doing laps around the couch, then the med ball with relaxation music, my doula and dh and 2 midwives. I then went into the tub for the last 2 hours and gave birth in the tub in a candle lit quiet room with my dh behind me, doula holding my hand and two midwives catching Skye....I had to give birth to the afterbirth and I was clotting heavily, so they gave me a shot of pitocin to stop the bleeding and used forceps to get the giant clots out...it was ever so painful! I had no meds, they are not offered at the birthing center, and pitocin is ONLY used after for bleeding issues...

I look forward to another amazing birth at the birthing center, even with the pain, being able to get through it with the help of dh and the doula was so powerful! I look at my second birth with such beautiful thoughts and cannot wait to do it again...

[Lynette]

Salina- due 06/11, but no dialation by 06/10 so did Cervidil and nothing, so went back in on 6/11 to be hooked up at 6am to Pitocin with no intention of doing pain meds. By 4pm I was done with being drug free but the anesthesiologist had gone home from dinner and didn't get back until 6pm when I finally got drugs. An episiotomy was the norm back then and she was born at 1:08am on 06/12. 8lbs 5oz and 20 3/4in

Alaina- Due 10/17 and I was determined to do it naturally, no induction, no drugs but I developed gestational diabetes in the third trimester and my midwife's practice's rules was induction at 39 weeks. I got her to let me go longer if I continued with the stress tests every other day after the last month. Still nothing so at over 41 weeks I had to go in for induction because the risks outweighed the benefits....again at 6am. Gave up on being pain free around 7 or 8pm and got the epi and Alaina was born at 3:45am 10/26 9lbs 1oz and 21in. No episiotomy this time made a HUGE difference! I walked out of the hospital about 12hours later and went home and was sweeping the floor that evening :)

Moral of the story: I have big stubborn moose girls who don't know when to leave!

[karen-clark]

Fallon 1994 induced with pitocin 5 days late, vaginal birth and did have 2 shots of Fentonyl to calm me down - her shoulders were stuck and they had to reach in and break her collar bone and yank her out. She was 9lb 4 oz. DO NOT EVER let them give you shots of fentonyl it is evil - traced to speech and cognitive problems in babies which Fallon has - altho it is used in epidurals, it is not meant to be injected right into your bloodstream. PLUS it doesn't even kill the pain, it is an anti-psychotic so it let me focus 20 min. at a time but did nothing for the pain so it was a lose-lose situation! 14 hours of labor, 3 of them pushing, almost had an emergency C since she was stuck. Petaluma Valley.

Alia 1997, 7 days late, Vaginal birth, no meds whatsoever, 5 hours start to finish, pushing maybe 7 minutes. I was in prodromal labor 3 weeks prior. She was 8 lb 15 oz. Navy Hospital in Pensacola, FL

TJ 2004 10 days late, vaginal birth, did have cervidil to ripen when I got there, and it fell out after 10 min. but otherwise no meds whatsoever, 3.5 hours start to finish. I had prodromal labor 3.5 weeks before him also. He was 9 lb 15 oz and it was at Sutter.

[Lorah]

Ohh Cool...I didn't even think to include the babies sizes....

Mav was 8lbs 11oz and 20.5inches long born at 11:21am , 7hrs 20 min after the VERY FIRST contraction..... I bet the next one will be bigger as it seems many of you with more than one seem to have them in shorter time and are larger kids.

[Lorah]

Moral of the story: I have big stubborn moose girls who don't know when to leave!

LOL!!!!

Man, What does it mean when the kid's shoulders get stuck and it takes swisting and turning and a hell of a lot of pushing to get more than just his head out?

he starts to HEAD OUT to his new home, but he SHOULDERS his way into staying with mom longer??? LOL

[LMS]

i didn't think to give details either :lol
I was induced at 12 days over due. Went in at 6:00am, was in my room by 7:00am, got pitocin between 7 and 730, got my water broken around 830, nubain around 930, epidural around 1030, slept pretty much from the nubain (i woke up for contractions, but slept in between) until the epidural then slept straight through (didn't wake for contractions or anything) from the epidural until 12:50ishpm when the nurse came in to check on me. He was born at 12:57. We knew the labor would be really fast b/c I had been 3cm, 60% effaced and +1 station for well over a month prior to his birth. He was 7lbs 10oz, 20.5inches long. So he was born right before 1pm, then I was discharged around noon the next day although I had to wait around until almost 4:00 for them to finish printing my paperwork (b/c in texas they apply for the social security card, birth cert, etc for you while in the hospital)

[karen-clark]

Lorah (and anyone else) when the shoulders get stuck you should immediately get on your hands and knees (look up shoulder dystocia on some of the midwives sites) but unfortunately no one told me this till after the fact! I was semi-sitting for Fallon's birth, and she does have broad shoulders. To avoid that the other times, I mostly squatted (ouch) for Alia's birth and mostly stood up for Terry's. There's something about sitting that sometimes gets then lodged in there wrong, especially bigger babies. No problem with the other 2! Whew!

[meeg124]

I was induced with Caden due to PIH, three days before my due date. We went to Sutter about 7 pm on Wednesday and they did cervidil... my BP kept spiking so I got mag sulfate also. Had another insertion of cervidil sometime in the middle of the night. Started pitocin early in the morning, water broke around 9??... stood up and a tidal wave went every where. Nice. I had some kind of drugs that I totally regret having. Even though they made me sleep finally, I was incoherent and groggy and totally irritated with every one. Anytime someone talked, it was all I could do not to go totally postal. Asked for an epidural that I was trying to avoid getting but I think the other drugs just left me too out of control... the epidural took over an hour to get, because anesthesia wasn't in the hospital (not that anyone bothered to tell us that). I pushed for three hours, Caden was trying to come down at an angle. The OB used the vacuum to get him out finally and I had a huge internal tear, that took forever to sew up. Caden was 8 pounds, 7 oz's and 22 inches long. I was actually look at his back this morning, thinking "how did I ever push those shoulders out of me?" I know he wasn't as big when he was born but he just has really broad shoulders :lol

I remember that first night in the hosptial, laying in bed with Caden next to me... just gazing down at him and he opened his eyes really wide and was quite alert and we just looked at each other for the longest time. That was the just the sweetest moment.

[Sara]

I had some kind of drugs that I totally regret having.

Me too with Jacob. I think it was Nubain and it did nothing for the pain and just made me loopy. They gave me the max dose before I asked for the epi.

Jacob was 7 lbs 12oz and 1 week early, Amelia was 7lbs 13oz and was 2 weeks early. I pushed 4 times with Jacob and 2 times with Amelia, and had only a minor tear (no stiches) each time.

[Brookepanda]

Madelynn was 5lbs 9oz 18 inches long errr....short :)
I tore like a Motha too...even though she was so tiny....she never really crowned...she just sort of 'shot' out....leaving me all torn up! boo.

[meeg124]

she just sort of 'shot' out....


:lol that really paints a picture Brooke! :lol

[LMS]

sara: I had the EXACT same reaction to nubain. The only reason I'd do it again was b/c I wasn't "there" enough to realize my fear of the epidural. I just kept asking questions. As stupid as it sounds, I was kind of glad I was so loopy, b/c I would have seriously had a coronary if I'd been 'with it' for the epidural.

[Lindsay]

Technically, the term natural only applies to births without painkillers (and, some think, it only applies to births without any interventions at all i.e. pitocin). The word you're looking for is vaginal.

I've had a vaginal birth with assistance (vacuum delivery) and without assistance. I had an iv of phentonal (sp?) and an epidural with both. I know, I'm a natural birth failure.

[LMS]

I think this is a debate that doesn't really need to be started ;) B/c while I understand that some people choose to reserve the term "natural" as "without painkillers", my Vagina will tell you that what it did was extremely natural - drugs or not.

[Sara]

I know, I'm a natural birth failure.


Did you grow a baby for 9-mo? Did you get them out healthy and safe? NO ONE is a birth failure, regardless of how they choose to bring their child into the world (with the exception of the drunk/high mom). I don't feel bad one bit for my birth experience, it doesn't make me less of a woman. It doesn't take away from laboring and bringing my children into the world. Having a 'natural birth' or one without drugs doesn't make one mom better than another. It is just their choice on how to experience birth. We all know our limits and if I choose not to experience 100% of the pain head on, I am not a lesser person, and you shouldn't feel that way either :)

[meeg124]

my Vagina will tell you that what it did was extremely natural


Jackie - does anyone else know you have a talking vagina? :D

[Brookepanda]

Jackie - does anyone else know you have a talking vagina? :D

:biglaugh

[Lindsay]

All births are natural in the sense that childbirth is natural, sure. I agree there. I'm just saying that most people refer to natural birth to mean "without painkillers."

According to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_childbirth

"Natural childbirth is a childbirth philosophy that attempts to minimize medical intervention, particularly the use of anesthetic medications and surgical interventions such as episiotomies, forceps and ventouse deliveries and caesarean sections."

I was actually joking about being a birth failure. I didn't go painkiller free and maybe I never will (a comfortable, easy, close-to-pain-free birth was always my goal), but I don't *really* think I failed.

[LMS]

yes, in fact, it does lectures on thursday nights at 8:30. I can send you a class schedule if you'd like. ;)

[LMS]

i think the key there is "most people". Not all people. Just sayin'.

[Lindsay]

That's true, that's true. *shrug* it's just semantics really.

[justamom]

Has anyone ever tried hypnosis for pain during childbirth? Or do you know someone who has? I want to try this.

[LMS]

no, but i know someone who did acupuncture during it and she said it was awesome

[Lindsay]

I know a couple people who did Hypnobirthing and they said it was awesome. Almost every woman I know who tried it had a birth without painkillers. I have the book and the cd if you want it.

[JuliaSannar]

I used Hypnobirthing and swear by it. I lan on doing it again with the baby on the way. I have a great instructor if anyone is interested.

[Lynette]

yes, in fact, it does lectures on thursday nights at 8:30. I can send you a class schedule if you'd like. ;)

I really need to put pn Depends before I log on here :biglaugh

[Lorah]

yes, in fact, it does lectures on thursday nights at 8:30. I can send you a class schedule if you'd like. ;)

Ohh so that's what you're calling it now?!?!:tongue

Hmmm class schedule???? Ummmm nevermind, I'm not going there.;)
LOL!!!

[Lorah]

.

[stephaniemsw]

Madelynn was 5lbs 9oz 18 inches long errr....short :)
I tore like a Motha too...even though she was so tiny....she never really crowned...she just sort of 'shot' out....leaving me all torn up! boo.

I can't get over how similar Sequoia and Madelynn are! Sequoia also "shot out"! I started labor about 12:15am the day after she was due, got to the hospital about noon at 9cm and she was born at 1:00pm exactly after 3 pushes (about 10 minutes?). No crowning here! Push 1: water broke, Push 2: quick view of her head, Push 3: Sequoia shot out, Aftermath: 5 tears, an hour of stitching, and an inability to sit or stand for weeks! (not to mention the extremely painful sex once I was brave enough to try it!)

To answer the question, I didn't have any pain meds. I was throwing up a lot and couldn't keep anything down during labor, so I did get an IV when I got to the hospital because I have suffered from ketoacidosis before when dehydrated and nauseaus and will avoid doing that again at all costs. Only prob with an IV is that you really have to pee afterwards, and I had to hold it while they stitched me up for an hour and then I tried to breastfeed.

About fentanyl: it is Kaiser's "drug of choice." I had it for another surgery and got very very sick from it. I have it listed as an allergy on my chart now and will never ever get it again.

[karen-clark]

The subject of fentanyl and its effect on babies (especially it impeding nursing) is a hot topic in medical reports. I can't believe they use it so much! It goes right to the baby! Ugh.

[Lorah]

The subject of fentanyl and its effect on babies (especially it impeding nursing) is a hot topic in medical reports. I can't believe they use it so much! It goes right to the baby! Ugh.

They do tell you that it "can" go to the baby.....BUT....they also don't give it to you unless it will have "worn off" by the time the baby is born. They say it is given in order to help the moms relax if they are having a long hard labor.

[LMS]

i'd never even heard of fentanyl until this thread. Wonder if i should lie to my new OB an tell her next month that I'm allergic :lol

[Marisa]

I think this is a debate that doesn't really need to be started ;) B/c while I understand that some people choose to reserve the term "natural" as "without painkillers", my Vagina will tell you that what it did was extremely natural - drugs or not.

Jackie - does anyone else know you have a talking vagina? :D

yes, in fact, it does lectures on thursday nights at 8:30. I can send you a class schedule if you'd like. ;)

:rofl You guys made me spit my coffee out!!! Damn it, now I have to reprint my reports. Thanks for starting my morning out right! :biglaugh

[karen-clark]

Jackie - it was probably in your epidural. It's usually part of the cocktail!

Lorah - The problem is who knows when the baby will finally be born, maybe having the shot makes you relax enough to finally get it out. And I never got that anyway, it still would go to the baby whether it is 2 hours before delivery or just before, I think it's just less obvious when it is earlier (baby may not act mellow if it's worn off) but it still gets to them.

I can't find the article that linked it to speech problems in the baby but I have to wonder if the HUGE increase in kids needing speech therapy might be related to labor drugs. No one ever wants to blame labor drugs on anything.

[Lindsay]

The subject of fentanyl and its effect on babies (especially it impeding nursing) is a hot topic in medical reports. I can't believe they use it so much! It goes right to the baby! Ugh.

Really? Huh. I never had a problem with it in my births. Especially my second birth. My second baby wasn't even born sleepy, and that birth was a fast labor.

The bottom line is that labor drugs do carry risks, everyone knows this. For some people the benefits (being able to relax more for one thing -some women are so fearful due to the birth culture in our society they actually impede labor) outweigh the risks, and for some people they don't. One thing that drives me nuts the insinuation that the risks of the drugs never outweigh the benefits. I think they do. Maybe not always, but at least sometimes.

[justamom]

For my next child birth I want it at home, potentially in the water using hypnosis with a Doula. That is the combination I want to try the next time around. My husband does not agree and is afraid of it, but I don't want a repeat of my last birth. Hubby and I were not intimate for a year after my daughter was born. The scar tissue was just so painful, and traumatized by my doctor's methods.

[Lindsay]

I understand, Tina. I had a really traumatic first birth. And I know, that a lot of it was caused by all the interventions and my own fear. I knew that if I had gone a more natural route, I'd have likely been in much less pain (ironically). So for my second birth, I read a lot of Ina May Gaskin and just, had this goal of having a really relaxed birth. I wanted to have a natural birth but my bipolar symptoms were out of hand towards the end of the pregnancy (I generally have a remission of symptoms until the very final weeks of pregnancy), and I chose to induce at 40w6d with a cervix that was 50% effaced and 2cm dialated.

I wasn't willing to do an induction without painkillers. I didn't even try. But, I think that because I had a really open minded approach, working with my body, working on relaxing, thinking of contractions as surges/rushes of energy instead of rushes of pain....I had a 100% pain free labor. It was awesome. I did, however, have a few recovery complications, and that is why I would like to try a natural birth for #3. I've been pestering Lisa about being a doula or helping me with a UC, though I don't know if I ever really will do a UC, that may be too "out there" for me, much as I respect women who choose that route.

Ultimately when it comes to labor choices, I think that as long as a woman educates herself, I respect whatever choice she makes.

[TaivensMama]

My Doula used Hypnosis methods with me and it really helped ease the pain and get me focused on how to get through the contraction rather than fight the pain. I didn't realise it was hypnosis until I saw hypnosis on one of the baby stories being done and it was exactly what my doula did with me :) I also had a ton of tips from our birthing class, she gave us so many options of methods to try and reminding the dads how to help, not annoy and watch for sings that they were being irritating...I still can't get over how helpful and involved my hubby was...we are not a touchy feely bunch and that man held me, cuddled, massaged, and supported me so well...the big tip we learned was as long as your jaw is relaxed the rest of your body will be too...so during my tub laboring he was behind me rabbing my jaw so I would remember to relax it and not tense it up because that was just going to make the pain mor intense...
Anybody else learn cool tips on how to focus, relax, get through the pain?

[Lorah]

Lorah - The problem is who knows when the baby will finally be born, maybe having the shot makes you relax enough to finally get it out. And I never got that anyway, it still would go to the baby whether it is 2 hours before delivery or just before, I think it's just less obvious when it is earlier (baby may not act mellow if it's worn off) but it still gets to them.
.

I agree...no one can really "know" until they are coming out...and that can vary from moment to moment for sure!!!

I was just stating what Kaiser tells you in their classes....not what I think is right or true or anything....

I am one of those that didn't want anything...period....unless I needed a C-section...and it that case I would have done an Epi, cause the drugs from the Epi, if done correctly, DO NOT ENTER THE BABY! But even still as I was having a V birth, I still didn't want it....I am just all for the all natural methods, no drugs kinda gal...

[Luckylove]

Why no c-section birth stories?? Im curious as to how you ladies ended up with a C?

[jellybeanmichelle]

So the poll says only 4 people. You, Lorrie, Me, and someone else. Who is it?

Ok, my story, I know I've said it before, but here I go.
Water broke 5:15am on Oct 4, 2005. No contractions by 11am. Water still gushing out! Dr said go to hospital. Still no contractions. I finally started getting some towards the night. It was maybe 2am on Oct 5th when I got my epi. I was going to jump out of my own skin! The contractions were long and hard, but not on a schedule. In the morning my dr came in to check me. I was 8cm but the contractions - according to the monitor were still not on a schedule and some were 7 min long. I was also on pitocin since the following day. By noon, my dr came back, I was still at 8cm. And since my water was broken for over 24 hours, she said c-section at 5pm on Oct 5th. They stopped the pitocin once they decided to do c-section. Even after that my contractions were sparatic. So I was in labor for 36 hours once my water broke. Next kid I think I will just do a planned c-section. Not sure yet, cause I had to go back to the hospital a few days after I was discharged and get a blood patch done. The epi had poked a hole in the spinal area. I was leaking fluid which was causing major headaches everytime I stood up. Course, it wasn't discovered until I was off the powerfull pain meds from the hospital and at home.

[karen-clark]

Tina - Look into compromising with your dh and doing a natural birth with a midwife and doula in a birth center vs. at home. I've heard incredible birth stories from people at birthing centers that feel like homebirths but have extra equipment "just in case" that could help your husband feel better. There's no reason you will repeat your first birth if you go into it knowing what you will and won't accept, have a birth plan ready for normal and emergency situations and have caregivers you trust to abide by your wishes. I just think that if your husband isn't behind you having a homebirth it will create tension and worry at a time when he should be taking care of you and focused on you and the baby, you know what I mean? Just an idea.

[My3sonsplus1]

I feel similar yet completely different. If the mother is tense and annoyed she is not getting the birth she wants because of her dh (or $ or whatever non medical reasons) she is more likely to have labor stall and thus potential complications and weird protocols messing up her birth even further. I truely truely believe my 17 hr labor was from feeling so watched at the hospital. When I was away from the medicos (because that is what worked for me I was not interested in interventions and such) I labored sooooooo much faster and easier. 17 to 5.5 to 4 to 2.5 (with tooooooooons of prelabor days before)...

[karen-clark]

Yeah I can see that too. Maybe showing him some homebirth videos would help bring him over to your side!

[JeriAnne]

Why no c-section birth stories?? Im curious as to how you ladies ended up with a C?

I copied and pasted this from my other moms board - too lazy to type it all out again.

Austins Birth Story

I went to the Dr. on Wednesday morning because I thought that my water had broken. On the way to the hospital I started having contractions, but nothing painful.

After waiting in the waiting room for about an hour, I was checked by the Maternity Triage nurse, she said that my water hadn't broken but had noticed that I was dilated to 4 CM.

She then started freaking me out because she kept asking if I had any heart problems, I said no and asked why. She said that my heart rate was abnormally high.

Because of being 4 CM and my high heart rate, she decided to admit me.

I was put into the labor room shortly there after. Word of advice!!!! Take a hospital tour before going into labor. My labor room was no bigger then 10X10 and the bathroom was a toilet that was next to the bed, I felt very uncomfortable in this room but at this point I really had no choice. In hindsight, had I known that the labor room was going to be this bad, I would have gone to the other hospital in the same town (I heard later that it's a much nicer facility).

Once I was hooked up to all the monitors, the Dr suggested that I have an EKG. This freaked me out even more because not only was I in a dark run down labor room, I was also being asked all these questions about my heart and now I needed to have an EKG to determine if anything was indeed wrong with my heart. Luckily, nothing was wrong with my heart, but they couldn't explain why my heart rate was so high and we all had just assumed it was because I was nervous and scared about the whole birthing process.

I advanced from 4 CM to 5 CM pretty quickly and then requested the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and prepped me for the epidural, while doing this she thought that she might have hit a blood vessel, which isn't good because it would mean that the medicine would be going to my baby, so she had to pull the epidural line out a little bit more then usually and said that there might be a chance that I would have to get another epidural...I didn't care just as long as I didn't feel any pain. After about 15 minutes I started to become numb and after about 25 minutes I was in heaven, I felt NOTHING.
I was then given a catheter and the Dr broke my water. I then advanced to 7 CM pretty quickly.

At about 7pm, I decided to get some sleep. I slept like a baby until about 10pm or so (not quite sure on the times because after this everything seemed as though it happened in a matter of 1 hour), but noticed that the epidural was wearing off, so the anesthesiologist (a different one this time) came back and topped it off (By 'topped off', I mean that in addition to the medicine drip that I was receiving via IV for the epidural, I also received more medicine directly into the epidural line, from what I was told the medicine is strong then what is administered via the IV) and again it didn't last. It was decided that they would go ahead and do a second epidural so the first was removed and a second was put in place. Again, after about 25 minutes I was in heaven again and was feeling nothing. However, once again it started to wear off so I was topped off again.

In all, I had about 5 top offs and all weren't working as they should have. I later learned that the anesthesiologist had told the nurse to turn down the epidural IV drip because I said that I didn't like being that numb...which wasn't the case at all, I was enjoying the pain free feeling.

At this point I was still dilated to 7 CM and was placed on oxygen because Austin's heart rate was dipping and the oxygen would help. My mouth was so terribly dry because of the oxygen, but I was only allowed ice chips. It was also then decided that they needed to do an internal fetal heart monitor because of the of the dips in Austins heart rate.

Each time the epidural would wear off, I was in terrible pain and was begging for a c-section (little did I know..LOL). The nurses were great with helping me get through the contractions, Andy didn't know what to do because I was screaming in pain, he just kept telling me when they were almost over. I think that he was in shock at how much pain I was in.

It was approximately 1 am when the Dr checked me again and I was still 7 CM dilated. So because Austin was still having dips in his heart rate and was showing no signs of moving down the birth canal and because I had developed a high grade fever, the Dr came in and decided that am emergency c-section would be the way to go.

I was wheeled into the OR and was prepped. I was so scared at this point because of the heart rate dips that Austin was having and because of my fever. I felt so cold and my arms were shaking so much that Andy had to hold my right arm down on the table (the anesthesiologist held my left arm). The anesthesiologist said that she was going to put me to sleep after they delivered Austin and I was able to see him.

I felt tons of pressure as they pushed my on my stomach, they had a bit of a hard time because Austin was positioned on my right side, so they had to maneuver.

Austin was born at 1:42am and weighed 9lbs 13.5 ozs and was 21.5in long. He had a full head of hair and the Dr. joked that he had just delivered a toddler.

After he was out the Dr. noticed that he had a shoestring knot in his umbilical cord (which apparently is very rare, only about 10% of pregnancies), the cord was also wrapped around his neck...all that explained the dips in his heart rate.

True to her word the anesthesiologist put me to sleep. Had I known, I wouldn't have agreed to this because about 2 minutes after he was born and I saw him, I was asleep. I didn't get a chance to hold him immediately and breastfeed him immediately.

I later woke up in the recovery room with my family by my side. I watched Austin get his first sponge bath and get his first Hepatitis shot. After about an hour in the recovery room I was wheeled into my room. It was nearly 4 am and I was so tired that after my family left I asked the nurse to take Austin to the nursery and I went to sleep, I woke up about 9am.

Te recovery in the hospital was rough, I had to be on antibiotics 24 hours a day because of m fever and getting in and out of bed was hard because of the incision. That goodness they left the catheter in until Friday afternoon. Because of the surgery, I wasn't allowed solid foods so my meals for Thursday consisted of juice and jello...Yummy!

Due to the fever, I had to stay in the hospital hooked up to IV medication until Saturday when they were sure that I had enough of the antibiotics in my blood (I had several blood tests take during my stay).

Andy, Austin and I were sent home on Saturday afternoon and not a minute too soon.

Ryans Birth Story

I’ll begin this when I started going to Mercy in Sacramento. Note: I had to switch hospitals because my hospital won’t do VBAC and since I wanted to attempt a vaginal delivery this time I had to transfer my care to Mercy.

For my 37.5 week appointment I saw Dr. Nutter, we discussed why my care was transferred and I explained that I wanted to attempt a vaginal birth. We also discussed the prospect of having to schedule a c-section, which was fine with me since I didn’t want to go overdue with this baby because of fear of his size and uterine rupture. She suggested that I hold off on scheduling the c-section until I got closer to my due date. However, the c-section was already scheduled for the 16th of September. I was going to cancel until I had my 38 week appointment (read below). At this point I wasn’t dilated.

At my 38 week appointment I saw Dr. Ramos, who immediately told me that I was having a huge baby and that it would be in my best interest to go ahead with the c-section. So at this point I decided to keep my scheduled c-section appointment. I was still only 1CM dilated and baby was still really high.

I had come to terms with having to have to go ahead with the c-section. It was more convenient actually since it was going to be on a Friday and my parents were going to be in town and they would be able to watch Austin while I was in the hospital.

For my 39 week appointment I saw Dr. Parsi. We reviewed my chart and she measured my belly and said that in her opinion the baby was right on target with weight and I shouldn’t worry about the possibility of him being big. I was still only 1 CM dilated and the baby was still high. I asked if she could strip my membranes in hopes to get things going…she agreed. I decided at this point to cancel my scheduled c-section on the 16th since I didn’t feel there was a need to have that early. I just didn’t feel right knowing that I didn’t give my body enough time to try to go into labor on it’s own (4 days).

At this point I had an appointment with my regular Dr. for pre-op since my c-section was scheduled for the following day. I kept this appointment because I wanted her to do an internal to see if I had progressed at all. I was still only 1 CM dilated at this point and the baby was still high. I asked her how many times membranes could be stripped and she said as many times as I wanted, so I requested she strip them. She did and OWWWW! I noticed while getting dressed that my mucus plug was coming out, so I was really hopeful that this time it had done something since the first time resulted in nothing. I also cancelled my c-section on the 16th.

I called Mercy to see about scheduling a c-section over there for my due date. At this point I had come to terms with having to have a c-section if I hadn’t gone into labor by my due date. I know that previous c-section mothers have gone past their due date and had successful vaginal deliveries, but I just didn’t want to put myself or my baby through the risks just in case he did turn out to be big.

So the surgery was scheduled for the 20th (my due date).

That Sunday Austin came down with a 104 fever and was throwing up. At that point I was worried that I would once again have to reschedule surgery and was stressing out because if I had to do that then I would have to rush around and find someone to watch Austin since my parents were only going to be in town for a week.

Luckily his fever broke late that night and he was feeling much better by the following day.

On Monday I took them on an all day shopping spree in hopes that I would go into labor so that I could avoid surgery. I ‘thought’ I was having contractions, but turns out they were nothing.

On Tuesday morning, we packed up and headed to the hospital. Once there I requested to see the Dr so that she could check me and see if I had dilated or if the baby had moved down. Unfortunately I wasn’t dilating much more and the baby was still high. So, the final last ditch effort (that I was willing to make) had been exhausted and it was now a reality that I would go through another c-section.

My surgery was scheduled for noon, but I was pushed back because a mother with twins had to have an emergency c-section. All this was fine with me because it gave me a chance to relax before heading into the OR.

After all the prepping (IV, changing clothes, shaving…LOL, etc) was done I was walked into the OR, which was freezing. The nurses in the OR were terrific, they were joking around and laughing with me, which made me feel so much better and relieve some of the anxiety that I was having. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me my spinal, which was so much easier then the epidural(s) I had with Austin. I asked the anesthesiologist if my hands could remain free from the table and he agreed but I had to promise that I would touch the sterile areas, which I quickly agreed to.

Soon after Dr Nutter and Dr Parsi came in and sat behind the drape that was hanging over my chest. I remember sitting there thinking to myself that they had been there for awhile and if they hadn’t started it was going to be a long day. I turned to Andy and asked them if they had started and he told me no. I said to him that it’s going to be awhile then. After a few more minutes I asked the anesthesiologist if they had started and he said that they were half way finished. I was in pure shock since I wasn’t feeling anything (DUH, not supposed to) and how quickly they were going.

I never even felt them push on my abdomen to push the baby out. In seconds the Dr was pulling him out and announcing that he was a gorgeous baby boy. I immediately teared up from all the emotion I had built up from the previous weeks (months).

He was 8 pounds 4 ounces and 20 ½ inches long. He had the same full head of hair that Austin did when he was born and looked exactly like him. We named him Ryan James (a name we had only agreed on hours prior).

They cleaned him up and brought him to Andy he was able to hold him while they stitched me up. After my stitching was done the Dr’s were called to an emergency so they left. Andy continued to be able to hold Ryan while the nurses finished up with me and was able to walk him to the recovery room. After about 30 minutes of Andy holding him in the recovery room he left to go be with Austin and my parents.

While I was still in the recovery room they took Ryan to the nursery so he can have his newborn screening done.

At about 6pm, I was wheeled into my room where I would spend the next 2 nights. Shortly after that they brought Ryan into me and he nursed, latched like a champ in fact. Andy, Austin and my parents came into visit with me. Austin wasn’t quite sure what to make of me being in the hospital bed…he was too busy playing. There were moments of whining because he wanted to be up on the bed with me, but I just wasn’t able to hold him.

My first post-partum nurse was awesome, such a different experience then what I had with Austin. She was amazed at how well I was doing and how anxious I was to get up and move. I just told her it is because I knew what to expect since I had done it before and I knew that the sooner I was up and around the sooner I would feel better and be able to go home. By 1am I was up and walking to the bathroom and passing gas (A huge deal after having a c-section). I felt so much different this time around it was amazing. I felt as though I hadn’t even had a c-section.

The following days in the hospital (from Tuesday evening to Thursday afternoon), Ryan and I just spent the time together. He only went to the nursery when they needed to take him, other then that he never left my sight. This too was so different from when I had Austin. After my c-section with him I was way too exhausted to do anything much less hold and nurse a baby. All my nurses were awesome, I really couldn’t have asked for better nurses.

On Thursday morning the Dr came in and was also surprised with my recovery and said that I could be discharged that day (a day early), but I had to promise to take it easy since they didn’t like discharging c-section patients early because of the possibility of the incision opening up because the staples were taken out early. I agree and told him that he needed to say the same thing to Andy so that he would be able to hear for himself…LOL.

At 5-6pm I was packed up and leaving the hospital.

My experience this time was vastly different then the emergency situation with Austin. I went in knowing what to expect and found myself not regretting any of the decisions I had made up to that point. I thought for sure that I would feel upset that I didn’t go through with waiting until natural labor happened, but I didn’t. I was just so happy and so thankful that Ryan was finally here and that everything was perfect. They weren’t able to use the incision site from Austin, so they had to do another incision. I was upset by this at first, but now I look down at both my scars and realize that both of my boys have their own scar.

With all that being said, I went into my first labor wanting the drugs and if I would have labored on my own with Ryan I would have gotten the drugs again. I do not feel any less of a woman because I choose drugs or had a c-section. The health of my children FAR outweighed anything that I wanted.

[Shari]

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[Shanta]

I think I have posted the story before.. so this will be shorter. Due to a childhood illness that I had I have had a great deal of eye ops over the years. I have an eye implant that hasn't been put into anyone of "childbearing age". When I found out I was Pegger I talked to my eye doc and we decided that that a C was the lowest risk for my eyes. While I would have liked to try a V birth I didn't want to risk losing my eye sight. SO...I had a planed C set for the 18th. I kept asking my doc "what happens if I go into labor before then?" and she told me planed C's are 1 week before the due date and 90% of babies come after that so NO WORRIES.... *giggles* Well my darling baby boy decided that we was coming 3+ weeks early. :) He broke my water at or before 6:30 am (on the full moon) I was at the hospital at 8:30 and at 10:30 They had me on the table. It was shocking on how fast things happened. Log was born at 10:46 7 lbs 1 oz. and a preme tho he didn't think so. According to the doctor he stuck his own head out once the doc had made the hole.
My mother says he is his mothers son.. I came 3+ weeks early on the full moon too. :)

[lizirroja]

Both of mine were the same type of thing. Colin was born on his due date, 6lbs 14oz. I started having serious contractions at midnight and we went to Memorial. They laughed at me because I looked relaxed until they found out I was dilated to 5. I spent hours and hours in the shower and at 8 in the morning they broke my water when I was fully dilated. At noon they started giving me pain meds and finally at 2:30 I got an epi. He still didn't come out until 7pm. It was a long, long day. Turns out he was face up and towards my left hip. I had intended to not have any painkillers but the back labor and the fact that he didn't move down the birth canal for 2 hours when I was pushing was too much.

Eli was born 2 days after his due date and I woke up at 5am and I knew he would be born that day. He was 7lbs. 15 oz. At 10am we dropped Colin off at my DH's parents house and we went to Kaiser. I was dilated to 8 when I got in and again, the annoying nurse thought I wasn't in hard labor until she checked me. At noon I asked for an epi because it felt just like Colin's birth and she told me, "Oh honey, you are going to have your baby within half an hour. He wouldn't even be able to get up here in time and I don't want you to regret your decision." I have curse words I like to use for her now. I also have curse words for the doc that sent everyone out of the room 2 hours later to ask me why I wasn't pushing. Anyway, they finally gave me a "walking epi" and they all went to lunch. An hour later when they came back the epi was gone and I was back to total pain. By 5:20 the doc said I had about 30 min left before a c-section would be in order and they used the vacuum to get him out. Tore like crazy. My DH still marvels that the doc sat there sewing me up for over an hour while she chewed gum. There were like 15 people in the room because he was merconium and the fact that they needed the vacuum. Eli was the same as Colin, face up and towards my left hip.

One nurse said the best thing, "Well, at least you get a baby after all this!" And she is right...even 10 minutes after each birth I could have cared less about all the pain.

[Kellie_MO5]

Huh, I could have sworn that I had already posted to this thread.. but (unless I totally missed my avatar in my skimming) I am mistaken! SO, I will give the short version of each of the stories...
Jessie 8 lbs 5 oz, 19.5 in long... was born in Arkansas at 38 weeks. I had my check up and the dr "accidentally" broke my water. I I say "accidentally" with the quotes because I don't really think it was an accident. She was being VERY rough, and the WOOSH, all over her (I *did* lol about that later, though). The bad part (other than jess being early) was that we were 2 hours from home (yep, that was the nearest birthing hospital) and I didn't have my bag, and we hadn't gotten a carseat yet (we wree actually gonna do that after the apt). SO, we went to the hospital, they gave me fentanyl (sp?) and I HATE HATE HATE that drug. It made me pass out between contractions, but wake in excrutiating pain with each one. I remember telling matt to leave me alone and get off me when he was trying to comfort me, and then yelling at him for not doing anything but watching tv while I was in pain... The dr and nurses came in when it was time to push, and laughed and scolded me when I said I couldn't, that it hurt (keep in mind that I was 18 at the time, fairly naive, and we had just been in ar a few months). The only good thing from that experience is our first born. She was born the day after Valentines day, and on that day it snowed ;) Oh, and another thing I remember that was a little funny... After I had her and they left us for a few minutes, matt stepped on the cathater bag (which was full) and busted it....

Eli 11 lbs 1 oz, 23 in... was born here at memorial. We were a scheduled induction, because I was 3 days "past due" and had been having stress tests for the past 2 months due to less movement, and they felt it was time to get the baby out of there. They told me at the last US (1 week before he was born) that he looked to be about 9 lbs or so (HAHA!). I had an epidural this time, which was great, though it had begun to wear off when the time came for bubba to vacate the premisis... I pushed for a few hours and they had begun to talk about shoulder distocia, and the possibilities we may need to consider, but they would give me a little longer...Then they all yelled at me to push harder, I wasn't giving it my all, I need to get him out, etc etc... When he was born (with a little tearing) and they saw how big he was they all (the dr and nurses) apologized for saying I wasn't trying my hardest...lol. They laid him on my stomach, and he promptly pooped all over me. .then they weighed him (so he would have been even more if he had held it for a few minutes...lol). He didn't fit any of the newborn diapers or clothes we had for him, so I had to fo shopping a few days after we got home to get hims something to wear, since it was the dead of winter, dec. 22, 2002.

Alyssa 9 lbs 5 oz, 21 in ... was born april 5th, 2005. She was at memorial again. I was induced again 3 days before my due date because they feared another big baby (uh, so did I...lol). There was nothing too extraordinary about the labor/delivery of her (well, except her, or course :) ) except that the epidural completely wore off and stopped working my the time it came to pushing... when the midwife delivered the placenta she was dumbfounded, and amazed. The umilical cord was 1/2 on the placenta, and the other 1/2 wrapped around the water bag. I she had broken my water in the wrong spot, or if it had broken on it's own in the wrong spot (esp if I had been home and that happened) then it could easily have broken through one of the umbilical veins, and Ali would have bled out and died before there would have been a chance to do anything about it. She said she had heard about that, but had never atually seen it in real life...

Inbetween Alyssa and Luke we lost a baby due to a ruptured ectopic, and they had to go in through my stomach to make sure everything was alright instead of a laporectomy, so now I have a lovely huge-ass scar on my belly that everyone (us techs and other drs) thinks is from a c-section, and they ask how many I've had... uh... none...

Luke 9 lbs 5 oz, 21 in... He was born on July 3rd, 2006. I hadn't been feeling well at all, light headed and dizzy at my 38 week check up (on a friday) so they sent me to the hospital for monitoring. Turned out that I was extrememly anemic, and my fluid was *very* low.. they called the midwife, and she said to schedule me for induction the following monday (yaay :( )... SO, that went down, epidural was gotten and didn't work except for a short period of time on my left side... but I had done some reading this time, and learned what worked for me was humming, breathing and hard pressure to my head (front and back... wierd? maybe, but it all but took the pain away) so while I breathed and hummed, Matt held my forhead in one hand while applying pressure to the back with his other... LOL... nothing exciting about this labor and delivery (with the exception of the birth of my 4th child ;) )... after a few minutes they took him from me to weigh and measure, and as they moved him from me to the scale, he decided it would be a good time to pee...lol... so everyone just saw this stream cascading through the air.. .very funny...

And, that's all for now! I didn't answer the poll question because all 4 were very different... and they still are ;)

[Kellie_MO5]

Damn.. actually, right after I wrote that I remembered what it was with Luke.. (and feel bad that I forgot)... during pregnancy they said he may have water on the brain... when he was born he spent a little while stuck in the birth canal, and after I pushed him out he was a little blue, not anything too worried about so they let me have him for a few, then they took him (THEN he peed...lol) to get checked out and have his head scanned... all is well, test was in our favor.... but I feel soo bad that I forgot that part!!! grrrr

[MS Photo]

For my next child birth I want it at home, potentially in the water using hypnosis with a Doula. That is the combination I want to try the next time around. My husband does not agree and is afraid of it, but I don't want a repeat of my last birth. Hubby and I were not intimate for a year after my daughter was born. The scar tissue was just so painful, and traumatized by my doctor's methods.

My sister and I both had home births and absolutely loved it! My sister was unhappy with her first birth (c-section) and had her second at home and very successfully. My first was at home and all the rest will be too. Let me know if you have any questions. I would really recommend your husband getting some education on home births (not by any biased doctor's obviously) and hopefully that should ease some of his fear...he should be more afraid of the lack of intimacy again :giggle

[Lorah]

Cool that Alyssa and Luke were the same weight and length! I wonder how many times that happens with siblings?

[StacyK]

Wow, I thought I had posted on here a long time ago...I guess not.

Ashur - 7lbs 11oz

I was planning on having him at the free standing birth center in Pleasanton. I went over due however. I believe it could had very well been due to stress of not making the birth center's time line - (37.5-41.5 weeks) and the fact that my doula hurt her back and couldn't attend my birth AND the fact that our back up doctor was going to be out of town.

Any how, at 41 weeks I went in to the hospital for a non-stress test and sure enough they catch a dip, at which point they decided they need to admit me and start and induction. Well I didn't want to be induced, but I felt a lot of pressure from the staff and was made to feel like there was'nt any other choice. The first tried cervidel, then the next morning they broke my bag and then they started pitocine. I was lucky enough to get an aprretence midwife from the birth center to agree to play the part of doula for me or it would have gone downhill from there.

Pitocine is an awful beast and the contractions were one right after the other. Nurses kept pushing pain killers and even though the pain was intense, my doula helped me get through it. I took a while for me to dialate at first and the doctor kept saying something about a c-section (don't ask me why, I guess he was in a hurry-there was nothing wrong,) Near the end (6 hrs later - not bad I know!) they had checked me and I was at 7cm, then 5 min later my body got the uncontrollable urge to push - all of a sudden it was pandemonium!! Nurses yelling at me to stop pushing, my doctor (the back up to the back up) came in and told me I would have to have an epiural if I couldn't stop pushing, craziness everywhere. Instead of checking me, they called for the anethesiologist because i "couldn't control my body" they made me feel like I was doing something wrong. Finally someone rolled me over and realized my son's head was crowning. I pushed him out in 20 min and he was perfect and healthy. - then they proceeded to take him from me and go ahead with all the non-important proceedures I had asked them not to do (all the while I screaming for them to give m my baby.) - The Staff was awful and on such a power trip I couldn't believe it.

Ebin 7lbs 7oz - After Ashurs birth I decided to become a doula. I took classes, read books, did research and really learned how to trust my body. I wanted to have Ebin at home, but my insurance wouldn't cover it - go figure...It costs a FRACTION of the price, the rate of c-seation is under 10% compared to 30% (nationwide - this stastistic can be WAY higher at some hospitols) and statistically, you and your baby are just as safe, if not safer, than you are in a hospital...

Anyways, we thought the next best thing would be the Birth Center here in town. I voluteered there as doula and had a personal relationship with some of the staff so I thought it would be fine.

My pregnancy was lovely - I opted out of most procedures, including the ultrasound, and I never had them check me to see if I was dilated. The reaseon for this is - it doesn't matter... you can be 3 cm for 3 weeks and not go into labor, or you can be dilated for 1cm and go into labor that night. I didn't want that false sense of hope - or the snese that I wasn't going into labor.

I did a lot of meditation, I did visualiszation and I trusted my body. I was excited for labor, not scared...and I *wanted* to feel my baby being born. I *needed* to feel so I would know what my body wanted me to do...rock, sway, change postition...The thought of drugs and an epidural and being numb...cut off from my body is what really scared me (which is comical considering my past ;) Okay, that AND the fear of my water breaking in the Grocery store ;)

Anyways, I had great contractions for 2 weeks before my due date - THEN On my due date, we were leaving Target and I looked down at my belly and told my baby that *I* was ready now...That he/she could come anytime they wanted. A few steps later a felt a thud.

We had one more stop to make - You guessed it, the grocery store. One step inside Trade Joes and my water breaks - agghh!! I told my DH that I was going to the bathroom to assess the situation. Well we were COMPLETELY out of food, and I hadn't started contractions yet, AND I was wearing black pants, so we went ahead and shopped :)

Here and there I would have a contraction, but it was every 20-40 min. From the time I really got going it was only about 45 min - then I realized I was in transition and we needed to go. I'm lucky we only live a mile from the Birth Center, because Ebin was born right after we walked in the door.

The whole thing was intense and beautiful!! I wish everyone coul have an experience like that.

My next baby will be at home and even if I have to fight from day one, my insurance will see the value in paying for it.