Wow, I think I finally have time to type this
However it will be fast probably with alot of typos. So some of you may remember my mom had to have emergency open heart on Jan 15th. (she is doing great by the way). Well on Friday the 16th I went to L&d because I thought my water broke and I'd been having bloody show all night and morning. After a few hours they sent me home, said it wasn't leaking or anything, I was 2 cm. Then on Sat. the 17th, at about 7:30am I was having contractions some were 5 mins apart but for the most part they were about 10-12 mins apart and not that regular. We decided to go back to L&D at about 10:30am. Dr. was there (just by chance) he checked me and told me to go I was again, 2cm. But when I laid on my back on the monitor there weren't any contractions
They had me walk around for an hour and 1/2, ate some lunch, drank some water. I was having contractions during my walking, so much that I had to stop and let them pass. Got back to be rechecked, I was 3cm. They put me on the monitor and NO CONTRACTIONS! I should mention that my Dr. was not there, it was an on call Dr. So the Dr. said I was having false labor and told me to go home. I asked the nurse how would I know if they were real as these FELT very real to me. She told me if they went away when I laid on my left side then they were "not real". And if they didn't go away when I laid on my left side, then to wait until they were 2-3mins apart and come back. So we got home at about 4pm after picking up Max (left the hospital at 2:30pm). I was having contractions the whole time, they were bearable. So we got home, I did some laundry. The contractions continued as long as I was on my feet but they went away when I laid on my left side. I talked to my friend on the phone (on my left side) and didn't have any contractions. I took a bath...and didn't have any contractions....but when I stood up they were intense and about 5 -8 mins apart. At about 6:30p I decided I was going back. I was going to have my sister take me and have Mark stay home with Max and if I got admitted he'd come up and my sister would take Max home. But DH decided he should take me. So the whole way to the hospital I was laying down and they were coming every 2-3 mins, it was snowing and the roads were crappy. We got there, I went in and told DH to park the car, and leave the bags in it , since I wasn't sure they would admit me. I got in, got checked and I was 9cm
I immediately freaked out! I said "I need an epidural, they told me I didn't have time. I said "well I need something" they said I was too far and it would affect the baby. DH then came in and I yelled at him to go get the camera, he said why. I said "because I'm having the baby now and I can't have any drugs!" He said what is this 1912!? I said "just go!!!" They literally wrapped a sheet around me and got me into a room and I was panicking! I called my mom's room and told her I was having the baby and I couldn't have any drugs! She said "you'll be OK I did it 4 times, I'll be there" I said "ok, if you can". I wanted her there as much as she wanted to be there. So the nurses were rushing, 1 was putting in my IV, another put me on the monitor (for baby HB) another did an US to verify head down. My water had not broke yet. The lab came to draw blood. I was so scared .It's one thing when you plan on a natural child birth.....but I had said repeatedly that I wanted NO PART of a natural child birth and I would take the epidural as soon as they let me. So in walked the Dr. he said "when I saw the # I knew it was you that was in labor" (I wanted to say "then why the #@** did you send me home!) Right behind him, came my mom
. She was in a wheelchair with her chest tube drainage system in her lap. The nursing supervisor brought her in. They sat her along the wall and she got to watch the whole thing. So he broke my water and then sat in a chair. They told me to push with my next contraction, let me tell you, that was the LAST thing I felt like doing, but I gave a good push. Then they had me push a 2nd time (they said "you can do better than that, I guess it was a weak push) Then the 3rd time I pushed here she came. The Dr. didn't even have time to put gloves on. (serves him right). The cord was loosely around the neck once. They told me to blow and the rest of her slowly came out. My mom said it was like God was there guiding her out she came out so perfectly. I was in shock, I couldn't believe this had just happened! We got to the hospital at 7:30p and she was born at 8:02pm
Nothing like cutting it close. She weighed 8# 9oz and was 21in long. Head 13 3/4. She has tons of hair. She didn't cry when she came out, I was worried. I asked "is she ok?" DH was right by her, the nurse said, "she's fine, she's just looking around". They gave her her Hep B shot and that made her cry. So I sent DH home about 9:30p to be with Max. Then at about 10:15p I started to feel faint, the blood pressure machine started to beep and my BP was 60/34. I called the nurse and they came rushing in. I was there but I wasn't. They kept saying "stay with me". I started throwing up , I guess I was white as a ghost and then I passed a huge clot (sorry TMI). So they start to give me IV fluids but my IV won't work, so they start another IV. The dump 3 liters of fluid in me and I start to feel better. They also gave me a shot of pitocin and a pill to help my uterus contract. About 40 mins later it happened again, not vomiting this time tho. Again I passed a bunch of clots. So I didn't get to take a shower that night they just washed me up, I felt so yucky! Oh and I couldn't pee, so they had to straight cath me and I had an abrasion down there and the stuff they clean with burned like holy heck! So I didn't go to sleep until like 4am, i was kinda freaked out. But I made it!
The up side to this child birth is that I really didn't feel nearly as sore as I did with Max the next day. I didn't even need the water bottle to pee. (hehe)
So that's my long story. It is very enpowering to know that I did it on my own.....but given the choice I'd take the epidural! Looking back, I should have just went to my mom's room for an hour or so and then went back and made them recheck me. I knew those weren't braxton hicks!
So to those of you waiting to deliver....trust your instinct!!!!
Oh I only got 2 stiches too!