Well, I'll spare you the 4 pages I wrote for the baby book and give you all the short version, now that I'm finally ok enough with this to write out the story.
My water broke at about 2:15pm on May 5, 2009. I didn't spring a leak, my water gushed, there was no mistaking it! Lol. Contractions started about 45 minutes later. They got strong quick and were 2 1/2 - 3 minutes apart from the moment they started. I had been thinking I would have to go walking to get things started, but that wasn't the case! By the time I got home from my BFF's house, where I had been babysitting, to shower, I was having to breathe through my contractions. Not an easy thing while trying to shave!
DB and my BFF were worried because they were coming so fast already. So I got ready and called the dr and off to the hospital we went. I figured I must have made some progress. I had had contractions that kept me up for a few hours the night before, and these contractions were so strong that they had to be doing something! I got checked around 5pm, and 2 nurses checked me to be sure. I was 100% effaced (I had been 90% 5 days prior) but only a fingertip dilated! I was crushed. The contractions were getting worse and not long after the dr came in and stretched me to 2. That pain was a thousand times worse than any contraction and I was bawling when he finished. It was really hard not to kick him in the face while he was doing it. Then he told me I should get an epidural. I snapped something rude back and the nurse scooted him out of the room quickly. Lol.
There was a wonderful nurse that came to my room to help coach me through. I found out later, she wasn't even my nurse and stayed hours after her shift was over because she wanted to help me get through. She was amazing. She got the birth ball for me, helped with positions and breathing, and also coached DB and my BFF on how to help me and helped rub my back. I never would have made it as long as I did if it weren't for her. But after the doctor stretched me, the contractions were even harder and I didn't have a chance to breathe in between them. Had I been further along, maybe I could have done it, but I knew I was only 2 cm and I was bawling and couldn't stop. I finally told DB I couldn't do it and I was sorry. He was super supportive, I think he couldn't handle knowing I was hardly that into it and in so much pain so I gave in and got the epidural. Once I was settled in to the bed I was checked again and at 6. 2 hours later I was 9 and 1/2 hour later I was 10. My dr wanted me to push, but the nurse (new nurse at this point, but she was wonderful too) knew I wanted to do self-directed pushing. So she came and turned down my epi so I could feel the urge and sat in the room with us so the dr thought we were working on pushing. Lol. She told me to let her know when I felt ready. Around 11:30 I said I felt like I should push. So I pushed and rested and chatted for 1 1/2 hours and at 1:06am my princess was born. I needed 1 stitch.
I'm still upset that I got the epidural, but I never could have endured that pain for that long. I'm thankful that there were no long term effects on me and Cherie and she was born healthy. All I can do is continue to prepare myself and hope I can do it next time. In talking with the nurses and my childbirth teacher, they all seem to think I could have done it had my water not broken before labor started. But it was too intense too fast with my water breaking.
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My birth story, x-posted
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