Parenting & kids - Birth story

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ok, here goes...

I checked into the hospital at 7:30am May 7 to be induced via ROM. I
got changed, hooked up to the IV and checked upon settling into our L&D
room. My bag of waters was broken sometim between 8:30 and 9:30am. I
came in 5 cm dialated and 90% effaced before anything was done. My OB
and nurses promptly sent DH and I to do laps around the maternity ward
for the next hour. I started having what felt like some mild
"menstural" cramps during that hour but only a couple that really
stopped me in my tracks during the last 15 minutes of walking which is
when I decided to go back to the room and rest for a while. So, an hour
after my waters broke I was at 7cm dialated, 100% effaced and in some
pain and definate discomfort but nothing that I couldn't talk through or
even joke about. I thought by this point I was supposed to be writhing
in pain and agony? DH, my mom and Dad were both there keeping me
company. DH's 2nd cousin passed away in an awful car accident so his
family was at the funeral. Well, since I was in some pain and the
bottoms of my feet hurt from walking around I decided to hang out in bed
and since I was progressing so well neither the nurses or my OB minded.
An hour later I was at 8cm dialated and the pain had definately
started to pick up though it felt more like severe and constant
menstrual cramp rather than waves of contractions so I requested demerol
as I was afraid stadol would make me too loopy though the demerol didn't
do a thing for me. I decided to go ahead and get the epidural then, not
because I couldn't handle the pain necessarily but I was afraid of
getting to 10 cm really quickly and then not having time to get one if I
felt I needed one then. To be honest I was afraid of what the pain wold
be like during the actual pushing phase of the delivery without it.
Another hour later I was at 8.5 cm dialated and then stalled for a
couple hours. I was then administered pitocin to start things going
again and it wasn't an hour later that I was 10 cm, starting to feel
some pressure in my bottom though not unbearably so yet.

By this point I wasn't completely and totally numb from the epidural as
I hadn't really had it that long and they turned it down anyway. At
first the pushing was definately painful and uncomfortable (man oh man
was I huffing and puffing!) but wasn't all that bad until about 10
minutes into it that really started feeling the baby come down. During
the next 15 minutes the pain REALLY picked up and at first I was
hesitant to push through it. DH was right there with me and so
encouraging. I wasn't sure how he was going to be during the delivery
but he was absolutely amazing and completely focused on me. After a
total of 25 minutes of pushing Quinn Alexander Schepers was born into
this world screaming as loud as his little lungs would allow. His
second order of business was to urinate all over the doctor while she
was suctioning him out, lol... Just after he was born DH and I started
bawling like crazy. I never thought he would cry but I guess neither
one of us could hold our emotions back at that point. DH then cut the
umbilical cord and he was taken over to the warmer, suctioned out some
more and given a little oxygen while screaming his head off the whole
time. He came out 8 lbs, 1oz and 19.5 inches long at 3:38pm. His apgar
scores were 8 and 8 so all was good there. I received a grand total of
4 stitches and I was suprised to find that my perineum (sp?) was
completely intact (it still never really bothered me afterward) but I
did tear upward just a bit which still smarts, especially when I
urinate, but it's healing up. I guess I was pushing so hard that I
burst capillaries in the sides of my cheeks and face and in one eye, and
broke a blood vessel above my left eye as well. DH said I was turning
all kinds of colors in the face while I was pushing.

I think my labor and delivery went relatively easily considering some of
the stories I've heard before. Everyone has told me how well I move
around and get around after the delivery compared to themselves so I
guess I did have an easy time of it. I was in more pain due to the
epidural in my back and all the muscles I pulled in my arms and
everywhere else than my bottom the day after delivery. I still have a
few muscles that are sore in my arms but otherwise I'm on the mend. I
was suprised to find myself swollen and puffy in the hands, ankles and
feet a few days after the birth. I had very little swelling during the
pregnancy but I guess the IV can cause that and it's supposed to go away
within the next couple weeks so I'll just have hope it's sooner than
later.

Quinn is eating like a piggy, is very active (definately not a passive
baby), and though the going has been rough since we got home we're
managing decently well. I do have to say I'm definately in love with my
little man. Those few moments that he stares up at me wide eyed, calm
and gives me what looks like a slight smirk on one side of his mouth
just makes his daddy and I melt. So that's my story. Thanks for
reading everyone and I'll post some links to pictures.

Angela and ...
Quinn 5/07/04

What a wonderful birth story Angela.
Congratulations to both you and DH and welcome to Quinn. I cannot wait to
see his pics.

Love

--
Nicky

Proud mamma to Alexandra (03/22/2004)

congrads !! He is very cute, hard to beleive how fast they grow, he will
be filling that carseat in no time.
Right now he looks like a little pea in a pod, cute as a button

Karen

"Angela Schepers" wrote in message
news:EXspc.6252$gr.479976@attbi_s52...
ok, here goes...

I checked into the hospital at 7:30am May 7 to be induced via ROM. I
got changed, hooked up to the IV and checked upon settling into our L&D
room. My bag of waters was broken sometim between 8:30 and 9:30am. I
came in 5 cm dialated and 90% effaced before anything was done. My OB
and nurses promptly sent DH and I to do laps around the maternity ward
for the next hour. I started having what felt like some mild
"menstural" cramps during that hour but only a couple that really
stopped me in my tracks during the last 15 minutes of walking which is
when I decided to go back to the room and rest for a while. So, an hour
after my waters broke I was at 7cm dialated, 100% effaced and in some
pain and definate discomfort but nothing that I couldn't talk through or
even joke about. I thought by this point I was supposed to be writhing
in pain and agony? DH, my mom and Dad were both there keeping me
company. DH's 2nd cousin passed away in an awful car accident so his
family was at the funeral. Well, since I was in some pain and the
bottoms of my feet hurt from walking around I decided to hang out in bed
and since I was progressing so well neither the nurses or my OB minded.
An hour later I was at 8cm dialated and the pain had definately
started to pick up though it felt more like severe and constant
menstrual cramp rather than waves of contractions so I requested demerol
as I was afraid stadol would make me too loopy though the demerol didn't
do a thing for me. I decided to go ahead and get the epidural then, not
because I couldn't handle the pain necessarily but I was afraid of
getting to 10 cm really quickly and then not having time to get one if I
felt I needed one then. To be honest I was afraid of what the pain wold
be like during the actual pushing phase of the delivery without it.
Another hour later I was at 8.5 cm dialated and then stalled for a
couple hours. I was then administered pitocin to start things going
again and it wasn't an hour later that I was 10 cm, starting to feel
some pressure in my bottom though not unbearably so yet.

By this point I wasn't completely and totally numb from the epidural as
I hadn't really had it that long and they turned it down anyway. At
first the pushing was definately painful and uncomfortable (man oh man
was I huffing and puffing!) but wasn't all that bad until about 10
minutes into it that really started feeling the baby come down. During
the next 15 minutes the pain REALLY picked up and at first I was
hesitant to push through it. DH was right there with me and so
encouraging. I wasn't sure how he was going to be during the delivery
but he was absolutely amazing and completely focused on me. After a
total of 25 minutes of pushing Quinn Alexander Schepers was born into
this world screaming as loud as his little lungs would allow. His
second order of business was to urinate all over the doctor while she
was suctioning him out, lol... Just after he was born DH and I started
bawling like crazy. I never thought he would cry but I guess neither
one of us could hold our emotions back at that point. DH then cut the
umbilical cord and he was taken over to the warmer, suctioned out some
more and given a little oxygen while screaming his head off the whole
time. He came out 8 lbs, 1oz and 19.5 inches long at 3:38pm. His apgar
scores were 8 and 8 so all was good there. I received a grand total of
4 stitches and I was suprised to find that my perineum (sp?) was
completely intact (it still never really bothered me afterward) but I
did tear upward just a bit which still smarts, especially when I
urinate, but it's healing up. I guess I was pushing so hard that I
burst capillaries in the sides of my cheeks and face and in one eye, and
broke a blood vessel above my left eye as well. DH said I was turning
all kinds of colors in the face while I was pushing.

I think my labor and delivery went relatively easily considering some of
the stories I've heard before. Everyone has told me how well I move
around and get around after the delivery compared to themselves so I
guess I did have an easy time of it. I was in more pain due to the
epidural in my back and all the muscles I pulled in my arms and
everywhere else than my bottom the day after delivery. I still have a
few muscles that are sore in my arms but otherwise I'm on the mend. I
was suprised to find myself swollen and puffy in the hands, ankles and
feet a few days after the birth. I had very little swelling during the
pregnancy but I guess the IV can cause that and it's supposed to go away
within the next couple weeks so I'll just have hope it's sooner than
later.

Quinn is eating like a piggy, is very active (definately not a passive
baby), and though the going has been rough since we got home we're
managing decently well. I do have to say I'm definately in love with my
little man. Those few moments that he stares up at me wide eyed, calm
and gives me what looks like a slight smirk on one side of his mouth
just makes his daddy and I melt. So that's my story. Thanks for
reading everyone and I'll post some links to pictures.

Angela and ...
Quinn 5/07/04

I love the smirk too!! Absolutely adorable. Especially when he's nursing
and he just takes a break to grin at me. I love it. Excellent birth
story!! Good luck!
Kat
Mama to Maggie 11/03/01
and Will 02/10/04

"Angela Schepers" wrote in message
news:EXspc.6252$gr.479976@attbi_s52...
ok, here goes...

I checked into the hospital at 7:30am May 7 to be induced via ROM. I
got changed, hooked up to the IV and checked upon settling into our L&D
room. My bag of waters was broken sometim between 8:30 and 9:30am. I
came in 5 cm dialated and 90% effaced before anything was done. My OB
and nurses promptly sent DH and I to do laps around the maternity ward
for the next hour. I started having what felt like some mild
"menstural" cramps during that hour but only a couple that really
stopped me in my tracks during the last 15 minutes of walking which is
when I decided to go back to the room and rest for a while. So, an hour
after my waters broke I was at 7cm dialated, 100% effaced and in some
pain and definate discomfort but nothing that I couldn't talk through or
even joke about. I thought by this point I was supposed to be writhing
in pain and agony? DH, my mom and Dad were both there keeping me
company. DH's 2nd cousin passed away in an awful car accident so his
family was at the funeral. Well, since I was in some pain and the
bottoms of my feet hurt from walking around I decided to hang out in bed
and since I was progressing so well neither the nurses or my OB minded.
An hour later I was at 8cm dialated and the pain had definately
started to pick up though it felt more like severe and constant
menstrual cramp rather than waves of contractions so I requested demerol
as I was afraid stadol would make me too loopy though the demerol didn't
do a thing for me. I decided to go ahead and get the epidural then, not
because I couldn't handle the pain necessarily but I was afraid of
getting to 10 cm really quickly and then not having time to get one if I
felt I needed one then. To be honest I was afraid of what the pain wold
be like during the actual pushing phase of the delivery without it.
Another hour later I was at 8.5 cm dialated and then stalled for a
couple hours. I was then administered pitocin to start things going
again and it wasn't an hour later that I was 10 cm, starting to feel
some pressure in my bottom though not unbearably so yet.

By this point I wasn't completely and totally numb from the epidural as
I hadn't really had it that long and they turned it down anyway. At
first the pushing was definately painful and uncomfortable (man oh man
was I huffing and puffing!) but wasn't all that bad until about 10
minutes into it that really started feeling the baby come down. During
the next 15 minutes the pain REALLY picked up and at first I was
hesitant to push through it. DH was right there with me and so
encouraging. I wasn't sure how he was going to be during the delivery
but he was absolutely amazing and completely focused on me. After a
total of 25 minutes of pushing Quinn Alexander Schepers was born into
this world screaming as loud as his little lungs would allow. His
second order of business was to urinate all over the doctor while she
was suctioning him out, lol... Just after he was born DH and I started
bawling like crazy. I never thought he would cry but I guess neither
one of us could hold our emotions back at that point. DH then cut the
umbilical cord and he was taken over to the warmer, suctioned out some
more and given a little oxygen while screaming his head off the whole
time. He came out 8 lbs, 1oz and 19.5 inches long at 3:38pm. His apgar
scores were 8 and 8 so all was good there. I received a grand total of
4 stitches and I was suprised to find that my perineum (sp?) was
completely intact (it still never really bothered me afterward) but I
did tear upward just a bit which still smarts, especially when I
urinate, but it's healing up. I guess I was pushing so hard that I
burst capillaries in the sides of my cheeks and face and in one eye, and
broke a blood vessel above my left eye as well. DH said I was turning
all kinds of colors in the face while I was pushing.

I think my labor and delivery went relatively easily considering some of
the stories I've heard before. Everyone has told me how well I move
around and get around after the delivery compared to themselves so I
guess I did have an easy time of it. I was in more pain due to the
epidural in my back and all the muscles I pulled in my arms and
everywhere else than my bottom the day after delivery. I still have a
few muscles that are sore in my arms but otherwise I'm on the mend. I
was suprised to find myself swollen and puffy in the hands, ankles and
feet a few days after the birth. I had very little swelling during the
pregnancy but I guess the IV can cause that and it's supposed to go away
within the next couple weeks so I'll just have hope it's sooner than
later.

Quinn is eating like a piggy, is very active (definately not a passive
baby), and though the going has been rough since we got home we're
managing decently well. I do have to say I'm definately in love with my
little man. Those few moments that he stares up at me wide eyed, calm
and gives me what looks like a slight smirk on one side of his mouth
just makes his daddy and I melt. So that's my story. Thanks for
reading everyone and I'll post some links to pictures.

Angela and ...
Quinn 5/07/04

"Angela Schepers" wrote in message
I
came in 5 cm dialated and 90% effaced before anything was done.

I think it is neat that you were halfway "done" already, before labor
even began! Now that's the way to do it :-)

By this point I wasn't completely and totally numb from the epidural
as
I hadn't really had it that long and they turned it down anyway. At
first the pushing was definately painful and uncomfortable (man oh
man
was I huffing and puffing!) but wasn't all that bad until about 10
minutes into it that really started feeling the baby come down.
During
the next 15 minutes the pain REALLY picked up and at first I was
hesitant to push through it. DH was right there with me and so
encouraging. I wasn't sure how he was going to be during the delivery
but he was absolutely amazing and completely focused on me. After a
total of 25 minutes of pushing Quinn Alexander Schepers was born into
this world screaming as loud as his little lungs would allow. His
second order of business was to urinate all over the doctor while she
was suctioning him out, lol... Just after he was born DH and I
started
bawling like crazy. I never thought he would cry but I guess neither
one of us could hold our emotions back at that point. DH then cut the
umbilical cord and he was taken over to the warmer, suctioned out some
more and given a little oxygen while screaming his head off the whole
time. He came out 8 lbs, 1oz and 19.5 inches long at 3:38pm. His
apgar
scores were 8 and 8 so all was good there.

Yay! Congratulations! I really like the name Quinn. (I also like
Alexander very much.)

I received a grand total of
4 stitches and I was suprised to find that my perineum (sp?) was
completely intact (it still never really bothered me afterward) but I
did tear upward just a bit which still smarts, especially when I
urinate, but it's healing up. I guess I was pushing so hard that I
burst capillaries in the sides of my cheeks and face and in one eye,
and
broke a blood vessel above my left eye as well. DH said I was turning
all kinds of colors in the face while I was pushing.

I also had an intact perineum that didn't really bother me at all (I was
told several time that BM's may be difficult, etc, but never had a
single problem). Didn't seem swollen really or unduly uncomfortable. I
also had a little upward tear though (no stitches) and that became
infected and did cause me a lot of pain/discomfort. When I went for my
two week check up and told them it was still bothering me, they said
"oh, a little stinging when you urinate?" Ha ha! Try, making it hard for
me to walk properly!

Sounds like things went really well for you. How is the swelling in your
ankles now?

Congrats again!

--
Em
mama to L-baby, almost 8 months old!

I'm afraid my stitches might get infected. I'm having some stinging in
them off and on when I urinate and I'm finding myself more sore and
uncomfortable down there in general than I was a couple days ago. Maybe
it's just the last of the residual delivery soreness setting in? I hope
so cause I really don't want to have to deal with infected stitches.

I also had an intact perineum that didn't really bother me at all (I was
told several time that BM's may be difficult, etc, but never had a
single problem). Didn't seem swollen really or unduly uncomfortable. I
also had a little upward tear though (no stitches) and that became
infected and did cause me a lot of pain/discomfort. When I went for my
two week check up and told them it was still bothering me, they said
"oh, a little stinging when you urinate?" Ha ha! Try, making it hard for
me to walk properly!

I think the swelling is finally starting to subside a bit. I can see
some bone again in my left ankle again and my right doesn't look quite a
s puffy on the top of the foot. I still can't wear my wedding band yet
but hopefully that'll subside soon as well. But I suppose I've made
some progress which has to be good.

Sounds like things went really well for you. How is the swelling in your
ankles now?

Congrats again!

Thank you!

Angela Schepers wrote:
|| ok, here goes...
||
|| I checked into the hospital at 7:30am May 7 to be induced via ROM. I
|| got changed, hooked up to the IV and checked upon settling into our
|| L&D room. My bag of waters was broken sometim between 8:30 and
|| 9:30am. snipped birth story

A great birth story!!! Congrats again and welcome little Quinn :)

--?

Jenn
-DS Feb'92
-DD Feb'97
-34 weeks!

Angela Schepers wrote:

http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...dandgrumpy.jpg

Aw, he does look grumpy in that one - what a cutie!

"Angela Schepers" wrote in message
news:P%spc.16381$6f5.1432527@attbi_s54...
oh darnit... I forgot to post the links.. When is this placenta brain
thing supposed to go away again?? lol..

http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...n/freshout.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/images/quinn/7hrs.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...risandbaby.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...eepcarseat.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...dandgrumpy.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~akd793s/image...lseepswing.jpg

Those pictures are so adorable. Congratulations to you and your DH.
Welcome Quinn.

Andrea
#1 due: 09/28/04