Belated Announcement and Birth Story (long!)

I've already posted over in MKB a few times, but I realized I never posted
my birth story or announcement here, so:

Ethan James
born Sunday 9/23 at 9:32 a.m.
8lb 9oz (I know that's not huge or anything, but I was not expecting him
to be that big!)
21 inches long
13 inch head circumfrence

For background purposes: I gave birth in a Navy hospital. DH and I attended
Bradley classes and our instructor was also our doula. I wrote this birth
story a few days after delivery.

On Saturday I was having some Braxton-hicks contractions, but nothing more
than usual. We decided to do some yard work that day, and I was surprisingly
motivated (being 40 weeks along and all) to plant some bulbs in our yard.
I talked to my mom on the phone on the way to the nursery, and made a remark
about a particularly strong b/h contraction. Still, it wasn't anything I
hadn't experienced before. While doing some of the yard work my belly continued
to tighten with b/h's, and I thought they were getting a bit strong. When
we came in from outside around 3 p.m. my contractions were starting to get,
as I called them, "hurty". We decided to go out to dinner that night and
I had an extra spicy five-alarm burger. I was still having contractions that
hurt, but pretty far apart. We headed to Blockbuster and rented "Breach"
and the first season of 24 (we'd never watched it on TV). During the movie,
I was still having contractions, and after the movie I told Steve that it
might be a good idea for us to do all of our dirty dishes that were sitting
in the sink and generally get the place cleaned up (talk about last minute
nesting!). It was while we were doing the dishes that things got more real.
I was drying, and every so often I'd have to stop what I was doing and lean
against the kitchen counter and sway my hips. We decided to start timing
things to see if they were regular. We figured out they were 4-6 minutes
apart, but only lasting about a 45 seconds. This was at about 10 o'clock
at night. The next time I went to the bathroom, I realized I was losing my
mucous plug. That made me happy, because even if I wasn't in actual labor,
at least I was dilating enough to cause something to happen. At that point
we got all of our things together to go to the hospital in between my contractions.

At around 11, Steve and I decided to try to go to bed. We did go to bed,
but we never slept. We kept an eye on the contractions, which were definitely
more painful and lasting about 75 seconds. However, when I lay down they
spaced out to about 8 minutes apart. Again, I was convinced it would all
peter out and I would be going church the next day. But, then they started
coming closer together again, and before we knew it they were about 4 minutes
apart. And, while laying in bed at about 1 a.m. I felt a pop and a gush and
I knew that there was no turning back. My water was clear and I was feeling
baby move still, so we felt comfortable laboring at home some more while
waiting for our doula to arrive. I was most comfortable standing during contractions
at this point, and using Steve to lean on. Once the doula got there, she
started rubbing my back while Steve would hold me and I would moan and sway
my hips around during a contraction. They were getting really intense, and
before too long, that five-alarm burger made its reappearance, so my doula
said we should head to the hospital. It is only a 7 minute drive, but I had
at least two contractions in the car, one of them right as we were going
through the gate to get onto base. Steve told the gate guard, "My wife is
in labor, we are going to the hospital, the lady in the car behind us is
our labor assistant, please let her through." The gate guard was a big man,
but he looked a little scared at the prospect of me having the baby right
there, so instead of giving us a hassle about letting Skai on base in her
own car, he said "Roger that, Sir." And we made it to the hospital at about
3 a.m.

On having an unmedicated birth at the hospital: it was okay. The staff was
mostly good about leaving us alone to do what I wanted; although I did "have
to have" an IV (I was GBS positive) and they wanted me to pee in a cup when
I got there (not fun during contractions, and not really possible to get
a clean catch without amniotic fluid in it). The doctor was actually very
good about respecting my birth plan, from not announcing the sex (letting
us discover it), and not cutting the cord until it stopped pulsing I felt
like he had actually read our birth plan and tried to do everything he could
for us. Overall the Navy hospital did a good job of respecting my wishes
and I'm not at all sad about our choice to birth there. Plus, the post-partum
nursing staff was fantastic!

They checked me in and to my dismay I was only 4 centimeters dilated. My
doula told me not to be upset though - she saw all the emotional signposts
of late first stage labor and transistion so she knew I wouldn't be long.
She was right, because they checked me two hours later and I was 8 centimeters!!
This was good progress, but I was having such hard labor at this point that
I just wanted to start pushing. Things definitely got more difficult after
that check. I didn't progress for quite awhile, but kept having transition
like contractions - 3 or 4 in a row with hardly any break in between. I was,
at this point, freaking out (to put it mildly) because I was too far along
to get any drugs (which I knew I didn't want, but begged for them anyway),
and yet not making good progress. My doula called her doula friend for some
advice and they decided I needed to sit on the toilet and have a couple of
good contractions there to move things along. This didn't appeal to me because
I knew it would hurt more than I already was hurting, but my doula got in
my face and told me it was how I was going to get baby out. So we did it,
and when we got back to the bed I only had a small lip of cervix remaining
on the left side. So I labored on my left side for a few contractions and
then announced to everyone's relief that I was pushing. The nurse okayed
it and pronounced me completely dilated.

I haven't mentioned DH much in this story, but he was there the whole time,
holding my hand, looking directly into my eyes and telling me I was doing
great. He was amazing throughout the whole thing. He told me later that the
money we spend on the Bradley class and doula (which he was VERY skeptical
about in the beginning) was worth every penny.

I thought pushing would be better than what I had been going through, but
it was still agonizing. Even when I wasn't having a contraction I had horrible
back pain, and we all thought the baby was posterior (he wasn't, I think
it was just my muscles and bones protesting Ethan trying to come through).
I did have a problem believing that all my pushing efforts were actually
doing anything, even after being told numerous times that everyone in the
room could see the baby making its way down. Finally, though, the doctor
came in, uncovered his tray of tools and started helping Ethan into the world.
There was the infamous ring of fire during crowning, during which I yelled
loudly and A LOT (apparently enough to make the doctor jump at one point,
according to DH).

Then, Ethan was born. Very coneheaded, and somewhat quiet (but I think he
still got an 8 and a 9 on his apgars). He was on my chest and I was so relieved.
The doctor held him up and I saw that he was a he and I yelled out, "We
have a son!" and immediatly started crying.

I still cannot believe that I pushed out a baby. I look at him and just think
it was/is impossible. This story leaves out a lot that is blurry and hard
to remember now, only 4 days later. Since my mother had c-sections for both
myself and my brother, she had always told me that I'd probably have to have
c-sections too. It really gave me a mental hang up during labor, and I think
that's why I got stuck at 8 cm. I'm so proud to have done it naturally,
though, and Ethan is a great reward!

Jodi B wrote:

I still cannot believe that I pushed out a baby. I look at him and just
think it was/is impossible. This story leaves out a lot that is blurry
and hard to remember now, only 4 days later. Since my mother had
c-sections for both myself and my brother, she had always told me that
I'd probably have to have c-sections too. It really gave me a mental
hang up during labor, and I think that's why I got stuck at 8 cm. I'm
so proud to have done it naturally, though, and Ethan is a great reward!

Congratulations on your son, on sticking in there when things got
difficult, and on having the kind of labour you wanted!


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell

On Nov 9, 8:16 pm, Jodi B wrote:
I've already posted over in MKB a few times, but I realized I never posted
my birth story or announcement here, so:

Ethan James
born Sunday 9/23 at 9:32 a.m.
8lb 9oz (I know that's not huge or anything, but I was not expecting him
to be that big!)
21 inches long
13 inch head circumfrence


Congratulations and welcome to Baby Ethan!

Way to stick with it, Jodi. Be proud of what you accomplished. :-)

Sharalyn
mom to Alexander James

Congratulations, Jodi! And welcome to the world, baby Ethan! Good on you for
having the labour you wanted!

Lucy (also a mummy to a an 8lb9er! )

Jodi B schrieb:
snip
I still cannot believe that I pushed out a baby. I look at him and just
think it was/is impossible.

Congratulations :-)

I know the feeling. I look(ed) at Sara and there's just no way she could
have lived in my belly... ;-)

cu
nicole

Congratulations!

Jodi B wrote:
I still cannot believe that I pushed out a baby. I look at him and just think
it was/is impossible.

I know the feeling. Hah. With my second, there wasn't even that ring
of fire, which was one indelible memory proof for me that my first did
come out that way.


Since my mother had c-sections for both
myself and my brother, she had always told me that I'd probably have to have
c-sections too. It really gave me a mental hang up during labor

No kidding. Isn't it strange how certain of our mothers' well-
intentioned stories can turn out to be so toxic? My mother delivered
me under general anesthesia and my younger siblings "naturally" ...
except it is apparent to me now that she remembers absolutely nothing
about those deliveries. I suspect she was given drugs in her IV to
make her forget.


I'm so proud to have done it naturally, though, and Ethan is a great reward!

Good for you!

Pologirl