My birth story

I never did share my labor and delivery story here, and in order for future posts to make sense, I need to get this experience captured:

I was due on 12/10/09 and by 12/18 I hadn't dilated to even 1cm on my own. So my doctor scheduled me for an induction on 12/20. I was active in wanting that induction, I was anxious to meet Kaleb and I wanted the labor, delivery, and hospital stay over with in time for me to still make the rounds for Christmas. On 12/20 I was supposed to report to the hospital at 7pm for my induction. Kyle and I went to walk around at the mall that afternoon, and at 3pm I started having mild contractions. We finished buying a couple cute sleepers and onesies and came home.

Contractions continued and we ordered Chinese takeout for dinner, since I knew I wouldn't be allowed to eat at the hospital. We reported for the induction at 7, they got me checked in and set up in the hospital bed, then put Cervidil in which was going to help soften and "ripen" my cervix in an effort to help labor progress. With the Cervidil in, I had to stay laying down so it didn't fall out. I laid there all night, and contractions started coming more regularly. I had sent Kyle home because of the dogs and because I didn't think anything was going to happen and wanted him rested for the next day when they predicted real labor would get rolling.

Throughout the night the contractions were building in intensity and I really wanted to be able to get up and walk around, to try other positions to help labor progress. But, because of the Cervidil I had to stay laying down. At about 5am I had reached my breaking point, having spent all night laying on my back watching the clock tick down the minutes until my next contraction. I couldn't be alone anymore so I called Kyle and asked him to come back. Labor continued slowly progressing, I was dilated to 2 or 3 cm by 9am on 12/21. The nurse took the cervidil out and cleared me to try walking around or using any other positions I wanted to try to move things along. Contractions were still coming regularly and I dilated to 5cm by 2:00 that day, with ability to walk around, sit in a chair (ouch!) and move freely. By 2:00 I was in pain and I requested my epidural, which worked almost immediately and had me back in bed. I was able to rest for an hour and dilate to 6cm by 3:30. I never pushed the button on the epidural and by 4:00 I started feeling pain again on the right side of my body. I had also stopped dilating. We tried adding more good stuff to the epidural, the pain kept coming and the dilation was still only 6cm. They had put me on pitocin at some point during the day, I forget when.

By 8pm I hadn't dilated any more and I was tired and the epidural wasn't taking away the pain like it had been when it was first put in. I was feeling each contraction and it was exhausting and painful. I was feeling frustrated because I wasn't making progress. The doctor was concerned because my cervix had been 60% effaced and was now back to 50%, which is opposite of the way it is supposed to go. He was worried it meant Kaleb wouldn't be able to come out, something was happening to make my cervix swell. So at 8:30 he came in and explained to an exhausted, frustrated, and in major pain laboring me that he thought a c-section was something to consider. I said okay, because I was just so tired and couldn't imagine this pain continuing through another night, and I knew it was going to get worse because I was only at 6cm at this point and to get further those contractions were going to have get a lot harder.

My mom came in and held one hand while Kyle held the other and I just bawled for about 5 minutes. I was so tired, and I was scared of a c-section. This wasn't the birth I had imagined, I wasn't going to get to push, I wasn't going to have that moment I'd dreamed of when Kaleb came out and was put on my chest right away. When I'd finished processing all of this, the doctor was back to facilitate my move to surgery. Kyle got prepped, I got prepped, and then they started the process of numbing me. Only it never worked. They kept adding more and more drugs to the IV but I could still feel the needle pricks on the right side of my body. And I could feel when they made the incision. The anesthesiologist finally had to dose me with some drug that would produce amnesia, and I remember laying on the table with my vision going to tunnel vision, as they pulled Kaleb out. Something about how he was in there was making it hard for them to get him out, so they had to wrench and pull all while I was able to feel this going on. I was blacking out, to the point where I had just a pinpoint of vision still left. Then I heard my baby cry for the first time and I was back. He was here and he was healthy and everything was okay. He did manage to pee into my wound, and in the way only a mother can, I find it endearing and precious :)

They took Kaleb and got him cleaned up and gave him to Kyle while I went into shock. My entire body just shaking violently on the table. I guess this is normal, I was too drugged and to delirious to really care at this point, I just wanted my baby. Finally the shaking stopped and I was wheeled into the room where they were giving Kaleb a bath. The nurse had to push down on my stomach to get make sure all the afterbirth was out. That hurt like all hell, and I slapped her away at one point. Then they put my baby in my arms (while all standing around me because I was on sooo many drugs at this point so they needed to be there in case my body gave out) and they helped me try to nurse him for the first time. Then, while I was holding Kaleb, the nurse went back to pressing my stomach, and I didn't care one bit. I had my baby!! It was a beautiful moment after a nightmare of a day.

That's my birth story with Kaleb, 30 hours of labor with a spotty epidural, ending a c-section where I was able to feel what was going on.

I share this because I now need to decide with this pregnancy if I'm going to schedule an elective c-section or go for a trial of labor for a vaginal birth after cesarean, VBAC. More to come on this decision.