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TTC BIRTH STORIES
Book #9
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"Send it to me"
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Natural Birth Help of Doulas I’ll start a couple of days before her birth. Monday, February 12, 2001, I went to the dr and was 2-3 cm dialated (same as the week before). Tuesday I went shopping all day and then my doulas came over that night and helped me clean. They also had me do the pelvic rock on my glider footstool to help rock Elizabeth down into my birth canal. Definately did something because I got very lightheaded and queasy! Wednesday (turned 38 weeks) I went shopping all day again. I had ChiChi’s for lunch and fast food for dinner. That night dh and I fooled around and I climaxed (we were told no bd’ing because of my preterm labor/spotting). Thursday, February 15 I woke at 3am with contractions 5 minutes apart. I timed them for 1 1/2 hrs but they didn’t get closer and they weren’t painful so I went back to sleep. I woke again at 7am and they were still 5 minutes apart. My mom woke up and I told her what was going on. At 8am they jumped to 3 minutes apart so I woke dh and we packed the car. After the activity of packing I decided to time them again. By 9am they had stopped. I called my dr to see what he wanted me to do and he said to go in if they were 5 minutes apart again, even if they weren’t painful. Well, around noon, I started having what I thought were contractions 1 minute apart but they would come about 3 in a row and then nothing for 20-40 minutes. I was feeling very wiped out after each one though, so I called my doula and she said to consider going in if I felt like something was going on. By 1:00pm we decided to head out. At 1:30 they checked me and I was still 2-3cm and 70% effaced. They hooked me up to the monitor and found that I was having small contractions that I couldn’t feel and then about every 40 minutes I would have a contraction that lasted for 6 minutes (I had thought they were contractions coming a minute apart but it was just one long contraction). They called my dr and he said to go have a light lunch and walk the halls. At 4:30pm I came back and my dr checked me. I was 3cm and had effaced more. My waters were bulging so he went ahead and ruptured them. We had expected to be sent home as I hadn’t had any more contractions while walking the halls so I was in shock that we were going to be having this baby! At 4:40pm I started having contractions that were about 10 minutes apart. I decided to walk the halls for a while. The contractions started coming 3 minutes apart so we headed back to the room. At 6:06pm I had 3 contractions in less than 3 minutes and water just gushed (I didn’t realize that you keep losing water through your entire labor!!). I started sitting on the birth ball through contractions (they were consistently 2 minutes apart) which really helped. At 6:30pm I had a contraction and burst into tears. Once the contraction stopped I said “I don’t know what that was about”! I guess it was my body’s way of releasing tension. That was the only time I cried. Soon after this I began getting shaky and needed help when standing or walking. At 7:05pm I was 4cm. I was frustrated at that as I felt I should have been farther along! Not looking at the clock did help time pass faster. Here are a few things that I found really helped me: By 8pm (3.5hrs after breaking my water) I felt like I needed to moan softly during contractions. My doulas encouraged me to do what I felt like my body needed and from that time on each contraction was accompanied by moaning. The doulas helped me focus on not screaming but moaning to help me keep control and release the pain. I’d start to panic when a contraction hit so my doulas helped me keep control. Like someone else said-you have to go with the pain, it will feel better. And, once you get the hang of it, it’s not that hard to just go with it. By 9:00pm I was in the bathroom on the birth ball with dh letting me lean on him. (My favorite positions until transition were on the birth ball leaning on dh or on the toilet!) During this time I got very nauseaus and felt like I needed to vomit. I never did but the feeling stayed with me for a good hour. At 9:50 I was 5-6cm. Again, I was frustrated that I was not further along but was able to let go of expectations and just focus on what I was doing. Right after the nurse checked me they needed to do bloodwork (why they didn’t do this earlier I’ll never know). Since my contractions were 2 minutes apart, it was hard for the nurse to get everything ready and draw the blood between contractions and I could not stand having the turniquet on during a contraction so it took her about 15 minutes to finally get my blood drawn. At 10:30pm I tried to go to the bathroom and it hurt so bad to sit down that I fell right down on all fours. I decided to get in the shower. We don’t have a shower at home so I decided that the shower would be a treat that I would do towards the end of labor. However, I waited too long (would have enjoyed it more had I gotten in earlier). (Hint: have dh bring a swimsuit so he can get in the shower to help you.) My doulas said I had some significant bleeding in the shower but dh, my mom and I don’t remember this. However, we were all focused on my shower so we just may not have been paying much attention. Anyway, the doulas checked with my nurse to make sure that the blood was normal and she said it was. By 11pm I felt like the baby was dropping. Through my whole labor I had been very focused and kind of off in my own little world. Each contraction I spent with eyes closed. Well, around 11, I was in the shower still and I looked up at dh and said “I think I’m in transition”. I was totally aware of everything going on around me and I was wide-eyed. I can’t really explain it, I just felt totally different than I had through my whole labor. Dh said he could tell something was different also. None of the positions I tried felt good and we decided to have the nurse check me. At 11:20pm I was 7cm. (I had been afraid that I would get cold after the shower but I didn’t at all, in fact, I didn’t even put a gown back on or dry off at all!). Once I was in bed to get checked this time, my contractions started coming one right on top of the other. By 11:45pm I was shaking most of the time and was having trouble keeping control. I also would switch between chills and sweating so they kept putting a blanket on me & taking it off again. Dh held one hand while I gripped the bed rail with the other. My doulas were talking me through everything, helping me focus on my breathing and moaning and reminding me to take deep breaths when the contractions would let up. This was by far the hardest part of labor for me. If I had it to do over I would make myself try different positions. And, although it was the hardest, most painful part, I knew it was the shortest part so the time actually seemed to pass quickly compared to the rest of labor. By midnight (7 1/2hrs after breaking my water)I was beginning to move out of transition but still having heavy contractions. At 12:10am my doctor came in and told me not to make any noise during contractions, just use my breathing. He said I was scaring the patients on either side of me because I was so loud but I didn’t care, I knew it was helping me!! He also wanted me to try conserving my energy for pushing. The hardest contraction I had was right when he walked in the room so no wonder I was so loud! The contractions slowed down to 2 minutes apart again. By 12:50am my dr delivered a baby next door and then came back and asked me to try pushing through one contraction. He coached me on what he wanted me to do-drop my legs and push with my abdomen. It was so painful that I stopped through the first push but he kept talking me through it and I did 3 pushes through that first contraction. He turned me over to the nurse but said he didn’t think it would be too much longer. I pushed on my own through the next contraction while she got the room ready. Then the nurse coached me through the next contraction. With her coaching I was able to let go and really push. She said she thought it would be about 20 more minutes. (Pushing was my favorite time. I was able to really rest between contractions and once I let go and just pushed it wasn’t as painful). The next contraction hit and Elizabeth crowned. The nurse started calling for the doctor and sent my doula to look for him. I couldn’t push because the baby was coming out so she made me pant through. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The doctor walked in the room and I yelled “I can’t hold it” and out came her head. He got his gloves on, suctioned her mouth and out she came at 12:59am (9 minutes of pushing)! It looked like she was diving out as she flung her arms up over her head! She was immediately placed on my bear chest and he let the cord finish pulsating before dh cut it. I had a lot of pain after her birth which I hadn’t expected but it was bearable and I didn’t need pain meds. I had a small tear with 2 stitches and later found out that I had a small urethral tear that didn’t need stitching but took a little longer to heal and was quite painful. Elizabeth was 6lb14oz, 19 inches long and head circumference was 15. She had lots of dark hair with gold hightlights (everyone kept asking what we did to her hair because of the highlights so it became a standing joke that the dr foil-tipped it!) and deep blue eyes. She cried right away and nursed within an hour. One thing about natural childbirth is that you and the baby as SO alert afterwards. She nursed on & off for four hours after her birth and I didn’t mind a bit because I was on a high. Labor was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but also the most rewarding. I will always have a doula present and will continue to try natural birth as I felt it was the best for myself and the baby. I also am so thankful that I have both still photos and a video. I’ve watched her video numerous times. It’s so exciting because it’s hard to really be into it while you’re going through. And, I didn’t feel attachment for her the moment she was born. So, a couple months after she was born, after I’d become attached to her more, I was able to watch it from a new perspective and the tears flowed as I watched MY baby be born. I highly recommend taping it and have friends who regret not taping theirs, especially after they watched mine. I have to add that I didn’t feel an overflow of love for her right away. I was still in shock that we were having and then did have a baby that day and I was just wiped out. Nursing was very hard the first few weeks and when you combine that with the lack of sleep, I was wiped out. I don’t know how single mothers do it or even women whose husbands have to go back to work right away. It wasn’t for about 6 weeks that I started feeling that love for her and it wasn’t until about 12 weeks that the feeling of overwhelming love came and stayed. And, it wasn’t until 6 months that I just loved her so much all the time that I couldn’t stand being away from her. And, I’m still struggling with the swing of the SAHM thing. It’s hard work! There were many times that I felt I just couldn’t do it any more. But, thankfully I had friends who’d just been through it and they said the same. It just takes time and rest. So, don’t be surprised if you don’t feel that overwhelming love right away-it will come, maybe tomorrow or in a couple of weeks or maybe even months but it will come. Thanks for reading this-I love sharing my birth story! |
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It's taken me forever to be able to get back on line and chat, but... I TTC'd for 6 years with an unusually high prolactin level. On May 19, 2001, Chloe Pearl was born after a phenomenal 4 hours of labor and she is beautiful. Chloe turns 5 months old very soon and if we didn't have the support from your site Momma Kath, we may not have been able to remain sane. Just a word of encouragement that it can happen even after you are told by every doctor you've ever seen that you can't get pregnant. The next doctor (our last of course) was an answered prayer. Here's to your happy and healthy blessing. Damon, Lesa, and Chloe Brooke Lynn-Janette Tomczyk Was Born Via C-Section June 19th 2003 At 11:46am Weight: 7lbs 10oz Height: 19 inches We are so happy to finally be home with our little angel she is adorable and looks like her big brother she has a full head of brown hair and pretty blue eyes which we hope dont change color later on cause then she will have her daddys eyes. I will post an update on her websites soon with a birth story and pics since we took plenty of them .. We are all doing well and enjoying every minute of her and big brother loves his sissy and tries to help as much as he can.She is so tiny which I am not use to since Joseph ws 9lbs 2oz at birth and 22inches so this is a big change for me.she is healthy but needs to gain weight since she lost almost a pound in the hospital her discharge weight was 6lbs 14oz but she is precious well hope everyone is doing well we will talk to or see you all soon Love Georgina,Edward,Big Brother Joey and Baby Brooke Momma Kath, I know you see a lot of birthstories so I thought I'd share mine. I'll share my pregnancy and birth story. End of August, 2002, I had dreams of pink water. I woke up and grabbed the pregnancy test we picked up the night before. I was on the pill, and nothing had happend yet. So, I took the test, hoping for a negative. But, it quickly became positive. I was happy, yet scared. I told my husband and he too was excited. We ran and told our friend Robin. Then it hit me, in May, I was gonna be a mommy! September 9th, I had bad cramping. I called my OB (who I had not seen yet) to ask what to do, and they told me to go to the ER. When we arrived,they transported me to L&D triage to have me checked out. They did a series of bloodwork and told me I'd be getting an ultrasound. The u/s wasn't fun.. but, I saw on the screen the first signs of life. Little flickering on the screen where a dot was. The dot, measured 2.5 mm.(5 weeks 5 days) The heartbeat was 110. Shortly after, morning sickness hit full force.. I was eating about one meal a day. I ordered a product called Baby Beat when I was 10 weeks along. It was a home device where you could hear the baby's heartbeat. It was measuring between 160 and 180. After we heard the heartbeat we begun discussing names. The first trimester was over rather quickly.... During the second, the vomiting ceased, a little bit. In December, right before Christmas, at 20 weeks, I had my ultrasound. The first shot we get of the baby is James, spread eagle, showing off his little boy parts. A boy! James Austin! Chris and I were very happy. The start of the new year, was not so great.
Kidney infection came back a month later.
My c-section was schedued for 430 in the afternooon.
I came to in my room aroud 6pm.
I stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks because I couldn't get my vomiting under cotrol.
If I had gone to my appt that Thursday,
Thanks for reading Momma Kath!
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