On Sunday the 31st of August, we were chilling. I was 5 days past my due date! I decided to shower and try to take a nap because I had been having false labor on and off for a week, always during the night time when I should be sleeping, and always so disappointing when the contractions stopped. With my hair wet I layed on the couch watching phineas and ferb with the kids. I felt a little trickle of water, my eyes widened and I yelled, Kade! He watched me in awe as I ran to the bathroom, water slowly coming through my pants. I went to the bathroom sat on the toilet and there was a large gush. My water had broken! Kade ran around gathering things for the kids overnight bag and our hospital bag. I was in no hurry. No contractions had started and I figured we had a little time until I felt pain.
My thoughts at this point, I have an hour or two before my labor starts, once it does, I will go fast and have my sweet baby here before the day is through. After all this was my third and my first two were fast and never more then 5 hours of labor. My hopes and thoughts couldn't have been more wrong.
Me on the drive to the hospital.
Around 2 we arrived at the hospital. I was gsb positive and they started me on antibiotics pretty quickly. After answering a ton if questions They checked me for the first time around 4. I was at a 2 with 50% effaced. I hadn't had any regular contractions and the ones I had I didn't feel much. I knew again it would be a while because I hadn't' started labor.
After two rounds of antibiotics they let me start walking around hoping it would bring labor. The rule was 5 hrs after my water broke if I didn't progress I would have to have intervention. They let me go longer then that. They checked me at eight and I was at a 3.5 with 75% effaced. So they let me keep trying to bring labor on myself because I had shown signs of progressing. At this point I could feel baby contractions they were far apart and not consistent at all.
At this point I was discouraged that everything was taking so long. I haven't ever had a problem progressing. Plus I was 5 days past due. I figured my body and baby would be ready.
At around 11 I was checked again. Was barely a four and still 75% effaced??? I want progressing. Did I mention all this time was spent walking circles around the hospital? I think we wore the carpet down....
3 am and I was at the same place. Just at a four...contractions were getting stronger but they were still far apart and not consistent. They gave me the news that it was time to start pitocin. Kade and I talked about it and figured we might as well not fight it, after all, I was tired of being pregnant and tired of walking, they started me on the lowest dose. I talked with the nurse and asked what the odds would be of having a natural birth with no epidural while being on pitocin? She told me in her many years of experience she had never seen anyone do it. That was disheartening, but labor was already not what I expected it to be, so I thought maybe I could do it still....another hr went by with no progress. So they bumped up the pitocin. And in another hour I was bumped up one more time. Then the contractions started.
They were terrible. They were the strongest ones I have ever felt. I never had that strong of contractions unless I was in transition and ready to push. I was checked again I was at a 5 and still 75% effaced. It was around 6am. I was so discourage that I only was to a 5 so I asked for some iv medication. Which helped me for about a half hour. It started to wear off quickly and I started to be negative about how I couldn't make it through. They checked me again and I was still the same. I was crying more like sobbing at the fact that my body wasn't reacting how I wanted it to. I felt like I couldn't keep going it had already been 17 hours. The midwife explained that at 18 hours after membrane rupture that they would be worried about infection, especially since I had the gsb. So I had an hour before we started talking more drastic interventions, things like c section. Looking back I really think they were trying to scare me, but my normal midwife was out of town for the holiday, and she wasn't very happy about how everything was handled.
They believed baby was face up and unable to turn and that was why I want progressing. Worried and being in so much pain I gave in. I asked for an epidural. I cried during the whole thing. I felt like I had chosen comfort over what was best for baby. TOTALLY CRAZY HORMONES! But I still wonder if I would have waited just a little longer if he would have come just as fast. I had the anesthesiologist come in around 6:45. While sitting up and having it placed I stared feeling super nauseous and that is always a sign that I am hitting transition, but nothing was the same for this labor so I figured it was a reaction to the pitocin. The anesthesiologist was super quick and awesome, I felt like a hundred bucks after it was placed. I was numb they told me to try and sleep, they figured it would be a while. They left me alone. Kade immediately fell asleep BUT I couldn't sleep at all. I was having strange pressure. I couldn't be ready to push already? I was at a 5 a few minutes ago? I waited almost a half hour before I got the nerve and called the nurse back in. After all I couldn't possibly be ready to push..one look and they grabbed gloves and the on-call midwife. I had them grab a mirror as well, with Drake I was able to watch in the mirror, and it was super cool, so I wanted the chance again. As soon as everyone was in place I started to push I believe it was close to 7:20. At 7:27am Mr. Lex Logan Bingham was born!
They held him up and Kade yelled enthusiastically that it was a boy. It was the coolest thing, finding out at birth. I was sure he was a girl and couldn't believe it. I was overjoyed to have another boy.
The nurse joked that it took so long for Lex to come because we kept calling him a girl. It took days for it to sink in that it was a boy and not a girl. I had only washed girl cloths in preparation for the birth and the boy clothes were still in storage, that is how positive I was that he was a girl.
I fed him right away and he latched like a champ. Baby's cord was attached to the side of my uterus and I guess when that happens the cord is weaker. Once the placenta finally was delivered there was a large hole where the cord was tearing off from the placenta. Because of the hole the midwife almost pulled out the cord without all of the placenta. Which could have caused major infection and problems.
What a large boy! 9pounds 6ounces, 21.5 inches long, I didn't need stitches wahoo! Recovery was so slow and I never remembered being so sore. But I didn't remember labor being that horrible, I felt as though I was being ripped in half, like I was going to die. My cramping after was terrible, as bad as some of my contractions. But we made it!
They told me that often when baby is face up during delivery an epidural can relax your uterus enough to let them turn. They thought he was face up and that is why I didn't progress. Or maybe I was closer then I thought to delivery and I just needed another half hour??? Who knows!
I had to stay at the hospital for 2 days, he was a big boy and they wanted to monitor his blood sugar to make sure he wasn't diabetic. Also I was GSB positive with my membrane being ruptured for a long time, all of those reasons made for a long hospital stay. Lucky for baby I had 3 rounds of antibiotics for GBS to help keep him safe.
I visited with my midwife when she got back from vacation, I really wished she would have been in town! That was the biggest letdown, not having her help me through labor. I absolutely think the world of her and the other midwife was okay, but not the support I needed. She told me if she would have been in town and notified she would have told me to stay at home until 24 hours or until my labor started on its own. She wouldn't have made me come in and spend time in the hospital, and then I would't have had pitocin and other interventions until I needed them. So for the next labor I will know better :)
We are so blessed to have Lex and even though labor didn't go as planned he is here, he is healthy, and we love him.
Now does anyone know when the pain from the epidural insertion goes away?
Eating our Birthday Dinner, it was some yummy steak!
Baby holding dads hand!
BABY MEETS WORLD!
My wonderful Grandparents, G&G Kunz
Lex's Grandparents
I LOVE this picture, dad and son
mom and son
Sister kisses
they were so excited and in aww
just the three of us
YAY, we are a family of 5, I am so full of love and joy!
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I had been wondering if you posted your birth story! Just so you know your nurse was full of crap (which I can tell you sort of already knew) I had Davie without an epidural and I was on piton. It was rough but it was really only about a solid hour of "I'm going to die!" pain :) I think its so crazy you hadn't had an epidural until now. I had the same problem with Macy though, her face was turned and we were wondering if she turned because of the epidural slowing labor down or if she was already that way and the epidural just made it so I wasn't in horrible pain.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are in IF we need to get together and chat baby stories for sure! Congrats on your boy, haha I loved how you were so surprised. With Davie I had been so excited and then once he was born I was in so much shock at how fast it went I totally forgot to even ask what he was. In fact, my doctor had to prompt my husband to tell me because David didn't announce it right away either. Labor changes your priorities and your mind set ;)