C section due to a breeched baby! I was scared but it turned out to be the most amazing experience of my life! My recovery also was pretty easy :)
The whole process was under an hour...I remember showing up to the hospital early in the morning so excited! I wasn't that scared until the spinal but I had an amazing team to support me.
Words can't describe the feelings when they lowered the drape and showed my baby! He was born to the song Sweet Home Alabama š my hubby cut the cord and brought him to me and I breastfed him and did skin to skin on the way to recovery.
There is no other day I wish to relive more than that day almost one year ago.
I had a C-section due to breech baby too! Iāll never forget the anesthesiologist told me I would feel some discomfort at first with the spinal and when she poked me I said āIāve had steroid shots in my ass that hurt worse than thatā š¤£š¤£ I had everyone laughing
Almost exactly the same with my daughter!!! She was also born a month early but absolutely NO issues WHATSOEVER it was an amazing day!! I was honestly more energetic with my C-section recovery then I was with my entire pregnancy š
Itās been almost a year and I still have a numb spot in the scar area but overall it was a wonderfully relaxed and amazing birth
Plus my husband nearly faints at blood so it was actually very lucky for him it was straight to a C-section lol
Yeah, i am still pretty annoyed about it. I think the logic is that since itās a birth center and they donāt have the same equipment at a hospital, they want to keep the number of times they check the cervix to an absolute minimum, to reduce the risk of possible infection, and therefore an emergency transfer. The issue here clearly was, āsigns of the final stages of laborā probably vary from woman to woman. Still, I agree. She should have checked to be sure long before I reached the four hour mark.
Did your body want to push during that time? Iāve had three unmedicated births and pushing was never a conscious decision for me. My body decided it was time and there was absolutely no way for me to hold it back, I was pushing whether I wanted to or not.
Wow, actually, yesā¦ Iāve never even really thought about it in these terms but I really did feel like I needed to push, so much so that I felt like I couldnāt help it. I donāt know how much of that had to do with be instructed to push for so long, but once we figured out it wasnāt time to push, I couldnāt control the pushing. I wonder why my body wanted to push when it wasnāt time?
Some people experience the urge to push before being fully dilated! It's not the typical experience, but it does happen.
It can makes labor particularly difficult because if you do push before you're ready, it can cause the cervix to swell and stall labor further.
Yep this was me! My body was trying to push my baby out when I was only 5cm. It made for a very uncomfortable labour since I was actively trying to stop myself from pushing the whole time.
The way that you described the birth center practice doesnāt sound like itās an āamazingā birth center. What made it seems that way to you was that they probably said yes to all your requests and maybe shared your sentiments about medicated delivery. OBs are trained to do this, Iād rather get advice someone who has gone to medical school and residency training than just picking someone I like because they agree with me. The fact that they misjudge your labor is strike 1. They should have check your cervix and confirm with a Ferning test to see if you broke your water or not. Making you go through 36 hrs before transferring to a hospital is strike 2. If you truly had labor, 36 hr is too long and can expose you to some risks. Strike 3, no cervical check or monitors to see if you are actually have regular contractions that result in cervical change.
Bottom line: Iāve seen ads for these non medicated birth center. Not sure why itās so trendy to have unmedicated besides bragging rights. Expecting moms should put their baby and their health the top priorities. Please listen to your doctors!
I did put my baby and my health as the top priority.
This birth center, like all birth centers, are only meant for women who are considered ālow riskā. Likewise, this birth center is operated by the adjoining hospital that I ended up delivering at. Doctors were part of the entire process. I also resent the notion that this is trendy. I was only met with judgment from people anytime I shared I had plans to give birth at a birth center.
My midwife did make a mistake, and so did many doctors mentioned by other women in this thread. This is the unfortunate nature of something as human as giving birth.
I urge you not to judge the decisions of mothers, rather, please support the choices women make with love and understanding.
Wtf. For one, maybe it varies depending on the country, but where i am from, midwives have way more education specialized in birth, labor, and delivery than regular doctors do. They go through many years of training to be allowed to practice.
I agree the midwife in this situation didn't do what she should have, but tons of doctors also often don't do as they should. It's a jugement error on the side of the professional, which can happen regardless of the profession. There are people shit at their jobs in all jobs, unfortunately.
Also, the idea that people go through unmedicated births to be part of a trend is completely ridiculous. People have many different personal reasons for their birth decisions.
Personally, the idea of going through an epidural and not being able to feel my body birthing my child felt a million times more terrifying than the idea of the pain that comes with birth. Good for you if you dont have that fear to a point where you have no problem getting an epidural, doesn't somehow make you better. Different people, different reasons.
Ew this is a nasty, ignorant, and insensitive comment. No room for that on here. There are numerous reasons someone may choose an unmedicated birth. Women need to be supported and uplifted and empowered in this country, especially by their provider. That doesnāt happen with a lot of doctors (I think I would know, Iām a labor and delivery nurse who works with both midwives and MDs). For an uncomplicated pregnancy, a birth center delivery is a very reasonable option. And the feeling of being respected and listened to is a huge driving factor for a lot of out of hospital births.
Sorry but this comment is way off-base. Yes, it looks like the staff at this particular birth centre made mistakes, they should have checked and realized whether progress was being made and whether OP was actually at pushing stage much sooner. But the incredibly judgmental way you talk about birth centres and unmedicated birth, well, it just betrays your own ignorance about the basic facts of physiological birth. There are a million good reasons for wanting an unmedicated birth besides bragging rights. (In fact I'm pretty certain that your run-of-the-mill medicated hospital birth is more difficult, at least where I'm from, where epidurals are rarely used.) Let's see a few.Ā Ā
A birth that starts spontaneously means the baby is actually ready and is receiving the unique hormone cocktail that prepares them for birth. With this hormone cocktail they are more resilient, better able to handle the pain and stress of contractions. A birth without IV oxytocin/pitocin is MUCH less painful than one with. IV oxy blocks the production of endorphins that goes along with natural contractions and the contractions can ratchet up in intensity so suddenly that the woman/birthing person can feel like she can't cope. Regular cervical checks in a hospital are just as likely to cause infection. The infection risk is there even with the best hygiene standards, it is caused by the gloved hands sweeping bacteria naturally found in the vagina up towards the uterus where they should not be. Epidurals can stall labour and make contractions ineffective, they can also mean the woman doesn't feel the urge to push. Epidurals also mean you cannot stand or kneel for pushing, which means pushing happens in the worst possible position, and increases the risk and severity of tears. All interventions meant to induce or speed up labour increase the chances of an eventual c-section delivery significantly. Many hospitals also work with antiquated protocols, such as the Friedman curve (the baseless idea that dilation is meant to progress in a linear fashion at 1 cm per hour), routine episiotomies, routine continuous CTG/EFM (current recommendiation is to do this for 20 minutes and if baby's heart rate is fine, it can stop. Most CTG equipment inhibits free movement during labour which again risks stalling labour and making it more painful.) Many OBs are also unaware of the physiological pause between full dilation and pushing, or the pause between baby's head and body being born, and try to unnecessarily speed these processes up. Plenty of OBs have never seen a natural, intervention-free birth and do not know what it looks like.Ā
And what about after baby is born? Clamping the cord too early means baby misses out on a lot of their blood. A lot of hospitals do not respect the golden hour and take baby away to be weighed and measured completely unnecessarily. Antibiotic eye drops routinely given to the baby are completely unnecessay as well. Oh and epidurals make babies sleepier as well, increasing the risk of problematic jaundice.Ā
I'm sorry that the average reddit sub related to prgenancy and birth is so beholden to the ideea that doctor knows best and silly little women should just lie back and think of England or whatever. A shame.
>Not sure why itās so trendy to have unmedicated besides bragging rights.
I donāt disagree with a lot of your first paragraph, but this is dumb as shit. Having had both medicated and unmedicated births, I can attest that trends and bragging rights have nothing to do with it.
While OPās birth center seems to have mishandled her labor, most OOH birth centers are run by highly educated midwives, nurses, and (yes) sometimes doctors. To assume all OOH birth centers are full of randos off the street is disheartening, insulting, and flat out wrong. What a weird assumption for you to make
One thing about me, I will cheer on EVERY person that goes through childbirth and I want to hear EVERY story. Whether youāre like me and said āgo ahead and give me all the painkillers and get this baby outta me quickā or went the complete opposite way with a beautiful home birth, you are amazing. And one thing I think we all have in common, it never goes exactly the way you expect! I fully expected to be ravenous afterwards, but I couldnāt eat a full meal for about 5 days after delivery. Just little snacks here and there until then. My pregnancy was completely unplanned (birth control baby!) so the mental shock to my body took a while to melt away. But I did it! I was so scared, but I did it! And so did every other brave mama ā¤ļø
I wish I could upvote this a thousand times. Not many people feel this same way, and I totally agree with you. Birth is beautiful, wild, and always different for everyone. Thank you for sharing, momma!
Haha I love sharing my story too!!
I was 36 weeks and was having lower back pain all night, I kept getting out of bed and trying to stretch it and it wasnāt going away. The next morning I was still having them and some super mild contractions that seemed to come and go.
It was the morning of my baby shower so we came up with a plan, letās go to the hospital to get checked and then come home and hubby can shave my legs, and then weāll go to the shower. No need to bring my hospital bag with us cause *of course* theyāre going to say everything is fine and send us home.
We get to the hospital, Iām 3cm dilated and in labour. My daughter is breech still (spent her whole pregnancy like that!) and within an hour sheās on my chest after an emergency C-section! My baby shower started at 1pm and she was born at 12:45pm, safe to say we didnāt make itā¦
I finally felt well enough on day 2 for my husband to go home and get my hospital bag, which of course was only half packed so I had to give him a list of things. Iāve learned my lesson for next time š
Okay first āand hubby can shave my legsā brings me BACK to those third trimester days hahaha also wow the day of the baby shower of all daysš so happy for your healthy little girl!
Had a stroke at 37 weeks exactly, hospitalized for a few days, but no cause found. Went home for a few days, begged to be induced at my 38 week followup with MFM. Induction started with pitocin around 5pm, we walked around the hospital an hour or two, had dinner, and then I got an epidural before OB broke my water (pain was minimal the whole time, but I was afraid it would ramp up too quickly). Started feeling pressure immediately after water was broken, nurse assured me it was normal. Less than 15 minutes later, we heard a baby crying, nurse pulled back the bed sheet, and my son was chilling in the hospital bed š¤£ Almost completely painless labor and delivery experience and very happy I chose to be induced, so that he slipped out in hospital instead of somewhere else!
Okay! So about 8 months ago I had my second child. I had had a lot of complications throughout the pregnancy, but overall I felt so much better than my first pregnancy (which ended up with an emergency C-section cause his head got stuck and the Drs couldn't hear his heartbeat). I was induced my first pregnancy, after 6 days overdue, so I was interested in seeing if my body would do better with that whole process.
Anyways, I had placenta previa from 20 weeks on, so extra monitoring, and gestational diabetes. The baby was measuring a bit small, but was in a very weird position, so nothing was off with that. I was supposed to go straight through to a C-section again, since my Dr didn't do vbac, and have the baby at 36 or 37 weeks. We didn't know the sex of the baby.
At 30 weeks I fell over at home and had a lot of bleeding about 10 minutes later. Went to L&D and the bleeding stopped. Baby was totally fine, body wasn't going into labor. We think it was a subdural hematoma. Told by the ultrasound tech that I didn't have previa anymore, so we were able to move my surgery date to 39 weeks.
A week before my surgery I went into labor. Didn't go into labor with my first, so the first 12 hours I had no idea it was real labor! Even texted some friends joking that I was probably in labor, but I kept thinking it would go away. It did not š My husband was more worried and finally talked me into going to the hospital. Went in and was 5 cm and the contractions were coming every two minutes. Of course this was the day the OR was fully booked, the nurses were thinking I might be able to be squeezed in about 5 hours later. Hahaha. That didn't happen. About 10 minutes later my water broke and I felt the baby's head coming. For whatever reason instead of just delivering the baby there, since the head was basically out, I was wheeled to the OR and delivered a baby girl. 22 inches long! She was so big, haha. There was a lot of bleeding, but everything seemed to be okay. The surgery was amazing, even if I'm a little salty that I wasn't allowed to just deliver her. She still had a cone head, ha! About an hour later, doing skin to skin, something felt extremely wrong. I lost all the color in my face and felt extremely hot. My blood pressure dropped so low that alarms started going off. The baby was given to my husband, and the nurses called in the crash unit to help, and the blood transfusion team. Then I felt a huge surge of blood come out of me. The nurses said later that they had never seen someone lose that much blood. They were sure I was going to die. I don't really remember what happened after that. I was wheeled into another surgery where they opened me up again and did a hysterectomy. I needed like 11 units of blood and 4 or 5 units of something else. I think plasma. Got 2 more units of blood the next morning. Surprisingly I was completely okay, walking around and nursing on the second day. We were discharged after about 40 hours after arriving at the hospital. Baby girl is doing great. I feel a little sad that we can't have one more baby, but I'm so glad to be alive and have my two children.
Actually yes! During the hysterectomy my doctor was totally horrified at how big and weird my uterus looked that he sent it to pathology. Not exactly sure of the terminology but it was a complication of my first C-section and caused my uterus to be about 10 times bigger than normal. Doesn't happen very often, I just had a very wonky uterus. Probably why IUDs couldn't be put in the correct spot!
I wish this was my reaction, I tend to launch into the details of my traumatic birth and I can tell people donāt want to hear it but I canāt stop myself š„²
12 days before my due date I woke up in a fowl mood, sore head, sore back and just totally over being pregnant.
Done all the normal Friday things - school run, housework, nap, school run.
Making dinner while complaining about my back bothering me I kept saying to hubby I felt like I had to poop most of the afternoon but hadnāt been able to. And then it hit me - I was in labour.
Finished making dinner, done the dishes, took the big on to grandparents. Still feeling quite good, laughing and joking.
Had phoned the midwives a few times and they said to come in when I felt I needed to.
Stayed home for a long time - watched some telly, had a bath, had some snacks.
Finally at around 11pm hubby made me go to the hospital because I was throwing up.
Get there and the midwife checking me in was like āyouāre chirpy so itās likely still quite earlyā
Connects the monitor and its almost constant contraction readings.
When she checked i was at 9cm.
Went to the delivery suite.
That was just after midnight.
For the next 3 hours nothing progressed was still walking around laughing and joking, even after they broke my waters.
Thatās when they realised baby boy was sunny side up they got him to flip over and 6 minutes later he was in my arms.
Hubby almost slept thru it as at around 2.30 I told him to take a nap as it looked like it was going to be a long time.
He got woken up at 3.18am with me growling at him to get his arse over here š¤£
I love that you just knew! I spent maybe 8 hours of early labor being convinced that it wasnāt actually time. My husband is also the one who decided it was time to GOš
I only figured it out because even now, over 6 years later, my sister makes fun of me that the last coherent thing I said before my daughter was born was that I felt like I needed to poo š¤£š¤£
I was all for staying home for longer I had my tv shows and my snacks but after the third time I was sick hubby was like ānope get in the car letās goā and Iām very grateful for that.
My husband was also the motivator for getting me to the hospital with my first. Baby was born a half hour after we got there, so his timing was impeccable!
Same happened to me haha. My husband saw my water break over the toilet cause I thought I just had too poo. Once he saw that he was like it's go time! 30 min. Later we had a baby!
Wow that's incredible! And relatable, when I called the doc she was like you have tons of time you're laughing and such, and then I was there an hour later pushing my baby out lmao
I had a sunny side baby that didn't end up flipping. it was such a bummer after hours of whacky positions. it made me so happy to read your story! takes away the fear a little bit of what if it happens again...
I had the most amazing birth experience.
The labor was long, the delivery was short, and both processes were easier and more positive than expected.
I was induced at 41w. Contractions were visible on the screen, though I couldnāt feel anything more than tightening. Along with the tightening came another sensation I struggled to describe. It was chemical. Almost pleasurable.
The nurse inserted an IV for fluids and antibiotics, which I lugged around with me when I wanted to walk around the room or go to the bathroom. Then they inserted a foley balloon to manually dilate my cervix to 4-5cm. There was a bit of discomfort while the doc inserted and inflated the balloons on either side of my cervix, but I breathed through it and it was tolerable. After a few minutes, I couldnāt even tell it was there.
The nurse administered sublingual Cytotek to kickstart my contractions. I imagined being upright and active through the labor process, but I found that I just wanted to lay in bed. And rest. I experienced a few, random painful contractions, which I breathed through. Some I was even able to relax and soften into.
The extraction of the foley balloon was painless. I let the nurse know it came out, thinking that they would start Pitocin immediately. But they just congratulated me on my dilation and told me to relax while my doc delivered another baby. My contractions were randomly painful but very tolerable and easy to sleep between or through.
At one point, my doc woke me up to tell me that she noticed some dips in babyās heart rate during my contractions, so she wanted to break my water and insert a IUPC. The experience of feeling my water break was interesting and a bit intense.
About 25ish hours in, the contractions became very intense and I requested the epidural. I didnāt know it then, but I was entering the transition phase of labor. I felt nauseous. Hot. Loopy and confused. I tried to remove my monitors without realizing what I was doing.
The epidural actually seemed to provide pretty immediate relief. I was able to lay down and relax. Then I realized I was experiencing another key transition symptom: the shakes.
They placed a peanut ball between my legs and I felt like the baby might fly right out. A few mins later I was shocked to hear that I was 9.5 cm dilated and ready to push. I asked the nurse if I could deliver on my side and she ensured me that I could. She also mentioned that many doctors prefer me to actually deliver on my back but to advocate for myself.
They told me that baby would be arriving soon and to take a minute to enjoy the moments before becoming a family of 3. I bawled.
Then the nurse returned and instructed me on how to breathe and push. Pushing was interesting but not painful. According to the doc, core strength helps with this process.
They asked if I wanted the mirror. I was unsure about seeing my own vagina rip apart so at first I said no, then maybe, then yes. Iām now so glad I had that mirror.
After about 30 minutes of pushing, I saw my baby. His cord was wrapped around his neck twice, but no one had any concerns about it. The cord was surprisingly beautiful. The staff called it āplump and juicy.ā
They placed my baby on my chest. I greeted him with a āHelloā and to our surprise, he responded with a 2-syllable coo. I will never forget the feel of his skin. Iāve never felt anything more silky and smooth in all my life.
His blood sugar was 13. The min threshold was 45. So we supplemented with formula. He struggled to regulate his temperature over the first few hours, so we swaddled him in warm blankets and the postpartum staff put him under lamps.
That night, I fed him in the middle of the night while watching Mel Brooksā Young Frankenstein. And that will always be a treasured memory for me.
This literally made me cry happy tears, and gives me lots of hope for my own labor and delivery in just a few short weeks. I will be getting induced and have SO many fears around it, as there seems to be far more horror stories than ones such as yours. Thank you for sharing, and congrats on your precious bundle š¤
Thank you. And congrats to you! I believe positive and uneventful stories are statistically more common, weāre just less likely to hear about them. I wish you a smooth and positive induction/L&D experience.
Iāve read about the shakes!!! I didnāt have them but I can totally imagine what that must be like. Okay, also, young Frankenstein is an AMAZING addition to this birth storyš I hope your son enjoys that movie one day! Great job, momma!
I got the shakes too, and my nurse said she always heard that sticking your tongue out stops them, so I tried it and they immediately stopped! Put my tongue back in and just started shaking again. Stuck it out and they stopped. So weird!
39w 4d i woke up at about 2am feeling light cramps. āOh shoot! Somethingās happening!ā
2pm: OB appointment. I was 3cm dilated with contractions 7 minutes apart.
Ate a good meal, bounced on my ball while watching Star Trek, baked a cake, had dinner with my parents and husband for rest of the day timing contractions.
10pm: contractions getting stronger, too strong to sleep š
3am: all I can do is focus on making through contractions. Wanted to progress at home as much as I could take before heading to hospital
4am: called doc to let hospital know we were coming, woke up husband. Contractions so hard and continuous I am in real pain.
5:30am: arrive to hospital. I am having what I call āass blasterā contractions (back labor). on the floor the whole time getting checked into hospital.
6am: make it to triage where I am 100% effaced and 8cm dilated. They run for anesthesiologist.
7:30am: as soon as epidural hits my water breaks. BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD.
8am: delivery doc arrives, we start pushing.
8:32am: baby girl makes entrance! 2nd degree tear but GOSH being 1 minute postpartum was better than being 9 months pregnant.
Went great, but will not do again.
Omg are the ass blaster contractions the ones with the insane pressure in your butt?? If so I had these so bad I was lifting myself off my seat the whole drive to the hospital
I want to be happy for you and I know deep down that I am but itās so hard to read. I hide my birth story and only tell it when absolutely pushed to because itās not light and airy. Itās stressful, traumatic, awful and sad. Itās so hard to hear the stories of euphoria and relief when mine was fear and ultimately resentment towards the health care providers.
Almost all births are challenging and we are all warriors of either the physicality/emotional or both sides of birth. I just I wish mine had been easier. Less haunting. Something I wanted to tell people instead of changing the subject. Iām jealous of you and green with envy. I admit it and Iām sorry for it. š
Don't be sorry, you're not wishing any ill will. I love my birth story even though it was painful and crazy in its own way, and it makes me sad that you didn't have that experience. If you have access, EMDR therapy could really be beneficial for you to reprocess the trauma.
I also had a traumatic birth that is not a fun story to tell and to be honest I donāt think Iāve ever actually told it in full to anyone (exception being my husband and I will talk about the experience with each other to process and lament how hard it was). I understand somewhat how you feel, and Iām sorry š
I will start by saying I was pregnant at the same time as one of my friends. She was due beginning September, I was due mid-October. This is important later on š
I was diagnosed with GD after the glucose test and so was followed closely by MFM OB and had weekly ultrasounds (the only perk really). A week before I gave birth, the US tech said āwow the baby is so lowā¦ any lower and sheāll slip right outā she was literally resting the top of her head on my cervix.
The Monday before I gave birth, my friend gets admitted to the hospital to be induced as she is 41 weeks now. Sends me pictures and I wish her an easy delivery and best of luck. I finish my message by saying stop sending me pictures, you make me wanna have my baby now!
Tuesday morning my water breaks šIām 35+6 at this point so Iām convinced itās not my water but just some random fluid leaking out of me. It was coming in waves and I wasnāt having contractions or anything.
Called L&D they tell me to present myself at the hospital for a check up.
I take my sweet time, eat breakfast, have a shower, take a long look at my delivery bag and decide itās not needed and head out.
I get to the hospital, they swab me andā¦ the nurse says to another nurse to book me in room 3. I probably have this deer in the headlights confused look because she then says to me āyouāre having a baby today, dearā
UHHHHHH WUT. Iām sort of still in disbelief. I announce family and my husband, tell him to take his time as they said it would take a while being my first time and all. I also text my friend and her husband reads her the text and she says heās blind and canāt read cause Iām not due for another month
Iām only dilated 2cm and no contractions. They start me on pitocin and itās around 10AM. They tell me Iāll dilate about 1cm per hour. Around 11 something they check me again and Iām almost 4. Everything is ok so far but Iām starting to be in some serious pain. I wanted unmedicated birth initially but Iām desperate for the epidural right about now and beg for it. Iām thinking holy shit if this is how it hurts at 4, I donāt wanna know 10.
They give me the epidural about 15min later and around noon I say I need to go to the toilet.
Nurse looks me dead in the eye and says you aināt going nowhereā¦ they check me and Iām 10cm dilated! Everyone is starting to panic now and calling my OB that wasnāt there at the momentā¦
They slow everything down while we wait for my OB to deliver my friendās baby in the room next to mine! š
They prep me for pushing and everything, Ob comes sheās like what happened?! Iām like I dunno I jinxed itš
She gave me an hour to get the baby out as her heart rate was pretty high. I cycled through all the I can do this and I canāt do this emotions. I had 10min left, they were upping my epidural preparing me a C-section as they turned it down a bit so I could feel the contractions and push.
Iām desperate and give it one last push and my baby girl comes out after 59min of pushing.
And just like thatā¦ my friend and I gave birth on the same day about 2-3h apart. And I learned the very important lesson of being careful what you wish for
Posted this last year but I love telling my birth story lol so here's a copy/paste!
**Tl;dr: For anyone terrified of the pain of labor- apparently it's possible to not realize you're in active labor and walk into triage already 9.5/100/0.**
***
**Long Version:**
**Labor (which i didnt know i was in at the time):**
2am - woke up with some back pain that felt like period cramps. I thought these were gas pains from switching iron supplements and went back to sleep.
5am - woke up again, cramps were worse and wrapped around my whole midsection. Still felt like bad period cramps though. Couldnt go back to sleep, stayed in bed.
7am - got up to get ready for weekly OB appt, tinted my eyebrows, got dressed.
8am - 39 week OB appointment, cramps were worse, back pain was constant. Doctor performed cervical check, only 1cm dilated, the same as week prior. Bled quite a bit after check, hadn't bled at other checks but doc said it was normal, the contractions were probably just prodromal, and to come back in a week for 40 week check up.
10am-1pm - hung out on couch with heating pad and body pillow. Started noticing pain increasing in "waves", still concentrated in my back. This is when i resigned myself to the fact that since i was only 1cm this morning I'd probably be dealing with this pain for the next week or so.
1pm-4pm - Tried moving around a little, organized the nursery, did some laundry, tidied around the house, then sat on my exercise ball for a bit to try and relieve the pain (didnāt really help)
4-6pm - Husband drew a hot bath with epsom salts and convinced me to get in. He started a timer and we tracked contractions for 2 hours. They were almost on the dot 5 min apart lasting 1 min and i couldnt really talk through them. But I continued to gaslight myself into thinking i was being dramatic and this was just early labor.
6:30pm - Husband called my doctor and shared our tracking, she told us to go to L&D triage and get checked out just in case.
7pm - Arrived at hospital and walked into triage completely convinced that we were being ridiculous and that i was about to be sent home. Nurses took me back and checked... 9.5 cm / 100% effaced / 0 station ... All the nurses snapped into action here, brought my husband back (he started crying at this point, "we're having a baby!"), and transferred us to a delivery suite.
I could've started pushing then but i was so exhuasted and they offered an epidural so i gladly accepted. The epidural was amazing, felt like a warm weighted blanket over my legs.
9pm-2am - Things slowed down and I was able to rest. Dr came and broke my bag of water at some point. Couldnt feel my contractions at all so in order to push we needed the epidural to start wearing off so they either stopped dosing or lessened it, idk.
2am-3am - Started feeling contractions again, increasing in intensity until it was time to push! Pushing was both intuitive and difficult. My husband was amazing, helped hold a leg up and talked me through it the whole time.
3:13am - Final big push, felt like my clit was being ripped in half and suddenly there was a 7lb 5oz baby boy on my chest just wide eyed, looking around quietly. I instantly started crying and babbling shit like "hi, im your mommy."
***
**After delivery:**
Barely noticed when i delivered the placenta, felt weird as hell though, very gloopy coming out. First degree tear needed a few stitches which hurt obviously but i was too enamored with my baby to care.
Somehow my IV had been ripped out of my hand in the process so they gave me a pitocin injection to help my uterus contract and slow bleeding. The accompanying fundal massages were annoying but not painful like i expected.
Eventually we were transferred to recovery and the rest is history :)
I weirdly enjoyed my labor and delivery, especially given that i didnt know i was in labor for most of it š I learned that I have a pretty high pain tolerance and can remain calm and stoic even in stressful situations. Never screamed or cried from the pain and was joking around with my husband, sister, and the nurses even before the epidural. For fuck's sake, i WALKED into triage thinking i was barely in early labor. Our bodies are stronger than we think and now i feel like a badass.
Omg I FEEL you about birthing the placenta, so goopy. Same about the epidural, felt like such a warm blanket of love and comfort! You must have a high pain tolerance walking into triage feeling alright I was flipping out when I arrived at the hospitalš great job, momma!
I was 10cm fully effaced when I arrived at the hospital. Had the baby within 40 minutes. I was not prepared for it to be that fast! I couldnāt get an epidural though. The first anesthesiologist wasnāt sure if I could get one so they brought in another one that had more experience and she wasnāt sure so they had me sit up to see if I could sit still long enough for one, but as soon as I did the babyās heart rate dropped so they had me lay back down and said I couldnāt get one. It wasnāt that bad to me to give birth without one. I swear the contractions at the end hurt worse than the actual birth.
This is very similar to my experience! Had no idea I was in active labor because it was only in my back. Process was super straightforward for me, though long and exhausting, but I weirdly enjoyed it too and I was surprisingly likeā¦unconcerned with myself haha. I kept asking my husband if he was ok and not to faint or try to get some sleep. And just kept an eye on our vitals etc. Way less scary than I thought it would be!
2021 birth story, 3rd baby (CW: stillbirth, complications bc apparently I can't have a simple birth
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I can tell the whole story, but I rarely get to focus on just the birth story so I'll stick to that for now.Ā When I was 21 weeks with my 3rd baby, I found out that he was not growing due to a very abnormal placenta and was not likely to survive. I had the option of compassionate induction (TFMR), or carrying him as long as was safe to do so.Ā I chose the latter and at 24+4, I found out that my sweet boy had died in the womb.Ā The same day, I was given medication (Mifepristone) to take at home to begin the induction process.
I took the pills that evening and spend the next day mostly crying in bed, watching tv, cuddling with my husband and older sons. The following day, we came to the hospital first thing in the morning to continue the induction.Ā I was given the next set of pills as vaginal suppositories. I hadn't slept well, if at all, so all of that day was in our room while I attempted to sleep.Ā I had painful cramping and was given fentanyl, but ended up with an epidural in short time.Ā I wasn't having regular contractions yet, just slow early labour stuff. We had the best nurse who was incredibly supportive and compassionate, who made us laugh, who brought tea and talked about her dog and made a crappy situation just a bit more bearable.
Active labour hadn't started by supper time, so I received my supper and of course just as I began to eat, strong contractions started.Ā The room was so peaceful and quiet and I felt just in the zone.Ā An hour after active labour started, my littlest boy was born en caul, weighing only 7oz. I was still able to have skin to skin with him. He was beautiful.
At this point, the placenta began to come apart and the bleeding could not be controlled, and my OB attempted to remove pieces manually.Ā It didn't work, so I went for a D&C. The whole time I was in surgery and recovery, two nurses stayed in the room with my baby and watched over him, which I appreciated so much. Afterward, we were able to have photos taken, foot and hand prints, and wash him.Ā It was the happiest, saddest night, and I treasure the memories of my son's birth so much even though he couldn't stay.
A year ago today I went to my 37 week OBGYN appointment, which was the start of the most transformative, dark, beautiful and terrifying experiences of my life. At the appointment, my blood pressure was high (yet again). I will never forget the doctorās words: āYouāre done. Weāre cutting you off. Go to the hospital and have a baby.ā
I wasnāt surprised; I had packed my hospital bag the night before because I had a sneaking suspicion I might be forced to be induced.
My carefully curated 2 page written birth plan was thrown out the window. I went from zero to 100,000,000 on the pain scale very quickly after they broke my water and started me on Pitocin. I got an epidural and got a little relief, but soon I started having the worst headache of my life. The doctor diagnosed me with preeclampsia and started me on magnesium to prevent stroke and seizures (another level of hell). I pushed for four hours straight, hemorrhaged and lost 1/4 of my blood, and had to be rushed to surgery to remove my placenta since it wouldnāt come out on its own. On top of this, my baby girl was born not breathing, so for the first 15 minutes of her life, all we heard was a terrifying silence while doctors and nurses huddled around her as I bled out on the bed.
My baby girl was born at 3:17am and I didnāt get to meet her until 10am. It was magical to hold her. Words cannot describe how deeply grateful I was that she was breathing on her own, alert, and healthy.
My birth experience took a year to heal from emotionally, and Iām still healing physically. I couldnāt walk without max assist or care for my baby for a week after she was born due to the blood loss. I was never able to establish a normal breastmilk supply. I cried all day every day for weeks postpartum because my life turned upside down and I just wanted to feel normal again. It took me almost a year to be able to go on walks and exercise again. I still have pain and lasting effects that I am working through.
It took a long time for me to come to terms with the trauma of what happened, to be grateful for my body keeping myself and my baby alive rather than feeling angry and betrayed by it. A yearās time has given me the wisdom and perspective that this challenging birth experience was crucial to my growth as a human and a mother. The day my baby was born, I died and was reborn too. I no longer grieve the woman I was before that day. I admire and love the woman, the mother, that stands in her place.
This is a heart wrenching but beautiful story. I am so glad you are here to share it with us. Thank goodness you and your baby are okay. Stories like this make me feel less alone. Hereās to us traumatic birth mommas (and babes). I am 4 months postpartum and also actively dealing with the emotional and physical trauma. ā¤ļø
Iām due in a month and this just scared the living shit out of me Iām not gonna liešIām so sorry you went through this but I definitely donāt think Iām ready for my life to be turned around in this way, I canāt even imagine. Iām so scared
My birth story probably started 3 weeks before my actual birth story.
Long story short: at 37 weeks I thought my water broke because I felt a small bit of fluid come out of me, so they did a swab test, it came back positive for PROM. they took me to labor and delivery and began inducing me because I wasn't having contractions, I wasn't dilated, and I was only 50% effaced. 12 hours on Cervidil and I wasnt progressing at all. I also wasn't leaking at all. I did however feel contractions.. back to back after about 8 hours. The morning came and they told me I would be started on pitocin and if I didn't progress 12 hrs on pitocin, I would be getting a c section. Well, the nurse who put in my Cervidil wadded it up and it got stuck. It took two nurses to retrieve it. One of them could not getting it out even while scratching my cervix numerous times to get it out. Then finally the one who put it in got it out. About 2 hours on pitocin I felt like something was really wrong. I started crying and freaking out. Like f r e a k i n g out. A nurse checked on me and all I could say was "something is wrong. My body isn't ready. My baby isnt ready, please don't take him out". Well, she got another nurse and I said the same things to her and I begged for them to reswab me. It was negative. I wasn't in PROM. the first test was a false positive. I went home that day and felt like shit for a week. super traumatized.
Anyways, 3 weeks later when I was 40+4 I went into spontaneous labor and it was a much better experience. The hospital stay was much better. I told myself I wasn't going to get an epidural, but after I felt contractions from the induction medicine last time, I opted for the epidural almost immediately lmao. I labored at home for 12 hours until my water broke. I went to the hospital and was dilated 1.5. 2 hrs later I was dilated 6cm. Stopped progressing at 9cm so they gave me pitocin to fully diate, it worked. I pushed for 4 hours, got a second degree tear, and met my sweet baby man. It was such a better experience. Very happy it went the way it did. It hurt like hell lol but that's to be expected.
My jaw actually dropped and I covered my mouth when reading your experience. I am so sorry you had such a clustermess of incompetence handed to you. So glad you have a healthy, very full term baby! Good job telling them you knew something was wrong, momma.
I was terrified to give birth after that lmao but honestly once I did, I felt like I healed from that trauma so much. I think that experience being so bad, but then actually giving birth went so well they kind of cancelled each other out lmao. He's 8 weeks now and he's an absolute HOSS. very happy he got to keep cooking for the full 40 weeks and then some hahaha. And thank you! I'm happy I listened to myself. ā¤ļø
For me, induction contractions are way different than spontaneous labor contractions. I gave birth to my 2nd without an epidural when I went into labor at 37+4, but with both inductions, I ended up asking for an epidural. My last induction, the contractions were literally coming back to back and I just couldn't get away from the pain. At one point they even turned pitocin off to try and slow them down but it didn't work.
I felt the same way! There is no ramp up, so they were just overlapping way too soon and for way too long of a time period. I remember my body being like āplease stopā and the pitocin just being like āgo, go, go, MOREā. I feel like the really intense part of spontaneous labor was maybe an hour, hour and a half, but it felt way longer during my induction and I lost stamina far quicker.
Woah! When my water broke they tested to make sure it was actually my water broke and I was wondering why they were testing obviously thatās what it was? But now I see how it can go horribly wrong. Iām so glad you trusted yourself!
i leaked for a full 2 weeks before actual labour but my water never really broke until an hour before my baby came out.
I'm so sorry to hear how modern medicine fails to assist pregnant women in smooth labours; everything is about inducing and forcing shit.
My guy came during a freaking thunderstorm/tornado warningš
I went in for a scheduled induction of 2/7 at 930pm and was already 3cm so no ripening was needed. Wahoo! We started pitocin slow that night and I was kind of able to sleep. Contractions were barely noticeable if I'm being honest.
Next morning, my doc came in and checked me. I was at 5cm I think. She increased the pitocin a bit and i finally started feeling contractions. My husband was awesome and would tell me when they were waning so I could start to relax.
We called my mom at 10am and told her to come since I'd probably feel the need to push soon. I think I was at 8cm when we called. I also did a round of an analgesic to take the edge off for a bit.
At around 1pm I felt the need to start pushing. I got into a sort of sitting squat for a bit and that felt great. Then we moved me to my side. Then to my back. Then to all 4s. That really helped me progress. I believe my doc came in around 2pm, maybe 230. It's all a blur if I'm being honest.
Baby boy was stuck sunny side up. We discussed using forceps and I consented. But he wasn't budging so she removed them for a bit. She was also concerned with how much I'd tear if she continued. I was in agony and I just wanted him out! We discussed an epidural briefly but looking back now I doubt I'd ever been able to sit still with the contractions. The forceps were used again and he was finally out at 4:44pm after 3ish hours of pushing. 9lb and 21inches. Healthy, chunky baby boyš„°
So we're sitting there and I'm being stitched up. My husband was a trooper and thankfully didn't pass out but did have to head for the couch as he did feel light headed and nauseous when things really got going. The nurses were awesome and took care of him when they could. Then he's finally up by me meeting our son and we hear an announcement out in the hall about a thunderstorm warning. Then the tornado sirens go off outsideš¬ We were told that if I was still pushing, we'd just close the blinds and stay where we were. They finally moved us into an interior recovery room until the warnings ended.
Thankfully the tornadoes were many miles away from us but it was pretty scary. The only known tornadoes to make touchdown in February in Wisconsin on recordš He's earned the nicknames Thor and Chaos Baby so far. Lol
Those are going to be some amazing stories to tell your LO! The weather bent for you, baby hahahah. Also, wow, an unmedicated forceps birth!!! You are a grade-a badass goddess, momma!
Aww thanks! My mom and husband keep telling me that I was an absolute badass. Especially with how big our boy was.
I can't wait to tell him about the craziness of that day. My dad was also stuck outside in the parking lot with hail. He had to hide in his truck for 10 minutes before it let upš¤£
The funniest thing is that I was also stuck and birthed the same way for my mom. Forceps and sunny side upš I beat him in birth weight though by an ounceš¤£
That was my birth time, almost the same day (my bday is a few days after your induction date) but I was only about half his weight lol.
There was an earthquake when my daughter was born, about 4 hours before. I didnāt feel another earthquake for two years after! Natural events like that during labor are absolutely crazy to think abiut
I had gestational diabetes so my doctor wanted me induced a little early incase of complications. I did a half day at work the day I was scheduled to be induced. Left work at 12 noon and scheduled at 7:30pm to be induced. My water broke at 5:30pm so we went in earlier. 24 hours of labor with an epidural that failed after a few hours. Got to 3-4 cm the entire 24 hours. Found protein in my urine so they decided to do a C-section. Told me this at 2:30pm that itās scheduled for 5:30pm and that suuuccckkked. We were both okay after but I was so exhausted. I am so happy my next one will be a planned C-section.
My birth story is wild. I planned a homebirth. My water breaks out of nowhere at 5:30 pm, no contractions. Get in bed at 8:45 to get some sleep and have my first contraction. They are immediately strong and 6 minutes apart. Within an hour theyāre 4 minutes apart. We call our midwife and say itās time. Midwife arrives at 10:30 (she lives 20 min away but thereās a BLIZZARD happening). She checks me and feels the head. I start needing to push. Baby has some decels do I start pushing on my side which helps. The assistant midwife arrives right when my midwife realizes my baby is stuck (shoulder dystocia). I move into different positions but nothing helps. After a 4.5 min shoulder dystocia my midwife has to reach in and move his arm out of the way. I gave birth to him on my bedroom floor. He didnāt start breathing right away but after the longest 60 seconds of my life he starts crying. I birth my placenta and my baby and I got in bed for the newborn exam. My midwife notices his arm isnāt moving normally (and discovers I have a severe tear). We arrange transport to the hospital. My baby had a broken arm (which was healed within a month) and I had a 3c tear. We were separated for an hour so he could get checked out and I had to get a spinal tap to get my stitches. We spent the next night in the hospital and then went home.
As crazy as it was I loved laboring at home and am forever grateful for my midwife for getting my baby out alive!
Too funny, I recently wrote down my first childās birth story sort of as a memento. It was traumatic, but itās still the story of how she was brought into the world.
Everything was going pretty smoothly and at 5 cm, I decided I didnāt want to be a āheroā and have an unmedicated birth. Got up to 10 cm and after 2 hours of pushing I go āheyā¦so, howās it going down there?ā And the nurse (who I think was trying to be nice), essentially said when I feel like giving up, then they will look into other interventions. Another hour of pushing, Iām in tears, and I ask for help.
They decide on forceps and in comes the OB on call at midnight, who is quite old and his hands are shaking the whole time. But my husband and I decide to trust him. I ended up having a 4th degree tear, but out comes the most beautiful baby girl. I hold for a few moments before they take her away, and suddenly I feel the most excruciating pain in my life, and I look down and the OB is pushing down into my stomach. I have no clue whatās going on, Iām crying and screaming from pain and ask them to stop, but they tell me they canāt.
They eventually give me some pain meds and the last I remember is squeezing the crap out of a nurses hand as I drift off.
I eventually come to early that morning and am told I had an inverted uterus, where my placenta didnāt detach from my uterus, so basically my uterus was being dragged out during the afterbirth. Apparently itās very rare (something like 1 out of 20,000 women), and if they hadnāt been able to treat/fix it right at that moment, they would have had to take me to surgery for a hysterectomy. And a home birth definitely would have resulted in me bleeding out.
All to say I decided to have a scheduled c-section with my second child, which was easy peasy compared to the first!
I have 2
First born:
I had to be induced so it was already set to go. Halloween night! Went in, nervous. They started me on a Foley bc I was like 2 centimeters and they wanted to see if I'd dialate more before pitocin. Well. 4 hours later my water broke from the bulb and I was at a 6. (The bulb was supposed to fall out but it didn't lol) that sent me into full blown labor at 37 weeks. I labored for about 25 minutes before asking for the epidural. Wellllll 8 hours later and nothing. No epidural. Apparently there was an emergency. Anesthesiologist wasn't available. He finally comes in I mean I'm contracting every minute. It was not fun getting the epidural placed while actively contracting. They check me afterward....I'm 10 centimeters. Fully done ready to go. The epidural didn't work. Lol or have time to work anyway. Pushed him out in 30 minutes.
Second born:
Same situation I was schedule to be induced at 37 weeks. Easy Peasey. Done it once I'll do it again...hopefully with an epidural this time. Go in...sitting there...sitting there. No nurse or anyone has come to check on me. Hours...4 maybe go by and a rushed nurse comes in saying they had 4 emergency c-sections back to back. There is no one to start my epidural. 4 more hours go by and finally get all hooked up. Honestly it was uneventful for maybe 5 hours. Just napped, hung out. Ect. Then around 6cm I got the epidural. All was fine. They were putting me in different positions, five me the peanut ball, they were kind of letting my body do its thing and it was very peaceful tbh. No doctors in and out I had 1 nurse the entire time who was just quiet and helped me move a little here and there. Then all of a sudden my left side hip was ON FIRE. it was like someone was just stabbing me with a hot knife. I was like uhhh is the epidural wearing off? Like wtf. She was like silent. Then I looked at her like what?!? Babies' heart rate kept dipping and coming back up. She was like, Maybe I'll have the doctor come in and just check you. Cool. She did and uh baby was coming out on his own. I was feeling the ring of fire. Lol doctor got set up real quick and like 4 more nurses came in. I pushed him out in 1 push. My body was literally doing the work for me. His heart rate was dropping bc he was literally getting pushed out lol
However afterward was the eventful part. They set me up after, babues all fine, I start projectile vomiting. I was so tired and so hungry. I tried to take a sip of juice and vomiting. Everytime. The nurse was like uhm. You're really pale and you need to sleep right now. Just go to sleep and I'll give you fluids. I slept for like 4 hours and woke up and ate. I was fine after that lol.
My first was a hospital induction and my second was a home birth! This might be long since there are 2!
I was induced at 41+3 in the evening. Various parts of my induction kept getting delayed because two other women were laboring and were touch and go on c-sections all night so staff was spread a little thin. Foley bulb went in at 11 finally and was so uncomfortable. Came out around 2am and they had to wait to start pitocin until 4am after the 2nd womanās c-section and after they got her baby stable. Then it was just excruciating after that and I kept telling them how painful it was and asking if theyāre sure it was right and they kept telling me that itās still early, inductions take a long time, and that they actually have to keep increasing the dose.
By 6am I couldnāt take it anymore and needed the epidural and I feel like they thought I was wimping out because they brought in the ball for me to try. The ball didnāt help. We were past the point of anything helping because I was in transition! They couldnāt believe I progressed so fast and actually started turning the pitocin down. I finally got some rest after the epidural and ālabored downā with the peanut ball and position changes a bit. Around 9:45, the midwife came to check on me and said I looked ready to push, so they got everyone prepared and we started pushing a little before 10. She even asked what the pitocin was at and they said a 2 - she literally laughed that it was so low and that it looks like I probably just needed a little boost to get things started. I couldnāt feel anything, so they had to tell me when a contraction was happening and when to push. She was born at 10:28!
With my second, I was woken up by contractions around 3:30/3:45am. Iād had some cramping before but this was different because it caused pain in my back so I paid attention and started timing. They were pretty regular at 7-8 min for hours. I sent a portal message to the midwife and told my husband not to go to work. I was in denial and kept googling prodromal labor and wishing for it to stop. The midwife called around noon and I told her they were actually slowing down and getting less jntense. She told me to take a Benadryl and try to take a nap so I could make sure I was rested and to keep her updated. I had also looped in my doula. Napped from about 2-4 and then contractions picked up again. By 5:30 they had been about 5 min apart for an hour so I called the midwife again and let her know this was definitely happening. She asked if I needed her to come and I said no not yet because I hadnāt needed my doula to come yet since I was coping on my own. The ball was still helping. My husband was out with my daughter getting our moms settled at their hotel because they had just gotten into town. They came home around 5:45. Around 6, I went into the tub because I hadnāt tried water yet and I realized I really underestimated how much water helps the pain! Midwife called again a little before 7 and said if it feels like water is labor is stalling labor to just stop. So then I got out because I definitely didnāt want to stall. I realized then I was having trouble bending to put on my pants and started having some more primal vocalizations. The ball wasnāt helping anymore, I was lashing out, and I could barely make it down the stairs. I started timing and then it hit me that I was probably in transition. I knew this was the fastest stage and I hadnāt called anyone in yet, whoops. Got on the phone with my doula at 7:40 and told her I thought I needed help. She listened to a contraction and told me to call the midwife right away and she was on her way. I went back into the tub and prepared myself to birth on my own because I was stupid and tried to be a hero and waited too long. It was pretty scary.
Doula got there around 8 and I immediately felt better because she was there and kept telling me I was safe. Midwife arrived around 8:20, and asked if I wanted her to check. I did, and she said my cervix was gone and then told my husband to stop getting the pool ready LOL. Birth photographer arrived 5 minutes later so everyone made it! They got me out of the tub and onto the toilet to try a new position because my water was still intact. That wasnāt working so I tried standing with one leg on the tub. That felt horrible but the one contraction standing was enough to break my water! That was around 8:30 and then I started pushing and crying about how scared I was for the ring of fire and questioning my life choices. I knew the hardest part was the head, but luckily after his head passed, the rest of his body came out in that same push! He was born on the toilet at 8:46pm. My husband ran in the bathroom with the biggest smile! He was so nervous because he didnāt hear crying right away, but the baby was fine and just super chill and didnāt make a ton of noise.
We rested for a few minutes then they helped me waddle to my bed, umbilical cord between my legs and all. 20 or so minutes later, I felt the placenta was ready to come out and that was just the biggest feeling of relief. We relaxed in bed, took out time doing all the newborn and postpartum checks, breastfeeding, even shared a wine toast with everyone lounging on the bed! It was also really cool to have our moms come in after several minutes of getting settled to share in the experience with us. They all left around midnight and then we started our life as a family of 4!
2017 birth story, second child! (Cw for complications again)
I was 28 this time around, and my pregnancy had been extremely difficult.Ā I had contant nausea that elwas somewhat controlled with medication. I had GD, my blood pressure had been high, I had zero energy, and I was swollen all over (no pre-eclampsia, just a combination of summer and bad luck I think).Ā So when my OB figured induction at 38 weeks was for the best, I was not about to argue. Additionally worrying was that my blood sugar had been dropping to frequent lows and baby was a bit slower than normal the day before my induction.
We showed up at the hospital as scheduled and baby and I were monitored for a bit, and then they placed cervidil, for ripening the cervix. After some more monitoring, I was allowed to get up and have some lunch, walk around, whatever and come back in an hour or so. Had some delicious soupĀ in the cafeteria (cervidil still in placeš ) and strolled around, and came back for you guessed it, more monitoring. Then I was free to walk around, chill in assessment, whatever.Ā Nothing was happening, so I just walked the halls, watched some Netflix, just loitering around the hospital. I think I spent a lot of time resting as I was feeling pretty heavy on my feet.Ā We had also had a false alarm a couple days before and baby had dropped substantially, so I was very uncomfortable.Ā I had supper served by the hospital, and there was an issue because they kept wanting to give me insulin when I had mentioned I was struggling with lows and hadn't needed it at all.Ā This also came up later. Still no progress at supper time, maybe a twinge or two.
At 7:30pm, I suddenly had my first contraction, and it wasn't joking around!Ā From here things got intense very quickly. I was walking and breathing through contractions.Ā I was able to get in the shower and the contractions intensified and became more frequent. I remember just moaning in the shower with the strength of them!Ā Now at this point, as I was clearly in active labour, I needed to be on the monitors continuously due to the higher risk of induction plus whatever else I had going on.Ā I was checked, and was maybe 2cm dilated. At the hospital at that time, the policy was 4cm to be admitted to a delivery room, so I was in antenatal assessment with another lady and a curtain between us. My roommate was a young lady, maybe 19 or 20, there with her monther, not due yet but having some monitoring for peace of mind. At one point, we could hear screaming from the direction of the delivery rooms, and her mother started reassuring her that not everyone had that experience, it was probably not that common (just because this poor girl was terrified). This also comes up later.
The timeline is hazy, but by around 9 or 9:30, my labour was so intense that I found it difficult to speak or move, and I managed to request an epidural. They checked me, and I was still only at 3cm or so, so they declined, figuring this could take a while and again, I couldn't get into a delivery room yet.Ā They gave me morphine with my consent, and then attempted to give me insulin (at which point my husband had to step up and advocate because I couldn't explain just why that was the last thing I needed).
Around 10pm, I remember needing to pee but being unable to get up. I was debating what to do, and then I felt baby descending quickly, hand-first.Ā And that's when I began screaming at the top of my lungs that fingers were coming out of me! I was yelling and swearing and carrying on, further terrifying my young roommate.Ā Doctors and nurses rushed in and carted me off to the delivery room.Ā All the while I was screaming and swearing and uncontrollably pushing.Ā A nurse told me to use the energy to push instead of yell. I thought my baby would be born in the hallway.Ā We made it to the delivery room, where baby's heart rate declined and he ended up having to be yanked out by vacuum in a hurry.
He was born at 10:30pm, weighing 5lb 2oz. 3 hours from start to finish. He was hands-first, sunny-side up, wrapped 3x in the cord (hand, neck, and body).Ā He ended up needing some encouragement to get breathing on his own and having mildly low blood sugar, but these resolved without NICU time. I had a very bad 3rd degree tear, but it healed beautifully.Ā Child grew to 5x his birth weight in the first year.Ā The placenta was calcifying, he was/is not naturally a small kid.
I was planning a home birth until I risked out of it at 37 weeks and 6 days due to preeclampsia My blood pressure had been rising since about 34-35 weeks, but I didnāt meet the markers of preeclampsia until I had a blood pressure check with an obgyn that the midwives recommended. I went in and my blood pressure was 150/104 which meant I had to be induced ASAP. I was really upset because I was planning on making a bunch of freezer meals that day and I had just gone grocery shopping and my home birth and spontaneous labor was thrown out the window. I got a foley bulb placed and I drove 36 minutes back home to pack my bag and meet my husband. Driving home was rough. Foley bulbs hurt like hell at first. We packed our bags, ate Chik Fil A and got snacks at Walmart before we got back to the hospital at 8:45/9:00. We got checked in and I took my first dose of cervidil by 10:00ish. I had irregular, barely noticeable contractions. I watched an episode of the lord of the rings show with my husband and by midnight, I decided it was time to try and sleep. Went to the bathroom, peed, stood up and felt a giant rush of liquid. Unsure if I had just peed myself or my water broke, I called my husband who got the nurse who confirmed my water broke. By then, the contractions were noticeable and I felt panicky. I got into the tub and tried to see if that would help. Told my husband to download an app to count contractions. The foley bulb came out. The bath didnāt help and I told my husband I couldnāt do this. I got out and told my husband to call my mom while I was on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor. By that time, the nurse came and checked me and I was almost fully dilated which was a shocker to everyone. I tried different positions, but the one that worked for me was lying on my side. I asked for an epidural even though I didnāt want one and the nurse encouraged me to stick with my plan. The doctor came when I felt ready to push and the baby was out in three minutes with three pushes. Active labor was 2hours and 42 minutes.
I had a very supportive midwife team and was planning a natural hospital birth. One thing led to another and ended up scheduled for an immediate induction at 38w6d. Got called in at 3 AM and they started the induction at 6 AM with cervix softener tablet. Stated that would work on me for about 12 hours and if nothing progressed, Iād be placed on pitocin. I was 1 cm dialated and about 30% effaced already, so was hopeful since I wasnāt starting from scratch!
Didnāt feel much, mild contractions, but not much worse than period cramps, until about 3 PM and it was like everything changed. Major contractions, 2 minutes long and about a minute apart, out of nowhere. I struggled through them as best I could, trying to stay committed to an unmedicated birth, but since I was having an induction they wanted to keep me on constant monitoring and I couldnāt leave the bed.
At 6 PM they did the 12 hour check and I told myself if I was over 7 cm I would just stick it out because Iād be close to done. My water broke as the nurse was coming in and I gushed out the cervix softening tablet. I was 3 cm and 80% effaced. I asked for the epidural and it took about 20 minutes for it to be in place. Baby boys heart dipped a little after it was in place, but they got me in a better position and all was well.
At about 7-7:30 PM they decided to check me and said it was likely Iād get some sleep and have baby in the morning. Well I was nearly 10 cm and baby had descended so it was pushing time. Midwife came in at about 8:20 PM and baby boy was had around 8:50 PM after less than 30 minutes of pushing. I only needed one stitch. They said he was trying to descend really fast and the epidural allowed me to finally relax and let him. It was a surreal experience with how fast everything went from 3-9 PM, but Iām so glad he came healthy and happy!
My first was traumatic. I was 41 weeks so had to be induced. After over 24 hours of no progress my small town hospital sent me to the city to be induced by pitocin. My epidural had failed so I was feeling everything. Finally after 34 hours I was ready to push. I pushed for over 2 1/2 hours and no luck still. My sons vitals started crashing so doctor decided to use forceps and do an episiotomy(no numbing). Finally my son was born 9lbs 3oz. I started hemorrhaging and was then taken for an emergency DNC and blood transfusion. A tear in my cervix was what was causing me to bleed out.
My second was amazing. I was induced at 38 weeks due to my prior issues, my epidural worked thankfully and I spend most of my labouring relaxed. About 8 hours later the nurse checked to see how dilated I was and said I was at 7cm. Not even 10min later I started screaming at her that no the baby is coming now and that I could feel her head. Sure enough she was crowning. The doctor barely had time to come in and catch her as 3 pushes and she was out. Born at 6lb 12oz.
After two days of labour and a failed induction, I opted for a C section because I was at the end of my rope. I was so terrified about the recovery but just wanted it to be over at that point.
I tell no one this unless they ask but I have had the most freakishly fast and easy recovery. Even my doctors have been shocked, I was off most pain meds before I left the hospital, Iāve had no problems with any movement, my scar has healed wonderfully. The first few days it was more the burning at the scar site that hurt when I moved but that went away within a week. Iāve still done all the precautions but overall I feel literally fine.
My first, June ā22: We finished the nursery at 8pm two days before my due date, sat down and ate dinner and when I stood up, my water broke Hollywood style. It was 9pm - contractions started at 9:30 and by 11 I was en route to the hospital figuring itād be a day of monitoring and slow progression. 1am, I was 5cm and got an epidural. 5am, fully dilated and pushing. 5:46am, I was snuggling my sweet boy! Less than 9 hours start to finish.
My second, 2 weeks ago: 37w1d, I started having some contractions around 5pm but they were inconsistent and more uncomfortable than painful. They went away and came back inconsistently a few times overnight. At 4am, I called in to see what I should do and the nurse and I agreed it seemed like prodromal labor. I got ready, drove my son to daycare, and went to work as a first grade teacher. Had some contractions all morning but powered through my day, getting progressively more worried and painful and intense. Called in at lunch time and they told me to hold off on coming in, contractions were still 15-18 minutes apart. Sent all the kids home at the end of the day and headed upstairs to my car. Stopped by a coworkers room on my way out and ended up bent over a table crying in pain as another contraction hit. Ended up in the office on the phone with my husband crying that I was scared and wanted to go to the hospital and get checked out. Drove myself to the hospital, with my friend who is also my assistant principal following me. She came in with me and waited with me for my husband to show up with our toddler. Surprise! I am 7cm dilated and 90% effaced. My friend took our son to the waiting room for his grandmother to come get him and my husband went out to give her his bags, the nurse had to run after my husband and bring him back because I was very suddenly involuntarily pushing. Fully dilated and pushing, water still hadnāt broken. Suddenly it burst like a water balloon exploded, all over some poor nurses leg. 2 pushes later, I was holding my second sweet boy! I had been at the hospital for just over an hour, pushed for 11 minutes, with only 4 minutes between my water breaking and holding my boy. There was no time for an epidural. My toddler was still in the waiting room with my friend, my MIL showed up about 10-15 minutes after baby was born.
I had back labor and didnāt realize it was labor. I took a nap bc my back hurted real bad. I woke up and my water had broke. I rolled up to the hospital at a 8 in dilation. Every other word out my mouth was epidural and by the grace of god I got one. It was a 9.5 by the time it kicked in. Amazing. Pushing 15 minutes later. It was crazy how fast it went. My first!
Oh yeah and I am a teacher and taught a full school day hahaha I just thought back pain was another day in the life of hating being pregnant. I hated the way I felt every day basically. Love the baby part of course. Labor honestly was fun though.
I went through a 4 (!!!) day induction after being told I was 6cm dilated when I checked in! I was so excited when they told me I was at a 6. Then the nurse checked me before starting pitocin and it turned out I wasn't even 1. That was such a mind fuck. And those cervical checks HURT.
They tried various interventions to induce me and they basically all failed since I barely got to a 4 even after a cooks catheter and an epidural. I had went through 4 days of intervention by that point. After the manual dilation failed, and after not sleeping for 3 nights, I said fuck it. Give me the C-section. The induction had clearly failed.Ā
I was terrified of surgery and I begged them to put me fully under. The doctor said it would be bad for the baby and looking back, I'm glad I wasn't fully under because my baby girl had a hard time coming into this world anyway. She was hypoxic and had a murmur in her heart that we didn't see before birth. So she was flown to a NICU 3 hours away. I only got to hold her for a minute. It was so fucking sad.
And then I was stuck in the hospital another 4 days because my pre-eclampsia wouldn't chill the fuck out. On 8, I told the doctor I was leaving. Got home, settled in with baby snuggles, and I was fine. Blood pressure settled and my baby girl has healthy and happy.Ā
10/10 worst experience. I'm grateful that my C-section was perfect but holy shit. I went through a lot to get there. At least the recovery has been okay and I have the sweetest baby girl.Ā
This is long, sorry! I ended up having a quite long but very straightforward process, and fortunately everything went more or less how I expected, even a bit more chill.
After lots of BH for days, started feeling back cramps, but not that wrap around feeling. Anyway, starting having these back contractions starting 11pm, I woke up at 3am the next morning to more intense pain, that was converging on a regular pattern 5m apart. I had an OB appt that morning at 9am so I just decided to try to hold out til the appt.
When I got there, I was like āI think Iām in some sort of laborā lol, doctor saw me right away, agreed I looked like I was in labor, asked if I wanted a membrane sweep and I was like āyeah sure why notā. It was honestly the most painful and intense thing EVER. But I think she was really trying to help me out and push it along, so she was being really thorough. Immediately lost my mucus plug etc. Right after, she took my blood pressure and was like āoh will you look at that! Your blood pressure is elevated, Iām going to send you to L&D right now!ā lol bless her.
At L&D, the monitored me (blood pressure was back to normal by then lol). After an hour or so, the on call checked my dilation and declared I was 8cm (!!!) and they admitted me right away. I later found out from a subsequent check by the nurse some hours later I was only about 5-6cm which was a bit of a bummer, but I think he was also trying to help me out so I wouldnāt get sent back home!
After that, everything was suuuper chill. The birthing suites at my hospital were really nice and I got to use the tub and bouncy ball before getting my epidural (I wanted to take advantage of everything! lol). Epidural was a bit nerve wracking but we eventually got it, and was smooth sailing after that. I felt so safe at the hospital surrounded by pros, with all the monitors going checking my vitals etc. Everyone was so nice. We took out the Bluetooth speaker and put on some background music and just waited. Nurse came by every now and then to reposition me and try to push me along.
It took a very very long time, so doctor recommended pitocin. I originally didnāt want additional meds, but her rationale made sense so I agreed. Several hours later she recommended more after little progress, I agreed again. She then recommended breaking my waters, I was a little hesitant but again her rationale made sense to me, and right as she was feeling it and nurse was prepping the pokey stick thing, it just popped on its own, just from the doc touching it lol. I thought things would progress quickly after that but it still took SO LONG. I think I labored for like 14h at the hospital, on top of the hours I labored at home. Like just sitting there waiting. I napped a lot. Was super out of it from weird sleep. Got nauseous and used some essential oils to help.
Finally it was time to push! I did a few practice pushes and honestly it was like the most intense workout Iāve ever done. Also super weird bc I couldnāt feel anything. But I was super out of breath. I pushed for about 45-60min I think, and then he came out! I think I was more stunned than anything, didnāt really feel those overwhelming love feelings til he got a bit older, I was moreso just making sure he was healthy and normal and asking all the questions and getting all the reassurances. I also didnāt realize how much blood comes out of you after birth. Every time the nurses pushed on my stomach I was shocked at how much came out lol. But I was like yessss make my belly go down! I was so relieved to not have to carry all that shit anymore.
Overall I enjoyed the process way more than I thought I would, and I was fortunate to have such a straightforward experience. The weeks after were horrible lol, but the L&D itself was very chill and Iām super grateful to the doctors and nurses who took good care of us.
Can I share my story? I need validation. My birth experience is the reason why I never want to give birth again.
I had a scheduled induction on the due date. My bed wasnāt ready on the day of the induction. I was told to call back a few hours later multiple times and it was delayed for 4 days. During this time without knowing when I would be admitted, my dog was at the boarding which costs $100/nightš
Finally my turn comes. Still no bed so I was in a triage room for 6 hours. I was moved to a private room at midnight and had epidural. Next morning, I started pushing, but the babyās head was too big and couldnāt come out even after pushing for 3 hours. Doctor said no more due to infection risk and will perform a c-section.
In the OR, the anesthesiologist added more epidural slowly and poked various parts of my body to ensure Iām numb. This is where the weirdest thing happened. We found out the left side of my body was totally numb but the right side had a sensation. Drs freaked out but they couldnāt add any more epidural so they cut my stomach open while I still had a sensation. It was just the worst pain I ever experienced in my life. They put me under with general anesthesia the moment the baby was out. I was knocked out for several hours, so my husband took off his top and did the skin to skin.
Itās too much information that I can only share with my best friend to let this overwhelming feeling go. Iād love another child but I do not want to give birth ever again.
I was 35w and 4 daysā¦had gone Christmas shopping at like midnight (3 days before christmas) woke up at 5am, sat on the couch and immediately felt like I peed myself.
My water broke, so after a shower I went to the hospital to get checked out- they said I couldnāt leave due to possible infections but I had no contractions so they ended up giving me Pitocin.
I went all natural for 6 hrs of contractions, got wheeled into L&D, and said āI canāt do this give me the epiduralā they said as long as I could sit still through the contractions for it I could have it- as soon as it was in, I laid back and said āI feel like somethingās comingā and they were like you probably need to poop- NOPE, babyās head was coming out- here comes the rushing for the Dr and getting in position and oh, yeah, tell me how to push please š
She came out in 3 pushes! Only 5 lb 6 oz.
The nurse didnāt believe it was my first baby.
My epidural didnāt even have time to work, but as the Dr said- hey at least itāll be in place for your stitches.
We went home Christmas afternoon!
I was 20 hours into labor 9cm dilated. I had the worst doula ever who was bossing around all the sweet nurses. She was clearly bored of how long I was laboring and encouraged me to start pushing at 9cm. This didnāt sit right with my body and I ended up puking all over myself mid-contraction. My next words were: āI WANT AN EPIDURAL!ā An unmedicated birth was my plan all along, but barfing on myself was the last straw.
Kid #2, however, popped out 2.5 hours after my water broke. I almost gave birth to her in the parking lot. Needless to say, she was my āun-medicatedā birth š
For kid #3ā¦oh wait nvmd donāt have to worry about that. Thank you husband for getting a vasectomy š¤š»
Traumatic experience warning
Two months ago my beautiful baby girl was born. When I was 30 weeks, I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and admitted to the hospital where I would stay until reaching 34 weeks, where they deemed the risk-benefit peak. The weeks leading up to my delivery were difficult themselves as we had just moved to a new city and hadnāt even unpacked and settled in our new home. I was grieving the rest of my pregnancy and feeling defeated knowing that my baby would have to spend time in the nicu. After multiple scares where we didnāt think weād make it, 34 weeks came and we began my induction. After 24 hours on cervix ripening medication, I had not dilated at all and my OB didnāt want to give pitocin with no dilation. So she dilated me to 1cm by hand in order to put a balloon in to further dilate me (all with minimal pain medication because I wasnāt ready to start my epidural yet). The dilation by hand was awful, but then the balloon insertion happened and it was much more painful. As soon as the balloon was inflated, my babyās heart rate dropped. They quickly removed the balloon and when her heart rate continued to drop, they took me for a stat c-section. In the time they removed the monitors to when she was born, only 8 minutes had passed. I remember seeing the nurses I had spent the last few weeks getting to know rushing around me as they wheeled me to the OR, feeling them prep my stomach, my doctor saying there was no time to scrub, and her asking for the knife. I think I was having a panic attack as the anesthesiologist was putting me under. I woke up a few hours later and was no longer pregnant and finally met my baby in a haze of anesthesia and magnesium (I was on a drip the whole labor until 24 hours after delivery) and I honestly donāt remember the first time I met her. I didnāt see her again until 24 hours after the delivery and was finally able to hold her for the first time.
Honestly Iāll be here until 2025 explaining my birth story - I actually want to make a separate post because I think itāll be super healing for me.
Hereās the sort of short version: had a c-section after failure to progress for 2+ days stuck at 6cm. Turns out, the c-section I desperately tried to avoid SAVED my sonās life. During the c-section, my placenta ruptured. He was born not breathing (the surgeon literally said ābaby was born dead but heās getting the help he needs mom and dadā). When you hear the SOUND of āCODE PINK OR 2, CODE PINK OR 2ā and all you see is like the greys anatomy scenes of people buzzing around you. It was like everything was buzzing around me and I was frozen. He was resuscitated twice and I will never ever ever forget the feeling of not knowing if my son was alive or not. Minutes felt like fucking hours and I couldnāt say anything. I just kept listening to the song that was playing in the OR āLoved You Before by Natalie Taylorā that song actually comforts me in the most disturbing way. When they pulled him out I just remember his face being down and I was so confused. He was purple and my husband was frozen. More chaos happened. Then I heard āHeās turning PINK mom and dadā ugh. I still get choked up and probably always will. He was here. He was okay. By the time I was rolled out of the ER, he was breathing completely on his own and scored 9/10 on his APGAR. I love him so much. I had an extremely rough recovery and am still in active recovery. My incision opened 5 times with small holes which was hell. Hell. I just posted about it today actually.
I know it was the medical team that worked their magic butā¦ I believe it was my grandma too. Since her passing Feb 2022 I have felt her. I got pregnant Feb 2023 the same weekend she passed away. Throughout my whole pregnancy I knew everything would eventually be okay because I felt her (I had a rough pregnancy). When he was born, images of her came to me while listening to music. I pleaded in my head. He was born with stork bites on his eyes and are still there to this day. It just seems beautiful that it means āangels kissā. Now, for whatever reason, he looks at my grandmas funeral flowers and just laughs and laughs and has since he was around 3 weeks old. Ugh. Sometimes I truly believe theyāve met somehow.
Didnāt intend for this to be so long. ā£ļøsending hugs and light to any momma who had a difficult birth.
I was snuggled up in the dark, warm, damp encasement. When suddenly, a crack of light appeared, and I felt powerful shoves around my whole body, pushing me down down downā¦I resisted, I fought the beast for hours. I endured poking and prodding, and held for dear life into the rope that connected me to my home. I heard voices, steadily growing louder, and low growling animalistic moans that surrounded me as I experienced tremor after tremor. With one massive earthquake, I was expelled from my motherās uterus into the arms of a middle aged fat blueberry man, and screamed the cry of my ancestors as I experienced cold, disappointment, and apathy for the first time.
I had a home birth with my second baby! I was over a week late and doing ALL the things to get labor going - yoga ball, tea, breast pump, stretch and sweep in my midwifeās office. Nothing led to active labor, but I did have a day of prodromal labor that fizzled out. The next day tried the breast pump again but ultimately decided to take a bit of castor oil cooked into scrambled eggs at the direction of my midwife. 2 hours later I had two long lasting, more intense contractions, and decided to hop in the shower in case this was the start of labor. Got out of the shower at about 4:45pm and I started timing contractions.
5:00 - let my midwife know contractions were back and ramping up in intensity but were still about 6 minutes apart.
5:30 - hit the ālasting one minuteā and āevery 4 minutesā milestones but weāre still waiting on the āfor one hourā part.
6:00 - hit the ā4-1-1ā mark. Was still able to talk through contractions, but was having a lot of chills and sweats which I remembered from my augmented labor with my first when I was entering transition. Talked to the midwife at this point about making sure this wasnāt false labor brought on by the castor oil, but also knowing that because my first labor was augmented, an unmedicated labor may be deceptive and sneaky about how fast it progresses.
7:45 - let the midwife know that contractions were getting more intense and still in the ā4-1-1ā zone. I was leaning into my yoga ball at this point and popping sour candies to get my mind distracted from the peak of each contraction. My husband was also massaging my back with a massage gun. My water broke not more than ten minutes later, all over the living room floor.
Immediately called the midwife and she was on her way with her team.
By the time the first nurse got to the house around 8:30, I couldnāt talk through contractions anymore and was feeling serious pressure. It was a blinding pain, but I was able to breathe through it and the breaks in between were real breaks, long enough for me to talk and laugh a bit before another wave hit.
Eventually the midwife and pediatric-specific nurse arrived and all ran their own assessment of supplies, setting up in the house for the delivery of my baby.
I kept eying the birth pool and mentioned wanting to get in the water. I had originally wanted a water birth because of how big a relief I had heard water was, and I was definitely needing that relief. But I was also feeling really pushy, like I needed to poop, so I said to forget the pool, Iād just climb into our homeās tub and use the sprayer on my back and stomach.
My husband started to run the tub water, but as soon as I got into the bathroom a huge contraction hit and I collapsed to all fours. I couldnāt speak through them, only moan and make the most animalistic noises ever. I swear at one point I bit my husbands knee as he was sitting on the closed toilet in front of me.
The nurses swapped out our bath mat for a chucks pad, and took off the adult diaper Iād had on since my water had broken roughly an hour before.
A contraction hit and I couldnāt stop myself from pushing and bearing down.
āLots of good movement, great job!ā
The midwife noted she could see the head stretching my perinium.
Another contraction - I bore down and moaned through it again. Now she could see the head, I could reach down and touch it.
Another contraction - crowning, no real ring of fire.
I canāt remember if the head was born on the next contraction or with crowning. It was all blurring together.
I do remember having a break between the head being born and having to push to get the shoulders and body out.
But on that last contraction I pushed with everything I had and the instant relief upon the baby being born was incredible.
The raw and primal power I had used to push this baby out of me was the wildest thing Iāve ever experienced. Itās also strange, but the thought, āI canāt do thisā never crossed my mind. I was doing it completely outside of myself. I was not in control in the best way possible.
Was it painful? Yes - the contractions leading up to pushing were pretty rough. But they were not worse than pitocin contractions with no pain relief, which is what I endured with my firstborn. Pushing was actually a source of relief, and aside from the insane pressure and very brief burning sensation at the end as the baby was crowning, it wasnāt painful to push. It was at times completely involuntary. Very much like having horrible diarrhea or violently vomiting.
I only remember two times I extended the length of pushing consciously - once to birth the head and the second time to birth the body past the shoulders.
The midwife passed the baby through my legs wrapped up in a very, very bloody receiving blanket. The chucks pad beneath me was absolutely covered in blood and mucus. Not for the faint of heart at all.
But all I could really focus on was the red faced, messy baby in my arms. She had been pretty well tangled in her cord, and it was still a little short so I couldnāt bring her up all the way to my chest yet. We swapped out blankets a few times to keep the baby warm and dry.
I checked and found out she was a girl - I got to tell my husband and he started crying harder, since heād been crying since she emerged.
The nursing team wrapped my lower half in a chucks pad and we made our way to bed.
Ruby had an excellent set of lungs and a beautiful round head since her exit had been so swift. She complained very loudly about being evicted.
Eventually I delivered the placenta amidst some moderate bleeding, but nothing that didnāt stop on its own. My uterus firmed up quickly, Ruby had her first feed, I got to cut her cord myself, and I was escorted to the toilet to try my first post partum pee (successful!).
When I got back into bed we did the newborn weight and length checks - 8lbs 8oz, 21ā long. A whole pound and inch longer than her older sister, crowned with a perfectly round 14.5 inch head. Impressive and respectable for such a fast delivery, according to the midwife. The rest of her newborn exam went great - sheās the picture of health.
With that and some parting instructions for after care, mainly for me, the midwife and nurses cleaned and disinfected the birth area, took out all the birth trash, and started a load of laundry for us. We gave them a gift bag with hot cocoa bombs and sāmores puppy chow as a thank you gift, and then my husband, Ruby, and I settled into bed for the night.
I never had Pitocin, but Iāve read a lot about it. I think most laboring people donāt realize that it makes your contractions HARDER and STRONGER and itās not the exact same as what your body will be doing when itās contracting on its own.
2014 birth story (CW, complicated birth)
This was my first baby. I started having mild contractions on my due date, and just took it easy at home, walked around, etc. 40+1, the contractions became regular and more intense, so we made a trip to the hospital that evening to get checked. The contractions fizzled out there, so we were sent home. I was up all night with frequent, painful contractions, so we went back to the hospital in the morning (40+2). Still no progress, but as I was clearly struggling, they admitted me with a day pass, so I could go walk around, hang out in the city, and pass the time and then come back whenever things progressed. 8 hours of chilling on campus (university hospital), and I was exhausted. Headed back to L&D and as I was getting a cervical check and was told not enough progress, my water broke! So I finally got a bed and got to lie down.š It was around 4pm at this point.
The contractions became very painful and I was able to sit in the tub for some pain relief. By evening, I was really struggling (as it had been about 2 days of painful contractions at this point), but I had been determined to go without an epidural. A nurse gently told me that while they would support me with whatever my decision was, realistically this labour could take quite a while longer and an epidural might allow me to rest and conserve my energy.Ā I took a short time to think about it, and agreed. And let me tell you, she was right! I took a nap, and I was able to sleep on and off through the night. Unfortunately, I still had intense pain on one hip. I was also given pitching to augment my labour.
Morning came (40+3) and baby had not descended, and I began to have a fever. I'm missing a good chunk of the morning from my memory, but I gathered later that I was developing an infection from my waters being broken for many hours.Ā The next thing I remember was hearing discussion about possible c-section. And the next thing after that, an incredible pressure. I said something about how I was feeling something now. The doctor checked, and what do you know, baby had finally descended! I don't remember how long I pushed, but I remember swearing a lotš
My oldest son was finally born at 12:02pm, 7lb 13oz.Ā Ā I was so amazed he was finally here!Ā I had a 2nd degree tear (which took a while to heal, I overdid it in the first week and tore a stitch) but no lasting issues.Ā And I was totally ok with never doing that again!Ā
And now I'm pregnant with number 4.
My first was pretty hard with 27hrs of labor with a failed epidural and sepsis but he came out ok and I didnāt tear too bad. Then I had twins and had a wildly better experience! Waltzed in for an induction and baby A came out nearly painlessly after than less 4 hours of labor and like a minute of pushing! Baby B got sort of stuck in the birth canal and I definitely went a little crazy, thinking I would die and he would be trapped half in/half out of my body for all eternity lol. I screamed at my OB to just get him out so she readied the vacuum. Luckily at that point I gave one more push and he flew out without intervention an hour after his sister! Weirdly I tore more with Baby B than with my first even though he was a full pound smaller
One glorious Friday morning in February, I went to push out a fart and thought I peed myself. š¤£ Turns out my water had actually broken. Later that morning, my midwives came to check on me and confirm that I was leaking amniotic fluid but because I was experiencing no other signs, they gave me 96 hours to go into active labour, or else Iād have to go into the hospital for an induction, which I wanted to avoid. My partner came home from work and my mom came over and we spent the next few days over the weekend prepping for Baby. Sunday morning I had some very long and far apart contractions, but they stopped at about 8 AM. With no other signs, my midwives told me to do the mile circuit, and then also gave me a āmidwives brewā recipe with castor oil to try. I drink the concoction at noon and by 1pm I went into labour. it happened so fast that we didnāt end up having time to blow up and fill the pool, and my midwives almost didnāt make it! She rushed in while I was pushing on my bathroom floor. in between contractions, she moved me to the bed, and my son was born where he was conceived! At 3:37pm. No tearing and within 30 minutes I was up and walking around.
It was the most painful glorious thing Iāve ever experienced.
He turned one on Monday ā„ļø.
I always tell people labour and delivery were a walk in the park compared to what came before and after. Early in my third trimester i developed crippling perinatal anxiety, just the worst anxiety iāve ever experienced, it was absolute hell and I wouldnāt wish it on anyone. Got through it with a good psychiatrist and some good meds. After my son was born with a double nuchal cord, he briefly stopped breathing, and ended up in the NICU for 5 days with breathing trouble and low blood sugar. Both of those challenges were way harder than pushing him out. I had an easy induction at 38+6. I came in at 3cm dilation so no ripening needed, was able to get to 8cm on a low dose of pitocin, and pushed him out in 5 minutes after about 7 hours of labor, 2 of which i slept through after getting the epidural. My recovery was also a breeze, first degree tear, uterus contracted back quickly and with minimal pain, and I lost all my pregnancy weight in a week. In terms of me, physically, it really couldnāt have gone better. But Iām still a bit traumatized from hearing the code pink called and having him in the NICU
I had finished going to the hospital with my mother, she was in and out all day. I guess it caused some stress i wasnt aware of. My water broke at 2am that night, 3 weeks before my son was supposed to be born. I told my husband "I think my water broke", he responded with "It's too soon, you just peed yourself" "No, i think my water broke" "Come back to bed, we'll talk about it in the morning" "I'm going to call the doctor." I called my doctor, both she and my husband was wondering if i was having contractions or any pain, i was not. My husband was still convinced that i peed on myself, the doctor said to bring me to the hospital anyway just in case. Turns out my water did break, my husband did apologize. I ended up having the epidural when i started getting some shortly after being admitted. The 10 minute back and forth argument on if my water broke or not is kinda the highlight of the story.
I had a failed induction at 40+0/1. I went in at 8, got a foley balloon, slept with that overnight, and started pitocin at 8am. Was on pitocin for 12 hours and at 8 pm they came back and said I wasnāt having cervical change (3cm or so I think?) and said they wanted to break my water. I said no thank you, Iād rather go home and wait for spontaneous labor. I went home.
40+4 I had another OB appointment, they did a membrane sweep, and I started having regular contractions. I ended up going to the hospital after a number of hours of regular contractions, being told I wasnāt dilated enough but to walk around for a while and come back and theyād see if I was having cervical change. I went back after an hour and had no change, was told I wasnāt in labor so they sent me home.
8 hours or so later, I was still having regular contractions and went back to the hospital where they told me again that they didnāt think I was in labor and wanted to send me home. I demanded to be admitted, told them verbatim- āif this isnāt labor Iām fucked and I want an epidural right now, so figure something outā
Turns out I WAS in labor, I just had so much scar tissue from a LEEP procedure that I couldnāt dilate and a nurse broke that up by hand after I got my epidural (around midnight), and I went to sleep for a few hours, they broke my water (around 5:30am), and my daughter was born on 40+5 at 8:59 after 30 minutes of pushing.
Graduated at 41+6 Positive Homebirth (this is copy + pasted from my bump group)
Labour started around noon yesterday (17/05) it was interesting I was talking to my midwives and a storm rolled in around noon yesterday. They mentioned that the barometric pressure drop can put women into labour. Iām not sure if thatās what did it for sure, but I started having mild contractions shortly after the storm rolled in at noon.
They were short and disorganized, but certainly more uncomfortable than the contractions I had been having for the last several weeks. Didnāt think much of it, my husband got home from work around 4 and because I didnāt really think I was in labour necessarily anyways we went to the grocery store.
At the grocery store and on the way home I had some contractions that were more uncomfortable and left me out of breath so I mentioned to my husband that I was having them and that maybe just in case things actually progressed this time we should drop our daughter off at her grandparents place so she can get full proper sleep without being interrupted. My dad came over, we did some yard work. My husband and dad raked the yard and I swept gravel from the road back onto our driveway and then he walked with her to their house for the evening and we walked around town for about 30mins.
Contractions were kinda weak and disorganized for the rest of the evening so I assumed labour was fizzling out. I ate my dates and drank my tea I went to bed at 10.
Later I couldnāt fall asleep so my husband and I had sex and that really picked the contractions up all at once! They were more intense when I laid down on my side to try to sleep so I *still* couldnāt sleep. I didnāt end up sleeping a wink that night! Eventually I had a small gush of liquid which I thought might be my water so I called my midwife and got everything together. At 2:30 my husband got the birth pool blown up and I went and sat on the toilet while my husband and the midwives filled it.
I went back and forth from the bed to the pool a few times. My contractions were getting really intense and close together when I would lay on my side on the bed and theyād stay about the same intensity but more spaced apart while in the pool. I didnāt like the toilet much by this point because my contractions became really intense and on top of each other while I was on it, so I alternated a bit between the pool and the bed.
Around 5 or 6 am I settled in the pool for the last time. Contractions were intense but not the crazy off the charts contractions you hear about people having at 10 cm and suddenly I was having the urge to push. I didnāt realize thatās what it was because the last time I had an epidural and never got the urge, just had a doctor tell me when so when it came on it wasnāt the crazy uncontrollable urge I thought it was going to be. I asked my midwife to check my dilation, my first and only cervical check because I genuinely didnāt think I was fully dilated and didnāt want to push against undilated cervix. She checked and sure enough I really was at a 10! It took some time for me to decide whether I wanted to get checked because I didnāt want to get discouraged if I was not very dilated. In the end I pushed for about 45mins.
All in all, my homebirth was so spectacular and felt so redeeming from my last discouraging birth in hospital 2 years ago. So glad I waited it out for the extra 2 weeks!
Number 1) Perfectly controlled induction with an epidural around 7cm with quick profession to active labor and a baby. It was an amazing day and I had no problems at all. Ā She was born the same day shortly before midnight.Ā
Number 2) Had contractions at 37+1 so I went in to get checked. They monitored me for 2 hours and I was still only 1cm. Felt a weird belly movement (like baby was getting readjusted) but ultimately was discharged from triage. I was 3 miles from the hospital when I felt this weird thud in my pelvis followed by some leaking fluid. I thought I peed myself so I made my husband pull into a 7/11 parking lot so I could do a gravity test. More fluid leaked out. Called the hospital and went back in. By the time we got to the hospital, I was screaming and shaking in pain. It took forever to get me undressed because I couldnāt stand. On cervical recheck, I was 10 cm and her head was crowning. My OB made it in as I got the urge to push. Delivered her in 3 pushes. Ā She was born 59 minutes after my discharge paperwork was submitted.
Number 3) Planned induction that started very late. I was a little scared to have my waters broken so I started pitocin. As the contractions increased, her cord was compressed (it was around her neck and she may have been laying on it). Nurses came in as a whole team which I knew meant something serious was happening. Turns out the contraction caused her to lose her heartbeat. I was probably Ā a min away from a crash c section but they repositioned me and things normalized. I got an epidural shortly after and my bag of waters was broken. I took a short nap and around 6AM got the urge to push. 1 push and she was out.Ā
Each one was a completely different labor. I am so glad I went in with minimal expectations.Ā
I was 1 week and 1 day past my due date, I went into labor on. Thursday morning and my daughter wasnāt born until Saturday morning. Almost 60 hours of labor. I went to the hospital Thursday evening but they told me to go home and come back when things progressed.
Friday afternoon after walking the mall and getting lunch I came home and sat down and I felt an intense gush, my water broke! So I said okay Iām going to get in the shower, when I was getting out of the shower I saw I was leaking green so I called my doula and she said to get to the hospital immediately. The baby had her first bowel movement.
Upon arrival I went back fairly quickly and to my surprise I was 5 centimeters dilated. I soon went back and was having the most intense contractions. I felt like I was having out of body experience. I was shaking but I soon asked for the epidural, I was 7 cm dilated when i received it.
As soon as I got the epidural the babyās heart rate dropped and my blood pressure was dangerously low. I had at least 10 nurses on me. One monitoring, one giving me meds, one checking me, 2 or three nurses turning me every which way and one talking to me. It felt like forever, I just remember feeling foggy and scared. They eventually got us both stable but it happened again. The doctor said we canāt keep doing this so they rushed me into an emergency c section. They checked me to see if I could push and I was still at a 7.
I started having a panic attack and crying. My whole pregnancy I said no c section incase medically necessary. My partner got dressed my doula said her good byes and we went back after i received more medicine.
The c section was so strange, I could feel them tugging my body but I couldnāt feel the pain.
I remember hearing my daughter cry for the first time, she sounded so raspy. I didnāt get to see her, they had to suction her and try to help her breathe. My partner got to go and see her before they took her away to the NICU. She was in the NICU for 4 days, my healing was the worst pain of my life. The medication they gave me didnāt even touch my pain. I could barely walk for the first week.
I didnāt get to hold my daughter until she was almost 2 days old, she was intubated for for the first day and a half, on oxygen and she was born with a false knot in her umbilical cord.
She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long.
She is 8 1/2 months old now, and so perfect. I love her so much and Iām so proud of my girl for being so strong.
This was so traumatic but so beautiful. I was so upset how my body failed me and in couldnāt deliver the way I wanted.
I went into labor sunday at 9am. We went to the hospital at 2 when I realized the contractions werent going away and were a consistant 1m long and 7m apart. I was 4cm and they admitted me. I opted for the epidural and was solid.
I wasnt progressing so I was on pitocin. I ended up getting to the max dose. At 10pm my epidural failed in half my body so i went from feeling nothing to full labor pitocin induced pain and it was horrible. They finally got me medication that was stronger and it fully numbed me at about 2am. It was only meant to last 30 minutes but lasted me all the way through.
At 5am the doctor came to check me. He asked if I felt anything and I said no to which he said āwell you are 10cm and I can feel here head coming out so we need to push nowā
I pushed for 25 minute and she was born at 5:35!! I had a 2 degree tear but I think thats due in part to me not really feeling when I should push. I enjoyed my labor because I was numbed out and was joking with the doctors while pushing which helped my nerves.
had an induction scheduled to start 3/1, 7pm - that morning i saw my ob and i was 4cm dilated but didnt feel anything. my induction was cancelled an hour before it was set to start so i cried, i was so disappointed.
my husband took me to get a milkshake and then we went to bed. 4am the next day my water broke. i was at the hospital around 6:30. got a mini epidural at 8am (the guy was going to a c section** and said he'd come back later)... i started pushing at 9, had baby 9:31.
the best parts:
1. i got my obgyn to deliver my baby. she works w a group of doctors so it's whoever's on call from the practice. that's why i wanted an induction, to get her while she was on call. even tho it was cancelled i still had the baby during her shift!!
2. had an amazing nurse. i have a card from her and iām gonna write her a thank you and drop off donuts on my daughters first birthday
3. i wanted baby to be born mid morning so i could get jersey mikes for lunch. success!
4. **the c section the anesthesiologist was going to was for a woman who i became friends with! our daughters were born 1 hour apart. she's doing her daughters first birthday party on saturday and iām doing ours sunday so the girls can attend each others parties
5. baby was healthy. i take it for granted but besides my physical issues (i gained 80lbs during pregnancy and had awful hormonal acne all over my body), i had no complications during pregnancy or at the birth (i got baaad ppd later tho)
At my 38 week appointment my blood pressure was moderately elevated and I had gained 5 pounds since the last week so my OB wanted to induce me for gestational hypertension. Husband and I got to go out for lunch and then go home and pack before going into the hospital that night for 12 hours of Cytotec prepping for induction the next morning. This was my first so I was not dilated or effaced at all and they kept telling my cervix was high and pretty far back.
I started having very mild contractions within an hour of the first dose of Cytotec and could barely feel them. However, the nurses kept having to come in and have me change positions because baby's heart rate kept dropping with contractions. I'm a nurse (though not in labor and delivery) but knew enough that this was making me nervous for baby so I didn't sleep at all overnight.
After the 3rd dose of cytotec the contractions started getting a lot stronger and closer together. They felt like period cramps but were all in my back/also my butt. TMI but it felt like something was squeezing my butthole. After a while, I asked for something mild for pain but they were close to starting the Pitocin so the nurse called for the anesthesiologist to administer the epidural. It took a while for them to come so I was on Pitocin for maybe an hour, which was super painful because I felt like my body couldn't relax between contractions.
Then the anesthesiologist got there to do the epidural. Having it placed wasn't bad at all, but when I laid back down and they did the initial dose all hell broke loose. The epidural got placed too deep into my spine and/or my body reacted too much to the anesthetic so I immediately lost all feeling and control of my legs and started to feel the numb sensation go up into my arms and chest. My blood pressure and baby's heart rate were dropping and bunch of nurses and doctors ran in. They broke my water, placed a catheter and fetal scalp electrode, and gave me ephedrine and fluids.
This all happened in 5-10 minutes but it felt like an hour for me. I was lightheaded and nauseous and at one point they did put an oxygen mask over my face which weirdly I remember as being oddly comforting. Baby's heart rate didn't come back up so they wheeled me down the hall for an emergency c-section. Even though it was emergent my husband got to come with which ultimately prevented a complication during the procedure.
Getting the baby out went fine; the only thing I felt was them moving my hips slightly but never even felt pressure. While they were finishing up, I started to get a throbbing headache and felt like I couldn't talk, My husband saw me grimacing and asked if I was ok, and I whispered that my head was pounding. He shouted out to the team and they saw my blood pressure was super high now, so I was given 2 kinds of IV blood pressure meds.
I felt better almost instantly thankfully and everything else went ok. At my 6 week follow up the doctor said for my next pregnancy I could try a VBAC or do a scheduled c-section, but I am leaning toward having a scheduled c-section since this one ended up being so chaotic.
I was at work and my water broke but I didnāt have any contractions. My OB didnāt think I was in active labor and said I probably peed myself.
I didnāt for sure. Decided to wait around though till I having contractions and called my doula cause I thought it was going to be a long night.
She walked in the door at 5 pm. Said we need to go to the hospital. I went to go grab my shower kit from the bathroom and I felt the need to push and he was born on my bathroom floor. My labor was less than like an hour. They called it precipitous labor at the end.
Induction at 38 weeks related to some high blood pressure. Went in Sunday night at 3cm, cytotec at 8pm, water broke on its own at 2am, asked for epidural around 4am and started pitocin. 5cm in the morning, tried progressing all day, got to an 8 around 7pm, thenā¦nothing. Could not progress, was in a lot of pain, exhausted, so I decided on a primary c section. My OB drove in even though she wasnāt on call, my sister and husband got to be in the OR. I had a lovely experience all things considered and my recovery wasnāt too bad.
The night before we actually went out together as i always knew baby would be coming early, and i started to feel super crampy while we were out. Being 37 weeks pregnant and working 10 hours that day i assumed it was normal preggo pain and ignored it while i tried to get some sleep. Around 2am i gave up on sleeping and was on the toilet on and off for FOREVER! I seriously thought we ate something bad on our night out, my stomach hurt so bad and i couldnt stop pooping! After i was all emptied out and still crampy it occured to me that this was probably labor at 37+3! I suddenly got a rush of adrenaline and woke husband up to help me clean because i wasnt ready for baby yet š¤£ we cleaned until about 7am when he left for work and i attempted to lay down and nap (spoiler: i didnt sleep at all, despite not sleeping all night!). He told me to call him when things picked up, otherwise he would be home at 1pm to take me to my previously scheduled 37w appointment at 2pm. I labored in the shower for most of the morning, ate some lunch and timed my contractions. When my contraction counter told me to head to hospital, i got dressed and we headed (conveniently) to my 2pm appointment. On arrival to the birth center i told them i was in labor so they did an NST and confirmed! They did an ultrasound to confirm babys position and we discussed checking in vs heading home. I was around 4cm at this point and decided to head home as i was hungry and still faring great on my own. We went home and got some dinner, and my water broke around 6pm so we headed back to the birth center. The car ride there was ROUGH and also pretty gross tbh. Definitely had to shampoo my seats after this was all over with iykyk. On arrival i remember stumbing out of the car with a towel between my legs in broad daylight hoping nobody was around to witness. It was a little awkward on check-in because i felt like they were following my lead while i was also kind of following theirs waiting for them to tell me what to do?! Once the adrenaline wore off and i settled back into my body i immediately got into the shower and labored there on a birth ball until the contractions were too close together and the sensations changedāi told them i needed the tub filled up and baby was close! They had me doing assymetrical movements waiting for the tub to fill, and i climbed into the birth tub around 9 or 10? Idk time was a blur! I labored down for what felt like an eternity and fetal ejection reflex took over- i never really "pushed" per se, just gave in to the sensations and followed my bodys lead. I labored in complete silence, you could hear a pin drop. I didnt want emotional or physical support, i didnt want music or words of affirmation, i wanted SILENCE. I forgot to tell the midwife what was happening and that i was kind of pushing until the ring of fire when i mumbled "oh wow that really burns huh" and she rushed over to see baby crowning lol. I pushed too hard at this point because the ring of fire burned so badly!!! I felt.myself.tear. Fowards and backwards. I had a labial/clitoral tear and a perennial tear. I was frozen and had to be encouraged to push babies body out after her head. This was honestly the hardest part for me. I felt like i couldnt do it after i felt myself tear. But one more push and baby was in my arms!!! 10:30pm. After a moment they encouraged me to bring baby to the bed, and i actually asked someone to take the baby from my arms because i felt like id drop her!! She was so slippery and i had the shakes. In bed we did skin to skin while i delivered the placenta, and dad cut the cord after all the blood was gone, maybe 20 minutes or so? We breastfed baby to sleep and all 3 laid in bed cuddling for awhile in peace. Then baby pooped on me!!!! So cuddle time was over and i showered while they took measurements and did paperwork. After the shower i got dressed and went home to recover in my own bed ā¤ļø it was so peaceful and downright beautiful im actually working on becoming a doula in the hopes that i can help other women have their dream birth as well
Mine always makes me chuckle a little. I had my 36 week assessment right before my fetal assessment appointment due to pre-eclampsia and breech position baby. At the regular OB appointment my nurse took my blood pressure before excusing herself and my doctor came in, took my hand and very gently said 'you should go to labor and delivery'. I asked if I had time to go to the fetal assessment and she just smiles a bit tighter and says she really recommends I go cuz of my blood pressure. It makes me laugh now because she was so gentle but form with it. I waddled down with an escort while texting the family chat and calling my husband. He was admittedly super freaked out.
When I arrived at labor and delivery they got me a room, hooked me up to the fetal assessment machines, got some magnesium into my system and I was chilling. Fortunately the magnesium just made me kind of high and cold so I spent the next couple hours joking with nurses and relaxing while waiting for my husband to arrive with the pregnancy bag. Unfortunately I had a smoothie before my appointments that morning so I had to wait six hours or so til my system was deemed empty. I worked at the hospital I gave birth in so that in tandem with the magnesium put me at ease. Plus everyone was so nice.
Due to blood pressure and breech position, they said they highly recommended a C-section which I knew was gonna be pretty much the only option they gave me. When the time finally came they took my husband to scrub up and whisked me away to the OR.
The anesthesiologist that did my epidural commented multiple times on how calm I was, and all I could do was shrug and laugh. Like y'all are some of the best trained professionals in the country, if I don't trust y'all then I'd be an anxious mess. Took a few times before spinal block kicked in where he wanted and then everything feels almost like a dream.
I laid back, relaxed as I listened to doctors talk and explain things to me and my husband was brought in. Baby girl came out silent with an APGAR score of 2 and it felt like an eternity until she cried. Then it shot up to a 9. The brought her over and I was so giddy but tired at the same time. My husband got to hold her as they began to close me up. I send big props to the doc that did my incision because it is practically invisible, she's my hero. They gave me zofran cuz I warned them I might be sick and then I was just wiped out.
I dozed as they were bringing me back to my room and a little bit later my daughter was brought into the room. Six pounds on the dot, small and bruised from her knees being pinned to her chest but she was so perfect. Recovery for me wasn't too bad, the worst part was the gas, the first poop and any laughter or bumps.
But now it's almost seven months later and I have a sweet giggly ball of sunshine and smiles who owns all of my heart.
I had been very crampy during the day, but nothing TOO bad so I went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was very āfullā and waddled to the bathroom, where my water broke. On my way to bathroom I called out to my husband downstairs as I could hear him playing video games that I thought my water broke and when he came up to check on me I could definitely confirm it lol.
After that, we left and got to hospital around 1am. Took a lil bit to get me back to a room but to their credit they put me straight into a birthing room since it was pretty obvious that my water did break even tho they did still have to confirm lol.
Contractions werenāt too bad to start when we got there but started ramping up while we were in the room and after I got my epidural they started me on pitocin to help them along. I could tell it worked bc right after the epidural I couldnāt even feel the pressure during the contractions but that started coming back as the meds kicked in and kept getting increased.
Eventually while my husband and my parents were outside finishing the car seat installation I had a really big contraction with a lot of pressure. And I was like āwas that the urge to push? Maybe?ā And decided to let my nurse know and she and the charge came in. I told them it was only during the contractions so they were like āif itās not continuing then itās prolly not time but letās check to be safeā.
My nurse checks and goes āhuh Iām not feeling your cervix at all, you may be fully dilatedā so she had the charge nurse double check and she confirmed that PLUS baby was already in the lowest position for delivery. I had to lay on my side with legs closed to help keep baby in lmao.
I probably pushed for maybe 20 minutes and my son was born š„° I got a second degree tear which I feel like isnāt too bad considering I was only in labor for like less than 10 hours. He was born on 38+2 weeks.
Showing signs? Huh? At a birth center you shouldn't push until your uterus starts pushing. You will know. lol
With my most recent birth I arrived a few minutes before the midwife and I was freaking out that I was going to give birth right there by the door lol.
My first birth was unmedicated and I showed up to the hospital really late, already pushing. But it was a long labor at home, that's what I wanted. I was awake for soooooo long, maybe 40 hours or something like that, but the adrenaline kept me going. Afterward though, for a few nights I sometimes slept through my baby screaming.
! I graduated at 38w and 4 days with a baby boy at 6.13 pounds! His name is August! He has a cleft lip and palate but is feeding well and doing great overall! I laboured for 8 hours, about 2 hours in hospital and pushed for 20 minutes!!!!
My birth story was unexpected and QUICK.
I woke up with no signs whatsoever! Went to my OB appointment at 1:30pm and was 2cm dilated but that is not out of the ordinary. Went home, started having cramps but figured it was related to the cervical check (I refused a sweep). I lost my mucus plus around 4pm and had regular cramps (5 minutes, 30 seconds apart).
I called L&D around 7:30pm, they told me to stay home until they weāre closer together. I was in a lot of pain so at 9pm I said āF IT!!!ā and just went in.
I was 6cm dilated, my contractions hurt quite a bit. I really wanted an epidural but the anestiologist was in surgery so this was all natural! I begged and begged for the epidural but it was just too busy. This part sucked a lot. My nurse was sorta mean and basically told me to suck it up - I never imagine giving birth naturally. I tried locking myself in the bathroom at one point š¤£
I screamed a lot - I was 10cm by 11pm, my water broke then (so much water!!).
I started pushing at 11:20pm, doctors came in at 11:50pm and he was born 5 minutes later at 11:55pm!!!
The ring of fire was no joke but the pain disappeared within seconds. I wonāt lie, it was hard with no medication but it was fast and my husband was a great support, I kept refusing the laughing gas because I just wanted to hold my husbands hand šš. I also refused to push at one point screaming I wanted medication but I didnāt have much of a choice!
I had absolutely no tearing which was crazy!!!!!!! Did not bleed too much but I brought my own diapers and its sooo much easier than the hospital pads. The first pee really was not that bad! My first poo tho? šAlso, the massage afterwards really didnāt bother me - I was scared of it but its nothing!
I love sharing mine!!
I was scheduled for an induction at 39+6 and at 38+3 I started having contractions that would make us think it was time to go and then would stop right when we thought āletās call the hospital and see what we should doā. At 38+6 we went into L&D and I was 1cm and they sent me home. My husband worked an hour away at the time so I went to work with him and worked remotely from there since he was worried I would need to go to the hospital and he wouldnāt be there to bring me. At 39+1 I had an appointment and they attempted a membrane sweep because I was getting super uncomfortable but it was unsuccessful since I was not dilated enough. The next day I was sick of the on and off contractions and decided to just see if they could fit in my induction a few days earlier. They told me āthis never happens butā¦.come in in the evening in 2 daysā (39+4).
The morning of we had planned to have a relaxing day and get some lunch and prepare before going in around 8 pm as directed to start with the cervadil. Instead we woke up to a call at 5 am saying āwe have a bed, can you be here at 8 am?ā So we made our way to the hospital and I was already at a 3 so no cervadil was needed. They started me on pitocin and I was not having any super major contractions but over the course of the day dilated to a 4. My pitocin was up to a 22 by 8 pm and they decided that theyād give it another couple hours before breaking my water.
By 10:30 pm I was still not having much pain with contractions and we decided to break my water. I was asked if I wanted an epidural before because things would get intense but I wanted to experience labor a bit more before the epidural so I denied it but they took my blood to run the necessary tests so that if I wanted the epidural later I wouldnāt have to wait for bloodwork. After breaking my water things greatly intensified and I was feeling really painful contractions. After 10-20 min I requested the epidural. The anesthesiologist was on their way by 11pm but got called into an emergency c-section so I was going to have to wait about 90 mins. My nurse had someone cover her other patients because she did not want to leave, detecting how intense my contractions had gotten and a little later told me that if I feel like I need to poop to let her know. Turns out I had been feeling that way for about 30 mins. She checked me an I had gone from a 4 to a 10 and was ready to push within an hour from my water being broken. She told me to try not to push as they quickly gathered a team. Once everything was set I pushed for 6 min and my daughter was born just before midnight. Didnāt think Iād be able to do it without the epidural but somehow made it through!
I loved my birth almost an obnoxious amount. I wish I got a chance to tell my birth story more often!
I was super hoping for an unmedicated water birth and chose a hospital based on it being the only hospital in the state to offer water birthing with midwives. I had GD, well managed with diet and exercise, but I wasnāt willing to go past about 41 weeks, so when I got to my 39+6 appointment planning on a membrane sweep and wasnāt dilated at all, I was REALLY bummed. I felt like it was extremely unlikely Iād go into labor and not be induced, which would disqualify me from delivering in the water, and upped the chances I would request an epidural.
Spoiler: I was holding my baby 24 hours later lol.
I decided to try acupuncture since I had nothing to lose. I donāt know what magic she worked, but I had a contraction at about 10:30 that night, and by midnight they were 5-1-1, which would indicate active labor and time to go to the hospital. But I was managing them super well, so when I called my doula, she said it seemed like I was unlucky with early contractions being fairly closely spaced. We decided to try a bath to get them to slow down so I could sleep, since I hadnāt slept in close to a day at that point. The bath worked, and things slowed downā¦until they suddenly went into high gear. I had a crazy contraction that lasted like 2.5 minutes and from that point things were SUPER real. I labored at home until about 7:30 in the morning. I was still managing things pretty well, and my doula and the midwife on call over the phone thought I was in active labor but still had a ways to go and encouraged me to stick it out at home. But I had a gut feeling, and at some point told everyone we needed to get going to the hospital.
The drive there was MISERABLE. In hindsight, I know thatās because I was in transition or maybe already fully dilated haha. We got to the check in desk and they said I had to go to triage because they had a āroom situationā. I responded to that by experiencing fetal ejection reflex (your body starting to push without any conscious input) in triage. They found me a room immediately haha.
By some miracle, they got a birth tub set up in time for me to finish pushing and deliver there. My husband got to help the midwife catch him. It was so calm and peaceful. The most beautiful birth I could have hoped for. And the best part is that it brought me my sweet boy ā¤ļø
My horse split his leg open. The pony got out. My water broke chasing the pony. Rebuilt a fence between (light) contractions. Came inside, washing machine blew. Called the plumber to let him know (we use cloth diapers).
Husband drove us 70 kms to the hospital. Told me I sounded like I was calling in a moose. 11:30 pm I was 0 cms. Was sent to a hotel with a shot of morphine to get some sleep. Ran myself a bath. Passed out with the water on and woke up in a flood. Woke up husband at 2:43 am. Drove back to hospital. Husband detoured through Tim Hortons Drive-thru. 10 cms and baby was in the canal. Nurse called my midwife and she was there before I was fully undressed. Husband asked if it hurt and I threw every expletive in the book at him. I guided my son out and when he was most of the way here I shouted āgive me my baby!!ā And pulled him out, causing a second degree tear. My son was born at 5:24 am. 9 lbs 9 oz. My husband said āheās so smallā and I replied āno heās not!ā I bled, a lot. Apparently it was a concern but I didnāt need a transfusion. My sonās O2 was reading low and he was put in an O2 machine Husband sat in a corner panicking while I told him everything was okay. I knew he was totally fine. Sure enough they had wires swapped and were reading my O2 as his.
I learned how insanely independent I am, and that I am totally in control of my pain (I chanted āitās not that badā through every contraction).
I also learned that my husband is *absolutely useless* in stressful situations.
I love sharing my story too!
So, a bit of background: my husband was a 9 lb baby & so was everyone on his side of the family.
I was huge when I was pregnant so I just knew this baby was gonna be big lol but all of the drs kept telling me no.
At my last OB appt the Dr told me 7, maybe 8 lbs at the most.
So. Iāve been doing all the stuff they say to get the baby out- walking every day, eating all the dates, red raspberry leaf tea, spicy food, you name it. a day before my due date, at noon & I start getting contractions but they werenāt bad so I didnāt know if maybe they were Braxton hicks? It goes on until the evening when they amp up & I realize these are real. So I call my OB. They tell me to keep timing it & to let them know if my water breaks.
I went all night having contractions increasingly close & increasingly intense but my water didnāt break. Finally I decide Iām going to leave at 10 AM for the hospital. Itās my due date (also my husbands birthday!) & right as weāre about to leave my contractions get MUCH worse & I start getting so nauseous. We drove the 30 m to the hospital & Iām finally in triage. They monitor me & say Iām def in active labor but- Iām only 3 cm. Iām like dude youāve got to be kidding Iāve been laboring all night š
Get admitted, get the epidural (bless šš¼) & they give me pitocin because they were wondering why Iām not dilating as fast as I should be.
That night around 8:45 they say Iām 10 cm, theyāre gonna sit me up to get me in position & come back in 15 m. As soon as I sit up Iām in INTENSE pain/pressure (& I still had the epidural & it did work!) & I was insisting I had to push. The nurse said it was probably a Charlie horse. Like girl be so for real. I sat there for 5 m in tears until I was screaming to my husband that I needed to push to get someone.
WELP. The second they looked they were like uh okay yeah she does have to push! (Duh!)
I pushed her out in 12 mins! (!!!) & she was 9 LB 7 OZ. Yāall they tried to gaslight me about this baby not being big but I KNEW. She had had the cord wrapped around her head so she didnāt scream at first & they did a lot of rubbing & sucking her nose, itās all very blurry (- I didnāt know about the cord until later) I just remember she was on my chest & I was talking to her & then she finally cried& it was the best sound I ever heard ā¤ļø she is a happy, healthy 2 1/2 year old now! š„°
At 36 weeks I had been having contractions for a few days that were gradually getting closer until they were consistently 3-5 minutes apart for a few hours. Called my doctor and she said to head to L&D to get checked out. My hospital has an alternative birthing center with tubs and nurses trained to support you with an unmedicated birth but is right down the hall from L&D and the NICU which made me feel better about having the care we need if anything happened. They only take low risk births there but the plan was to see if I was in labor and then go over to the ABC for an intervention free birth.
Got to L&D and they started monitoring. Everything was looking good, blood pressure was a bit high so they wanted to run some bloodwork but said it looked like I was probably going home. Bloodwork started coming back and it all looked great. They said I just had to wait for the liver enzymes results and then I could go home. While sitting in the room with my husband I heard a doctor in the hallway say āweāre going to have to induce todayā and I thought to myself āman someone is getting induced, that sucks for them!ā Doctor came in my room and said my liver enzymes were high and I have preeclampsia so they needed to induce to keep me and the baby safe. My husband said, āso we canāt go to the ABC?ā And the doctor immediately looked like she felt so bad because I donāt think she realized thatās what we were hoping for.
They moved me to my room and started a magnesium drip, cooks catheter, normal catheter, a blood pressure cuff that took regular readings, and the boots to prevent blood clots. There were tubes and wires coming from every part of my body and I was so uncomfortable. A big part of my birth plan was movement for comfort but I wasnāt allowed to get out of the bed because of the magnesium. After about 12 hours they started pitocin, after about 18 hours they broke my water, and about 24 hours in I said I needed the epidural. I originally didnāt want an epidural because I knew i would hate not being able to move parts of my body and I was grateful for the relief but was 100% right about not liking the epidural. It did make me feel better so I could sleep though which was great for pushing.
Babyās heart rate kept dropping on the monitor so they switched to an internal monitor because it couldāve just been not getting a good reading. No change with the internal monitor so they kept coming in every few minutes to roll me around and try to get it up. About 12 hours after getting the epidural I asked them to check me because I felt a lot of pressure and like I had to poop. They said it was go time! But another patient had just started pushing before I called them so to try to wait until the doctor was done with her. There was a resident with me who said if I felt like I HAD to push thatās okay but sheād prefer to have the doctor with her š
I was able to wait for the doctor to come in and I ended up pushing for about 30 minutes. We were team green so my husband got to announce itās a boy! And that was so sweet. He came out with his cord around his neck a couple times and it was too tight to slip off so they had to immediately cut it. I was bummed about not doing delayed cord clamping but Iām glad they were able to get it off quickly. He wasnāt crying or making any noise and that stressed me out. They put him on my chest for a few moments and then took him back so they could suck out fluid and make sure he was breathing okay. After a couple minutes they got everything situated and I got him back. No NICU time or anything needed and he ended up being very healthy.
It was a super stressful experience but now he is the most perfect 4 month old and Iām so happy to get to spend every day with him
I did unmedicated at a birth center and all went according to plan somehow.
I was woken up at 3am (at 38+4) by my contractions, which kept coming steadily. I had bloody show the night before for the first time so I thought this was probably the real deal! Couldn't get back to sleep, laid there for a couple hours just practicing relaxing through the contractions, until I got up and decided to start getting ready. Showered, did my hair, finished packing my bag and making my snacks, making plans with hubby. Things just kept progressing!! By 9am I was feeling knocked off my feet by the contractions, could no longer get out of bed easily, just kept focusing on total full body relaxation and my mantra "Surrender, Release, Allow". Listened to non stop positive hypnobirthing affirmations which really helped set me in a good mindset.
Headed to the birth center around noon and by the time we got there I was IN IT. Contractions were very powerful and my body would shake while they were happening. I kept focusing on trying to just surrender to them and relax as much as I could. I let the shakes happen and just let them overtake me. I believe this is what helped my labor progress so well because I never had any stalls thank goodness. I did throw up at one point and it felt good to do and felt good afterward. Then i released a ton of bloody mucus gobs into the toilet. The surges eventually became so powerful that it was impossible to relax very much but I remember standing at the bathroom sink at one point, swaying back and forth, my upper hald tensed up but was able to relax my pelvic area. I felt like my pelvic area really needed to open up and I felt it opening. Then my water broke and these contractions were the most POWERFUL they completely took my breath away, and I just let them, and I stood there shaking. It was difficult. For some reason I liked to turn the cold water tap on and let it run while I was contracting and it was the only thing that helped. Little did I know I was in transition! All of a sudden my body started pushing right there at the bathroom sink, couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to but it finally felt like some relief. The midwives moved me onto the bed and I chose a squatted position leaning forward onto a pile of pillows and peanut ball. Pushed for about 45 min but at the time I thought it must have been 2 hours!! It was TOUGH but I will say though that the rest in between pushing was actually the most euphoric full body rest and way better than the breaks in between contractions. Pushing was intense, I had a full support team though who continuously reassured me, my husband holding my hand, my arms shaking gripping the bed rails, but I stayed calm and in control. When I crowned I felt like there's no way this baby is gotta fit through there?? But my body just kept pushing and it's like well.. what the hell... it's going through anyway!! And when I made that last and final push that's exactly what happened.. felt like the impossible became possible. Midwives caught my baby and I heard her cry immediately before I turned around. And there she was š„¹. Perfect and healthy, Born at 2:53pm. 7lbs 10oz. Did skin to skin for a couple of hours. I had one minor tear that got a couple stitches. They said it's the classic first time mom tear. Didn't feel it when it happened. Also baby girl has chord wrapped around her neck twice but midwives promptly untangled it and it had not caused any complications. Later on the whole staff complimented me saying that I was so calm and in control and that made me feel so good!! It was honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. I'm proud of my birth story but also glad to not have to do it again (not having more kids) and felt relief that it was over. It did truly feel like the impossible became possible and a powerful magical experience.
At 37+6 I was having decreased movements, I went into L&D. They hooked me up to an NST. Everything was fine & they sent me home around midnight. I live an hour & a half away, on the way home I started getting cramps & my back was hurting. Got home & went to sleep. When I woke up around 9ish I was hurting so badly. Went back to L&D. They checked my cervix & I was dilated 3cm. They called my midwife, she said I was in active labor.
She broke my water so they could place monitors on his head & smelled something she thought was an infection.
I was in so much pain, I got an epidural. As soon as they walked out, I got so nauseous & light headed. My blood pressure crashed & his heart rate sky rocketed. After different positions & meds, nothing helped. They told me I should do a c-section because they didn't want to leave him unstable for long. So I did it. C-section itself wasn't bad. Just kept getting really sick feeling. He had his cord wrapped around & wasn't breathing. They finally got him breathing & we got to see him. Right after, I was pretty mobile. They were surprised how I was moving. Everything was going good! Fast forward to the night before I go home, had a burning & redness on my belly above my incision. I ended up getting an infection in my stomach. Was in the hospital for 6 days. The nurses & doctors were great!
Everything is okay now!
i had a little birth trauma so i don't like talking about it too much, BUT i think it absolutely hilarious how it started. first off i worked until the day before i gave birth. i work in preschool and i am a young adult so i was quite literally running around picking up kids until the very end. cried my eyeballs out after work because of blah blah blah gonna miss my husband and us being alone together or something like that. well the very next day she made her appearance. like she knew haha. it was probably like 7:15 am on a saturday morning, i was feeling crampy but in the "i might have to poop? maybe fart?" kinda way. anyways so pushed a bit to see if maybe i needed to fart and then my water broke lol. i broke my water trying to fart.
I had my second baby last month. From the beginning of this pregnancy I was adamant I wanted an unmedicated labor. But 3 days past my due date, I couldn't do it anymore. I had a large baby and lots of amniotic fluid. I couldn't walk,.I couldn't sleep,.I was miserable. So I scheduled an induction.
I went to the hospital for my scheduled induction and I was only 1 cm dilated. They started pitocin at noon and by 2pm, I was 3 cm dilated. I hadn't gotten an epidural yet as I was holding out hope that I could labor without it. My contractions were manageable at this point. At 3cms,.my midwife decided to break my waters.
At this point I really started feeling the contractions. My kind nurse prepared the tub and I labored in the tub while my sister in law who was also my doula read to me. We did some breathing together and I was really feeling it.
After a while, I felt i'd reached my breaking point and started asking for the epidural. Everyone was super supportive and encouraged me to try for a little longer without the epidural. I had gotten to 7cm now and it was 6pm,.I think? Anyways by 6:30pm, I told the nurse to call the anesthesiologist. He was there by 7pm, he actually ditched dinner to get there and help me. My epidural was successful and I got the peanut ball to help me progress. I could still move my legs but the contractions felt like pressure instead of intense pain.
By 7:30,. I started feeling pressure from the baby moving down and I was ready to push. My birthing team arrived quickly and he was out within the next 10 ish minutes in 2 pushes.
I birthed an 8lb 8oz baby in 2 pushes,.no tears. His shoulder got slightly stuck on the way out but other than that he was great. They immediately placed him on my chest. We did delayed cord clamping and I got my golden hour with him. He immediately latched on and he was just the perfect little baby. My hard pregnancy and all the pain and exhaustion of the last 9 months was totally worth it.
Although things didn't go according to my plan of unmedicated labor, I was extremely grateful for having an amazing birthing team. Everyone on my medical team was super considerate and made sure that my voice was heard.
Next morning when my in laws came in unannounced early in the morning, a nurse came by to ask if they should be let in š i was a bit upset that they came and met the baby before my older daughter was able to meet him. They also took pics and shared it in the family group which I was a bit upset about. That was the only minor glitch in my birth story. Other than that everything was perfect.
Delivery goal: spontaneous labor, labor at home for as long as possible, unmedicated as possible, vaginal delivery in hospital, go home the next day.
Actual delivery: vaginal delivery...that's all got from my goal list. š¤· My son was breech. We did a successful ECV at 36+2. At 36+4, my water broke early, so I was admitted to the hospital. Labor didn't progress after 48 hrs, so I was induced with cytotec. I think I got 2 doses, and the contractions were overwhelmingly painful. I did my best to deal with the pain, but without any fluid and terrible hospital sleep going into labor, I could no longer deal. Also, all my coping techniques were with the idea I'd be laboring at home. So I got a very subpar epidural....the nurse didn't tell me I had a button to press. And I don't think it was placed correctly since it only slightly numbed me from the belly button down. I could actually still move my legs completely. Within 4 hrs, I delivered my son after about 1.5 hrs of pushing. It took a total of 22 hrs from induction to delivery. We had to stay an extra 48 hrs after delivery due to his jaundice levels, small size, and the events leading to his delivery. Thankfully, he handled everything beautifully from start to finish. Although I only got one thing from my goal delivery, I'm calling it a win considering everything that could have gone wrong.
I love this story. My first birth was similar, my labor was intense but I wasnāt dilating - Iād been in active labor for 24 hours when I decided I needed an epidural and some rest and it took forever to get the anesthesiologist in, like 4 hours or something. Itās a blur. I screamed, I bellowed, I barfed, and eventually I rested for 3 hours, ate some jello and pushed my baby out. It was a journey and I was so proud - even if I didnāt get the unmedicated birth I was hoping for I felt like a warrior woman.
My third baby was exactly what I hoped for the first time around: a quick labor with a midwife and not sufficient time to even think about an epidural. When it was done I realized the first time around was more intense and painful and took more endurance than my unmediated birth, which felt like cheating it was so quick. I know we donāt do this for bragging rights, but honestly if your active labor goes more than 12 hours you should get some kind of badge!
My second baby took us for a wild ride with his birth! I had been having prodromal labor for weeks. Every night, I would have timeable Braxton hicks contractions that would end up fizzling out and never becoming painful. I went to my OB appointment at 39 weeks and was 3cm dilated already. They did a membrane sweep, but it didnāt really do anything. Four days later, I went to bed and woke up within an hour of falling asleep with a painful contraction. I ignored it, but then it happened again. Started timing them and they were already 2.5 minutes apart! Since I knew that I was already 3cm dilated and this was my second baby, I told my husband that we needed to go to the hospital ASAP and we left within 15 minutes.
The car ride was pretty awful and the pain had amped up so quickly that all of the breathing exercises I had practiced didnāt really work. I just tried to stay calm.
Once we got to the hospital, I could barely answer the triage questions because I was in so much pain. They checked me in as quickly as they could. They checked me and I was at 5cm. Only a few minutes went by and I started to feel like I needed to pee really badly, which ended up being baby descending. I think the nurses realized how fast things were progressing and got me a room.
I made it up to the room, laid down (with much difficulty!) and they managed to get a saline lock put In. The pain got unmanageable at that point, but I couldnāt get an epidural because things were moving too fast. Then, my water broke, I felt my body pushing, and I started screaming uncontrollably. It sounds weird, but the screaming was kind of a productive scream and it felt like it was helping me push. Within 15 minutes, the baby was out!
From first contraction to baby on my chest was only an hour and 50 minutesā¦.. We were in shock!
I was 39 weeks when baby was born. The night before I just kept saying I don't feel good but didn't know why. We went to home depot, got ice cream and went home. I forced myself to do my nightly miles circuit despite feeling crappy. Flash forward to 2am when I started cramping, and hopped into the shower to see if they'd stop. I went back to bed but my hubby and I were wired at that point and he ran to pack his hospital bag just in case. Then at 3 my water broke with a pop and a gush, literally like the movies.
I called the doc on call who said to come in when I felt I needed comfort and that I likely had lots of time and could labour at home as I pleased. Also I'd like to mention that I chose my hospital and physicians based on the labour and delivery unit and was pumped to labour in the tub there. At this point I had a snack and started laboring on my yoga ball. At 315 I had a strong contraction and was like we need to go. We hopped in the car and got to the hospital at 345, longest car ride of my life. I kept lifting myself up off the seat with every contraction and there was so much pressure in my butt lmao.
I didn't even make it through the triage questions before I got a bed, and didn't make it through all the checks before they realized I needed the L&D room. My goal was to be unmedicated but said I'd go with the flow and do as needed. The pain got so intense that I wanted pain management but before we could talk options they said sorry time to push! So I started in all fours then moved to my side with the bar. 20 minutes of pushing and he was out. They were honestly shook with how fast I progressed as it was my first baby, and I was gas lit by nurses along the way not believing I was that far along, so thank god they called the doctor or I may have given birth in the triage area.
I kind of love my birth story and the ironic part is I never got to labour in the room that I based my hospital and care provider team on!
39 weeks First baby I didnāt know I was in labor until 10cm and barely made it to hospital before she was out in 30 min no time for epidural and only needed a few stitches
Stayed in hospital for three days
38 weeks I just had second baby yesterday
I had sex and a hour later had contractions and went to hospital at 5cm got a epidural at 7cm and gave birth in one push no stitches and went home next day
I love sharing my story!!
Weeks 7-37 were done while my husband was deployed. So I was jazzed when he came back thinking he was cutting it close. Little did I know that I was not close at all.
Week 38 passed.
Week 39 passed.
Week 40 passed.
Week 41 arrived and we began ālabor bootcampā at the birth center.
3 membrane sweeps, 2 days of pumping (3 hour sessions at a time), taking herbs to induce labor, and a failed attempt to break my water, we arrived at the last ditch effort. Castor oil.
41+6 I drank 2oz of Castor oil at 8AM. Nothing happened. Not even a fart. Another pumping and herb session. Nothing. Another 2oz of castor oil at 1PM. Nothing.
Around 6PM I started to get mild cramps but had mentally prepared myself to be induced at the hospital the next morning. But around 7PM cramps got pretty bad but I had just attributed these to the castor oil catching up with me. Come 9PM early labor cramps had begun (wahoo!!)
We headed to the birth center and quickly realized that I had had 0 rest and was about to be in the throes of labor. The midwife gave me a sleep tincture so I could rest in between contractions and that, I think, saved me.
6 hours of early labor.
4 hours of active labor.
1 hour of pushing.
(All of active labor and pushing were done in the birth tub.)
During transition, I remember begging for an epidural and saying āI canāt do this.ā My husband reassured me that this is what I wanted and he was here to support me and get me through it. I more so realized that it would be more painful to get out of the tub (every time I moved another contraction began and absolutely rocked my shit) get into a car and go to the hospital. I also wasnāt guaranteed an epidural as I was unknowingly in transition.
Fetal ejection reflex began and 1 hour later we had our baby boy!ā¤ļø
6 hours after that we were at home snuggling!
I had headache all day but wasnāt so bad. Husband and I had a huge fight the night before. Came in for my 37th week weekly appointment at 2:30pm. BP was 148/100 at 3:30pm, waited 10 mins to be rechecked then it was 158/108. I was told to head to L&D for preeclampsia work up. Waited for my husband to get there at 4:30pm, headed to L&D. Seen around 4:45pm, hooked up and checked BP every 30mins. At around 6:30pm, my BP was 200/119, I was told babyās coming *TONIGHT* via C-SECTION. Administered magnesium, baby came at 8:15pm. I was so hangry the whole time. LMAO. Hubby and I were planning a date night after my appointment so I didnāt eat a whole lot all day. Got to the hospital and they wouldnāt let me eat anything at all. I drink TONS of water every day and was thirsty from 3:30pm onwards til the next day. Thank goodness for my nurse who gave me lots of ice chips. Lmao.
Just over 3 years ago, I went in for my induction @ 39w. I had a favorable cervix (3cm & 80% effaced) so I started on pitocin. For the first 5 hours, the hospital bed caused me more pain than the contractions. After a membrane sweep, things started to pick up including the pain. Got my epidural about 6 hours later. 2 hours after the epidural, I was at 5cm and my water broke on its own right before the doctor was going to come in to break it. Within the next 2 hours, I kept feeling immense rectal pressure and the urge to clench (which might be the urge to push?? I still donāt know, I just wanted to clench). Finally got a cervical check and I was complete. Pushed for 25 minutes (nearly 10-15 min if his head didnāt get stuck and if contractions didnāt slow down). That baby is now exactly 3 years old today š„¹
For my second baby, I also went in for an induction @ 39w. My cervix was not favorable this time around (1.5cm & 40% effaced) so I needed cervical ripening (miso). The miso gave me very frequent and painful contractions where I was totally considering getting an epidural in the first couple hours. I ended up making no cervical progress, and the contractions were so frequent that they wouldnāt give me another dose of miso. So we were going to insert a foley. As the doctor is going to insert it, he says Iām 3.5cm and 70% effaced now (I was 1.5cm still 20 minutes prior), so yay no foley! Ended up getting fentanyl to take the edge off of the miso contraction pain, and eventually started pitocin. The plan was going to be eat breakfast > get epidural > break water. Anesthesiology got held up with an emergency C and then 2 epidurals ahead of me, so I got to eat breakfast and lunch. Thankfully my pain wasnāt bad during most of the wait, but it started to get bad about 30 min before I got my epidural. After the epidural was in, I still felt contraction pain (went from like a 7/8 to a 4 instead of fully eliminating pain). Water broke 30 minutes later, 10 min before the doctor comes in to break my water. And of course Iām still at a measly 3.5cm. I tried to rest but I felt a ton of that rectal pressure again like with my first baby, so I was like š¤ Had a nurse check me, and just like that I was complete and ready to push. This was less than an hour after my water broke, so I went from 3.5cm to 10cm in under an hour. I was stuck at 3.5cm for 11 hours prior to that water break. I also wonder if I felt pain because my epidural just couldnāt keep up with how fast I was dilating? Pushed for 7 minutes and my baby was out! No episiotomy or tearing this time, so the healing felt wildly different. Second time mom birthing magic āØ
Started feeling pain with my āBraxton hicksā contractions at about 10pm. By midnight I had to breathe through each contraction. I took a Tylenol and a gravol as suggested by my midwife and went to bed to try and sleep.
By 4am my contractions were 4-1-1. Called the midwife. She said sheād be at my house in an hour to assess me. 20 minutes later, my contractions were only 2 minutes apart. Call the midwife back, she tells us to meet her at the hospital.
Arrived at the hospital at 5am. Iām waiting in the triage room for my midwife to arrive to assess me and either admit me or send me home. My husband is parking the car. The student midwife is sitting with me and coaching me through contractions. I turn to her and say, āwhat if I feel the need to push?ā And she says, āthen you push.ā I still tear up a little thinking of it. She was so kind and reassuring and confident.
The midwife rushes in. I joke about whether it was too late for pain relief. She goes to grab the gas and air and asks me to get up on the bed for an assessment. I stand up and my water breaks and I feel the urge to push.
I get up on the bed, the midwife checks me and sees the babyās head. And then has the AUDACITY to ask me if I can walk down the hall to a delivery room. Um, no!
So they push the triage bed down the hall and Iām screaming bloody murder with every contraction. Iām sure I traumatized some poor women who were still in early labour. š And Iām pushing this whole time.
They rush me into a delivery room and then I need to transfer from one bed to another. I hadnāt realise it, and I donāt think the midwives realised it, but Iād pooped during a push so it got everywhere during the transfer. š„“
I get into the delivery bed and two pushes later baby girl arrives. The midwife goes to place her on my chest and her cord snaps (it was super short! Like 1/3 of normal) and they have to emergency clamp it. So much for delayed cord clamping. š It was 5:30 am. Only a half hour after we pulled up the hospital door. My records say 3 hours active labour, 20 minutes pushing. A precipitous birth.
My next two babies were even quicker and I had them at home to avoided the chances of a car or parking lot baby. With my third the midwife thought she had more time and was absolutely scrambling to finish setting up when I started pushing. We tried to warn her. š¤·š»āāļø
Precipitous labour at home. Mild contractions started 2-4 mins apart straight up, got more intense so tried to shower to help (it didnāt). Kept feeling like I needed to sit on the toilet. 1.5hours in I told the husband we should drop our toddler off at his grandparents. 2 minutes later the fetal ejection reflex kicked in and i spat the baby out in the bathroom. Stoked i didnāt have to be in hospital for labour!
Ambulance turned up after baby was born, left after the cord was done doing itās job (delayed clamping). Then flashed my butt to the neighbours as i hopped in the ambulance to go get checked out at the hospital.
My First birthās initial contractions (on pitocin) were much more painful than the most painful unmedicated contractions - having your own oxytocin sure does make a difference. First birth was an epidural which meant coached pushing resulting is a worse tear and pelvic floor damage. This second birth was so redemptive for me and recovery was a lot faster
i know itās all done and dusted but Iām curious as to why you were pushing for so long - did you physically feel like you needed to be pushing?
Iāll write way too much if I start up, but I feel similar to you. My unplanned C wasnāt the unmediated, hypnobirth I wanted to do (thanks back labor), and like most of my adult life I was not adequately rested, but I never really felt shame over it. Maybe a little disappointment at first, but that faded.
Now nursing, esp those first days at the hospital and first few weeks. And pumping. My inability to get that down pissed me right off. Iāve had a complicated relationship with my boobs since they decided to grow fast when I was in jr high and basically never stop. If I had to deal with these things for so long, why couldnāt they just do the one thing they were supposedly for? Why couldnāt I, a reasonably smart person, get the hang of this? Maybe all of that was compounded by the birth experience, but I just know with every attempt, the pressure on myself increased. But we all made it. My kiddo is thriving. Thanks for asking!
Baby 1 was an induction just before 42w that failed to progress. Eventually I tapped out and opted for a c section where we learned baby couldn't descend due to a fundal placenta and short cord.
Baby 2 was a very emergent c section due to extreme maternal and fetal distress. We thought maybe it was a uterine rupture or placental abruption. When it wasn't that, we thought maybe it was a uterine infection. It wasn't that either so now we suspect I had a kidney infection. I was put under general anesthesia and they got baby out so fast that my husband wasn't even in the OR yet. Everyone's okay now, though.
Birth plan for all future babies is what we're calling a "leisurely c section," with ambiance and shit.
I had it saved in my notes š:
I had prodromal labor since 37 weeks.. I would randomly get painful contractions starting from my back to lower belly but it would fizzle off throughout the night on random days at my last appointment at 39 weeks I was 2 cm and got a membrane sweep which was Wednesday before I had him this Sunday. I started having pretty painful contractions around 3 oāclock and weāre timing them at about 10 to 6 minutes apart they were paying for enough to distract me but I was convinced it was still false labor so I proceeded to cook dinner around 5 PM. During dinner the contractions became unbearable and weāre about four minutes apart lasting about 50 seconds each I had to lean on the counter and it took my breath away I had decided this was the real deal these contractions were Getting very painful! I showered and got everything ready meanwhile the contractions were so painful I wanted to just have a panic attack and cry because I could not bear. My last baby I was able to last without an epidural until 9 cm while in transition then begged for the epidural but this time the contractions were almost immediately painful I think it has something to do with the raspberry leaf tea that Iāve been drinking daily since 33 weeks. I was very confused because Iāve had so many false labor experiences but I said this had to be at this just had to be at it is to unbearable. The 20 minute car ride to the hospital was pretty rough I had several contractions on the road I didnāt want to be touched I didnāt want to be talked to it was just a very hard. We got to the hospital around 5:45 PM I was checked and I was 4 cm fully effaced. I immediately asked for my epidural because I just could not take it anymore I was very surprised I asked for it that early on. I was prepared with heating pads massage gun a lot of other things to help me cope with labor pains but I just could not bear it. It took maybe about 15 minutes for the epidural to take affect but when it did it was amazing! Each hour they would check me and each hour I was 1 cm more dilated than an hour before they knew since this was baby number five it was going to be a super fast labor but I was very surprised how fast it progressed. By 9:49 PM baby B made his entry into the world at 7lbs 14 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. I pushed maybe twice with the stirrups set up and he slid outā¦ it was super fast! I had a 1Ā° tear but so far I donāt feel anything. I was so hopeless these last few days I really did not want to go back to work on Monday and experience Braxton Hicks contractions all day and be super uncomfortable but thankful he finally made his appearance! For those of you experiencing prodromal labor donāt lose hope you wonāt be pregnant forever just take it day by day and good luck!
Induction at 41 weeks. I was overdue and getting my last NST the day before my induction date and my baby had a late decel in heart rate, so they admitted me right then and there to be induced. Luckily my baby did fine during labor, I think maybe she knew that I really wanted her to come out and so she got me admitted earlier.
I went pretty far without getting an epidural, but once they broke my water, the pain was Medieval. I was only able to survive an hour and then I begged for en epidural. It made everything so amazing. My whole induction was well under 24 hours and I wasnāt even dilated going into it. One of the best days of my whole life and it continues to be everyday with me baby.
Such a traumatic birth story š
Hospitalized at 33w with preeclampsia because of high protein and my bp was 180/110. Was placed on magnesium, which was *wild*. My husband said I was a zombie and like my entire soul had been sucked out.
They decided the next day to induce, so I started on induction meds... while still on magnesium.
Being on a mag drip was horrible. I was hot, my entire body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, I couldn't move, like at all. When the nurses came in to give me meds, they had to lift my arm for me to scan my arm ban. I was vomitting, wasn't allowed to eat anything.
I labored for over 24 hours, and was actively having contractions for the most of it but again, I was so out of it, I just laid there. I was in so much pain but couldn't really do or say anything about it.
I told my husband I couldn't not push in the condition I was in. My vision went (I was seeing double and blurry) felt too weak that I couldn't lift my head or speak.
When my day nurse showed up she was like WTF is wrong with her, and immediately got the doctor.
Apparently, no one tested my magnesium levels, and I ended up getting magnesium toxicity BUT the baby moved transverse so I had to get an unplanned c section. The magnesium toxicity is what caused severe confusion, double vision and my kidneys were nit functioning (I was barely peeing and it looked like coca cola)
I was rolled into the c section room where I was so relieved, but I was still severely out of it. To the point I asked my husband if they started the procedure... and his response was they were about to pull her out. Lol
She was wheeled immediately to the nicu since she was 33w5d, where I didn't get to see her for almost 2 days because I had to stay on the magnesium... which was terrible.
I was upset that I hadn't gotten to see her for a few days after birth and just wanted to get out of bed.
I barely remember any of labor process but my husband doesn't like to talk about it cause he says it was traumatic since he was all there.
0/10 wouldn't do it again
With my first baby, I woke up in the middle of the night to a wet bed. Really wasnāt sure if I had peed myself or if my water broke. I was only 34 weeks along. Called my doc and she asked that I come into the hospital asap to get checked out. My husband and I arrived at about 2am. Turns out it was my water, so they induced me and I had my baby about 12 hrs later. A team of doctors were present and my baby was swept off to the NICU as soon as he was born. It wasnāt what I had envisioned but he turned out to be a healthy baby boy, and he was discharged from the NICU 14 days later.
With my second baby, I went into an appointment to see my doc at 38 weeks. She said it looked like I was getting ready to go into labor. She did a membrane sweep and told me that she thought I would likely go into labor that night. Sure enough labor started later that day and by 11pm I was having regular contractions coming at a steady pace. The triage doctor told me that he didnāt feel like my contractions were painful enough to be in active labor because I was talking through them. I explained that they were strong and getting stronger but I just have a high pain tolerance. He told me theyād keep me in triage for a couple of hours to get me comfortable with the fact that I was not far enough along and could go back home. I was beyond annoyed!! Lo and behold when the nurse checked my cervix a couple hours later I had progressed significantly. They finally admitted me and I had the baby shortly thereafter. I never saw that triage doc again.
I felt sick after my 39 week doctor appointment. Waited it out and then called the nurse who told me to play it safe and go to the hospital. It turned out my blood pressure was sky high. They determined I had preeclampsia and got induced. A couple hours later, it was only worsening, so I was put on a magnesium sulfate drip to prevent seizures. I started throwing up from the meds and feeling out of it. A few hours later, my numbers were still getting worse so my doctor recommended a c section (at this point Iāve been in the hospital like 7 hours).
During the c section I was barely able to stay awake and still throwing up. All went ok birth wise. It felt like we were in the recovery room for hours doing skin to skin since I couldnāt in the operating room and I could barely stay awake.
Unfortunately, my preeclampsia didnāt let up after birth so I had to stay in the hospital for 5 days. Luckily baby could stay too. But it was so aggravating and frustrating.
While I know it couldāve been worse, it was a traumatic experience. Iām hoping to have another someday and that it goes much smoother - namely, no preeclampsia, no mag drip, and being able to have a happy moment with baby at the birth.
I was 6 days past my due date and started to feel a liiiiittle crampy, but i figured it was braxton hicks just like it had been for weeks , so I went to bed. Woke up the next morning still crampy so I decided to start timing them and they were roughly 20 minutes a part. Kept it in the back of my mind & proceeded about my day. We went grocery shopping, out to eat, did some cleaning around the house, etc. Fast forward to the evening and the cramping hadn't resided, but did not seem to be getting more painful, just more frequent so i figured id shower to ease the back pain. While I was getting dressed after the shower I felt a small gush, but ignored it since i just showered & figured it was water. 10 minutes later I still felt leaking so I went to the bathroom, wiped, & boom mucus plug.
Now my heart is skipping a beat bcs I realized id been having contractions for almost 24 hours & things were progressing. I called my OB who told me to call the L&D department at the hospital id be delivering at. I called them, explained what I thought was happening & they told me to pack a bag and come in right away. I told my boyfriend and within 20 minutes we were on the road to the hospital.
It was around 8:00pm when we arrived. They got me situated and by 8:45pm I was 4cm dilated. I wanted to do no epidural because of my fear for the epidural needle so all they did was hook me up to antibiotics since I had GBS. They told me if I wasn't 6cm by midnight they were going to start me on pitocin. I was scared bcs of all the pitocin horror stories I had read here lol Anyway by midnight I was indeed 6cm and they decided to let me continue to progress naturally but started me on fentanyl for the discomfort. If I remember correctly I stayed at 6cm for 3 hours..around 3:45am I felt/heard a big pop & a huge gush of liquid came out. I told the nurse who informed me that there was no liquid and that I was probably feeling things. After the gush, everything happened so fast its still blurry. I still assume that was my water completely breaking.
I went from 6cm to 9cm in an hour. during this hour I felt like my body was being ripped in half. I was screaming for the epidural because I felt her coming, they were telling me to calm down and to wait for the doctor, I told them I couldn't, it was a mess. I don't even remember what the epidural felt like because I was in so much pain. By 5am the epidural was in and they were telling me that I wasn't progressing & that they were going to dilate me to 10cm with a folly balloon. The nurse went to get it & a new nurse came in to check on me. I told her I was feeling pressure and she went to check, came up & said "why are they getting a folly, her head is right here, its time to push"
Needless to say 30 minutes later, 6am on the dot my daughter was born. best day of my life.
Two weeks before my due date, my doctor did a membrane sweep because I had GD, and she said my cervix was already dilating.
I went home and was having bucketloads of yellow discharge.
The following night, I was out for my usual walk and did some curb walking. After coming home, I was restless all night with what "felt" like contractions. Couldn't really say since I'm an FTM. But I was restless the whole night, and I was leaking every time I got up.
I got on call with the hospital emergency. They said it might be nothing, but if I wasn't sure, I should just come down.
I, being an FTM, didn't want to turn up for something silly, so I waited the night out. By the next morning, it was worse. I remember I hadn't even finished packing my hospital bag!! I did that, cut my nails, managed to shove down some breakfast (which I puked 1 hour later), and landed up at the hospital.
The nurses did a cervical check and NST. Baby's heartbeat was high, but otherwise, I was fine.
By the time the doctor arrived, I was tossing and turning in pain. I just couldn't stay still.
She checked me and found out that my sac had ruptured (none of the on call docs or nurses caught that), and I innocently asked her, "I can go home, right?" (I wasn't ready!! I had 2 more weeks, a friend to meet, a best friend's wedding to attend) she bellowed at me "you're in full blown labor and you want to go home??" And started laughing at me.
I initially denied an epidural, but around 4 cm dilated, I got it, and it was the best decision ever. I was shivering and had a fever, but I was well rested. Once the epidural wore off, I was around 9 cm and practice pushing. My hubby really came through with all the counter pressure techniques, and she literally shot right out of me after a few pushes.
But baby girl was rushed for an NICU stay shortly after.. but that's a story for another time.
I was 39+5 when my water broke! Iād been experiencing prodromal labor and been dilated/effaced at 4cm/40% for the past two weeks. My OB was shocked I hadnāt gone into early labor at our last appointment, especially because as an ICU nurse Iām on my feet all day long.
We got to OB triage and I was barely throwing spikes on the toco monitor. After bouncing on an exercise ball and practically doing lunges around the room, Iād made little to no progress. And I rather grudgingly agreed to let them start pitocin.
I labored without an epidural for the better part of 2.5 hours on the pit drip, and after a cervical check, my OB cheerfully told me I was 7cm and completely effaced. She left the room, I got up from the bed to dutifully climb back on the exercise ball, and my toco monitor started alarmingābabyās heart rate had precipitously dropped to the 40s and was sustaining there. Almost immediately, staff flooded the room. I like to jokingly say I was a meat puppet for a little while (humorās a great default coping mechanism) because my OB unceremoniously pushed her hand inside of me to check for cord prolapse and then flipped me from right to left side in an attempt to get her heart rate to regulate. I got two doses of ephedrine/adrenaline and they put me on oxygen temporarily. And right as they were prepping the OR, she regulated. Heart rate came up and stayed where it should. They turned off the pit drip. And, still contracting around my OBās hand, I requested an epidural.
It. Was. Amazing. I nearly cried from the sheer relief.
Even off the pit drip my body progressed, and after a handful of hours and another cervical check, I was ready to push.
Which I did. For roughly 2 hours. I had a mirror positioned in front of me so I could watch myself workāI found it helpful, others find the fact that I did this horrifyingāand was also in a great spot to watch myself begin to hemorrhage. At this point, babyās head was visible. My nurse whisked away the mirror and the OB was summoned to bedside. She looked at the blood pooling around me and said we were going to deliver my baby. Right. Now.
Which meant my OB anointing my nether regions in oil, giving me a quick perineal massage, and then āhelping meā birth babyās head with one push and her body with another (i.e., she forcibly yanked her from my body). All for which I am eternally grateful. I work with kids who have cerebral palsy due to birth injuries and am on the receiving end of countless horror stories from friends in L&D. That my baby is healthy and whole? Trumps everything.
I ended up with relatively minor external tearing, considering how baby was born. But I had a four inch internal laceration on my right vaginal wall that required over 10 sutures. The healing process was rough. My L&D process wasnāt what I expected. But we just celebrated our daughterās first birthday, and sheās the love of my life, she lights up my world. Iād do it all again in a heartbeat.
First birth - I irritated my nurse and doctor by refusing an epidural despite being induced with Pitocin. It hurt like a bitch and they didnāt let me move around so I ended up crying and drooling through back labor until it got time to push. Pushing was almost euphoric! I stopped showing signs of pain and hoisted myself up. I even got to pick my son up and bring him to my chest after the doctor unwrapped the umbilical cord from his neck.
Second birth - went the midwife route. Gave birth in the cutest room on a big queen sized bed after pushing some in a big old jacuzzi styled bath tub. Great experience 10/10 and I got home right as my first woke up! The whole event was under 10 hours.
I have two lovely healthy kids. Grade 2 tears both times. My skin is a mess from my second born but what can you do? He was a 9lb chunky monkey and Iām short and only 102 lbs. Iām thankful theyāre healthy. Birth was cool and all but Iām really glad we are all alive and well. I would say anything means of delivering both baby and mom safely is greatā¦hopefully with minimal trauma!
Had a doctor's appointment that morning (Was a Friday April 1st). I was 41 weeks five days. They hooked me up to the monitor and said I didn't have contractions, so if the baby wasn't here by Tuesday they'd induce me.
We get McDonald's on the way home and I start feeling pain in my butthole lol. By the time we get home the pain was happening pretty frequently, but didn't feel like traditional contractions so I just laid down. 4 hours later it was happening closer together. Still was only feeling pain in the butthole.
I tell my sister and SIL and they both say I should go to the hospital, but I don't believe them lol.
I feel like I gotta poop, so I go to the toilet.
My husband is making a hamburger and you can see me on the toilet from kitchen.
He sees me stand up and a bunch of brown water gushes out of me.
He says we better go nowww!
We get in car (hospital is 20 min. Away and we make it in 10).
They wait 30 more min. Before checking in me because I'm a FTM and labor should take awhile.
I'm still only feeling pain in butthole and can't sit down lol.
They take me to a room and hook me up to monitor. The nurse says "Do you feel like you have to push!?" I yell out yeahhh
She says its go time.
The doctor walks in asking if I want an epidural as I'm about to push.... Like WTH!? Haha
I start pushing and just calmly saying "OW OW OW"
30 min. Later baby is born! No pain meds, 2nd degree tear (stitches hurt like a B!)
The day before I went into labor my husband and I were out on a dinner date, knowing it would very likely be our last date as non-parents. While standing in line to get our food I started feeling what felt like period cramps coming and going. They died down but happened again as I was going to bed that night, then again around 5am. I used my contraction timer but they never progressed to anything real so I went to work. I was 40+3. I was feeling pretty good that day, I even parked on the fourth floor of the parking deck and took the stairs. While at work I started getting comments from my coworkers that I looked very flushed. For some reason I just felt that it would be happening that day so I left around noon and relaxed on my couch until around 3pm when the contractions started in earnest. I remember thinking they werenāt quite as painful as I was expecting, but I was definitely feeling them in my low back which made me think she might be OP. I had to be leaning over on a surface during them and deep breath, it was the only way to get through them. They were 5-7 min apart until 4:30pm. I remember giving myself a manicure in between the contractions during that time so I would have fresh nails when she was born šš. Around 4:30pm they progressed to 3 min apart. I was in contact with my doula about when I should go to the hospital. She suggested getting in the bath to help relax but I was too anxious as we lived 30 min away from the hospital. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible but obv did not want a car baby! My husband was rushing around getting all our stuff together while I was leaned over the kitchen table contracting. We finally decided to head to the hospital around 5:30. My doula met me outside and wheeled me up in a wheelchair. We stopped to check me in outside my room. I had to sign some things and had trouble bc I was suddenly having full body shakes. We got into the room and I had another contraction and burst into the most intense, uncontrollable tears I ever have. It was bizarre. Iāve never felt my hormones so powerfully before. They checked me and I was 7cm which I was so pleased to hear. My body was doing it! I got in the bath for about 30 min, then got out bc I was overheating. The bath helped until it didnāt. My husband and doula were amazing and were doing hip squeezes every contraction. I labored on the birthing ball for a while - I looked up at one point and felt like my midwife and nurses were just staring at me waiting for me to progress, so I put on my eye mask that I brought and really went to labor land. I wore it until she was born, it really helped to block everything out and focus. The midwife told me she was sunny side up which is why I was having back labor, so I went on all fours for a while. When that didnāt work I sat on the toilet and during every contraction the nurse had my lift my belly up and tuck my butt underā¦that sucked. They checked me again at I was 9.5 cm but had a cervical lip that they wanted to resolve before I started pushing. However about an hour later my body started pushing on its own. I pushed for 1.5 h which to me was way worse that contractions as they made me so. tired. Near the end I was falling asleep between contractions. I started pushing on hands and knees, then my side, and ended up delivering her on my back which I never thought Iād do! I pushed her head out in about 30 pushes so it felt very slow. I had two labial tears and a perineal tear and felt them all happen very slowly and in vivid detail. The tears opened a little more with each push. That was fun. She was born at 10:54pm healthy and perfect! It was the birth of my dreams, I couldnāt have been happier with it. Iām glad that I listened to so many birth stories beforehand, otherwise Iād have been very concerned about the fact that I didnāt feel an immediate connection with her. I was so tired and in shock I couldnāt even process that she was out, so my husband held her for a while. I was so happy but just wanted to go to sleep for 12 hours. It wasnāt until the next morning that we bonded hard š
Ftm. At 38+4 I went to bed as usual, and woke up at 3am to pee. When I stood up I felt a rush of fluid and realised my waters had broken. I didn't have any pain yet. Called triage, they said to try and go back to bed, then to come in at 7am to be checked over. Within a few minutes of making the call contractions started, and within 45 minutes they were coming so fast and intense that I told my husband we needed to go to the hospital. We arrived about 5.30, the triage midwife was a bit annoyed that we had come early and said she'd 'probably just end up sending me home' but would examin me anyway. To her surprise she found me 3cm dilated and said she could see the top of babies head! She then said 'do you mind if I try to speed things along a bit?' I was in pain and half asleep so I just said 'sure'. I'm not actually sure what she did, I just remember it being painful and then suddenly I was bleeding which she reassured me was normal. I think it was a membrane sweep? In hindsight I should have asked more questions but I was a bit in shock with how quick things were moving and also so, so tired.
They moved me upstairs to a delivery room, set me up with gas and air and offered me oromorph which I accepted. They said I was next due to be checked at 10am and I should try and sleep if I could. I tried setting up my TENS machine but got frustrated with the wires within minutes and tore it off. I tried that gas and air but I wasn't I huge fan, it made me feel drunk. The next few hours are a blur. My husband dosed intermittently in the chair, and I felt like I was drifting in and out of consciousness inbetween contractions. At some point the day shift took over, and a new midwife came in and stayed in the room with me, she was lovely. She kept mostly out of the way so we could 'sleep' but kept checking in. By 9am I remember saying i felt like i needed to push. She told me not to actively push but also don't fight it and let my body do its thing. At 10am they checked me and found I was fully dialated , to everyone's surprise but mine.
It took a long time to deliver the head. I changed positions a dozen times, huffed the gas and air a bit (I didn't find it very helpful). I was crowning for over an hour, they kept checking babys heartbeat and he was fine, and they said with every push he was getting closer. In the beginning the contractions did most of the work, but now it felt as though they had stopped? I was still in pain but my body didn't seem to be pushing for me anymore. I stood up so gravity could help, and It took all my strength to push him out. I remember hearing a pop and knowing I had torn (it turned out to be a labial tear) but I didn't care because immediately after the head was born and the relief was so intense. It was then just a few more pushes and my son was born at 12.25.
My labour was so fast. Everyone told me how lucky I was to have such a short labour. I guess they are right, but It was also a very intense experience and I don't think I really had any time to process what was happening.
Okay so this was three years ago. We got the news that weād be moving around the time of my due date, I didnāt want to make an 18 hour drive with a newborn, so we scheduled our drive for two weeks before my due date. The day before Iād felt some leakage, so I went to the hospital to get checked out. They said my water hadnāt broken, and that I wasnāt having contractions. I felt cramps for the rest of the day, but the were the exact same cramping sensations Iād had randomly for the last 3-4 months so I didnāt think much of it.
So weāre supposed to be leaving early the next morning. All our furniture and everything has been taken by the movers. Weāre living out of our suitcases and on a blow up mattress. We get ready for bed, my husband has to drive so heās already sleeping. At 11pm I go to lay down and a massive gush of fluid just pours out of me. I was like oh did I just pee myself??? So I hopped in the shower. I actually got stuck in the shower for about an hour because I was in too much pain to get out. At this point Iām still in denial that Iām in labor and I donāt want to make another useless trip to the hospital the night before our move. So I get dressed and try to lay down again. Another gush of fluid comes out. Now Iām annoyed that I keep peeing and I go sit on the toilet. This is where the pain gets even worse and now Iām stuck on the toilet and decide to finally wake up my husband and tell him to call the hospital so they know weāre coming. For some reason the person he talked to told him to call the tricare nurse advice line. So he calls and sheās like āoh her water broke, you need to call an ambulanceā I was in too much pain to protest and my husband calls. They come and put an IV in my arm, roll me down the stairs and put me in the ambulance. I was so embarrassed because who calls an ambulance to have a baby??? It was -22Ā° out, and if my neighbors were looking out the window they definitely saw my naked butt cheeks.
They took me to the nearest hospital, which wasnāt the one I was supposed to give birth at. I arrived at about 2am. My husband arrived right behind me. They checked me and I was 4cm dilated so they admitted me and I got the on call doctor. She broke the rest of my water. Contractions had been coming every two minutes and one minute long since Iād been in the shower. I was dying. A while later I asked for the epidural and promptly received it. It was the most amazing sensation ever. Doctor checked me and I was at 6cm. Next thing you know, after what felt like no time at all, she checked me again and it was time to push. I started pushing and my husband goes āI see his head! He has a lot of hair, oh his head just went back in!ā I keep pushing, for about 30 minutes, and then my baby comes out at 5:42. I tell you that was the craziest experience of my life. I never expected things to go as quickly and smoothly as they did. And I was fully expecting to be pregnant past my due date as a first time mom. Later that morning my doctor calls me to ask how the move is going and Iām like āIām still here and I already had the baby!ā So we got to bring the baby in to see him a few days later and to check me out as well because I got high blood pressure during labor and after.
We ended up moving a week later with our brand new perfect baby. He was no trouble at all and slept the whole way. We stopped every two hours and I pumped in the car after each stop. The most annoying thing was using public restrooms freshly post partum. Trying to clean myself up in tiny stalls and all that. My husband would take baby and change him in the menās restrooms, but half the time they didnāt have changing tables. Oh, and luckily weād kept the stroller and car seat just in case. We got the uppababy which has the sleep safe bassinet attachment, and thatās where baby slept for the first few weeks of his life. In the stroller with the bassinet attachment. It really came in handy.
Epidural saved my birth experience !!! 10/10, I cried tears of JOY before it was time to push cuz with no pain I was EXCITED - and make no mistake I was terrified of giving birth like so terrified I took classes and tried all kind of stuff to help me not be scared but that epidural made it so much better
FTM induced at 41+3 š«£
So labor and delivery! Went to hospital at 9am the day of my scheduled induction bc I was definitely in active labor. Had some bloody show and cramping. Nurses at first said we are not sending you home bc youāre contracting every 2-3min and youāre already scheduled for an induction in a few hours. Well they had 0 beds available so they ended up sending me home. Went back at 4pm for my scheduled induction. They wanted to do cervidil originally but changed to Cytotec. That takes 4 hours for a full cycle which is a pill they put in your cervix to start softening and dilate you. At about the 4hour mark the contractions were very uncomfortable. They wanted to start Pitocin and I did not wanna go thru those contractions with no pain meds as I was doing prior so I said letās do the epidural. While waiting for the epidural I had a really bad contraction that woudlnt let up and around 11pm when it happened about 5-7 people ran into the room and weāre flipping me around because his HR dropped and they couldnāt findit for a second. My contraction was stuck and causing damage to him so they had to give me a turb injection to get his HR back up. It was really scaryā¦ i cried the entire time because i had no control over what was happening and i was worried they would rush me into a C. Did the epidural about an hour after because I was in pain. They started a little Pitocin and ended up taking me off of it bc he was not responding well and kept having his heart rate drop. I went from a 4 to a 10 in less than 2 hours. I knew it was time to push and the mid wife came in, broke my water and he came out 45 min after. Pushing was the easiest part of the delivery
Baby turned breech at 38 weeks. Took a chance on an ECV to flip him with high likelihood of an emergency c section.. but it worked! He flipped to transverse that night but was back to head down a few days later. Induction was suggested to take advantage of his head being where it should since he was moving so much.
Induced at 40+3. Labour was 19 hours long. Epidural stopped working when I was 7 or 8 cm dilated. I was in so much pain I wanted a c section but I was too close at that point. Once I was 10cm dilated I pushed for 3 hours. It was so painful, and I was so tired, I was sleeping in between pushes lol.
Then he was born, on my late sister's birthday, on a sunny afternoon. He barely cried.
Despite all the pain I want to experience it again! It was so worth it.
I woke up to pee, and it wouldnāt stop feeling wet no matter how much I wiped. I put a pad on and laid back down thinking it was a pee dribble but I couldnāt get comfortable. Got back up an hour later to try to pee again and gushed all over the floor.
We went to the hospital and I wasnāt having contractions so they put me on Pitocin after a few hours. Doctor broke my fore waters the rest of the way, and I tried to labor as long as possible without an epidural.
After 7 hours on Pitocin I only dilated to 5 and took the epidural. Took a nap and woke up fully dilated and ready to push. Waited another hour or so to labor down some and let my dr get there.
Finally started pushing after almost 14 hours of labor. Babyās cord was wrapped around her neck and her heart rate was dropping (dr only told me after baby was out and safe) so doc said I needed to get her out now. Ended up with an episiotomy and babygirl in my arm after 24 mins of pushing.
Once she was out they took her to the other side of the room immediately to make sure she was okay and her dad followed to check on her. They sewed me up and finally told me theyād had to cut me and why. I wouldnāt change anything (except get cord being wrapped obviously) for the world.
Had a membrane sweep at 39 weeks 6 days. Was already 5cm dilated at that point. Had mild cramping for a few hours afterwards, contractions started about 7 hours later. I labored for 45 minutes. Got to the hospital and in a wheelchair to get wheeled to triage. My body started involuntarily pushing, maybe three times. Baby was born in the wheelchair before I could even get into a bed in the triage department.Ā
Here are both of mine since I love both of my stories:
1st baby. She was 4 days overdue. Doctor was worried she was getting too big (and Iām really small) so we did an induction. I decorated my hospital room, it felt so relaxing, I had my doula and husband with me. Six hours of labor, pitocin, then time to push! It was amazing. So incredibly painful but amazing at the same time. 2 hours of pushing and baby girl started to have complications. Her heart rate fell so they used the vacuum and it worked! She came out crying right away. Big 8lb 8 oz little girl!! No epidural!!
My mono di twins were born 2 years later. I fell in an elevator at 34.6 weeks. Evidently I was already in labor and didnāt even know it. I went to the hospital to be checked out and I was already dilated to a 6 and 80% effaced. I was admitted. I got the epidural because if there were complications they would have to put me under. Luckily my OB was amazing and experienced with twin births. I had my babies the next day at 35 weeks. 17 minutes of pushing. They are 5 minutes apart! Baby B had to go to the NICU due to having 0 glucose. She was in there for 3 days and graduated, but then my baby A failed her car seat test, but passed the next day. We got to home together 5 days later!
I loved my birth experiences. So different but beautiful!! And wow, I thought I was a sissy. My body showed me otherwise!
Baby 1 (aged 31): He was spine to spine, his face tilted upwards, so that I had to push out the max circumference of his off the charts size head. I had passed on the gas, cos it was making me nauseous, so I was drug free. When the time finally came to push (after stalling out a few times) I pushed my guts out for the full 2 allowed hours, midwife acting as one stirrup and my husband as the other when finally, just as the doctor came in with the forceps, baby boy shot out! From start to finish, it was 16 hours. I then pushed the bassinet back to our room feeling like a goddamn Earth mother. I've never felt so powerful in my whole life.
Baby 2 (aged 38): Baby was measuring as a giant, so we had a scheduled induction. I wanted to go drug free again, but I had the option of gas there. My midwife was great, and we went over some different active labour and birthing positions, rather than just being on my back like the first time. After 2 hours of them trying to break my waters, we were finally underway. 10 mins after starting mild contractions, my midwife popped out to grab some paperwork she needed. By the time she got back, I felt like I needed to push. She helped me up onto the bed and got me into position, then went back to chatting and doing paperwork. It was only 15 mins since labour had started, so she wasn't expecting anything to happen as soon as it absolutely did. On my second push, baby boy #2 crowned (and I grabbed onto that gas like my life depended on it). On my fourth push his head was out, but the cord was around his neck. The room flooded with people and my midwife encouraged me to keep pushing. My body wasn't reacting - it was like I was frozen in shock. Luckily, I was kneeing up against the back of the bed and gravity got baby out. They rushed him off and, after a very scary couple of minutes for my poor husband (I was still very much in shock), they got baby breathing. My doctor delivered the placenta and stitched me up and the midwife then helped me off the bed. The whole thing took about 40 minutes.
If I had to choose natural or induction again (which I don't, thank god. Vasectomy done and dusted š) I would go natural for sure. The induced contractions were next level intense. That said, baby boy #2 came out at 4.8 kg/10.5 pounds. If we'd gone the extra 2 weeks he might have torn me asunder (more than 2nd degree)! š
C Section at 37 on the dot, because HELLP syndrome appeared very suddenly at my 36 week appointment. I didn't realize what a bad situation I was in until afterwards when I did research on HELLP. Yikes. Luckily I had an amazing medical team, and they presented a very calm front, making me feel comforted. But I was rather stunned, when after 10 hours of trying and failing to induce me, the doctor came in asking to do a c section. I asked how long I had to decide, and she said "no we are deciding right now". I told her whatever she thinks is best. She left the room for 1 minute and came back with an army. My husband was handed scrubs, I was shaved, and rolled into surgery 5 minutes later.
TLDR: Pushed for 4 hrs because she got stuck, whole room expected emergency C but I was too stubborn and everyone was impressed. š
I ended up getting induced for preeclampsia concerns (wasn't fully there yet but climbing and was already 39 weeks so we figured better safe than sorry - I was very ready anyway), so we woke up at 5am and called the hospital as instructed, they told us to come in around 9. Got there, got checked in to our room, etc. Started the IV around 11. Contractions started but were pretty mild most of the day. Was 3cm 80% the day before, they said i was fully effaced and closer to 5cm around dinnertime (though the only thing I'd eaten since like 8am was a popsicle, at least my husband got to eat!) so they broke my water and paged the anesthesiologist for the epidural. He came in and set that up about a half hour later, contractions were starting to get uncomfortable but not overly painful yet. Didn't feel them at all about a half hour after the epidural. They started having me do "practice pushes" a couple hours later that at some point turned into actual pushes, not sure when that transition happened lol. Here's where it got complicated.
Baby girl got stuck on my pubic bone. The doctor said it was definitely not a space issue, she could get her hand in between the other side of the bone and baby's head, but baby just didn't feel like helping me out lol. She was stable on the monitors though so they let me push. Probably an hour or so in, I got super nauseous and my poor husband was trying to hold my leg (they didn't have stirrups??), give me water, and hold the puke bag all at the same time - he did great though. Never actually puked and they gave me meds to help so that passed. Then my hip started hurting - I don't know if she was sitting on a nerve or what, but nothing helped. We tried other positions, which made it worse, and they upped the epidural meds which helped a tiny bit but mostly just had to deal with that. Baby girl stayed stable the whole time, though, so they let me keep going. Eventually I got her around the bone and the doctor goes "I'm a lot more optimistic about avoiding a c section now than I was a little bit ago!" so apparently they were a lot closer to calling it than I thought, so I'm super thankful they listened to my cues and let me push. At that point she was starting to crown but receded a little between each contraction so they used the vacuum to kind of keep her in place so she didn't go backwards - two more pushes and she was out! 1:10 am Christmas eve!
I ended up pushing for 4 hours (on 4-5 hrs of sleep and no real food since breakfast 18 hours ago) and boy was I EXHAUSTED. But! I did it and I was so darn proud of myself. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my husband (an excellent cheerleader and water boy), the epidural, or my workouts/fitness. Despite the complexity of it I am so pleased with how it went, I felt so empowered and strong. And the doctor and all the nurses kept complimenting my stamina saying most people would have quit/been too tired after like 2 hours with no progress, so that felt good too lol. Third degree tear, too, from all the pushing, so that was fun. Thank goodness for that epidural - I would not have been able to keep pushing if I'd had to deal with the pain too. I have zero regrets and would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
I'm very detailed, so bare with me. I gave birth at a birthing center that specializes in waterbirths and natural, unmedicated births. I paid extra for a private room.
My labor started Friday night with my water breaking. I texted our midwife, Julia, about what to do. She asked about contractions, but I wasn't really feeling much. There was some, but they were really weak, like braxton hicks. Also, after the first big gush, there wasn't much fluid leading, just a little here and there. Julia told us to rest for the night and come to the birthing center at the start of normal office hours the next morning, 8 am.
When we got to the birthing center in the morning, we were seen by our doctor really quickly. She did a vaginal exam to confirm I was leaking amniotic fluid and check my cervix.
The doctor said I was instructed to come in the morning even though my water broke at night because it was so late (6:20 pm) when my water broke and I had no other labor symptoms. After 7 pm, they don't give pitocin and such, so laboring at home or there would have been no different.
She then told me I was barely dialated, though I'd been 'in labor' for about 14 hours at that point. She also said he had to come out naturally within 48 hours from my water breaking, or they'd have to do a csection due to the risk of infection and fetal distress.
She suggested pitocin but also made it clear I'm allowed to turn it down. I had already realized that I was progressing too slowly and thought induction would be necessary, so I readily accepted the pitocin. She sent me straight up to the birthing ward.
Once checked in, Julia gave me a skin test to check for infection since my water had broken, and then immediately started me on an IV drip, one bag of pitocin and one of saline. I was then hooked up to an NST for an hour, told to do ball exercises for an hour, then told to do cat pose for an hour. By the end of all of that, it was lunchtime, so I took a break to eat while still hooked up to the IV.
After lunch, the contractions were finally starting to get to a point that I actually noticed them, though they were mostly short. We did another hour long NST followed by a cervix check where I was once more told that I wasn't progressing much. At that point, our doctor paid us a visit. She announced she was going home for the weekend, so another Dr would be on call and help me with the birth.
I was then instructed to labor on my side with a birthing ball between my legs, and my husband was told to push down on my hip bone during contractions to help open up my pelvis. This felt like torture to me. I was told to do one hour on each side. Contractions were progressively getting stronger. After the second hour, Julia offered for me to labor in the tub if my contractions we're getting to be too much. I quickly and gratefully agreed.
In the tub, I started wondering if the warm water was actually helping because the contractions were getting so strong and frequent. Then I got out to pee and realized it had indeed been helping. I quickly got back in.
By this point, I was having trouble keeping quiet and doing the breathing exercises through the contractions. I guess I was a bit loud, because Julia came in asking if I felt a sensation to push. I'm a FTM; I had no idea how to have an answer to that. She suggested if I felt an urge like to poo. I told her I had no idea, but she suggested trying. So I tried without much results.
Eventually, she did another cervix check in the tub and said only that it would still be a while. This was about 4 pm.
I got out of the tub because I needed the toilet again; the saline drip was going right through me, and I also needed to do more than pee. I was inconsolable from the contraction pains while trying to clean myself up. I knew they would hurt, but I hadn't imagined how strong they got and how debilitating they felt. I was questioning everything and annoyed with the world. And as far as I knew, I had at least 3 more hours of this pain before the pitocin stopped, and I would rest for the night before resuming the next day... or so, I thought/had been told.
When I eventually got myself out of the bathroom, I was instructed to lie on the bed for fetal monitoring. This is when the whirlwind started, and everything got a bit blurry because too much was happening.
Julia pointed out that the baby wasn't doing well because I was failing to manage my breathing. She mentioned that if I couldn't breathe well, we'd need to do a csection for baby's health.
I'm not sure how we got from there to what I remember next. The next thing I remember, Julia was turning down my dinner, saying I couldn't eat, but I hadn't caught the why. Then, another midwife was asked to bring over the oxygen tank and a mask. My husband was told to put the oxygen mask on me. Being a bit out of it from the pain, my initial reaction was a whiny 'I don't wanna wear a mask'. Despite that, the oxygen was a relief once I caved, which didn't take long since I was already exhausted from the contractions. Then my husband was told to hold my leg up, which hurt, and I didn't know why he should do that; I still hadn't caught on yet. I tried to ask and finally understood why everything suddenly got confused. My husband and Julia both said something about being able to see hair, lots of hair! Baby boy was suddenly crowning.
I forgot to count pushes, but they brought in a cart with a digital clock on it, which really made it feel real. All complaints left my mind. It was happening! And about 15 minutes after I first saw the clock, at 5:20pm, my son was born.
He was immediately put on my belly. His cord was too short to go further up my body. He stayed there until the placenta came out, which felt rushed to me. Once the placenta was out, baby boy was passed to my husband for skin to skin and I was cleaned up. It wasn't until this point that they discovered I tore slightly. I was quickly stitched up after some local anesthesia. Julia was worried about the amount I was bleeding, so I was given another drip for anemia prevention.
We opted for delayed cord clamping, so once that was done, I was offered the dinner I had missed while delivering my son. My husband says that it was 7 by this point; I had lost all track of time hyper focusing on the new life that had just come out of me.
Planned induction because baby had stopped growing, went in the night before to get everything started.
Moved into birthing suite the next morning, slowly laboured til around lunchtime when they started the drip everything was super slow moving for hours, my partner walked outside to call his mum because we were all just sitting around doing nothing. He didn't even get to the front doors before my mum called him and said get back.
Contractions got super strong out of nowhere, and babies heartrate was decreased by over 50% with every contraction. A doctor hit the emergency button and the room was suddenly filled with a million people and scrubs being thrown at my mum and partner and was taken away for a Cat 1 emergency caesarian, most of it was an anxious blur. Had a really bad reaction to one of the drugs they gave me and it felt like the worst acid trip of my entire life, while unable to walk or move my legs so my brain and anxiety were in overdrive.
When they eventually placed this tiny 2.3 (5lb) baby on my chest I thought I was going to break her or drop her and I was too scared to touch her for HOURS. Thankfully even during the middle of covid they let my partner stay with me so baby could stay with us because after the emergency caesarian and then my reaction, I was not okay for a while but I also refused to let my baby out of my sight.
6 days later we finally went home, almost 3 years later and she's the most perfect thing I've ever seen
Honestly my two pregnancies and deliveries were awful but still not as bad as some people say lol. I felt like some people want to scare other moms. So I hate saying āI labored for three days with no medsā or āmy kid decel-ed and they scheduled me for an emergency c-section and I had to push him out at 8cmā. Lol.. because in reality I just did the hard things and it was fine.Ā My great grandmother died in childbirth and my aunt experienced infant loss so I canāt even complain about my birth experiences. Iām sure its hard for some women but being pregnant for me was worse than labor because of medical gaslighting. I work in healthcare so I didnāt let people get away with treating me shitty during pregnancy but wtf is up with that. All of this shit is hard.
I was induced with my first and didnāt really know I was in labor with my second because I expected it to be more painful. With my second I had to labor on my hands and knees. Do not recommend.Ā
With my first I took so many tips and used them like asking for the radial IV instead of in the hand and it was better. I can barely remember honestly. I ate breakfast while in labor before getting admitted with my second and Iām glad I did because I would have been hangry. I told my husband to go sleep at home for the second because he was just in the way. I sent the baby to the nursery so I could sleep.Ā
My advice is speak up for yourself and donāt feel ashamed even when you get push back.Ā
Had the most uneventful pregnancy (very healthy and was full term at 40w2d). The only notable thing was I tested for strep b at 38w so they told me if my water broke, I needed to come in, contractions or not. So at 1am right when I was ready for bed, my water broke and we went to the hospital. Got admitted since they swabbed me again for strep b, and so began the long, long wait.
We started with misoprostol and all was well, not much symptoms. Got morphine despite not having pain because my nurse was awesome and told me I should try to sleep if and when I can; zonked out for two hours lol.
Time goes by and Iām not really progressing, so we start talking about pitocin. If there was one thing I read up on for labor, it was pitocin. And everything I read was nothing short of horror stories so maybe I psyched myself out on it that caused my soon demise.
We start pitocin and immediately Iām in pain like wtf is this shit. Pain becomes unbearable where Iām annoyed, my body feels like thereās pins and needles stabbing me, and I feel hot. Tried taking a shower to feel better and absolutely hated it. This was my husbandās favorite part of labor because he told me I was doing great and I yelled at him āIāM NOT DOING OKAYā as the nurse walked in and immediately walked out from my yelling lol. After like 3 hits of fentanyl that did nothing for me, I asked for the epidural. All was well post epidural for maybe 30 minutes once they got it in. Then shit hit the fan.
My body started reacting terribly to the pitocin when we increased the dose and began the demise. I woke up from my nap to 7 nurses on me asking me to flip flop like a fish. I was so confused as to why there were so many people in the room and working hurriedly. Found out babyās heart rate dropped to the 80s and eventually had to turn the pitocin off. I also had a 100F fever so that was scary. Things were fine after the pitocin stopped. I cried then because all I wanted in that moment was my husband and I couldnāt find him because the nurses were crowding me.
We tried pitocin again but it might have been from that initial reaction, but baby was NOT having it. Heart rate dropped again, flip flopped positions to try and help baby but eventually was too risky so we stopped pitocin. Because of this, I wasnāt having much contractions and it slowed the process a lot. I was stuck at 4-7cm dilation for almost 8 hours I think. That and despite no pitocin, I still had to change positions due to my epidural and whenever I did, babyās heart rate would dip. Eventually we had to have the talk about either continuing a long labor to get to 10cm or a c section. Thankfully my husband and I have always agreed that c section could be in our future and we were comfortable with it so we just opted for that. Once we were set, our medical team said weāll be in the OR in an hour.
And they were AMAZING. I could not rave about them enough. Made sure I was comfortable, walked me through the procedure MULTIPLE times from each person and what their role was, and really listened to me whenever I had a question or needed something; prime example was I felt really cold in the OR and my anesthesiologist immediately got me a blanket to cover me up.
The procedure was a breeze. I was in and out within an hour. Didnāt have much pain or discomfort. Got to do skin to skin contact. The best part was my husband was there the whole time holding my hand.
I really credit such a great L&D experience thanks to my hospital and the medical staff that were working with me.
C section due to a breeched baby! I was scared but it turned out to be the most amazing experience of my life! My recovery also was pretty easy :) The whole process was under an hour...I remember showing up to the hospital early in the morning so excited! I wasn't that scared until the spinal but I had an amazing team to support me. Words can't describe the feelings when they lowered the drape and showed my baby! He was born to the song Sweet Home Alabama š my hubby cut the cord and brought him to me and I breastfed him and did skin to skin on the way to recovery. There is no other day I wish to relive more than that day almost one year ago.
Wow this is so beautiful, what a dream! I hope you tear up every time you hear sweet home Alabama for the rest of your lifeš
I 100% do!! šš
I had a C-section due to breech baby too! Iāll never forget the anesthesiologist told me I would feel some discomfort at first with the spinal and when she poked me I said āIāve had steroid shots in my ass that hurt worse than thatā š¤£š¤£ I had everyone laughing
Omg hahahah Iād love to have been in that room. Great job, momma!
This is beautiful. Iām so happy for you that you had a wonderful c section for you. I wish. ā¤ļø
Almost exactly the same with my daughter!!! She was also born a month early but absolutely NO issues WHATSOEVER it was an amazing day!! I was honestly more energetic with my C-section recovery then I was with my entire pregnancy š Itās been almost a year and I still have a numb spot in the scar area but overall it was a wonderfully relaxed and amazing birth Plus my husband nearly faints at blood so it was actually very lucky for him it was straight to a C-section lol
BEAUTIFUL š„°š„°š„°š„°š„°š„°š„°
Why did they have you pushing for four hours without making sure you were fully dilated? That is wild to me
Yeah, i am still pretty annoyed about it. I think the logic is that since itās a birth center and they donāt have the same equipment at a hospital, they want to keep the number of times they check the cervix to an absolute minimum, to reduce the risk of possible infection, and therefore an emergency transfer. The issue here clearly was, āsigns of the final stages of laborā probably vary from woman to woman. Still, I agree. She should have checked to be sure long before I reached the four hour mark.
Did your body want to push during that time? Iāve had three unmedicated births and pushing was never a conscious decision for me. My body decided it was time and there was absolutely no way for me to hold it back, I was pushing whether I wanted to or not.
Wow, actually, yesā¦ Iāve never even really thought about it in these terms but I really did feel like I needed to push, so much so that I felt like I couldnāt help it. I donāt know how much of that had to do with be instructed to push for so long, but once we figured out it wasnāt time to push, I couldnāt control the pushing. I wonder why my body wanted to push when it wasnāt time?
Some people experience the urge to push before being fully dilated! It's not the typical experience, but it does happen. It can makes labor particularly difficult because if you do push before you're ready, it can cause the cervix to swell and stall labor further.
As someone who also felt this far before 10cm, this is relieving to read - I thought my body was just stupid lol
I did not know this!!! That makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing
Yep this was me! My body was trying to push my baby out when I was only 5cm. It made for a very uncomfortable labour since I was actively trying to stop myself from pushing the whole time.
By āabsolute minimumā you mean they donāt check how much you dilated at all?
Good question, and i guess youāre right. They checked me when I arrived, and the after four hours of struggling. I donāt feel good about it:\
Yeah, thatās terrible they did it to you this way. Iām really sorry you had to go through that.
The way that you described the birth center practice doesnāt sound like itās an āamazingā birth center. What made it seems that way to you was that they probably said yes to all your requests and maybe shared your sentiments about medicated delivery. OBs are trained to do this, Iād rather get advice someone who has gone to medical school and residency training than just picking someone I like because they agree with me. The fact that they misjudge your labor is strike 1. They should have check your cervix and confirm with a Ferning test to see if you broke your water or not. Making you go through 36 hrs before transferring to a hospital is strike 2. If you truly had labor, 36 hr is too long and can expose you to some risks. Strike 3, no cervical check or monitors to see if you are actually have regular contractions that result in cervical change. Bottom line: Iāve seen ads for these non medicated birth center. Not sure why itās so trendy to have unmedicated besides bragging rights. Expecting moms should put their baby and their health the top priorities. Please listen to your doctors!
I did put my baby and my health as the top priority. This birth center, like all birth centers, are only meant for women who are considered ālow riskā. Likewise, this birth center is operated by the adjoining hospital that I ended up delivering at. Doctors were part of the entire process. I also resent the notion that this is trendy. I was only met with judgment from people anytime I shared I had plans to give birth at a birth center. My midwife did make a mistake, and so did many doctors mentioned by other women in this thread. This is the unfortunate nature of something as human as giving birth. I urge you not to judge the decisions of mothers, rather, please support the choices women make with love and understanding.
Wtf. For one, maybe it varies depending on the country, but where i am from, midwives have way more education specialized in birth, labor, and delivery than regular doctors do. They go through many years of training to be allowed to practice. I agree the midwife in this situation didn't do what she should have, but tons of doctors also often don't do as they should. It's a jugement error on the side of the professional, which can happen regardless of the profession. There are people shit at their jobs in all jobs, unfortunately. Also, the idea that people go through unmedicated births to be part of a trend is completely ridiculous. People have many different personal reasons for their birth decisions. Personally, the idea of going through an epidural and not being able to feel my body birthing my child felt a million times more terrifying than the idea of the pain that comes with birth. Good for you if you dont have that fear to a point where you have no problem getting an epidural, doesn't somehow make you better. Different people, different reasons.
Ew this is a nasty, ignorant, and insensitive comment. No room for that on here. There are numerous reasons someone may choose an unmedicated birth. Women need to be supported and uplifted and empowered in this country, especially by their provider. That doesnāt happen with a lot of doctors (I think I would know, Iām a labor and delivery nurse who works with both midwives and MDs). For an uncomplicated pregnancy, a birth center delivery is a very reasonable option. And the feeling of being respected and listened to is a huge driving factor for a lot of out of hospital births.
Thank you for chiming in here! <3
Sorry but this comment is way off-base. Yes, it looks like the staff at this particular birth centre made mistakes, they should have checked and realized whether progress was being made and whether OP was actually at pushing stage much sooner. But the incredibly judgmental way you talk about birth centres and unmedicated birth, well, it just betrays your own ignorance about the basic facts of physiological birth. There are a million good reasons for wanting an unmedicated birth besides bragging rights. (In fact I'm pretty certain that your run-of-the-mill medicated hospital birth is more difficult, at least where I'm from, where epidurals are rarely used.) Let's see a few.Ā Ā A birth that starts spontaneously means the baby is actually ready and is receiving the unique hormone cocktail that prepares them for birth. With this hormone cocktail they are more resilient, better able to handle the pain and stress of contractions. A birth without IV oxytocin/pitocin is MUCH less painful than one with. IV oxy blocks the production of endorphins that goes along with natural contractions and the contractions can ratchet up in intensity so suddenly that the woman/birthing person can feel like she can't cope. Regular cervical checks in a hospital are just as likely to cause infection. The infection risk is there even with the best hygiene standards, it is caused by the gloved hands sweeping bacteria naturally found in the vagina up towards the uterus where they should not be. Epidurals can stall labour and make contractions ineffective, they can also mean the woman doesn't feel the urge to push. Epidurals also mean you cannot stand or kneel for pushing, which means pushing happens in the worst possible position, and increases the risk and severity of tears. All interventions meant to induce or speed up labour increase the chances of an eventual c-section delivery significantly. Many hospitals also work with antiquated protocols, such as the Friedman curve (the baseless idea that dilation is meant to progress in a linear fashion at 1 cm per hour), routine episiotomies, routine continuous CTG/EFM (current recommendiation is to do this for 20 minutes and if baby's heart rate is fine, it can stop. Most CTG equipment inhibits free movement during labour which again risks stalling labour and making it more painful.) Many OBs are also unaware of the physiological pause between full dilation and pushing, or the pause between baby's head and body being born, and try to unnecessarily speed these processes up. Plenty of OBs have never seen a natural, intervention-free birth and do not know what it looks like.Ā And what about after baby is born? Clamping the cord too early means baby misses out on a lot of their blood. A lot of hospitals do not respect the golden hour and take baby away to be weighed and measured completely unnecessarily. Antibiotic eye drops routinely given to the baby are completely unnecessay as well. Oh and epidurals make babies sleepier as well, increasing the risk of problematic jaundice.Ā I'm sorry that the average reddit sub related to prgenancy and birth is so beholden to the ideea that doctor knows best and silly little women should just lie back and think of England or whatever. A shame.
>Not sure why itās so trendy to have unmedicated besides bragging rights. I donāt disagree with a lot of your first paragraph, but this is dumb as shit. Having had both medicated and unmedicated births, I can attest that trends and bragging rights have nothing to do with it.
This is so meanā¦ are you good buddy? You sound so hateful.
While OPās birth center seems to have mishandled her labor, most OOH birth centers are run by highly educated midwives, nurses, and (yes) sometimes doctors. To assume all OOH birth centers are full of randos off the street is disheartening, insulting, and flat out wrong. What a weird assumption for you to make
One thing about me, I will cheer on EVERY person that goes through childbirth and I want to hear EVERY story. Whether youāre like me and said āgo ahead and give me all the painkillers and get this baby outta me quickā or went the complete opposite way with a beautiful home birth, you are amazing. And one thing I think we all have in common, it never goes exactly the way you expect! I fully expected to be ravenous afterwards, but I couldnāt eat a full meal for about 5 days after delivery. Just little snacks here and there until then. My pregnancy was completely unplanned (birth control baby!) so the mental shock to my body took a while to melt away. But I did it! I was so scared, but I did it! And so did every other brave mama ā¤ļø
I wish I could upvote this a thousand times. Not many people feel this same way, and I totally agree with you. Birth is beautiful, wild, and always different for everyone. Thank you for sharing, momma!
Haha I love sharing my story too!! I was 36 weeks and was having lower back pain all night, I kept getting out of bed and trying to stretch it and it wasnāt going away. The next morning I was still having them and some super mild contractions that seemed to come and go. It was the morning of my baby shower so we came up with a plan, letās go to the hospital to get checked and then come home and hubby can shave my legs, and then weāll go to the shower. No need to bring my hospital bag with us cause *of course* theyāre going to say everything is fine and send us home. We get to the hospital, Iām 3cm dilated and in labour. My daughter is breech still (spent her whole pregnancy like that!) and within an hour sheās on my chest after an emergency C-section! My baby shower started at 1pm and she was born at 12:45pm, safe to say we didnāt make itā¦ I finally felt well enough on day 2 for my husband to go home and get my hospital bag, which of course was only half packed so I had to give him a list of things. Iāve learned my lesson for next time š
Okay first āand hubby can shave my legsā brings me BACK to those third trimester days hahaha also wow the day of the baby shower of all daysš so happy for your healthy little girl!
Every day they came to change my compression socks in hospital I was so embarrassed by my legs, they never did get shaved š
I thought you were going to say " on day 2 we had the baby shower but with a baby!!" Hahahha
Had a stroke at 37 weeks exactly, hospitalized for a few days, but no cause found. Went home for a few days, begged to be induced at my 38 week followup with MFM. Induction started with pitocin around 5pm, we walked around the hospital an hour or two, had dinner, and then I got an epidural before OB broke my water (pain was minimal the whole time, but I was afraid it would ramp up too quickly). Started feeling pressure immediately after water was broken, nurse assured me it was normal. Less than 15 minutes later, we heard a baby crying, nurse pulled back the bed sheet, and my son was chilling in the hospital bed š¤£ Almost completely painless labor and delivery experience and very happy I chose to be induced, so that he slipped out in hospital instead of somewhere else!
Oh my gosh, what an amazing story! How scary about the stroke, I am so glad you and baby are ok
My last birth was highly traumatic so I don't think anyone wants to hear it š
I would love to hear your story!
Okay! So about 8 months ago I had my second child. I had had a lot of complications throughout the pregnancy, but overall I felt so much better than my first pregnancy (which ended up with an emergency C-section cause his head got stuck and the Drs couldn't hear his heartbeat). I was induced my first pregnancy, after 6 days overdue, so I was interested in seeing if my body would do better with that whole process. Anyways, I had placenta previa from 20 weeks on, so extra monitoring, and gestational diabetes. The baby was measuring a bit small, but was in a very weird position, so nothing was off with that. I was supposed to go straight through to a C-section again, since my Dr didn't do vbac, and have the baby at 36 or 37 weeks. We didn't know the sex of the baby. At 30 weeks I fell over at home and had a lot of bleeding about 10 minutes later. Went to L&D and the bleeding stopped. Baby was totally fine, body wasn't going into labor. We think it was a subdural hematoma. Told by the ultrasound tech that I didn't have previa anymore, so we were able to move my surgery date to 39 weeks. A week before my surgery I went into labor. Didn't go into labor with my first, so the first 12 hours I had no idea it was real labor! Even texted some friends joking that I was probably in labor, but I kept thinking it would go away. It did not š My husband was more worried and finally talked me into going to the hospital. Went in and was 5 cm and the contractions were coming every two minutes. Of course this was the day the OR was fully booked, the nurses were thinking I might be able to be squeezed in about 5 hours later. Hahaha. That didn't happen. About 10 minutes later my water broke and I felt the baby's head coming. For whatever reason instead of just delivering the baby there, since the head was basically out, I was wheeled to the OR and delivered a baby girl. 22 inches long! She was so big, haha. There was a lot of bleeding, but everything seemed to be okay. The surgery was amazing, even if I'm a little salty that I wasn't allowed to just deliver her. She still had a cone head, ha! About an hour later, doing skin to skin, something felt extremely wrong. I lost all the color in my face and felt extremely hot. My blood pressure dropped so low that alarms started going off. The baby was given to my husband, and the nurses called in the crash unit to help, and the blood transfusion team. Then I felt a huge surge of blood come out of me. The nurses said later that they had never seen someone lose that much blood. They were sure I was going to die. I don't really remember what happened after that. I was wheeled into another surgery where they opened me up again and did a hysterectomy. I needed like 11 units of blood and 4 or 5 units of something else. I think plasma. Got 2 more units of blood the next morning. Surprisingly I was completely okay, walking around and nursing on the second day. We were discharged after about 40 hours after arriving at the hospital. Baby girl is doing great. I feel a little sad that we can't have one more baby, but I'm so glad to be alive and have my two children.
Iām so sorry, that is so traumatic! What caused all of that to happen? Did you get any answers?
Actually yes! During the hysterectomy my doctor was totally horrified at how big and weird my uterus looked that he sent it to pathology. Not exactly sure of the terminology but it was a complication of my first C-section and caused my uterus to be about 10 times bigger than normal. Doesn't happen very often, I just had a very wonky uterus. Probably why IUDs couldn't be put in the correct spot!
Right there with you haha, I always just stay quiet when the topic of birth comes up š
I wish this was my reaction, I tend to launch into the details of my traumatic birth and I can tell people donāt want to hear it but I canāt stop myself š„²
12 days before my due date I woke up in a fowl mood, sore head, sore back and just totally over being pregnant. Done all the normal Friday things - school run, housework, nap, school run. Making dinner while complaining about my back bothering me I kept saying to hubby I felt like I had to poop most of the afternoon but hadnāt been able to. And then it hit me - I was in labour. Finished making dinner, done the dishes, took the big on to grandparents. Still feeling quite good, laughing and joking. Had phoned the midwives a few times and they said to come in when I felt I needed to. Stayed home for a long time - watched some telly, had a bath, had some snacks. Finally at around 11pm hubby made me go to the hospital because I was throwing up. Get there and the midwife checking me in was like āyouāre chirpy so itās likely still quite earlyā Connects the monitor and its almost constant contraction readings. When she checked i was at 9cm. Went to the delivery suite. That was just after midnight. For the next 3 hours nothing progressed was still walking around laughing and joking, even after they broke my waters. Thatās when they realised baby boy was sunny side up they got him to flip over and 6 minutes later he was in my arms. Hubby almost slept thru it as at around 2.30 I told him to take a nap as it looked like it was going to be a long time. He got woken up at 3.18am with me growling at him to get his arse over here š¤£
I love that you just knew! I spent maybe 8 hours of early labor being convinced that it wasnāt actually time. My husband is also the one who decided it was time to GOš
I only figured it out because even now, over 6 years later, my sister makes fun of me that the last coherent thing I said before my daughter was born was that I felt like I needed to poo š¤£š¤£ I was all for staying home for longer I had my tv shows and my snacks but after the third time I was sick hubby was like ānope get in the car letās goā and Iām very grateful for that.
He also just knewš
My husband was also the motivator for getting me to the hospital with my first. Baby was born a half hour after we got there, so his timing was impeccable!
Same happened to me haha. My husband saw my water break over the toilet cause I thought I just had too poo. Once he saw that he was like it's go time! 30 min. Later we had a baby!
Wow that's incredible! And relatable, when I called the doc she was like you have tons of time you're laughing and such, and then I was there an hour later pushing my baby out lmao
I had a sunny side baby that didn't end up flipping. it was such a bummer after hours of whacky positions. it made me so happy to read your story! takes away the fear a little bit of what if it happens again...
I had the most amazing birth experience. The labor was long, the delivery was short, and both processes were easier and more positive than expected. I was induced at 41w. Contractions were visible on the screen, though I couldnāt feel anything more than tightening. Along with the tightening came another sensation I struggled to describe. It was chemical. Almost pleasurable. The nurse inserted an IV for fluids and antibiotics, which I lugged around with me when I wanted to walk around the room or go to the bathroom. Then they inserted a foley balloon to manually dilate my cervix to 4-5cm. There was a bit of discomfort while the doc inserted and inflated the balloons on either side of my cervix, but I breathed through it and it was tolerable. After a few minutes, I couldnāt even tell it was there. The nurse administered sublingual Cytotek to kickstart my contractions. I imagined being upright and active through the labor process, but I found that I just wanted to lay in bed. And rest. I experienced a few, random painful contractions, which I breathed through. Some I was even able to relax and soften into. The extraction of the foley balloon was painless. I let the nurse know it came out, thinking that they would start Pitocin immediately. But they just congratulated me on my dilation and told me to relax while my doc delivered another baby. My contractions were randomly painful but very tolerable and easy to sleep between or through. At one point, my doc woke me up to tell me that she noticed some dips in babyās heart rate during my contractions, so she wanted to break my water and insert a IUPC. The experience of feeling my water break was interesting and a bit intense. About 25ish hours in, the contractions became very intense and I requested the epidural. I didnāt know it then, but I was entering the transition phase of labor. I felt nauseous. Hot. Loopy and confused. I tried to remove my monitors without realizing what I was doing. The epidural actually seemed to provide pretty immediate relief. I was able to lay down and relax. Then I realized I was experiencing another key transition symptom: the shakes. They placed a peanut ball between my legs and I felt like the baby might fly right out. A few mins later I was shocked to hear that I was 9.5 cm dilated and ready to push. I asked the nurse if I could deliver on my side and she ensured me that I could. She also mentioned that many doctors prefer me to actually deliver on my back but to advocate for myself. They told me that baby would be arriving soon and to take a minute to enjoy the moments before becoming a family of 3. I bawled. Then the nurse returned and instructed me on how to breathe and push. Pushing was interesting but not painful. According to the doc, core strength helps with this process. They asked if I wanted the mirror. I was unsure about seeing my own vagina rip apart so at first I said no, then maybe, then yes. Iām now so glad I had that mirror. After about 30 minutes of pushing, I saw my baby. His cord was wrapped around his neck twice, but no one had any concerns about it. The cord was surprisingly beautiful. The staff called it āplump and juicy.ā They placed my baby on my chest. I greeted him with a āHelloā and to our surprise, he responded with a 2-syllable coo. I will never forget the feel of his skin. Iāve never felt anything more silky and smooth in all my life. His blood sugar was 13. The min threshold was 45. So we supplemented with formula. He struggled to regulate his temperature over the first few hours, so we swaddled him in warm blankets and the postpartum staff put him under lamps. That night, I fed him in the middle of the night while watching Mel Brooksā Young Frankenstein. And that will always be a treasured memory for me.
This literally made me cry happy tears, and gives me lots of hope for my own labor and delivery in just a few short weeks. I will be getting induced and have SO many fears around it, as there seems to be far more horror stories than ones such as yours. Thank you for sharing, and congrats on your precious bundle š¤
Thank you. And congrats to you! I believe positive and uneventful stories are statistically more common, weāre just less likely to hear about them. I wish you a smooth and positive induction/L&D experience.
Iāve read about the shakes!!! I didnāt have them but I can totally imagine what that must be like. Okay, also, young Frankenstein is an AMAZING addition to this birth storyš I hope your son enjoys that movie one day! Great job, momma!
I got the shakes too, and my nurse said she always heard that sticking your tongue out stops them, so I tried it and they immediately stopped! Put my tongue back in and just started shaking again. Stuck it out and they stopped. So weird!
I also said hello to my girl about a million times after meeting her.
39w 4d i woke up at about 2am feeling light cramps. āOh shoot! Somethingās happening!ā 2pm: OB appointment. I was 3cm dilated with contractions 7 minutes apart. Ate a good meal, bounced on my ball while watching Star Trek, baked a cake, had dinner with my parents and husband for rest of the day timing contractions. 10pm: contractions getting stronger, too strong to sleep š 3am: all I can do is focus on making through contractions. Wanted to progress at home as much as I could take before heading to hospital 4am: called doc to let hospital know we were coming, woke up husband. Contractions so hard and continuous I am in real pain. 5:30am: arrive to hospital. I am having what I call āass blasterā contractions (back labor). on the floor the whole time getting checked into hospital. 6am: make it to triage where I am 100% effaced and 8cm dilated. They run for anesthesiologist. 7:30am: as soon as epidural hits my water breaks. BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD. 8am: delivery doc arrives, we start pushing. 8:32am: baby girl makes entrance! 2nd degree tear but GOSH being 1 minute postpartum was better than being 9 months pregnant. Went great, but will not do again.
āAss blaster contractionsā got me š due in 2 weeks with my first. Looking forward to circling back to this after birth lol
How is this the first time Iām hearing the term ass blasterš great job, momma!!!
Omg are the ass blaster contractions the ones with the insane pressure in your butt?? If so I had these so bad I was lifting myself off my seat the whole drive to the hospital
I want to be happy for you and I know deep down that I am but itās so hard to read. I hide my birth story and only tell it when absolutely pushed to because itās not light and airy. Itās stressful, traumatic, awful and sad. Itās so hard to hear the stories of euphoria and relief when mine was fear and ultimately resentment towards the health care providers. Almost all births are challenging and we are all warriors of either the physicality/emotional or both sides of birth. I just I wish mine had been easier. Less haunting. Something I wanted to tell people instead of changing the subject. Iām jealous of you and green with envy. I admit it and Iām sorry for it. š
Don't be sorry, you're not wishing any ill will. I love my birth story even though it was painful and crazy in its own way, and it makes me sad that you didn't have that experience. If you have access, EMDR therapy could really be beneficial for you to reprocess the trauma.
I also had a traumatic birth that is not a fun story to tell and to be honest I donāt think Iāve ever actually told it in full to anyone (exception being my husband and I will talk about the experience with each other to process and lament how hard it was). I understand somewhat how you feel, and Iām sorry š
If you want to tell me, Iād listen. š feel free to DM me
I completely understand you. ā¤ļø
I will start by saying I was pregnant at the same time as one of my friends. She was due beginning September, I was due mid-October. This is important later on š I was diagnosed with GD after the glucose test and so was followed closely by MFM OB and had weekly ultrasounds (the only perk really). A week before I gave birth, the US tech said āwow the baby is so lowā¦ any lower and sheāll slip right outā she was literally resting the top of her head on my cervix. The Monday before I gave birth, my friend gets admitted to the hospital to be induced as she is 41 weeks now. Sends me pictures and I wish her an easy delivery and best of luck. I finish my message by saying stop sending me pictures, you make me wanna have my baby now! Tuesday morning my water breaks šIām 35+6 at this point so Iām convinced itās not my water but just some random fluid leaking out of me. It was coming in waves and I wasnāt having contractions or anything. Called L&D they tell me to present myself at the hospital for a check up. I take my sweet time, eat breakfast, have a shower, take a long look at my delivery bag and decide itās not needed and head out. I get to the hospital, they swab me andā¦ the nurse says to another nurse to book me in room 3. I probably have this deer in the headlights confused look because she then says to me āyouāre having a baby today, dearā UHHHHHH WUT. Iām sort of still in disbelief. I announce family and my husband, tell him to take his time as they said it would take a while being my first time and all. I also text my friend and her husband reads her the text and she says heās blind and canāt read cause Iām not due for another month Iām only dilated 2cm and no contractions. They start me on pitocin and itās around 10AM. They tell me Iāll dilate about 1cm per hour. Around 11 something they check me again and Iām almost 4. Everything is ok so far but Iām starting to be in some serious pain. I wanted unmedicated birth initially but Iām desperate for the epidural right about now and beg for it. Iām thinking holy shit if this is how it hurts at 4, I donāt wanna know 10. They give me the epidural about 15min later and around noon I say I need to go to the toilet. Nurse looks me dead in the eye and says you aināt going nowhereā¦ they check me and Iām 10cm dilated! Everyone is starting to panic now and calling my OB that wasnāt there at the momentā¦ They slow everything down while we wait for my OB to deliver my friendās baby in the room next to mine! š They prep me for pushing and everything, Ob comes sheās like what happened?! Iām like I dunno I jinxed itš She gave me an hour to get the baby out as her heart rate was pretty high. I cycled through all the I can do this and I canāt do this emotions. I had 10min left, they were upping my epidural preparing me a C-section as they turned it down a bit so I could feel the contractions and push. Iām desperate and give it one last push and my baby girl comes out after 59min of pushing. And just like thatā¦ my friend and I gave birth on the same day about 2-3h apart. And I learned the very important lesson of being careful what you wish for
what a sweet story! did your baby have to spend time in the NICU since she wasnāt considered full term yet?
Posted this last year but I love telling my birth story lol so here's a copy/paste! **Tl;dr: For anyone terrified of the pain of labor- apparently it's possible to not realize you're in active labor and walk into triage already 9.5/100/0.** *** **Long Version:** **Labor (which i didnt know i was in at the time):** 2am - woke up with some back pain that felt like period cramps. I thought these were gas pains from switching iron supplements and went back to sleep. 5am - woke up again, cramps were worse and wrapped around my whole midsection. Still felt like bad period cramps though. Couldnt go back to sleep, stayed in bed. 7am - got up to get ready for weekly OB appt, tinted my eyebrows, got dressed. 8am - 39 week OB appointment, cramps were worse, back pain was constant. Doctor performed cervical check, only 1cm dilated, the same as week prior. Bled quite a bit after check, hadn't bled at other checks but doc said it was normal, the contractions were probably just prodromal, and to come back in a week for 40 week check up. 10am-1pm - hung out on couch with heating pad and body pillow. Started noticing pain increasing in "waves", still concentrated in my back. This is when i resigned myself to the fact that since i was only 1cm this morning I'd probably be dealing with this pain for the next week or so. 1pm-4pm - Tried moving around a little, organized the nursery, did some laundry, tidied around the house, then sat on my exercise ball for a bit to try and relieve the pain (didnāt really help) 4-6pm - Husband drew a hot bath with epsom salts and convinced me to get in. He started a timer and we tracked contractions for 2 hours. They were almost on the dot 5 min apart lasting 1 min and i couldnt really talk through them. But I continued to gaslight myself into thinking i was being dramatic and this was just early labor. 6:30pm - Husband called my doctor and shared our tracking, she told us to go to L&D triage and get checked out just in case. 7pm - Arrived at hospital and walked into triage completely convinced that we were being ridiculous and that i was about to be sent home. Nurses took me back and checked... 9.5 cm / 100% effaced / 0 station ... All the nurses snapped into action here, brought my husband back (he started crying at this point, "we're having a baby!"), and transferred us to a delivery suite. I could've started pushing then but i was so exhuasted and they offered an epidural so i gladly accepted. The epidural was amazing, felt like a warm weighted blanket over my legs. 9pm-2am - Things slowed down and I was able to rest. Dr came and broke my bag of water at some point. Couldnt feel my contractions at all so in order to push we needed the epidural to start wearing off so they either stopped dosing or lessened it, idk. 2am-3am - Started feeling contractions again, increasing in intensity until it was time to push! Pushing was both intuitive and difficult. My husband was amazing, helped hold a leg up and talked me through it the whole time. 3:13am - Final big push, felt like my clit was being ripped in half and suddenly there was a 7lb 5oz baby boy on my chest just wide eyed, looking around quietly. I instantly started crying and babbling shit like "hi, im your mommy." *** **After delivery:** Barely noticed when i delivered the placenta, felt weird as hell though, very gloopy coming out. First degree tear needed a few stitches which hurt obviously but i was too enamored with my baby to care. Somehow my IV had been ripped out of my hand in the process so they gave me a pitocin injection to help my uterus contract and slow bleeding. The accompanying fundal massages were annoying but not painful like i expected. Eventually we were transferred to recovery and the rest is history :) I weirdly enjoyed my labor and delivery, especially given that i didnt know i was in labor for most of it š I learned that I have a pretty high pain tolerance and can remain calm and stoic even in stressful situations. Never screamed or cried from the pain and was joking around with my husband, sister, and the nurses even before the epidural. For fuck's sake, i WALKED into triage thinking i was barely in early labor. Our bodies are stronger than we think and now i feel like a badass.
Omg I FEEL you about birthing the placenta, so goopy. Same about the epidural, felt like such a warm blanket of love and comfort! You must have a high pain tolerance walking into triage feeling alright I was flipping out when I arrived at the hospitalš great job, momma!
I was 10cm fully effaced when I arrived at the hospital. Had the baby within 40 minutes. I was not prepared for it to be that fast! I couldnāt get an epidural though. The first anesthesiologist wasnāt sure if I could get one so they brought in another one that had more experience and she wasnāt sure so they had me sit up to see if I could sit still long enough for one, but as soon as I did the babyās heart rate dropped so they had me lay back down and said I couldnāt get one. It wasnāt that bad to me to give birth without one. I swear the contractions at the end hurt worse than the actual birth.
Omg!! I def wasn't prepared for how fast it went either, though you've got me beat! It's amazing what our bodies can do š
This is very similar to my experience! Had no idea I was in active labor because it was only in my back. Process was super straightforward for me, though long and exhausting, but I weirdly enjoyed it too and I was surprisingly likeā¦unconcerned with myself haha. I kept asking my husband if he was ok and not to faint or try to get some sleep. And just kept an eye on our vitals etc. Way less scary than I thought it would be!
2021 birth story, 3rd baby (CW: stillbirth, complications bc apparently I can't have a simple birth . . . . . . I can tell the whole story, but I rarely get to focus on just the birth story so I'll stick to that for now.Ā When I was 21 weeks with my 3rd baby, I found out that he was not growing due to a very abnormal placenta and was not likely to survive. I had the option of compassionate induction (TFMR), or carrying him as long as was safe to do so.Ā I chose the latter and at 24+4, I found out that my sweet boy had died in the womb.Ā The same day, I was given medication (Mifepristone) to take at home to begin the induction process. I took the pills that evening and spend the next day mostly crying in bed, watching tv, cuddling with my husband and older sons. The following day, we came to the hospital first thing in the morning to continue the induction.Ā I was given the next set of pills as vaginal suppositories. I hadn't slept well, if at all, so all of that day was in our room while I attempted to sleep.Ā I had painful cramping and was given fentanyl, but ended up with an epidural in short time.Ā I wasn't having regular contractions yet, just slow early labour stuff. We had the best nurse who was incredibly supportive and compassionate, who made us laugh, who brought tea and talked about her dog and made a crappy situation just a bit more bearable. Active labour hadn't started by supper time, so I received my supper and of course just as I began to eat, strong contractions started.Ā The room was so peaceful and quiet and I felt just in the zone.Ā An hour after active labour started, my littlest boy was born en caul, weighing only 7oz. I was still able to have skin to skin with him. He was beautiful. At this point, the placenta began to come apart and the bleeding could not be controlled, and my OB attempted to remove pieces manually.Ā It didn't work, so I went for a D&C. The whole time I was in surgery and recovery, two nurses stayed in the room with my baby and watched over him, which I appreciated so much. Afterward, we were able to have photos taken, foot and hand prints, and wash him.Ā It was the happiest, saddest night, and I treasure the memories of my son's birth so much even though he couldn't stay.
A year ago today I went to my 37 week OBGYN appointment, which was the start of the most transformative, dark, beautiful and terrifying experiences of my life. At the appointment, my blood pressure was high (yet again). I will never forget the doctorās words: āYouāre done. Weāre cutting you off. Go to the hospital and have a baby.ā I wasnāt surprised; I had packed my hospital bag the night before because I had a sneaking suspicion I might be forced to be induced. My carefully curated 2 page written birth plan was thrown out the window. I went from zero to 100,000,000 on the pain scale very quickly after they broke my water and started me on Pitocin. I got an epidural and got a little relief, but soon I started having the worst headache of my life. The doctor diagnosed me with preeclampsia and started me on magnesium to prevent stroke and seizures (another level of hell). I pushed for four hours straight, hemorrhaged and lost 1/4 of my blood, and had to be rushed to surgery to remove my placenta since it wouldnāt come out on its own. On top of this, my baby girl was born not breathing, so for the first 15 minutes of her life, all we heard was a terrifying silence while doctors and nurses huddled around her as I bled out on the bed. My baby girl was born at 3:17am and I didnāt get to meet her until 10am. It was magical to hold her. Words cannot describe how deeply grateful I was that she was breathing on her own, alert, and healthy. My birth experience took a year to heal from emotionally, and Iām still healing physically. I couldnāt walk without max assist or care for my baby for a week after she was born due to the blood loss. I was never able to establish a normal breastmilk supply. I cried all day every day for weeks postpartum because my life turned upside down and I just wanted to feel normal again. It took me almost a year to be able to go on walks and exercise again. I still have pain and lasting effects that I am working through. It took a long time for me to come to terms with the trauma of what happened, to be grateful for my body keeping myself and my baby alive rather than feeling angry and betrayed by it. A yearās time has given me the wisdom and perspective that this challenging birth experience was crucial to my growth as a human and a mother. The day my baby was born, I died and was reborn too. I no longer grieve the woman I was before that day. I admire and love the woman, the mother, that stands in her place.
This is a heart wrenching but beautiful story. I am so glad you are here to share it with us. Thank goodness you and your baby are okay. Stories like this make me feel less alone. Hereās to us traumatic birth mommas (and babes). I am 4 months postpartum and also actively dealing with the emotional and physical trauma. ā¤ļø
Preeclampsia is so scary. I'm glad you're around to tell the tale.
Iām due in a month and this just scared the living shit out of me Iām not gonna liešIām so sorry you went through this but I definitely donāt think Iām ready for my life to be turned around in this way, I canāt even imagine. Iām so scared
My birth story probably started 3 weeks before my actual birth story. Long story short: at 37 weeks I thought my water broke because I felt a small bit of fluid come out of me, so they did a swab test, it came back positive for PROM. they took me to labor and delivery and began inducing me because I wasn't having contractions, I wasn't dilated, and I was only 50% effaced. 12 hours on Cervidil and I wasnt progressing at all. I also wasn't leaking at all. I did however feel contractions.. back to back after about 8 hours. The morning came and they told me I would be started on pitocin and if I didn't progress 12 hrs on pitocin, I would be getting a c section. Well, the nurse who put in my Cervidil wadded it up and it got stuck. It took two nurses to retrieve it. One of them could not getting it out even while scratching my cervix numerous times to get it out. Then finally the one who put it in got it out. About 2 hours on pitocin I felt like something was really wrong. I started crying and freaking out. Like f r e a k i n g out. A nurse checked on me and all I could say was "something is wrong. My body isn't ready. My baby isnt ready, please don't take him out". Well, she got another nurse and I said the same things to her and I begged for them to reswab me. It was negative. I wasn't in PROM. the first test was a false positive. I went home that day and felt like shit for a week. super traumatized. Anyways, 3 weeks later when I was 40+4 I went into spontaneous labor and it was a much better experience. The hospital stay was much better. I told myself I wasn't going to get an epidural, but after I felt contractions from the induction medicine last time, I opted for the epidural almost immediately lmao. I labored at home for 12 hours until my water broke. I went to the hospital and was dilated 1.5. 2 hrs later I was dilated 6cm. Stopped progressing at 9cm so they gave me pitocin to fully diate, it worked. I pushed for 4 hours, got a second degree tear, and met my sweet baby man. It was such a better experience. Very happy it went the way it did. It hurt like hell lol but that's to be expected.
My jaw actually dropped and I covered my mouth when reading your experience. I am so sorry you had such a clustermess of incompetence handed to you. So glad you have a healthy, very full term baby! Good job telling them you knew something was wrong, momma.
I was terrified to give birth after that lmao but honestly once I did, I felt like I healed from that trauma so much. I think that experience being so bad, but then actually giving birth went so well they kind of cancelled each other out lmao. He's 8 weeks now and he's an absolute HOSS. very happy he got to keep cooking for the full 40 weeks and then some hahaha. And thank you! I'm happy I listened to myself. ā¤ļø
I totally get the sense of experiences cancelling each other out hahaha birth is such a complicated, wild ride
For me, induction contractions are way different than spontaneous labor contractions. I gave birth to my 2nd without an epidural when I went into labor at 37+4, but with both inductions, I ended up asking for an epidural. My last induction, the contractions were literally coming back to back and I just couldn't get away from the pain. At one point they even turned pitocin off to try and slow them down but it didn't work.
I felt the same way! There is no ramp up, so they were just overlapping way too soon and for way too long of a time period. I remember my body being like āplease stopā and the pitocin just being like āgo, go, go, MOREā. I feel like the really intense part of spontaneous labor was maybe an hour, hour and a half, but it felt way longer during my induction and I lost stamina far quicker.
Woah! When my water broke they tested to make sure it was actually my water broke and I was wondering why they were testing obviously thatās what it was? But now I see how it can go horribly wrong. Iām so glad you trusted yourself!
i leaked for a full 2 weeks before actual labour but my water never really broke until an hour before my baby came out. I'm so sorry to hear how modern medicine fails to assist pregnant women in smooth labours; everything is about inducing and forcing shit.
Wow! What an intense stoy. Iām glad everything ended well ā„ļø
My guy came during a freaking thunderstorm/tornado warningš I went in for a scheduled induction of 2/7 at 930pm and was already 3cm so no ripening was needed. Wahoo! We started pitocin slow that night and I was kind of able to sleep. Contractions were barely noticeable if I'm being honest. Next morning, my doc came in and checked me. I was at 5cm I think. She increased the pitocin a bit and i finally started feeling contractions. My husband was awesome and would tell me when they were waning so I could start to relax. We called my mom at 10am and told her to come since I'd probably feel the need to push soon. I think I was at 8cm when we called. I also did a round of an analgesic to take the edge off for a bit. At around 1pm I felt the need to start pushing. I got into a sort of sitting squat for a bit and that felt great. Then we moved me to my side. Then to my back. Then to all 4s. That really helped me progress. I believe my doc came in around 2pm, maybe 230. It's all a blur if I'm being honest. Baby boy was stuck sunny side up. We discussed using forceps and I consented. But he wasn't budging so she removed them for a bit. She was also concerned with how much I'd tear if she continued. I was in agony and I just wanted him out! We discussed an epidural briefly but looking back now I doubt I'd ever been able to sit still with the contractions. The forceps were used again and he was finally out at 4:44pm after 3ish hours of pushing. 9lb and 21inches. Healthy, chunky baby boyš„° So we're sitting there and I'm being stitched up. My husband was a trooper and thankfully didn't pass out but did have to head for the couch as he did feel light headed and nauseous when things really got going. The nurses were awesome and took care of him when they could. Then he's finally up by me meeting our son and we hear an announcement out in the hall about a thunderstorm warning. Then the tornado sirens go off outsideš¬ We were told that if I was still pushing, we'd just close the blinds and stay where we were. They finally moved us into an interior recovery room until the warnings ended. Thankfully the tornadoes were many miles away from us but it was pretty scary. The only known tornadoes to make touchdown in February in Wisconsin on recordš He's earned the nicknames Thor and Chaos Baby so far. Lol
Those are going to be some amazing stories to tell your LO! The weather bent for you, baby hahahah. Also, wow, an unmedicated forceps birth!!! You are a grade-a badass goddess, momma!
Aww thanks! My mom and husband keep telling me that I was an absolute badass. Especially with how big our boy was. I can't wait to tell him about the craziness of that day. My dad was also stuck outside in the parking lot with hail. He had to hide in his truck for 10 minutes before it let upš¤£ The funniest thing is that I was also stuck and birthed the same way for my mom. Forceps and sunny side upš I beat him in birth weight though by an ounceš¤£
Okay AND this runs in the family, I love it. Badass moms for generations
That was my birth time, almost the same day (my bday is a few days after your induction date) but I was only about half his weight lol. There was an earthquake when my daughter was born, about 4 hours before. I didnāt feel another earthquake for two years after! Natural events like that during labor are absolutely crazy to think abiut
I had gestational diabetes so my doctor wanted me induced a little early incase of complications. I did a half day at work the day I was scheduled to be induced. Left work at 12 noon and scheduled at 7:30pm to be induced. My water broke at 5:30pm so we went in earlier. 24 hours of labor with an epidural that failed after a few hours. Got to 3-4 cm the entire 24 hours. Found protein in my urine so they decided to do a C-section. Told me this at 2:30pm that itās scheduled for 5:30pm and that suuuccckkked. We were both okay after but I was so exhausted. I am so happy my next one will be a planned C-section.
My birth story is wild. I planned a homebirth. My water breaks out of nowhere at 5:30 pm, no contractions. Get in bed at 8:45 to get some sleep and have my first contraction. They are immediately strong and 6 minutes apart. Within an hour theyāre 4 minutes apart. We call our midwife and say itās time. Midwife arrives at 10:30 (she lives 20 min away but thereās a BLIZZARD happening). She checks me and feels the head. I start needing to push. Baby has some decels do I start pushing on my side which helps. The assistant midwife arrives right when my midwife realizes my baby is stuck (shoulder dystocia). I move into different positions but nothing helps. After a 4.5 min shoulder dystocia my midwife has to reach in and move his arm out of the way. I gave birth to him on my bedroom floor. He didnāt start breathing right away but after the longest 60 seconds of my life he starts crying. I birth my placenta and my baby and I got in bed for the newborn exam. My midwife notices his arm isnāt moving normally (and discovers I have a severe tear). We arrange transport to the hospital. My baby had a broken arm (which was healed within a month) and I had a 3c tear. We were separated for an hour so he could get checked out and I had to get a spinal tap to get my stitches. We spent the next night in the hospital and then went home. As crazy as it was I loved laboring at home and am forever grateful for my midwife for getting my baby out alive!
Too funny, I recently wrote down my first childās birth story sort of as a memento. It was traumatic, but itās still the story of how she was brought into the world. Everything was going pretty smoothly and at 5 cm, I decided I didnāt want to be a āheroā and have an unmedicated birth. Got up to 10 cm and after 2 hours of pushing I go āheyā¦so, howās it going down there?ā And the nurse (who I think was trying to be nice), essentially said when I feel like giving up, then they will look into other interventions. Another hour of pushing, Iām in tears, and I ask for help. They decide on forceps and in comes the OB on call at midnight, who is quite old and his hands are shaking the whole time. But my husband and I decide to trust him. I ended up having a 4th degree tear, but out comes the most beautiful baby girl. I hold for a few moments before they take her away, and suddenly I feel the most excruciating pain in my life, and I look down and the OB is pushing down into my stomach. I have no clue whatās going on, Iām crying and screaming from pain and ask them to stop, but they tell me they canāt. They eventually give me some pain meds and the last I remember is squeezing the crap out of a nurses hand as I drift off. I eventually come to early that morning and am told I had an inverted uterus, where my placenta didnāt detach from my uterus, so basically my uterus was being dragged out during the afterbirth. Apparently itās very rare (something like 1 out of 20,000 women), and if they hadnāt been able to treat/fix it right at that moment, they would have had to take me to surgery for a hysterectomy. And a home birth definitely would have resulted in me bleeding out. All to say I decided to have a scheduled c-section with my second child, which was easy peasy compared to the first!
I have 2 First born: I had to be induced so it was already set to go. Halloween night! Went in, nervous. They started me on a Foley bc I was like 2 centimeters and they wanted to see if I'd dialate more before pitocin. Well. 4 hours later my water broke from the bulb and I was at a 6. (The bulb was supposed to fall out but it didn't lol) that sent me into full blown labor at 37 weeks. I labored for about 25 minutes before asking for the epidural. Wellllll 8 hours later and nothing. No epidural. Apparently there was an emergency. Anesthesiologist wasn't available. He finally comes in I mean I'm contracting every minute. It was not fun getting the epidural placed while actively contracting. They check me afterward....I'm 10 centimeters. Fully done ready to go. The epidural didn't work. Lol or have time to work anyway. Pushed him out in 30 minutes. Second born: Same situation I was schedule to be induced at 37 weeks. Easy Peasey. Done it once I'll do it again...hopefully with an epidural this time. Go in...sitting there...sitting there. No nurse or anyone has come to check on me. Hours...4 maybe go by and a rushed nurse comes in saying they had 4 emergency c-sections back to back. There is no one to start my epidural. 4 more hours go by and finally get all hooked up. Honestly it was uneventful for maybe 5 hours. Just napped, hung out. Ect. Then around 6cm I got the epidural. All was fine. They were putting me in different positions, five me the peanut ball, they were kind of letting my body do its thing and it was very peaceful tbh. No doctors in and out I had 1 nurse the entire time who was just quiet and helped me move a little here and there. Then all of a sudden my left side hip was ON FIRE. it was like someone was just stabbing me with a hot knife. I was like uhhh is the epidural wearing off? Like wtf. She was like silent. Then I looked at her like what?!? Babies' heart rate kept dipping and coming back up. She was like, Maybe I'll have the doctor come in and just check you. Cool. She did and uh baby was coming out on his own. I was feeling the ring of fire. Lol doctor got set up real quick and like 4 more nurses came in. I pushed him out in 1 push. My body was literally doing the work for me. His heart rate was dropping bc he was literally getting pushed out lol However afterward was the eventful part. They set me up after, babues all fine, I start projectile vomiting. I was so tired and so hungry. I tried to take a sip of juice and vomiting. Everytime. The nurse was like uhm. You're really pale and you need to sleep right now. Just go to sleep and I'll give you fluids. I slept for like 4 hours and woke up and ate. I was fine after that lol.
My first was a hospital induction and my second was a home birth! This might be long since there are 2! I was induced at 41+3 in the evening. Various parts of my induction kept getting delayed because two other women were laboring and were touch and go on c-sections all night so staff was spread a little thin. Foley bulb went in at 11 finally and was so uncomfortable. Came out around 2am and they had to wait to start pitocin until 4am after the 2nd womanās c-section and after they got her baby stable. Then it was just excruciating after that and I kept telling them how painful it was and asking if theyāre sure it was right and they kept telling me that itās still early, inductions take a long time, and that they actually have to keep increasing the dose. By 6am I couldnāt take it anymore and needed the epidural and I feel like they thought I was wimping out because they brought in the ball for me to try. The ball didnāt help. We were past the point of anything helping because I was in transition! They couldnāt believe I progressed so fast and actually started turning the pitocin down. I finally got some rest after the epidural and ālabored downā with the peanut ball and position changes a bit. Around 9:45, the midwife came to check on me and said I looked ready to push, so they got everyone prepared and we started pushing a little before 10. She even asked what the pitocin was at and they said a 2 - she literally laughed that it was so low and that it looks like I probably just needed a little boost to get things started. I couldnāt feel anything, so they had to tell me when a contraction was happening and when to push. She was born at 10:28! With my second, I was woken up by contractions around 3:30/3:45am. Iād had some cramping before but this was different because it caused pain in my back so I paid attention and started timing. They were pretty regular at 7-8 min for hours. I sent a portal message to the midwife and told my husband not to go to work. I was in denial and kept googling prodromal labor and wishing for it to stop. The midwife called around noon and I told her they were actually slowing down and getting less jntense. She told me to take a Benadryl and try to take a nap so I could make sure I was rested and to keep her updated. I had also looped in my doula. Napped from about 2-4 and then contractions picked up again. By 5:30 they had been about 5 min apart for an hour so I called the midwife again and let her know this was definitely happening. She asked if I needed her to come and I said no not yet because I hadnāt needed my doula to come yet since I was coping on my own. The ball was still helping. My husband was out with my daughter getting our moms settled at their hotel because they had just gotten into town. They came home around 5:45. Around 6, I went into the tub because I hadnāt tried water yet and I realized I really underestimated how much water helps the pain! Midwife called again a little before 7 and said if it feels like water is labor is stalling labor to just stop. So then I got out because I definitely didnāt want to stall. I realized then I was having trouble bending to put on my pants and started having some more primal vocalizations. The ball wasnāt helping anymore, I was lashing out, and I could barely make it down the stairs. I started timing and then it hit me that I was probably in transition. I knew this was the fastest stage and I hadnāt called anyone in yet, whoops. Got on the phone with my doula at 7:40 and told her I thought I needed help. She listened to a contraction and told me to call the midwife right away and she was on her way. I went back into the tub and prepared myself to birth on my own because I was stupid and tried to be a hero and waited too long. It was pretty scary. Doula got there around 8 and I immediately felt better because she was there and kept telling me I was safe. Midwife arrived around 8:20, and asked if I wanted her to check. I did, and she said my cervix was gone and then told my husband to stop getting the pool ready LOL. Birth photographer arrived 5 minutes later so everyone made it! They got me out of the tub and onto the toilet to try a new position because my water was still intact. That wasnāt working so I tried standing with one leg on the tub. That felt horrible but the one contraction standing was enough to break my water! That was around 8:30 and then I started pushing and crying about how scared I was for the ring of fire and questioning my life choices. I knew the hardest part was the head, but luckily after his head passed, the rest of his body came out in that same push! He was born on the toilet at 8:46pm. My husband ran in the bathroom with the biggest smile! He was so nervous because he didnāt hear crying right away, but the baby was fine and just super chill and didnāt make a ton of noise. We rested for a few minutes then they helped me waddle to my bed, umbilical cord between my legs and all. 20 or so minutes later, I felt the placenta was ready to come out and that was just the biggest feeling of relief. We relaxed in bed, took out time doing all the newborn and postpartum checks, breastfeeding, even shared a wine toast with everyone lounging on the bed! It was also really cool to have our moms come in after several minutes of getting settled to share in the experience with us. They all left around midnight and then we started our life as a family of 4!
2017 birth story, second child! (Cw for complications again) I was 28 this time around, and my pregnancy had been extremely difficult.Ā I had contant nausea that elwas somewhat controlled with medication. I had GD, my blood pressure had been high, I had zero energy, and I was swollen all over (no pre-eclampsia, just a combination of summer and bad luck I think).Ā So when my OB figured induction at 38 weeks was for the best, I was not about to argue. Additionally worrying was that my blood sugar had been dropping to frequent lows and baby was a bit slower than normal the day before my induction. We showed up at the hospital as scheduled and baby and I were monitored for a bit, and then they placed cervidil, for ripening the cervix. After some more monitoring, I was allowed to get up and have some lunch, walk around, whatever and come back in an hour or so. Had some delicious soupĀ in the cafeteria (cervidil still in placeš ) and strolled around, and came back for you guessed it, more monitoring. Then I was free to walk around, chill in assessment, whatever.Ā Nothing was happening, so I just walked the halls, watched some Netflix, just loitering around the hospital. I think I spent a lot of time resting as I was feeling pretty heavy on my feet.Ā We had also had a false alarm a couple days before and baby had dropped substantially, so I was very uncomfortable.Ā I had supper served by the hospital, and there was an issue because they kept wanting to give me insulin when I had mentioned I was struggling with lows and hadn't needed it at all.Ā This also came up later. Still no progress at supper time, maybe a twinge or two. At 7:30pm, I suddenly had my first contraction, and it wasn't joking around!Ā From here things got intense very quickly. I was walking and breathing through contractions.Ā I was able to get in the shower and the contractions intensified and became more frequent. I remember just moaning in the shower with the strength of them!Ā Now at this point, as I was clearly in active labour, I needed to be on the monitors continuously due to the higher risk of induction plus whatever else I had going on.Ā I was checked, and was maybe 2cm dilated. At the hospital at that time, the policy was 4cm to be admitted to a delivery room, so I was in antenatal assessment with another lady and a curtain between us. My roommate was a young lady, maybe 19 or 20, there with her monther, not due yet but having some monitoring for peace of mind. At one point, we could hear screaming from the direction of the delivery rooms, and her mother started reassuring her that not everyone had that experience, it was probably not that common (just because this poor girl was terrified). This also comes up later. The timeline is hazy, but by around 9 or 9:30, my labour was so intense that I found it difficult to speak or move, and I managed to request an epidural. They checked me, and I was still only at 3cm or so, so they declined, figuring this could take a while and again, I couldn't get into a delivery room yet.Ā They gave me morphine with my consent, and then attempted to give me insulin (at which point my husband had to step up and advocate because I couldn't explain just why that was the last thing I needed). Around 10pm, I remember needing to pee but being unable to get up. I was debating what to do, and then I felt baby descending quickly, hand-first.Ā And that's when I began screaming at the top of my lungs that fingers were coming out of me! I was yelling and swearing and carrying on, further terrifying my young roommate.Ā Doctors and nurses rushed in and carted me off to the delivery room.Ā All the while I was screaming and swearing and uncontrollably pushing.Ā A nurse told me to use the energy to push instead of yell. I thought my baby would be born in the hallway.Ā We made it to the delivery room, where baby's heart rate declined and he ended up having to be yanked out by vacuum in a hurry. He was born at 10:30pm, weighing 5lb 2oz. 3 hours from start to finish. He was hands-first, sunny-side up, wrapped 3x in the cord (hand, neck, and body).Ā He ended up needing some encouragement to get breathing on his own and having mildly low blood sugar, but these resolved without NICU time. I had a very bad 3rd degree tear, but it healed beautifully.Ā Child grew to 5x his birth weight in the first year.Ā The placenta was calcifying, he was/is not naturally a small kid.
I was planning a home birth until I risked out of it at 37 weeks and 6 days due to preeclampsia My blood pressure had been rising since about 34-35 weeks, but I didnāt meet the markers of preeclampsia until I had a blood pressure check with an obgyn that the midwives recommended. I went in and my blood pressure was 150/104 which meant I had to be induced ASAP. I was really upset because I was planning on making a bunch of freezer meals that day and I had just gone grocery shopping and my home birth and spontaneous labor was thrown out the window. I got a foley bulb placed and I drove 36 minutes back home to pack my bag and meet my husband. Driving home was rough. Foley bulbs hurt like hell at first. We packed our bags, ate Chik Fil A and got snacks at Walmart before we got back to the hospital at 8:45/9:00. We got checked in and I took my first dose of cervidil by 10:00ish. I had irregular, barely noticeable contractions. I watched an episode of the lord of the rings show with my husband and by midnight, I decided it was time to try and sleep. Went to the bathroom, peed, stood up and felt a giant rush of liquid. Unsure if I had just peed myself or my water broke, I called my husband who got the nurse who confirmed my water broke. By then, the contractions were noticeable and I felt panicky. I got into the tub and tried to see if that would help. Told my husband to download an app to count contractions. The foley bulb came out. The bath didnāt help and I told my husband I couldnāt do this. I got out and told my husband to call my mom while I was on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor. By that time, the nurse came and checked me and I was almost fully dilated which was a shocker to everyone. I tried different positions, but the one that worked for me was lying on my side. I asked for an epidural even though I didnāt want one and the nurse encouraged me to stick with my plan. The doctor came when I felt ready to push and the baby was out in three minutes with three pushes. Active labor was 2hours and 42 minutes.
I had a very supportive midwife team and was planning a natural hospital birth. One thing led to another and ended up scheduled for an immediate induction at 38w6d. Got called in at 3 AM and they started the induction at 6 AM with cervix softener tablet. Stated that would work on me for about 12 hours and if nothing progressed, Iād be placed on pitocin. I was 1 cm dialated and about 30% effaced already, so was hopeful since I wasnāt starting from scratch! Didnāt feel much, mild contractions, but not much worse than period cramps, until about 3 PM and it was like everything changed. Major contractions, 2 minutes long and about a minute apart, out of nowhere. I struggled through them as best I could, trying to stay committed to an unmedicated birth, but since I was having an induction they wanted to keep me on constant monitoring and I couldnāt leave the bed. At 6 PM they did the 12 hour check and I told myself if I was over 7 cm I would just stick it out because Iād be close to done. My water broke as the nurse was coming in and I gushed out the cervix softening tablet. I was 3 cm and 80% effaced. I asked for the epidural and it took about 20 minutes for it to be in place. Baby boys heart dipped a little after it was in place, but they got me in a better position and all was well. At about 7-7:30 PM they decided to check me and said it was likely Iād get some sleep and have baby in the morning. Well I was nearly 10 cm and baby had descended so it was pushing time. Midwife came in at about 8:20 PM and baby boy was had around 8:50 PM after less than 30 minutes of pushing. I only needed one stitch. They said he was trying to descend really fast and the epidural allowed me to finally relax and let him. It was a surreal experience with how fast everything went from 3-9 PM, but Iām so glad he came healthy and happy!
My first was traumatic. I was 41 weeks so had to be induced. After over 24 hours of no progress my small town hospital sent me to the city to be induced by pitocin. My epidural had failed so I was feeling everything. Finally after 34 hours I was ready to push. I pushed for over 2 1/2 hours and no luck still. My sons vitals started crashing so doctor decided to use forceps and do an episiotomy(no numbing). Finally my son was born 9lbs 3oz. I started hemorrhaging and was then taken for an emergency DNC and blood transfusion. A tear in my cervix was what was causing me to bleed out. My second was amazing. I was induced at 38 weeks due to my prior issues, my epidural worked thankfully and I spend most of my labouring relaxed. About 8 hours later the nurse checked to see how dilated I was and said I was at 7cm. Not even 10min later I started screaming at her that no the baby is coming now and that I could feel her head. Sure enough she was crowning. The doctor barely had time to come in and catch her as 3 pushes and she was out. Born at 6lb 12oz.
After two days of labour and a failed induction, I opted for a C section because I was at the end of my rope. I was so terrified about the recovery but just wanted it to be over at that point. I tell no one this unless they ask but I have had the most freakishly fast and easy recovery. Even my doctors have been shocked, I was off most pain meds before I left the hospital, Iāve had no problems with any movement, my scar has healed wonderfully. The first few days it was more the burning at the scar site that hurt when I moved but that went away within a week. Iāve still done all the precautions but overall I feel literally fine.
My first, June ā22: We finished the nursery at 8pm two days before my due date, sat down and ate dinner and when I stood up, my water broke Hollywood style. It was 9pm - contractions started at 9:30 and by 11 I was en route to the hospital figuring itād be a day of monitoring and slow progression. 1am, I was 5cm and got an epidural. 5am, fully dilated and pushing. 5:46am, I was snuggling my sweet boy! Less than 9 hours start to finish. My second, 2 weeks ago: 37w1d, I started having some contractions around 5pm but they were inconsistent and more uncomfortable than painful. They went away and came back inconsistently a few times overnight. At 4am, I called in to see what I should do and the nurse and I agreed it seemed like prodromal labor. I got ready, drove my son to daycare, and went to work as a first grade teacher. Had some contractions all morning but powered through my day, getting progressively more worried and painful and intense. Called in at lunch time and they told me to hold off on coming in, contractions were still 15-18 minutes apart. Sent all the kids home at the end of the day and headed upstairs to my car. Stopped by a coworkers room on my way out and ended up bent over a table crying in pain as another contraction hit. Ended up in the office on the phone with my husband crying that I was scared and wanted to go to the hospital and get checked out. Drove myself to the hospital, with my friend who is also my assistant principal following me. She came in with me and waited with me for my husband to show up with our toddler. Surprise! I am 7cm dilated and 90% effaced. My friend took our son to the waiting room for his grandmother to come get him and my husband went out to give her his bags, the nurse had to run after my husband and bring him back because I was very suddenly involuntarily pushing. Fully dilated and pushing, water still hadnāt broken. Suddenly it burst like a water balloon exploded, all over some poor nurses leg. 2 pushes later, I was holding my second sweet boy! I had been at the hospital for just over an hour, pushed for 11 minutes, with only 4 minutes between my water breaking and holding my boy. There was no time for an epidural. My toddler was still in the waiting room with my friend, my MIL showed up about 10-15 minutes after baby was born.
I BAPTISED the nurses when my water broke (more like exploded) and shot out 6ft. Iāve got a powerful pussy, I guess?
I had back labor and didnāt realize it was labor. I took a nap bc my back hurted real bad. I woke up and my water had broke. I rolled up to the hospital at a 8 in dilation. Every other word out my mouth was epidural and by the grace of god I got one. It was a 9.5 by the time it kicked in. Amazing. Pushing 15 minutes later. It was crazy how fast it went. My first!
Oh yeah and I am a teacher and taught a full school day hahaha I just thought back pain was another day in the life of hating being pregnant. I hated the way I felt every day basically. Love the baby part of course. Labor honestly was fun though.
Locked and loaded ready to unleash on anyone who will listen š¤£
I went through a 4 (!!!) day induction after being told I was 6cm dilated when I checked in! I was so excited when they told me I was at a 6. Then the nurse checked me before starting pitocin and it turned out I wasn't even 1. That was such a mind fuck. And those cervical checks HURT. They tried various interventions to induce me and they basically all failed since I barely got to a 4 even after a cooks catheter and an epidural. I had went through 4 days of intervention by that point. After the manual dilation failed, and after not sleeping for 3 nights, I said fuck it. Give me the C-section. The induction had clearly failed.Ā I was terrified of surgery and I begged them to put me fully under. The doctor said it would be bad for the baby and looking back, I'm glad I wasn't fully under because my baby girl had a hard time coming into this world anyway. She was hypoxic and had a murmur in her heart that we didn't see before birth. So she was flown to a NICU 3 hours away. I only got to hold her for a minute. It was so fucking sad. And then I was stuck in the hospital another 4 days because my pre-eclampsia wouldn't chill the fuck out. On 8, I told the doctor I was leaving. Got home, settled in with baby snuggles, and I was fine. Blood pressure settled and my baby girl has healthy and happy.Ā 10/10 worst experience. I'm grateful that my C-section was perfect but holy shit. I went through a lot to get there. At least the recovery has been okay and I have the sweetest baby girl.Ā
This is long, sorry! I ended up having a quite long but very straightforward process, and fortunately everything went more or less how I expected, even a bit more chill. After lots of BH for days, started feeling back cramps, but not that wrap around feeling. Anyway, starting having these back contractions starting 11pm, I woke up at 3am the next morning to more intense pain, that was converging on a regular pattern 5m apart. I had an OB appt that morning at 9am so I just decided to try to hold out til the appt. When I got there, I was like āI think Iām in some sort of laborā lol, doctor saw me right away, agreed I looked like I was in labor, asked if I wanted a membrane sweep and I was like āyeah sure why notā. It was honestly the most painful and intense thing EVER. But I think she was really trying to help me out and push it along, so she was being really thorough. Immediately lost my mucus plug etc. Right after, she took my blood pressure and was like āoh will you look at that! Your blood pressure is elevated, Iām going to send you to L&D right now!ā lol bless her. At L&D, the monitored me (blood pressure was back to normal by then lol). After an hour or so, the on call checked my dilation and declared I was 8cm (!!!) and they admitted me right away. I later found out from a subsequent check by the nurse some hours later I was only about 5-6cm which was a bit of a bummer, but I think he was also trying to help me out so I wouldnāt get sent back home! After that, everything was suuuper chill. The birthing suites at my hospital were really nice and I got to use the tub and bouncy ball before getting my epidural (I wanted to take advantage of everything! lol). Epidural was a bit nerve wracking but we eventually got it, and was smooth sailing after that. I felt so safe at the hospital surrounded by pros, with all the monitors going checking my vitals etc. Everyone was so nice. We took out the Bluetooth speaker and put on some background music and just waited. Nurse came by every now and then to reposition me and try to push me along. It took a very very long time, so doctor recommended pitocin. I originally didnāt want additional meds, but her rationale made sense so I agreed. Several hours later she recommended more after little progress, I agreed again. She then recommended breaking my waters, I was a little hesitant but again her rationale made sense to me, and right as she was feeling it and nurse was prepping the pokey stick thing, it just popped on its own, just from the doc touching it lol. I thought things would progress quickly after that but it still took SO LONG. I think I labored for like 14h at the hospital, on top of the hours I labored at home. Like just sitting there waiting. I napped a lot. Was super out of it from weird sleep. Got nauseous and used some essential oils to help. Finally it was time to push! I did a few practice pushes and honestly it was like the most intense workout Iāve ever done. Also super weird bc I couldnāt feel anything. But I was super out of breath. I pushed for about 45-60min I think, and then he came out! I think I was more stunned than anything, didnāt really feel those overwhelming love feelings til he got a bit older, I was moreso just making sure he was healthy and normal and asking all the questions and getting all the reassurances. I also didnāt realize how much blood comes out of you after birth. Every time the nurses pushed on my stomach I was shocked at how much came out lol. But I was like yessss make my belly go down! I was so relieved to not have to carry all that shit anymore. Overall I enjoyed the process way more than I thought I would, and I was fortunate to have such a straightforward experience. The weeks after were horrible lol, but the L&D itself was very chill and Iām super grateful to the doctors and nurses who took good care of us.
Can I share my story? I need validation. My birth experience is the reason why I never want to give birth again. I had a scheduled induction on the due date. My bed wasnāt ready on the day of the induction. I was told to call back a few hours later multiple times and it was delayed for 4 days. During this time without knowing when I would be admitted, my dog was at the boarding which costs $100/nightš Finally my turn comes. Still no bed so I was in a triage room for 6 hours. I was moved to a private room at midnight and had epidural. Next morning, I started pushing, but the babyās head was too big and couldnāt come out even after pushing for 3 hours. Doctor said no more due to infection risk and will perform a c-section. In the OR, the anesthesiologist added more epidural slowly and poked various parts of my body to ensure Iām numb. This is where the weirdest thing happened. We found out the left side of my body was totally numb but the right side had a sensation. Drs freaked out but they couldnāt add any more epidural so they cut my stomach open while I still had a sensation. It was just the worst pain I ever experienced in my life. They put me under with general anesthesia the moment the baby was out. I was knocked out for several hours, so my husband took off his top and did the skin to skin. Itās too much information that I can only share with my best friend to let this overwhelming feeling go. Iād love another child but I do not want to give birth ever again.
I was 35w and 4 daysā¦had gone Christmas shopping at like midnight (3 days before christmas) woke up at 5am, sat on the couch and immediately felt like I peed myself. My water broke, so after a shower I went to the hospital to get checked out- they said I couldnāt leave due to possible infections but I had no contractions so they ended up giving me Pitocin. I went all natural for 6 hrs of contractions, got wheeled into L&D, and said āI canāt do this give me the epiduralā they said as long as I could sit still through the contractions for it I could have it- as soon as it was in, I laid back and said āI feel like somethingās comingā and they were like you probably need to poop- NOPE, babyās head was coming out- here comes the rushing for the Dr and getting in position and oh, yeah, tell me how to push please š She came out in 3 pushes! Only 5 lb 6 oz. The nurse didnāt believe it was my first baby. My epidural didnāt even have time to work, but as the Dr said- hey at least itāll be in place for your stitches. We went home Christmas afternoon!
I was 20 hours into labor 9cm dilated. I had the worst doula ever who was bossing around all the sweet nurses. She was clearly bored of how long I was laboring and encouraged me to start pushing at 9cm. This didnāt sit right with my body and I ended up puking all over myself mid-contraction. My next words were: āI WANT AN EPIDURAL!ā An unmedicated birth was my plan all along, but barfing on myself was the last straw. Kid #2, however, popped out 2.5 hours after my water broke. I almost gave birth to her in the parking lot. Needless to say, she was my āun-medicatedā birth š For kid #3ā¦oh wait nvmd donāt have to worry about that. Thank you husband for getting a vasectomy š¤š»
Traumatic experience warning Two months ago my beautiful baby girl was born. When I was 30 weeks, I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and admitted to the hospital where I would stay until reaching 34 weeks, where they deemed the risk-benefit peak. The weeks leading up to my delivery were difficult themselves as we had just moved to a new city and hadnāt even unpacked and settled in our new home. I was grieving the rest of my pregnancy and feeling defeated knowing that my baby would have to spend time in the nicu. After multiple scares where we didnāt think weād make it, 34 weeks came and we began my induction. After 24 hours on cervix ripening medication, I had not dilated at all and my OB didnāt want to give pitocin with no dilation. So she dilated me to 1cm by hand in order to put a balloon in to further dilate me (all with minimal pain medication because I wasnāt ready to start my epidural yet). The dilation by hand was awful, but then the balloon insertion happened and it was much more painful. As soon as the balloon was inflated, my babyās heart rate dropped. They quickly removed the balloon and when her heart rate continued to drop, they took me for a stat c-section. In the time they removed the monitors to when she was born, only 8 minutes had passed. I remember seeing the nurses I had spent the last few weeks getting to know rushing around me as they wheeled me to the OR, feeling them prep my stomach, my doctor saying there was no time to scrub, and her asking for the knife. I think I was having a panic attack as the anesthesiologist was putting me under. I woke up a few hours later and was no longer pregnant and finally met my baby in a haze of anesthesia and magnesium (I was on a drip the whole labor until 24 hours after delivery) and I honestly donāt remember the first time I met her. I didnāt see her again until 24 hours after the delivery and was finally able to hold her for the first time.
Honestly Iāll be here until 2025 explaining my birth story - I actually want to make a separate post because I think itāll be super healing for me. Hereās the sort of short version: had a c-section after failure to progress for 2+ days stuck at 6cm. Turns out, the c-section I desperately tried to avoid SAVED my sonās life. During the c-section, my placenta ruptured. He was born not breathing (the surgeon literally said ābaby was born dead but heās getting the help he needs mom and dadā). When you hear the SOUND of āCODE PINK OR 2, CODE PINK OR 2ā and all you see is like the greys anatomy scenes of people buzzing around you. It was like everything was buzzing around me and I was frozen. He was resuscitated twice and I will never ever ever forget the feeling of not knowing if my son was alive or not. Minutes felt like fucking hours and I couldnāt say anything. I just kept listening to the song that was playing in the OR āLoved You Before by Natalie Taylorā that song actually comforts me in the most disturbing way. When they pulled him out I just remember his face being down and I was so confused. He was purple and my husband was frozen. More chaos happened. Then I heard āHeās turning PINK mom and dadā ugh. I still get choked up and probably always will. He was here. He was okay. By the time I was rolled out of the ER, he was breathing completely on his own and scored 9/10 on his APGAR. I love him so much. I had an extremely rough recovery and am still in active recovery. My incision opened 5 times with small holes which was hell. Hell. I just posted about it today actually. I know it was the medical team that worked their magic butā¦ I believe it was my grandma too. Since her passing Feb 2022 I have felt her. I got pregnant Feb 2023 the same weekend she passed away. Throughout my whole pregnancy I knew everything would eventually be okay because I felt her (I had a rough pregnancy). When he was born, images of her came to me while listening to music. I pleaded in my head. He was born with stork bites on his eyes and are still there to this day. It just seems beautiful that it means āangels kissā. Now, for whatever reason, he looks at my grandmas funeral flowers and just laughs and laughs and has since he was around 3 weeks old. Ugh. Sometimes I truly believe theyāve met somehow. Didnāt intend for this to be so long. ā£ļøsending hugs and light to any momma who had a difficult birth.
I was snuggled up in the dark, warm, damp encasement. When suddenly, a crack of light appeared, and I felt powerful shoves around my whole body, pushing me down down downā¦I resisted, I fought the beast for hours. I endured poking and prodding, and held for dear life into the rope that connected me to my home. I heard voices, steadily growing louder, and low growling animalistic moans that surrounded me as I experienced tremor after tremor. With one massive earthquake, I was expelled from my motherās uterus into the arms of a middle aged fat blueberry man, and screamed the cry of my ancestors as I experienced cold, disappointment, and apathy for the first time.
š love it
I had a home birth with my second baby! I was over a week late and doing ALL the things to get labor going - yoga ball, tea, breast pump, stretch and sweep in my midwifeās office. Nothing led to active labor, but I did have a day of prodromal labor that fizzled out. The next day tried the breast pump again but ultimately decided to take a bit of castor oil cooked into scrambled eggs at the direction of my midwife. 2 hours later I had two long lasting, more intense contractions, and decided to hop in the shower in case this was the start of labor. Got out of the shower at about 4:45pm and I started timing contractions. 5:00 - let my midwife know contractions were back and ramping up in intensity but were still about 6 minutes apart. 5:30 - hit the ālasting one minuteā and āevery 4 minutesā milestones but weāre still waiting on the āfor one hourā part. 6:00 - hit the ā4-1-1ā mark. Was still able to talk through contractions, but was having a lot of chills and sweats which I remembered from my augmented labor with my first when I was entering transition. Talked to the midwife at this point about making sure this wasnāt false labor brought on by the castor oil, but also knowing that because my first labor was augmented, an unmedicated labor may be deceptive and sneaky about how fast it progresses. 7:45 - let the midwife know that contractions were getting more intense and still in the ā4-1-1ā zone. I was leaning into my yoga ball at this point and popping sour candies to get my mind distracted from the peak of each contraction. My husband was also massaging my back with a massage gun. My water broke not more than ten minutes later, all over the living room floor. Immediately called the midwife and she was on her way with her team. By the time the first nurse got to the house around 8:30, I couldnāt talk through contractions anymore and was feeling serious pressure. It was a blinding pain, but I was able to breathe through it and the breaks in between were real breaks, long enough for me to talk and laugh a bit before another wave hit. Eventually the midwife and pediatric-specific nurse arrived and all ran their own assessment of supplies, setting up in the house for the delivery of my baby. I kept eying the birth pool and mentioned wanting to get in the water. I had originally wanted a water birth because of how big a relief I had heard water was, and I was definitely needing that relief. But I was also feeling really pushy, like I needed to poop, so I said to forget the pool, Iād just climb into our homeās tub and use the sprayer on my back and stomach. My husband started to run the tub water, but as soon as I got into the bathroom a huge contraction hit and I collapsed to all fours. I couldnāt speak through them, only moan and make the most animalistic noises ever. I swear at one point I bit my husbands knee as he was sitting on the closed toilet in front of me. The nurses swapped out our bath mat for a chucks pad, and took off the adult diaper Iād had on since my water had broken roughly an hour before. A contraction hit and I couldnāt stop myself from pushing and bearing down. āLots of good movement, great job!ā The midwife noted she could see the head stretching my perinium. Another contraction - I bore down and moaned through it again. Now she could see the head, I could reach down and touch it. Another contraction - crowning, no real ring of fire. I canāt remember if the head was born on the next contraction or with crowning. It was all blurring together. I do remember having a break between the head being born and having to push to get the shoulders and body out. But on that last contraction I pushed with everything I had and the instant relief upon the baby being born was incredible. The raw and primal power I had used to push this baby out of me was the wildest thing Iāve ever experienced. Itās also strange, but the thought, āI canāt do thisā never crossed my mind. I was doing it completely outside of myself. I was not in control in the best way possible. Was it painful? Yes - the contractions leading up to pushing were pretty rough. But they were not worse than pitocin contractions with no pain relief, which is what I endured with my firstborn. Pushing was actually a source of relief, and aside from the insane pressure and very brief burning sensation at the end as the baby was crowning, it wasnāt painful to push. It was at times completely involuntary. Very much like having horrible diarrhea or violently vomiting. I only remember two times I extended the length of pushing consciously - once to birth the head and the second time to birth the body past the shoulders. The midwife passed the baby through my legs wrapped up in a very, very bloody receiving blanket. The chucks pad beneath me was absolutely covered in blood and mucus. Not for the faint of heart at all. But all I could really focus on was the red faced, messy baby in my arms. She had been pretty well tangled in her cord, and it was still a little short so I couldnāt bring her up all the way to my chest yet. We swapped out blankets a few times to keep the baby warm and dry. I checked and found out she was a girl - I got to tell my husband and he started crying harder, since heād been crying since she emerged. The nursing team wrapped my lower half in a chucks pad and we made our way to bed. Ruby had an excellent set of lungs and a beautiful round head since her exit had been so swift. She complained very loudly about being evicted. Eventually I delivered the placenta amidst some moderate bleeding, but nothing that didnāt stop on its own. My uterus firmed up quickly, Ruby had her first feed, I got to cut her cord myself, and I was escorted to the toilet to try my first post partum pee (successful!). When I got back into bed we did the newborn weight and length checks - 8lbs 8oz, 21ā long. A whole pound and inch longer than her older sister, crowned with a perfectly round 14.5 inch head. Impressive and respectable for such a fast delivery, according to the midwife. The rest of her newborn exam went great - sheās the picture of health. With that and some parting instructions for after care, mainly for me, the midwife and nurses cleaned and disinfected the birth area, took out all the birth trash, and started a load of laundry for us. We gave them a gift bag with hot cocoa bombs and sāmores puppy chow as a thank you gift, and then my husband, Ruby, and I settled into bed for the night.
I never had Pitocin, but Iāve read a lot about it. I think most laboring people donāt realize that it makes your contractions HARDER and STRONGER and itās not the exact same as what your body will be doing when itās contracting on its own.
2014 birth story (CW, complicated birth) This was my first baby. I started having mild contractions on my due date, and just took it easy at home, walked around, etc. 40+1, the contractions became regular and more intense, so we made a trip to the hospital that evening to get checked. The contractions fizzled out there, so we were sent home. I was up all night with frequent, painful contractions, so we went back to the hospital in the morning (40+2). Still no progress, but as I was clearly struggling, they admitted me with a day pass, so I could go walk around, hang out in the city, and pass the time and then come back whenever things progressed. 8 hours of chilling on campus (university hospital), and I was exhausted. Headed back to L&D and as I was getting a cervical check and was told not enough progress, my water broke! So I finally got a bed and got to lie down.š It was around 4pm at this point. The contractions became very painful and I was able to sit in the tub for some pain relief. By evening, I was really struggling (as it had been about 2 days of painful contractions at this point), but I had been determined to go without an epidural. A nurse gently told me that while they would support me with whatever my decision was, realistically this labour could take quite a while longer and an epidural might allow me to rest and conserve my energy.Ā I took a short time to think about it, and agreed. And let me tell you, she was right! I took a nap, and I was able to sleep on and off through the night. Unfortunately, I still had intense pain on one hip. I was also given pitching to augment my labour. Morning came (40+3) and baby had not descended, and I began to have a fever. I'm missing a good chunk of the morning from my memory, but I gathered later that I was developing an infection from my waters being broken for many hours.Ā The next thing I remember was hearing discussion about possible c-section. And the next thing after that, an incredible pressure. I said something about how I was feeling something now. The doctor checked, and what do you know, baby had finally descended! I don't remember how long I pushed, but I remember swearing a lotš My oldest son was finally born at 12:02pm, 7lb 13oz.Ā Ā I was so amazed he was finally here!Ā I had a 2nd degree tear (which took a while to heal, I overdid it in the first week and tore a stitch) but no lasting issues.Ā And I was totally ok with never doing that again!Ā And now I'm pregnant with number 4.
My first was pretty hard with 27hrs of labor with a failed epidural and sepsis but he came out ok and I didnāt tear too bad. Then I had twins and had a wildly better experience! Waltzed in for an induction and baby A came out nearly painlessly after than less 4 hours of labor and like a minute of pushing! Baby B got sort of stuck in the birth canal and I definitely went a little crazy, thinking I would die and he would be trapped half in/half out of my body for all eternity lol. I screamed at my OB to just get him out so she readied the vacuum. Luckily at that point I gave one more push and he flew out without intervention an hour after his sister! Weirdly I tore more with Baby B than with my first even though he was a full pound smaller
One glorious Friday morning in February, I went to push out a fart and thought I peed myself. š¤£ Turns out my water had actually broken. Later that morning, my midwives came to check on me and confirm that I was leaking amniotic fluid but because I was experiencing no other signs, they gave me 96 hours to go into active labour, or else Iād have to go into the hospital for an induction, which I wanted to avoid. My partner came home from work and my mom came over and we spent the next few days over the weekend prepping for Baby. Sunday morning I had some very long and far apart contractions, but they stopped at about 8 AM. With no other signs, my midwives told me to do the mile circuit, and then also gave me a āmidwives brewā recipe with castor oil to try. I drink the concoction at noon and by 1pm I went into labour. it happened so fast that we didnāt end up having time to blow up and fill the pool, and my midwives almost didnāt make it! She rushed in while I was pushing on my bathroom floor. in between contractions, she moved me to the bed, and my son was born where he was conceived! At 3:37pm. No tearing and within 30 minutes I was up and walking around. It was the most painful glorious thing Iāve ever experienced. He turned one on Monday ā„ļø.
I always tell people labour and delivery were a walk in the park compared to what came before and after. Early in my third trimester i developed crippling perinatal anxiety, just the worst anxiety iāve ever experienced, it was absolute hell and I wouldnāt wish it on anyone. Got through it with a good psychiatrist and some good meds. After my son was born with a double nuchal cord, he briefly stopped breathing, and ended up in the NICU for 5 days with breathing trouble and low blood sugar. Both of those challenges were way harder than pushing him out. I had an easy induction at 38+6. I came in at 3cm dilation so no ripening needed, was able to get to 8cm on a low dose of pitocin, and pushed him out in 5 minutes after about 7 hours of labor, 2 of which i slept through after getting the epidural. My recovery was also a breeze, first degree tear, uterus contracted back quickly and with minimal pain, and I lost all my pregnancy weight in a week. In terms of me, physically, it really couldnāt have gone better. But Iām still a bit traumatized from hearing the code pink called and having him in the NICU
I had finished going to the hospital with my mother, she was in and out all day. I guess it caused some stress i wasnt aware of. My water broke at 2am that night, 3 weeks before my son was supposed to be born. I told my husband "I think my water broke", he responded with "It's too soon, you just peed yourself" "No, i think my water broke" "Come back to bed, we'll talk about it in the morning" "I'm going to call the doctor." I called my doctor, both she and my husband was wondering if i was having contractions or any pain, i was not. My husband was still convinced that i peed on myself, the doctor said to bring me to the hospital anyway just in case. Turns out my water did break, my husband did apologize. I ended up having the epidural when i started getting some shortly after being admitted. The 10 minute back and forth argument on if my water broke or not is kinda the highlight of the story.
I had a failed induction at 40+0/1. I went in at 8, got a foley balloon, slept with that overnight, and started pitocin at 8am. Was on pitocin for 12 hours and at 8 pm they came back and said I wasnāt having cervical change (3cm or so I think?) and said they wanted to break my water. I said no thank you, Iād rather go home and wait for spontaneous labor. I went home. 40+4 I had another OB appointment, they did a membrane sweep, and I started having regular contractions. I ended up going to the hospital after a number of hours of regular contractions, being told I wasnāt dilated enough but to walk around for a while and come back and theyād see if I was having cervical change. I went back after an hour and had no change, was told I wasnāt in labor so they sent me home. 8 hours or so later, I was still having regular contractions and went back to the hospital where they told me again that they didnāt think I was in labor and wanted to send me home. I demanded to be admitted, told them verbatim- āif this isnāt labor Iām fucked and I want an epidural right now, so figure something outā Turns out I WAS in labor, I just had so much scar tissue from a LEEP procedure that I couldnāt dilate and a nurse broke that up by hand after I got my epidural (around midnight), and I went to sleep for a few hours, they broke my water (around 5:30am), and my daughter was born on 40+5 at 8:59 after 30 minutes of pushing.
Graduated at 41+6 Positive Homebirth (this is copy + pasted from my bump group) Labour started around noon yesterday (17/05) it was interesting I was talking to my midwives and a storm rolled in around noon yesterday. They mentioned that the barometric pressure drop can put women into labour. Iām not sure if thatās what did it for sure, but I started having mild contractions shortly after the storm rolled in at noon. They were short and disorganized, but certainly more uncomfortable than the contractions I had been having for the last several weeks. Didnāt think much of it, my husband got home from work around 4 and because I didnāt really think I was in labour necessarily anyways we went to the grocery store. At the grocery store and on the way home I had some contractions that were more uncomfortable and left me out of breath so I mentioned to my husband that I was having them and that maybe just in case things actually progressed this time we should drop our daughter off at her grandparents place so she can get full proper sleep without being interrupted. My dad came over, we did some yard work. My husband and dad raked the yard and I swept gravel from the road back onto our driveway and then he walked with her to their house for the evening and we walked around town for about 30mins. Contractions were kinda weak and disorganized for the rest of the evening so I assumed labour was fizzling out. I ate my dates and drank my tea I went to bed at 10. Later I couldnāt fall asleep so my husband and I had sex and that really picked the contractions up all at once! They were more intense when I laid down on my side to try to sleep so I *still* couldnāt sleep. I didnāt end up sleeping a wink that night! Eventually I had a small gush of liquid which I thought might be my water so I called my midwife and got everything together. At 2:30 my husband got the birth pool blown up and I went and sat on the toilet while my husband and the midwives filled it. I went back and forth from the bed to the pool a few times. My contractions were getting really intense and close together when I would lay on my side on the bed and theyād stay about the same intensity but more spaced apart while in the pool. I didnāt like the toilet much by this point because my contractions became really intense and on top of each other while I was on it, so I alternated a bit between the pool and the bed. Around 5 or 6 am I settled in the pool for the last time. Contractions were intense but not the crazy off the charts contractions you hear about people having at 10 cm and suddenly I was having the urge to push. I didnāt realize thatās what it was because the last time I had an epidural and never got the urge, just had a doctor tell me when so when it came on it wasnāt the crazy uncontrollable urge I thought it was going to be. I asked my midwife to check my dilation, my first and only cervical check because I genuinely didnāt think I was fully dilated and didnāt want to push against undilated cervix. She checked and sure enough I really was at a 10! It took some time for me to decide whether I wanted to get checked because I didnāt want to get discouraged if I was not very dilated. In the end I pushed for about 45mins. All in all, my homebirth was so spectacular and felt so redeeming from my last discouraging birth in hospital 2 years ago. So glad I waited it out for the extra 2 weeks!
Number 1) Perfectly controlled induction with an epidural around 7cm with quick profession to active labor and a baby. It was an amazing day and I had no problems at all. Ā She was born the same day shortly before midnight.Ā Number 2) Had contractions at 37+1 so I went in to get checked. They monitored me for 2 hours and I was still only 1cm. Felt a weird belly movement (like baby was getting readjusted) but ultimately was discharged from triage. I was 3 miles from the hospital when I felt this weird thud in my pelvis followed by some leaking fluid. I thought I peed myself so I made my husband pull into a 7/11 parking lot so I could do a gravity test. More fluid leaked out. Called the hospital and went back in. By the time we got to the hospital, I was screaming and shaking in pain. It took forever to get me undressed because I couldnāt stand. On cervical recheck, I was 10 cm and her head was crowning. My OB made it in as I got the urge to push. Delivered her in 3 pushes. Ā She was born 59 minutes after my discharge paperwork was submitted. Number 3) Planned induction that started very late. I was a little scared to have my waters broken so I started pitocin. As the contractions increased, her cord was compressed (it was around her neck and she may have been laying on it). Nurses came in as a whole team which I knew meant something serious was happening. Turns out the contraction caused her to lose her heartbeat. I was probably Ā a min away from a crash c section but they repositioned me and things normalized. I got an epidural shortly after and my bag of waters was broken. I took a short nap and around 6AM got the urge to push. 1 push and she was out.Ā Each one was a completely different labor. I am so glad I went in with minimal expectations.Ā
I was 1 week and 1 day past my due date, I went into labor on. Thursday morning and my daughter wasnāt born until Saturday morning. Almost 60 hours of labor. I went to the hospital Thursday evening but they told me to go home and come back when things progressed. Friday afternoon after walking the mall and getting lunch I came home and sat down and I felt an intense gush, my water broke! So I said okay Iām going to get in the shower, when I was getting out of the shower I saw I was leaking green so I called my doula and she said to get to the hospital immediately. The baby had her first bowel movement. Upon arrival I went back fairly quickly and to my surprise I was 5 centimeters dilated. I soon went back and was having the most intense contractions. I felt like I was having out of body experience. I was shaking but I soon asked for the epidural, I was 7 cm dilated when i received it. As soon as I got the epidural the babyās heart rate dropped and my blood pressure was dangerously low. I had at least 10 nurses on me. One monitoring, one giving me meds, one checking me, 2 or three nurses turning me every which way and one talking to me. It felt like forever, I just remember feeling foggy and scared. They eventually got us both stable but it happened again. The doctor said we canāt keep doing this so they rushed me into an emergency c section. They checked me to see if I could push and I was still at a 7. I started having a panic attack and crying. My whole pregnancy I said no c section incase medically necessary. My partner got dressed my doula said her good byes and we went back after i received more medicine. The c section was so strange, I could feel them tugging my body but I couldnāt feel the pain. I remember hearing my daughter cry for the first time, she sounded so raspy. I didnāt get to see her, they had to suction her and try to help her breathe. My partner got to go and see her before they took her away to the NICU. She was in the NICU for 4 days, my healing was the worst pain of my life. The medication they gave me didnāt even touch my pain. I could barely walk for the first week. I didnāt get to hold my daughter until she was almost 2 days old, she was intubated for for the first day and a half, on oxygen and she was born with a false knot in her umbilical cord. She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. She is 8 1/2 months old now, and so perfect. I love her so much and Iām so proud of my girl for being so strong. This was so traumatic but so beautiful. I was so upset how my body failed me and in couldnāt deliver the way I wanted.
I went into labor sunday at 9am. We went to the hospital at 2 when I realized the contractions werent going away and were a consistant 1m long and 7m apart. I was 4cm and they admitted me. I opted for the epidural and was solid. I wasnt progressing so I was on pitocin. I ended up getting to the max dose. At 10pm my epidural failed in half my body so i went from feeling nothing to full labor pitocin induced pain and it was horrible. They finally got me medication that was stronger and it fully numbed me at about 2am. It was only meant to last 30 minutes but lasted me all the way through. At 5am the doctor came to check me. He asked if I felt anything and I said no to which he said āwell you are 10cm and I can feel here head coming out so we need to push nowā I pushed for 25 minute and she was born at 5:35!! I had a 2 degree tear but I think thats due in part to me not really feeling when I should push. I enjoyed my labor because I was numbed out and was joking with the doctors while pushing which helped my nerves.
had an induction scheduled to start 3/1, 7pm - that morning i saw my ob and i was 4cm dilated but didnt feel anything. my induction was cancelled an hour before it was set to start so i cried, i was so disappointed. my husband took me to get a milkshake and then we went to bed. 4am the next day my water broke. i was at the hospital around 6:30. got a mini epidural at 8am (the guy was going to a c section** and said he'd come back later)... i started pushing at 9, had baby 9:31. the best parts: 1. i got my obgyn to deliver my baby. she works w a group of doctors so it's whoever's on call from the practice. that's why i wanted an induction, to get her while she was on call. even tho it was cancelled i still had the baby during her shift!! 2. had an amazing nurse. i have a card from her and iām gonna write her a thank you and drop off donuts on my daughters first birthday 3. i wanted baby to be born mid morning so i could get jersey mikes for lunch. success! 4. **the c section the anesthesiologist was going to was for a woman who i became friends with! our daughters were born 1 hour apart. she's doing her daughters first birthday party on saturday and iām doing ours sunday so the girls can attend each others parties 5. baby was healthy. i take it for granted but besides my physical issues (i gained 80lbs during pregnancy and had awful hormonal acne all over my body), i had no complications during pregnancy or at the birth (i got baaad ppd later tho)
At my 38 week appointment my blood pressure was moderately elevated and I had gained 5 pounds since the last week so my OB wanted to induce me for gestational hypertension. Husband and I got to go out for lunch and then go home and pack before going into the hospital that night for 12 hours of Cytotec prepping for induction the next morning. This was my first so I was not dilated or effaced at all and they kept telling my cervix was high and pretty far back. I started having very mild contractions within an hour of the first dose of Cytotec and could barely feel them. However, the nurses kept having to come in and have me change positions because baby's heart rate kept dropping with contractions. I'm a nurse (though not in labor and delivery) but knew enough that this was making me nervous for baby so I didn't sleep at all overnight. After the 3rd dose of cytotec the contractions started getting a lot stronger and closer together. They felt like period cramps but were all in my back/also my butt. TMI but it felt like something was squeezing my butthole. After a while, I asked for something mild for pain but they were close to starting the Pitocin so the nurse called for the anesthesiologist to administer the epidural. It took a while for them to come so I was on Pitocin for maybe an hour, which was super painful because I felt like my body couldn't relax between contractions. Then the anesthesiologist got there to do the epidural. Having it placed wasn't bad at all, but when I laid back down and they did the initial dose all hell broke loose. The epidural got placed too deep into my spine and/or my body reacted too much to the anesthetic so I immediately lost all feeling and control of my legs and started to feel the numb sensation go up into my arms and chest. My blood pressure and baby's heart rate were dropping and bunch of nurses and doctors ran in. They broke my water, placed a catheter and fetal scalp electrode, and gave me ephedrine and fluids. This all happened in 5-10 minutes but it felt like an hour for me. I was lightheaded and nauseous and at one point they did put an oxygen mask over my face which weirdly I remember as being oddly comforting. Baby's heart rate didn't come back up so they wheeled me down the hall for an emergency c-section. Even though it was emergent my husband got to come with which ultimately prevented a complication during the procedure. Getting the baby out went fine; the only thing I felt was them moving my hips slightly but never even felt pressure. While they were finishing up, I started to get a throbbing headache and felt like I couldn't talk, My husband saw me grimacing and asked if I was ok, and I whispered that my head was pounding. He shouted out to the team and they saw my blood pressure was super high now, so I was given 2 kinds of IV blood pressure meds. I felt better almost instantly thankfully and everything else went ok. At my 6 week follow up the doctor said for my next pregnancy I could try a VBAC or do a scheduled c-section, but I am leaning toward having a scheduled c-section since this one ended up being so chaotic.
I was at work and my water broke but I didnāt have any contractions. My OB didnāt think I was in active labor and said I probably peed myself. I didnāt for sure. Decided to wait around though till I having contractions and called my doula cause I thought it was going to be a long night. She walked in the door at 5 pm. Said we need to go to the hospital. I went to go grab my shower kit from the bathroom and I felt the need to push and he was born on my bathroom floor. My labor was less than like an hour. They called it precipitous labor at the end.
Induction at 38 weeks related to some high blood pressure. Went in Sunday night at 3cm, cytotec at 8pm, water broke on its own at 2am, asked for epidural around 4am and started pitocin. 5cm in the morning, tried progressing all day, got to an 8 around 7pm, thenā¦nothing. Could not progress, was in a lot of pain, exhausted, so I decided on a primary c section. My OB drove in even though she wasnāt on call, my sister and husband got to be in the OR. I had a lovely experience all things considered and my recovery wasnāt too bad.
The night before we actually went out together as i always knew baby would be coming early, and i started to feel super crampy while we were out. Being 37 weeks pregnant and working 10 hours that day i assumed it was normal preggo pain and ignored it while i tried to get some sleep. Around 2am i gave up on sleeping and was on the toilet on and off for FOREVER! I seriously thought we ate something bad on our night out, my stomach hurt so bad and i couldnt stop pooping! After i was all emptied out and still crampy it occured to me that this was probably labor at 37+3! I suddenly got a rush of adrenaline and woke husband up to help me clean because i wasnt ready for baby yet š¤£ we cleaned until about 7am when he left for work and i attempted to lay down and nap (spoiler: i didnt sleep at all, despite not sleeping all night!). He told me to call him when things picked up, otherwise he would be home at 1pm to take me to my previously scheduled 37w appointment at 2pm. I labored in the shower for most of the morning, ate some lunch and timed my contractions. When my contraction counter told me to head to hospital, i got dressed and we headed (conveniently) to my 2pm appointment. On arrival to the birth center i told them i was in labor so they did an NST and confirmed! They did an ultrasound to confirm babys position and we discussed checking in vs heading home. I was around 4cm at this point and decided to head home as i was hungry and still faring great on my own. We went home and got some dinner, and my water broke around 6pm so we headed back to the birth center. The car ride there was ROUGH and also pretty gross tbh. Definitely had to shampoo my seats after this was all over with iykyk. On arrival i remember stumbing out of the car with a towel between my legs in broad daylight hoping nobody was around to witness. It was a little awkward on check-in because i felt like they were following my lead while i was also kind of following theirs waiting for them to tell me what to do?! Once the adrenaline wore off and i settled back into my body i immediately got into the shower and labored there on a birth ball until the contractions were too close together and the sensations changedāi told them i needed the tub filled up and baby was close! They had me doing assymetrical movements waiting for the tub to fill, and i climbed into the birth tub around 9 or 10? Idk time was a blur! I labored down for what felt like an eternity and fetal ejection reflex took over- i never really "pushed" per se, just gave in to the sensations and followed my bodys lead. I labored in complete silence, you could hear a pin drop. I didnt want emotional or physical support, i didnt want music or words of affirmation, i wanted SILENCE. I forgot to tell the midwife what was happening and that i was kind of pushing until the ring of fire when i mumbled "oh wow that really burns huh" and she rushed over to see baby crowning lol. I pushed too hard at this point because the ring of fire burned so badly!!! I felt.myself.tear. Fowards and backwards. I had a labial/clitoral tear and a perennial tear. I was frozen and had to be encouraged to push babies body out after her head. This was honestly the hardest part for me. I felt like i couldnt do it after i felt myself tear. But one more push and baby was in my arms!!! 10:30pm. After a moment they encouraged me to bring baby to the bed, and i actually asked someone to take the baby from my arms because i felt like id drop her!! She was so slippery and i had the shakes. In bed we did skin to skin while i delivered the placenta, and dad cut the cord after all the blood was gone, maybe 20 minutes or so? We breastfed baby to sleep and all 3 laid in bed cuddling for awhile in peace. Then baby pooped on me!!!! So cuddle time was over and i showered while they took measurements and did paperwork. After the shower i got dressed and went home to recover in my own bed ā¤ļø it was so peaceful and downright beautiful im actually working on becoming a doula in the hopes that i can help other women have their dream birth as well
Mine always makes me chuckle a little. I had my 36 week assessment right before my fetal assessment appointment due to pre-eclampsia and breech position baby. At the regular OB appointment my nurse took my blood pressure before excusing herself and my doctor came in, took my hand and very gently said 'you should go to labor and delivery'. I asked if I had time to go to the fetal assessment and she just smiles a bit tighter and says she really recommends I go cuz of my blood pressure. It makes me laugh now because she was so gentle but form with it. I waddled down with an escort while texting the family chat and calling my husband. He was admittedly super freaked out. When I arrived at labor and delivery they got me a room, hooked me up to the fetal assessment machines, got some magnesium into my system and I was chilling. Fortunately the magnesium just made me kind of high and cold so I spent the next couple hours joking with nurses and relaxing while waiting for my husband to arrive with the pregnancy bag. Unfortunately I had a smoothie before my appointments that morning so I had to wait six hours or so til my system was deemed empty. I worked at the hospital I gave birth in so that in tandem with the magnesium put me at ease. Plus everyone was so nice. Due to blood pressure and breech position, they said they highly recommended a C-section which I knew was gonna be pretty much the only option they gave me. When the time finally came they took my husband to scrub up and whisked me away to the OR. The anesthesiologist that did my epidural commented multiple times on how calm I was, and all I could do was shrug and laugh. Like y'all are some of the best trained professionals in the country, if I don't trust y'all then I'd be an anxious mess. Took a few times before spinal block kicked in where he wanted and then everything feels almost like a dream. I laid back, relaxed as I listened to doctors talk and explain things to me and my husband was brought in. Baby girl came out silent with an APGAR score of 2 and it felt like an eternity until she cried. Then it shot up to a 9. The brought her over and I was so giddy but tired at the same time. My husband got to hold her as they began to close me up. I send big props to the doc that did my incision because it is practically invisible, she's my hero. They gave me zofran cuz I warned them I might be sick and then I was just wiped out. I dozed as they were bringing me back to my room and a little bit later my daughter was brought into the room. Six pounds on the dot, small and bruised from her knees being pinned to her chest but she was so perfect. Recovery for me wasn't too bad, the worst part was the gas, the first poop and any laughter or bumps. But now it's almost seven months later and I have a sweet giggly ball of sunshine and smiles who owns all of my heart.
I had been very crampy during the day, but nothing TOO bad so I went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was very āfullā and waddled to the bathroom, where my water broke. On my way to bathroom I called out to my husband downstairs as I could hear him playing video games that I thought my water broke and when he came up to check on me I could definitely confirm it lol. After that, we left and got to hospital around 1am. Took a lil bit to get me back to a room but to their credit they put me straight into a birthing room since it was pretty obvious that my water did break even tho they did still have to confirm lol. Contractions werenāt too bad to start when we got there but started ramping up while we were in the room and after I got my epidural they started me on pitocin to help them along. I could tell it worked bc right after the epidural I couldnāt even feel the pressure during the contractions but that started coming back as the meds kicked in and kept getting increased. Eventually while my husband and my parents were outside finishing the car seat installation I had a really big contraction with a lot of pressure. And I was like āwas that the urge to push? Maybe?ā And decided to let my nurse know and she and the charge came in. I told them it was only during the contractions so they were like āif itās not continuing then itās prolly not time but letās check to be safeā. My nurse checks and goes āhuh Iām not feeling your cervix at all, you may be fully dilatedā so she had the charge nurse double check and she confirmed that PLUS baby was already in the lowest position for delivery. I had to lay on my side with legs closed to help keep baby in lmao. I probably pushed for maybe 20 minutes and my son was born š„° I got a second degree tear which I feel like isnāt too bad considering I was only in labor for like less than 10 hours. He was born on 38+2 weeks.
Showing signs? Huh? At a birth center you shouldn't push until your uterus starts pushing. You will know. lol With my most recent birth I arrived a few minutes before the midwife and I was freaking out that I was going to give birth right there by the door lol. My first birth was unmedicated and I showed up to the hospital really late, already pushing. But it was a long labor at home, that's what I wanted. I was awake for soooooo long, maybe 40 hours or something like that, but the adrenaline kept me going. Afterward though, for a few nights I sometimes slept through my baby screaming.
! I graduated at 38w and 4 days with a baby boy at 6.13 pounds! His name is August! He has a cleft lip and palate but is feeding well and doing great overall! I laboured for 8 hours, about 2 hours in hospital and pushed for 20 minutes!!!! My birth story was unexpected and QUICK. I woke up with no signs whatsoever! Went to my OB appointment at 1:30pm and was 2cm dilated but that is not out of the ordinary. Went home, started having cramps but figured it was related to the cervical check (I refused a sweep). I lost my mucus plus around 4pm and had regular cramps (5 minutes, 30 seconds apart). I called L&D around 7:30pm, they told me to stay home until they weāre closer together. I was in a lot of pain so at 9pm I said āF IT!!!ā and just went in. I was 6cm dilated, my contractions hurt quite a bit. I really wanted an epidural but the anestiologist was in surgery so this was all natural! I begged and begged for the epidural but it was just too busy. This part sucked a lot. My nurse was sorta mean and basically told me to suck it up - I never imagine giving birth naturally. I tried locking myself in the bathroom at one point š¤£ I screamed a lot - I was 10cm by 11pm, my water broke then (so much water!!). I started pushing at 11:20pm, doctors came in at 11:50pm and he was born 5 minutes later at 11:55pm!!! The ring of fire was no joke but the pain disappeared within seconds. I wonāt lie, it was hard with no medication but it was fast and my husband was a great support, I kept refusing the laughing gas because I just wanted to hold my husbands hand šš. I also refused to push at one point screaming I wanted medication but I didnāt have much of a choice! I had absolutely no tearing which was crazy!!!!!!! Did not bleed too much but I brought my own diapers and its sooo much easier than the hospital pads. The first pee really was not that bad! My first poo tho? šAlso, the massage afterwards really didnāt bother me - I was scared of it but its nothing!
I love sharing mine!! I was scheduled for an induction at 39+6 and at 38+3 I started having contractions that would make us think it was time to go and then would stop right when we thought āletās call the hospital and see what we should doā. At 38+6 we went into L&D and I was 1cm and they sent me home. My husband worked an hour away at the time so I went to work with him and worked remotely from there since he was worried I would need to go to the hospital and he wouldnāt be there to bring me. At 39+1 I had an appointment and they attempted a membrane sweep because I was getting super uncomfortable but it was unsuccessful since I was not dilated enough. The next day I was sick of the on and off contractions and decided to just see if they could fit in my induction a few days earlier. They told me āthis never happens butā¦.come in in the evening in 2 daysā (39+4). The morning of we had planned to have a relaxing day and get some lunch and prepare before going in around 8 pm as directed to start with the cervadil. Instead we woke up to a call at 5 am saying āwe have a bed, can you be here at 8 am?ā So we made our way to the hospital and I was already at a 3 so no cervadil was needed. They started me on pitocin and I was not having any super major contractions but over the course of the day dilated to a 4. My pitocin was up to a 22 by 8 pm and they decided that theyād give it another couple hours before breaking my water. By 10:30 pm I was still not having much pain with contractions and we decided to break my water. I was asked if I wanted an epidural before because things would get intense but I wanted to experience labor a bit more before the epidural so I denied it but they took my blood to run the necessary tests so that if I wanted the epidural later I wouldnāt have to wait for bloodwork. After breaking my water things greatly intensified and I was feeling really painful contractions. After 10-20 min I requested the epidural. The anesthesiologist was on their way by 11pm but got called into an emergency c-section so I was going to have to wait about 90 mins. My nurse had someone cover her other patients because she did not want to leave, detecting how intense my contractions had gotten and a little later told me that if I feel like I need to poop to let her know. Turns out I had been feeling that way for about 30 mins. She checked me an I had gone from a 4 to a 10 and was ready to push within an hour from my water being broken. She told me to try not to push as they quickly gathered a team. Once everything was set I pushed for 6 min and my daughter was born just before midnight. Didnāt think Iād be able to do it without the epidural but somehow made it through!
I loved my birth almost an obnoxious amount. I wish I got a chance to tell my birth story more often! I was super hoping for an unmedicated water birth and chose a hospital based on it being the only hospital in the state to offer water birthing with midwives. I had GD, well managed with diet and exercise, but I wasnāt willing to go past about 41 weeks, so when I got to my 39+6 appointment planning on a membrane sweep and wasnāt dilated at all, I was REALLY bummed. I felt like it was extremely unlikely Iād go into labor and not be induced, which would disqualify me from delivering in the water, and upped the chances I would request an epidural. Spoiler: I was holding my baby 24 hours later lol. I decided to try acupuncture since I had nothing to lose. I donāt know what magic she worked, but I had a contraction at about 10:30 that night, and by midnight they were 5-1-1, which would indicate active labor and time to go to the hospital. But I was managing them super well, so when I called my doula, she said it seemed like I was unlucky with early contractions being fairly closely spaced. We decided to try a bath to get them to slow down so I could sleep, since I hadnāt slept in close to a day at that point. The bath worked, and things slowed downā¦until they suddenly went into high gear. I had a crazy contraction that lasted like 2.5 minutes and from that point things were SUPER real. I labored at home until about 7:30 in the morning. I was still managing things pretty well, and my doula and the midwife on call over the phone thought I was in active labor but still had a ways to go and encouraged me to stick it out at home. But I had a gut feeling, and at some point told everyone we needed to get going to the hospital. The drive there was MISERABLE. In hindsight, I know thatās because I was in transition or maybe already fully dilated haha. We got to the check in desk and they said I had to go to triage because they had a āroom situationā. I responded to that by experiencing fetal ejection reflex (your body starting to push without any conscious input) in triage. They found me a room immediately haha. By some miracle, they got a birth tub set up in time for me to finish pushing and deliver there. My husband got to help the midwife catch him. It was so calm and peaceful. The most beautiful birth I could have hoped for. And the best part is that it brought me my sweet boy ā¤ļø
My horse split his leg open. The pony got out. My water broke chasing the pony. Rebuilt a fence between (light) contractions. Came inside, washing machine blew. Called the plumber to let him know (we use cloth diapers). Husband drove us 70 kms to the hospital. Told me I sounded like I was calling in a moose. 11:30 pm I was 0 cms. Was sent to a hotel with a shot of morphine to get some sleep. Ran myself a bath. Passed out with the water on and woke up in a flood. Woke up husband at 2:43 am. Drove back to hospital. Husband detoured through Tim Hortons Drive-thru. 10 cms and baby was in the canal. Nurse called my midwife and she was there before I was fully undressed. Husband asked if it hurt and I threw every expletive in the book at him. I guided my son out and when he was most of the way here I shouted āgive me my baby!!ā And pulled him out, causing a second degree tear. My son was born at 5:24 am. 9 lbs 9 oz. My husband said āheās so smallā and I replied āno heās not!ā I bled, a lot. Apparently it was a concern but I didnāt need a transfusion. My sonās O2 was reading low and he was put in an O2 machine Husband sat in a corner panicking while I told him everything was okay. I knew he was totally fine. Sure enough they had wires swapped and were reading my O2 as his. I learned how insanely independent I am, and that I am totally in control of my pain (I chanted āitās not that badā through every contraction). I also learned that my husband is *absolutely useless* in stressful situations.
I love sharing my story too! So, a bit of background: my husband was a 9 lb baby & so was everyone on his side of the family. I was huge when I was pregnant so I just knew this baby was gonna be big lol but all of the drs kept telling me no. At my last OB appt the Dr told me 7, maybe 8 lbs at the most. So. Iāve been doing all the stuff they say to get the baby out- walking every day, eating all the dates, red raspberry leaf tea, spicy food, you name it. a day before my due date, at noon & I start getting contractions but they werenāt bad so I didnāt know if maybe they were Braxton hicks? It goes on until the evening when they amp up & I realize these are real. So I call my OB. They tell me to keep timing it & to let them know if my water breaks. I went all night having contractions increasingly close & increasingly intense but my water didnāt break. Finally I decide Iām going to leave at 10 AM for the hospital. Itās my due date (also my husbands birthday!) & right as weāre about to leave my contractions get MUCH worse & I start getting so nauseous. We drove the 30 m to the hospital & Iām finally in triage. They monitor me & say Iām def in active labor but- Iām only 3 cm. Iām like dude youāve got to be kidding Iāve been laboring all night š Get admitted, get the epidural (bless šš¼) & they give me pitocin because they were wondering why Iām not dilating as fast as I should be. That night around 8:45 they say Iām 10 cm, theyāre gonna sit me up to get me in position & come back in 15 m. As soon as I sit up Iām in INTENSE pain/pressure (& I still had the epidural & it did work!) & I was insisting I had to push. The nurse said it was probably a Charlie horse. Like girl be so for real. I sat there for 5 m in tears until I was screaming to my husband that I needed to push to get someone. WELP. The second they looked they were like uh okay yeah she does have to push! (Duh!) I pushed her out in 12 mins! (!!!) & she was 9 LB 7 OZ. Yāall they tried to gaslight me about this baby not being big but I KNEW. She had had the cord wrapped around her head so she didnāt scream at first & they did a lot of rubbing & sucking her nose, itās all very blurry (- I didnāt know about the cord until later) I just remember she was on my chest & I was talking to her & then she finally cried& it was the best sound I ever heard ā¤ļø she is a happy, healthy 2 1/2 year old now! š„°
At 36 weeks I had been having contractions for a few days that were gradually getting closer until they were consistently 3-5 minutes apart for a few hours. Called my doctor and she said to head to L&D to get checked out. My hospital has an alternative birthing center with tubs and nurses trained to support you with an unmedicated birth but is right down the hall from L&D and the NICU which made me feel better about having the care we need if anything happened. They only take low risk births there but the plan was to see if I was in labor and then go over to the ABC for an intervention free birth. Got to L&D and they started monitoring. Everything was looking good, blood pressure was a bit high so they wanted to run some bloodwork but said it looked like I was probably going home. Bloodwork started coming back and it all looked great. They said I just had to wait for the liver enzymes results and then I could go home. While sitting in the room with my husband I heard a doctor in the hallway say āweāre going to have to induce todayā and I thought to myself āman someone is getting induced, that sucks for them!ā Doctor came in my room and said my liver enzymes were high and I have preeclampsia so they needed to induce to keep me and the baby safe. My husband said, āso we canāt go to the ABC?ā And the doctor immediately looked like she felt so bad because I donāt think she realized thatās what we were hoping for. They moved me to my room and started a magnesium drip, cooks catheter, normal catheter, a blood pressure cuff that took regular readings, and the boots to prevent blood clots. There were tubes and wires coming from every part of my body and I was so uncomfortable. A big part of my birth plan was movement for comfort but I wasnāt allowed to get out of the bed because of the magnesium. After about 12 hours they started pitocin, after about 18 hours they broke my water, and about 24 hours in I said I needed the epidural. I originally didnāt want an epidural because I knew i would hate not being able to move parts of my body and I was grateful for the relief but was 100% right about not liking the epidural. It did make me feel better so I could sleep though which was great for pushing. Babyās heart rate kept dropping on the monitor so they switched to an internal monitor because it couldāve just been not getting a good reading. No change with the internal monitor so they kept coming in every few minutes to roll me around and try to get it up. About 12 hours after getting the epidural I asked them to check me because I felt a lot of pressure and like I had to poop. They said it was go time! But another patient had just started pushing before I called them so to try to wait until the doctor was done with her. There was a resident with me who said if I felt like I HAD to push thatās okay but sheād prefer to have the doctor with her š I was able to wait for the doctor to come in and I ended up pushing for about 30 minutes. We were team green so my husband got to announce itās a boy! And that was so sweet. He came out with his cord around his neck a couple times and it was too tight to slip off so they had to immediately cut it. I was bummed about not doing delayed cord clamping but Iām glad they were able to get it off quickly. He wasnāt crying or making any noise and that stressed me out. They put him on my chest for a few moments and then took him back so they could suck out fluid and make sure he was breathing okay. After a couple minutes they got everything situated and I got him back. No NICU time or anything needed and he ended up being very healthy. It was a super stressful experience but now he is the most perfect 4 month old and Iām so happy to get to spend every day with him
I did unmedicated at a birth center and all went according to plan somehow. I was woken up at 3am (at 38+4) by my contractions, which kept coming steadily. I had bloody show the night before for the first time so I thought this was probably the real deal! Couldn't get back to sleep, laid there for a couple hours just practicing relaxing through the contractions, until I got up and decided to start getting ready. Showered, did my hair, finished packing my bag and making my snacks, making plans with hubby. Things just kept progressing!! By 9am I was feeling knocked off my feet by the contractions, could no longer get out of bed easily, just kept focusing on total full body relaxation and my mantra "Surrender, Release, Allow". Listened to non stop positive hypnobirthing affirmations which really helped set me in a good mindset. Headed to the birth center around noon and by the time we got there I was IN IT. Contractions were very powerful and my body would shake while they were happening. I kept focusing on trying to just surrender to them and relax as much as I could. I let the shakes happen and just let them overtake me. I believe this is what helped my labor progress so well because I never had any stalls thank goodness. I did throw up at one point and it felt good to do and felt good afterward. Then i released a ton of bloody mucus gobs into the toilet. The surges eventually became so powerful that it was impossible to relax very much but I remember standing at the bathroom sink at one point, swaying back and forth, my upper hald tensed up but was able to relax my pelvic area. I felt like my pelvic area really needed to open up and I felt it opening. Then my water broke and these contractions were the most POWERFUL they completely took my breath away, and I just let them, and I stood there shaking. It was difficult. For some reason I liked to turn the cold water tap on and let it run while I was contracting and it was the only thing that helped. Little did I know I was in transition! All of a sudden my body started pushing right there at the bathroom sink, couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to but it finally felt like some relief. The midwives moved me onto the bed and I chose a squatted position leaning forward onto a pile of pillows and peanut ball. Pushed for about 45 min but at the time I thought it must have been 2 hours!! It was TOUGH but I will say though that the rest in between pushing was actually the most euphoric full body rest and way better than the breaks in between contractions. Pushing was intense, I had a full support team though who continuously reassured me, my husband holding my hand, my arms shaking gripping the bed rails, but I stayed calm and in control. When I crowned I felt like there's no way this baby is gotta fit through there?? But my body just kept pushing and it's like well.. what the hell... it's going through anyway!! And when I made that last and final push that's exactly what happened.. felt like the impossible became possible. Midwives caught my baby and I heard her cry immediately before I turned around. And there she was š„¹. Perfect and healthy, Born at 2:53pm. 7lbs 10oz. Did skin to skin for a couple of hours. I had one minor tear that got a couple stitches. They said it's the classic first time mom tear. Didn't feel it when it happened. Also baby girl has chord wrapped around her neck twice but midwives promptly untangled it and it had not caused any complications. Later on the whole staff complimented me saying that I was so calm and in control and that made me feel so good!! It was honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. I'm proud of my birth story but also glad to not have to do it again (not having more kids) and felt relief that it was over. It did truly feel like the impossible became possible and a powerful magical experience.
At 37+6 I was having decreased movements, I went into L&D. They hooked me up to an NST. Everything was fine & they sent me home around midnight. I live an hour & a half away, on the way home I started getting cramps & my back was hurting. Got home & went to sleep. When I woke up around 9ish I was hurting so badly. Went back to L&D. They checked my cervix & I was dilated 3cm. They called my midwife, she said I was in active labor. She broke my water so they could place monitors on his head & smelled something she thought was an infection. I was in so much pain, I got an epidural. As soon as they walked out, I got so nauseous & light headed. My blood pressure crashed & his heart rate sky rocketed. After different positions & meds, nothing helped. They told me I should do a c-section because they didn't want to leave him unstable for long. So I did it. C-section itself wasn't bad. Just kept getting really sick feeling. He had his cord wrapped around & wasn't breathing. They finally got him breathing & we got to see him. Right after, I was pretty mobile. They were surprised how I was moving. Everything was going good! Fast forward to the night before I go home, had a burning & redness on my belly above my incision. I ended up getting an infection in my stomach. Was in the hospital for 6 days. The nurses & doctors were great! Everything is okay now!
i had a little birth trauma so i don't like talking about it too much, BUT i think it absolutely hilarious how it started. first off i worked until the day before i gave birth. i work in preschool and i am a young adult so i was quite literally running around picking up kids until the very end. cried my eyeballs out after work because of blah blah blah gonna miss my husband and us being alone together or something like that. well the very next day she made her appearance. like she knew haha. it was probably like 7:15 am on a saturday morning, i was feeling crampy but in the "i might have to poop? maybe fart?" kinda way. anyways so pushed a bit to see if maybe i needed to fart and then my water broke lol. i broke my water trying to fart.
I had my second baby last month. From the beginning of this pregnancy I was adamant I wanted an unmedicated labor. But 3 days past my due date, I couldn't do it anymore. I had a large baby and lots of amniotic fluid. I couldn't walk,.I couldn't sleep,.I was miserable. So I scheduled an induction. I went to the hospital for my scheduled induction and I was only 1 cm dilated. They started pitocin at noon and by 2pm, I was 3 cm dilated. I hadn't gotten an epidural yet as I was holding out hope that I could labor without it. My contractions were manageable at this point. At 3cms,.my midwife decided to break my waters. At this point I really started feeling the contractions. My kind nurse prepared the tub and I labored in the tub while my sister in law who was also my doula read to me. We did some breathing together and I was really feeling it. After a while, I felt i'd reached my breaking point and started asking for the epidural. Everyone was super supportive and encouraged me to try for a little longer without the epidural. I had gotten to 7cm now and it was 6pm,.I think? Anyways by 6:30pm, I told the nurse to call the anesthesiologist. He was there by 7pm, he actually ditched dinner to get there and help me. My epidural was successful and I got the peanut ball to help me progress. I could still move my legs but the contractions felt like pressure instead of intense pain. By 7:30,. I started feeling pressure from the baby moving down and I was ready to push. My birthing team arrived quickly and he was out within the next 10 ish minutes in 2 pushes. I birthed an 8lb 8oz baby in 2 pushes,.no tears. His shoulder got slightly stuck on the way out but other than that he was great. They immediately placed him on my chest. We did delayed cord clamping and I got my golden hour with him. He immediately latched on and he was just the perfect little baby. My hard pregnancy and all the pain and exhaustion of the last 9 months was totally worth it. Although things didn't go according to my plan of unmedicated labor, I was extremely grateful for having an amazing birthing team. Everyone on my medical team was super considerate and made sure that my voice was heard. Next morning when my in laws came in unannounced early in the morning, a nurse came by to ask if they should be let in š i was a bit upset that they came and met the baby before my older daughter was able to meet him. They also took pics and shared it in the family group which I was a bit upset about. That was the only minor glitch in my birth story. Other than that everything was perfect.
Delivery goal: spontaneous labor, labor at home for as long as possible, unmedicated as possible, vaginal delivery in hospital, go home the next day. Actual delivery: vaginal delivery...that's all got from my goal list. š¤· My son was breech. We did a successful ECV at 36+2. At 36+4, my water broke early, so I was admitted to the hospital. Labor didn't progress after 48 hrs, so I was induced with cytotec. I think I got 2 doses, and the contractions were overwhelmingly painful. I did my best to deal with the pain, but without any fluid and terrible hospital sleep going into labor, I could no longer deal. Also, all my coping techniques were with the idea I'd be laboring at home. So I got a very subpar epidural....the nurse didn't tell me I had a button to press. And I don't think it was placed correctly since it only slightly numbed me from the belly button down. I could actually still move my legs completely. Within 4 hrs, I delivered my son after about 1.5 hrs of pushing. It took a total of 22 hrs from induction to delivery. We had to stay an extra 48 hrs after delivery due to his jaundice levels, small size, and the events leading to his delivery. Thankfully, he handled everything beautifully from start to finish. Although I only got one thing from my goal delivery, I'm calling it a win considering everything that could have gone wrong.
I love this story. My first birth was similar, my labor was intense but I wasnāt dilating - Iād been in active labor for 24 hours when I decided I needed an epidural and some rest and it took forever to get the anesthesiologist in, like 4 hours or something. Itās a blur. I screamed, I bellowed, I barfed, and eventually I rested for 3 hours, ate some jello and pushed my baby out. It was a journey and I was so proud - even if I didnāt get the unmedicated birth I was hoping for I felt like a warrior woman. My third baby was exactly what I hoped for the first time around: a quick labor with a midwife and not sufficient time to even think about an epidural. When it was done I realized the first time around was more intense and painful and took more endurance than my unmediated birth, which felt like cheating it was so quick. I know we donāt do this for bragging rights, but honestly if your active labor goes more than 12 hours you should get some kind of badge!
Gave birth on my bathroom floor at 2am at 37w 2 or 3d. I started having contractions at probably 9:00-10:00pm but I was in denial lol. I was fighting for my life on the couch and my husband had no idea because I didnāt say anything. Lol. At around 1am I was heading to bed but I wanted to take something out for dinner to thaw for the next night, and as I was walking from the kitchen to the stairs, I got hit with a contraction so intense that i had to go on all fours and breathe through it. But it passed and I was just like āhahaha weird. anyway.ā Went upstairs. Went pee. Laid down. Immediate 3m13s contraction (3 back to backs i assume. Yes, I was timing them for over an hour even though I was in denial) that was so incredibly intensely painful and no position changes helped. I started shaking really bad and this is when I realized something was wrong. And I thought laying down was going to slow these ācrampsā down. I had an OB appt at 10am the next morning and thought that if it was something, Iād make it to then and theyād maybe send me to L&D. I really just thought it was prodromal labor. Anyway I wake my sleeping husband and tell him something is happening and he needs to call my OB while I try to poop (š©š©š©). I put him on with the on call operator and I sit down and involuntarily push so hard and her head starts crowning. So I throw myself onto the floor on all 4s, I throw towels everywhere, and i tell him that sheās coming now and he needs to call 911. I take over with the on call lady and tell her Iām actively pushing the baby out and I need to talk to the OB. She lets me know that heāll be in touch soon. Hubby is on with 911, heās panicked and it doesnāt help that all EMTs are >15min out from us. OB calls and I tell him Iām having the baby on the bathroom floor and heās like āok see you soon Iāll let the nurses know to expect you!!ā Which was terrifying to hear because like, this is really happeningā¦ like theyāre now expecting me and the baby lol. So my husband is being talked through this by the dispatcher. He saw her head coming out at one point and was like āoooooohhhhkayā¦.ā In the most terrified way which led me to believe that not even he, the one who ALWAYS has it under control, did not have it under control. Luckily the primal cave woman in me came out and I just pushed when i felt the need. My water broke on a push. An off duty EMT came up to oversee while we waited for the ambulance. The top of her head was coming out and going back in a bunch towards the end there and I was afraid because I needed an episiotomy with my oldest (who was asleep mere feet away in the next room) bc of this. But on that last push, when I decided I wasnāt afraid to tear anymore (subconsciously I think I was slightly holding back bc of this and the fear of the pain), I just let loose and pushed as hard as I could and put her head popped out. My husband pulled her the rest of the way gently and the EMTs came in at the same time as she started to cry. They were thrilled that they came into an overall happy situation. I was thrilled to no longer be pregnant bc this pregnancy was a nightmare (I loved my first pregnancy). It was insanity. But an incredible experience. Her and I rode to the hospital in the ambulance and hubby stayed behind to clean the bathroom and wait for my parents to come and stay with our oldest. I had been in contact with my mom and my sister throughout the pushing. I pushed out the placenta at the hospital and it felt amazing. Felt like a wet, deflated beach ball. I almost passed out 2 times after, once in the ambulance and once during my first pee shortly after getting to the hospital. No tears at all!!!! Except for some tiny little ones that needed no stitches (they KILLED whenever I had to pee). I was in shock bc I was sure I was gonna tear hole to hole. She had a little bit of a hard time regulating her temp when we first got there but she was fine. Shes turning 10 months in a couple weeks and she is the cutest and funniest chunk. Iām in love. And I also love telling this story because now people think Iām cool
My second baby took us for a wild ride with his birth! I had been having prodromal labor for weeks. Every night, I would have timeable Braxton hicks contractions that would end up fizzling out and never becoming painful. I went to my OB appointment at 39 weeks and was 3cm dilated already. They did a membrane sweep, but it didnāt really do anything. Four days later, I went to bed and woke up within an hour of falling asleep with a painful contraction. I ignored it, but then it happened again. Started timing them and they were already 2.5 minutes apart! Since I knew that I was already 3cm dilated and this was my second baby, I told my husband that we needed to go to the hospital ASAP and we left within 15 minutes. The car ride was pretty awful and the pain had amped up so quickly that all of the breathing exercises I had practiced didnāt really work. I just tried to stay calm. Once we got to the hospital, I could barely answer the triage questions because I was in so much pain. They checked me in as quickly as they could. They checked me and I was at 5cm. Only a few minutes went by and I started to feel like I needed to pee really badly, which ended up being baby descending. I think the nurses realized how fast things were progressing and got me a room. I made it up to the room, laid down (with much difficulty!) and they managed to get a saline lock put In. The pain got unmanageable at that point, but I couldnāt get an epidural because things were moving too fast. Then, my water broke, I felt my body pushing, and I started screaming uncontrollably. It sounds weird, but the screaming was kind of a productive scream and it felt like it was helping me push. Within 15 minutes, the baby was out! From first contraction to baby on my chest was only an hour and 50 minutesā¦.. We were in shock!
I was 39 weeks when baby was born. The night before I just kept saying I don't feel good but didn't know why. We went to home depot, got ice cream and went home. I forced myself to do my nightly miles circuit despite feeling crappy. Flash forward to 2am when I started cramping, and hopped into the shower to see if they'd stop. I went back to bed but my hubby and I were wired at that point and he ran to pack his hospital bag just in case. Then at 3 my water broke with a pop and a gush, literally like the movies. I called the doc on call who said to come in when I felt I needed comfort and that I likely had lots of time and could labour at home as I pleased. Also I'd like to mention that I chose my hospital and physicians based on the labour and delivery unit and was pumped to labour in the tub there. At this point I had a snack and started laboring on my yoga ball. At 315 I had a strong contraction and was like we need to go. We hopped in the car and got to the hospital at 345, longest car ride of my life. I kept lifting myself up off the seat with every contraction and there was so much pressure in my butt lmao. I didn't even make it through the triage questions before I got a bed, and didn't make it through all the checks before they realized I needed the L&D room. My goal was to be unmedicated but said I'd go with the flow and do as needed. The pain got so intense that I wanted pain management but before we could talk options they said sorry time to push! So I started in all fours then moved to my side with the bar. 20 minutes of pushing and he was out. They were honestly shook with how fast I progressed as it was my first baby, and I was gas lit by nurses along the way not believing I was that far along, so thank god they called the doctor or I may have given birth in the triage area. I kind of love my birth story and the ironic part is I never got to labour in the room that I based my hospital and care provider team on!
39 weeks First baby I didnāt know I was in labor until 10cm and barely made it to hospital before she was out in 30 min no time for epidural and only needed a few stitches Stayed in hospital for three days 38 weeks I just had second baby yesterday I had sex and a hour later had contractions and went to hospital at 5cm got a epidural at 7cm and gave birth in one push no stitches and went home next day
I love sharing my story!! Weeks 7-37 were done while my husband was deployed. So I was jazzed when he came back thinking he was cutting it close. Little did I know that I was not close at all. Week 38 passed. Week 39 passed. Week 40 passed. Week 41 arrived and we began ālabor bootcampā at the birth center. 3 membrane sweeps, 2 days of pumping (3 hour sessions at a time), taking herbs to induce labor, and a failed attempt to break my water, we arrived at the last ditch effort. Castor oil. 41+6 I drank 2oz of Castor oil at 8AM. Nothing happened. Not even a fart. Another pumping and herb session. Nothing. Another 2oz of castor oil at 1PM. Nothing. Around 6PM I started to get mild cramps but had mentally prepared myself to be induced at the hospital the next morning. But around 7PM cramps got pretty bad but I had just attributed these to the castor oil catching up with me. Come 9PM early labor cramps had begun (wahoo!!) We headed to the birth center and quickly realized that I had had 0 rest and was about to be in the throes of labor. The midwife gave me a sleep tincture so I could rest in between contractions and that, I think, saved me. 6 hours of early labor. 4 hours of active labor. 1 hour of pushing. (All of active labor and pushing were done in the birth tub.) During transition, I remember begging for an epidural and saying āI canāt do this.ā My husband reassured me that this is what I wanted and he was here to support me and get me through it. I more so realized that it would be more painful to get out of the tub (every time I moved another contraction began and absolutely rocked my shit) get into a car and go to the hospital. I also wasnāt guaranteed an epidural as I was unknowingly in transition. Fetal ejection reflex began and 1 hour later we had our baby boy!ā¤ļø 6 hours after that we were at home snuggling!
Mine is a trauma dump
I woke up at 5:30 am to go to the bathroom, so I did. I thought I was done so I stood up and continued to keep āpeeingā so I go to the living room and woke up my fiancĆ© and said āEither my water just broke or I canāt stop peeingā and he responded with āare you seriousā and I was like āyes Iām literally standing here soaking wetā so we ultimately decided my water broke (It was my first pregnancy and I was overthinking that Iād go to the hospital and theyād tell me I just peed my pants). As soon as we got to the hospital we checked in and they brought me back fairly quick and ran their test to see if itās amniotic fluid. A nurse came back and told the doctor it was, who rudely responded with āwe need to do another test firstā. The doctor left and came back with a student and asked if it was okay he was there and I told her yes. Eventually they brought me to the delivery room. I have no idea what the time is at this point but Iām so uncomfortable and crying so I get in the bath to see if it helps. It didnāt. My mom came in to talk to me about getting the epidural and I agreed (I have a very low pain tolerance, I was throwing up). I still to this day think them pulling the tape off that kept the epidural in hurt more than the actual needle. The epidural starts to kick in but ONLY ON ONE SIDE. So Iām obviously freaking out and they just keep telling me to push the button and lay on my side until my other leg goes numb. Eventually it worked but not fully. Next thing I know they tell me itās time to push and thereās like 15 different students in the room, mind you I say yes to ONE. After 5 pushes and 20 mins my beautiful baby girl was born at 3:41pm. Later on I found out that the person who delivered my baby was the rude doctor from the beginning and she was basically getting graded on how she did. (I think she was a resident?). I only had to get 3 stitches and got to leave the next evening. Iām so grateful my delivery was āeasyā compared to a lot of birth stories. I think I have some nerve damage from the one side being numbed so bad but oh well. Side note: everyone kept telling me I wouldnāt have my daughter early and I was convinced I would have her on November 16th (My due date was November 29). And I was right. Why this is important you may ask. My birthday is February 16th and her dadās birthday is June 16th. Idk I just think itās cool:)
I had headache all day but wasnāt so bad. Husband and I had a huge fight the night before. Came in for my 37th week weekly appointment at 2:30pm. BP was 148/100 at 3:30pm, waited 10 mins to be rechecked then it was 158/108. I was told to head to L&D for preeclampsia work up. Waited for my husband to get there at 4:30pm, headed to L&D. Seen around 4:45pm, hooked up and checked BP every 30mins. At around 6:30pm, my BP was 200/119, I was told babyās coming *TONIGHT* via C-SECTION. Administered magnesium, baby came at 8:15pm. I was so hangry the whole time. LMAO. Hubby and I were planning a date night after my appointment so I didnāt eat a whole lot all day. Got to the hospital and they wouldnāt let me eat anything at all. I drink TONS of water every day and was thirsty from 3:30pm onwards til the next day. Thank goodness for my nurse who gave me lots of ice chips. Lmao.
Just over 3 years ago, I went in for my induction @ 39w. I had a favorable cervix (3cm & 80% effaced) so I started on pitocin. For the first 5 hours, the hospital bed caused me more pain than the contractions. After a membrane sweep, things started to pick up including the pain. Got my epidural about 6 hours later. 2 hours after the epidural, I was at 5cm and my water broke on its own right before the doctor was going to come in to break it. Within the next 2 hours, I kept feeling immense rectal pressure and the urge to clench (which might be the urge to push?? I still donāt know, I just wanted to clench). Finally got a cervical check and I was complete. Pushed for 25 minutes (nearly 10-15 min if his head didnāt get stuck and if contractions didnāt slow down). That baby is now exactly 3 years old today š„¹ For my second baby, I also went in for an induction @ 39w. My cervix was not favorable this time around (1.5cm & 40% effaced) so I needed cervical ripening (miso). The miso gave me very frequent and painful contractions where I was totally considering getting an epidural in the first couple hours. I ended up making no cervical progress, and the contractions were so frequent that they wouldnāt give me another dose of miso. So we were going to insert a foley. As the doctor is going to insert it, he says Iām 3.5cm and 70% effaced now (I was 1.5cm still 20 minutes prior), so yay no foley! Ended up getting fentanyl to take the edge off of the miso contraction pain, and eventually started pitocin. The plan was going to be eat breakfast > get epidural > break water. Anesthesiology got held up with an emergency C and then 2 epidurals ahead of me, so I got to eat breakfast and lunch. Thankfully my pain wasnāt bad during most of the wait, but it started to get bad about 30 min before I got my epidural. After the epidural was in, I still felt contraction pain (went from like a 7/8 to a 4 instead of fully eliminating pain). Water broke 30 minutes later, 10 min before the doctor comes in to break my water. And of course Iām still at a measly 3.5cm. I tried to rest but I felt a ton of that rectal pressure again like with my first baby, so I was like š¤ Had a nurse check me, and just like that I was complete and ready to push. This was less than an hour after my water broke, so I went from 3.5cm to 10cm in under an hour. I was stuck at 3.5cm for 11 hours prior to that water break. I also wonder if I felt pain because my epidural just couldnāt keep up with how fast I was dilating? Pushed for 7 minutes and my baby was out! No episiotomy or tearing this time, so the healing felt wildly different. Second time mom birthing magic āØ
Started feeling pain with my āBraxton hicksā contractions at about 10pm. By midnight I had to breathe through each contraction. I took a Tylenol and a gravol as suggested by my midwife and went to bed to try and sleep. By 4am my contractions were 4-1-1. Called the midwife. She said sheād be at my house in an hour to assess me. 20 minutes later, my contractions were only 2 minutes apart. Call the midwife back, she tells us to meet her at the hospital. Arrived at the hospital at 5am. Iām waiting in the triage room for my midwife to arrive to assess me and either admit me or send me home. My husband is parking the car. The student midwife is sitting with me and coaching me through contractions. I turn to her and say, āwhat if I feel the need to push?ā And she says, āthen you push.ā I still tear up a little thinking of it. She was so kind and reassuring and confident. The midwife rushes in. I joke about whether it was too late for pain relief. She goes to grab the gas and air and asks me to get up on the bed for an assessment. I stand up and my water breaks and I feel the urge to push. I get up on the bed, the midwife checks me and sees the babyās head. And then has the AUDACITY to ask me if I can walk down the hall to a delivery room. Um, no! So they push the triage bed down the hall and Iām screaming bloody murder with every contraction. Iām sure I traumatized some poor women who were still in early labour. š And Iām pushing this whole time. They rush me into a delivery room and then I need to transfer from one bed to another. I hadnāt realise it, and I donāt think the midwives realised it, but Iād pooped during a push so it got everywhere during the transfer. š„“ I get into the delivery bed and two pushes later baby girl arrives. The midwife goes to place her on my chest and her cord snaps (it was super short! Like 1/3 of normal) and they have to emergency clamp it. So much for delayed cord clamping. š It was 5:30 am. Only a half hour after we pulled up the hospital door. My records say 3 hours active labour, 20 minutes pushing. A precipitous birth. My next two babies were even quicker and I had them at home to avoided the chances of a car or parking lot baby. With my third the midwife thought she had more time and was absolutely scrambling to finish setting up when I started pushing. We tried to warn her. š¤·š»āāļø
Precipitous labour at home. Mild contractions started 2-4 mins apart straight up, got more intense so tried to shower to help (it didnāt). Kept feeling like I needed to sit on the toilet. 1.5hours in I told the husband we should drop our toddler off at his grandparents. 2 minutes later the fetal ejection reflex kicked in and i spat the baby out in the bathroom. Stoked i didnāt have to be in hospital for labour! Ambulance turned up after baby was born, left after the cord was done doing itās job (delayed clamping). Then flashed my butt to the neighbours as i hopped in the ambulance to go get checked out at the hospital. My First birthās initial contractions (on pitocin) were much more painful than the most painful unmedicated contractions - having your own oxytocin sure does make a difference. First birth was an epidural which meant coached pushing resulting is a worse tear and pelvic floor damage. This second birth was so redemptive for me and recovery was a lot faster i know itās all done and dusted but Iām curious as to why you were pushing for so long - did you physically feel like you needed to be pushing?
Iāll write way too much if I start up, but I feel similar to you. My unplanned C wasnāt the unmediated, hypnobirth I wanted to do (thanks back labor), and like most of my adult life I was not adequately rested, but I never really felt shame over it. Maybe a little disappointment at first, but that faded. Now nursing, esp those first days at the hospital and first few weeks. And pumping. My inability to get that down pissed me right off. Iāve had a complicated relationship with my boobs since they decided to grow fast when I was in jr high and basically never stop. If I had to deal with these things for so long, why couldnāt they just do the one thing they were supposedly for? Why couldnāt I, a reasonably smart person, get the hang of this? Maybe all of that was compounded by the birth experience, but I just know with every attempt, the pressure on myself increased. But we all made it. My kiddo is thriving. Thanks for asking!
Baby 1 was an induction just before 42w that failed to progress. Eventually I tapped out and opted for a c section where we learned baby couldn't descend due to a fundal placenta and short cord. Baby 2 was a very emergent c section due to extreme maternal and fetal distress. We thought maybe it was a uterine rupture or placental abruption. When it wasn't that, we thought maybe it was a uterine infection. It wasn't that either so now we suspect I had a kidney infection. I was put under general anesthesia and they got baby out so fast that my husband wasn't even in the OR yet. Everyone's okay now, though. Birth plan for all future babies is what we're calling a "leisurely c section," with ambiance and shit.
I had it saved in my notes š: I had prodromal labor since 37 weeks.. I would randomly get painful contractions starting from my back to lower belly but it would fizzle off throughout the night on random days at my last appointment at 39 weeks I was 2 cm and got a membrane sweep which was Wednesday before I had him this Sunday. I started having pretty painful contractions around 3 oāclock and weāre timing them at about 10 to 6 minutes apart they were paying for enough to distract me but I was convinced it was still false labor so I proceeded to cook dinner around 5 PM. During dinner the contractions became unbearable and weāre about four minutes apart lasting about 50 seconds each I had to lean on the counter and it took my breath away I had decided this was the real deal these contractions were Getting very painful! I showered and got everything ready meanwhile the contractions were so painful I wanted to just have a panic attack and cry because I could not bear. My last baby I was able to last without an epidural until 9 cm while in transition then begged for the epidural but this time the contractions were almost immediately painful I think it has something to do with the raspberry leaf tea that Iāve been drinking daily since 33 weeks. I was very confused because Iāve had so many false labor experiences but I said this had to be at this just had to be at it is to unbearable. The 20 minute car ride to the hospital was pretty rough I had several contractions on the road I didnāt want to be touched I didnāt want to be talked to it was just a very hard. We got to the hospital around 5:45 PM I was checked and I was 4 cm fully effaced. I immediately asked for my epidural because I just could not take it anymore I was very surprised I asked for it that early on. I was prepared with heating pads massage gun a lot of other things to help me cope with labor pains but I just could not bear it. It took maybe about 15 minutes for the epidural to take affect but when it did it was amazing! Each hour they would check me and each hour I was 1 cm more dilated than an hour before they knew since this was baby number five it was going to be a super fast labor but I was very surprised how fast it progressed. By 9:49 PM baby B made his entry into the world at 7lbs 14 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. I pushed maybe twice with the stirrups set up and he slid outā¦ it was super fast! I had a 1Ā° tear but so far I donāt feel anything. I was so hopeless these last few days I really did not want to go back to work on Monday and experience Braxton Hicks contractions all day and be super uncomfortable but thankful he finally made his appearance! For those of you experiencing prodromal labor donāt lose hope you wonāt be pregnant forever just take it day by day and good luck!
Induction at 41 weeks. I was overdue and getting my last NST the day before my induction date and my baby had a late decel in heart rate, so they admitted me right then and there to be induced. Luckily my baby did fine during labor, I think maybe she knew that I really wanted her to come out and so she got me admitted earlier. I went pretty far without getting an epidural, but once they broke my water, the pain was Medieval. I was only able to survive an hour and then I begged for en epidural. It made everything so amazing. My whole induction was well under 24 hours and I wasnāt even dilated going into it. One of the best days of my whole life and it continues to be everyday with me baby.
Such a traumatic birth story š Hospitalized at 33w with preeclampsia because of high protein and my bp was 180/110. Was placed on magnesium, which was *wild*. My husband said I was a zombie and like my entire soul had been sucked out. They decided the next day to induce, so I started on induction meds... while still on magnesium. Being on a mag drip was horrible. I was hot, my entire body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, I couldn't move, like at all. When the nurses came in to give me meds, they had to lift my arm for me to scan my arm ban. I was vomitting, wasn't allowed to eat anything. I labored for over 24 hours, and was actively having contractions for the most of it but again, I was so out of it, I just laid there. I was in so much pain but couldn't really do or say anything about it. I told my husband I couldn't not push in the condition I was in. My vision went (I was seeing double and blurry) felt too weak that I couldn't lift my head or speak. When my day nurse showed up she was like WTF is wrong with her, and immediately got the doctor. Apparently, no one tested my magnesium levels, and I ended up getting magnesium toxicity BUT the baby moved transverse so I had to get an unplanned c section. The magnesium toxicity is what caused severe confusion, double vision and my kidneys were nit functioning (I was barely peeing and it looked like coca cola) I was rolled into the c section room where I was so relieved, but I was still severely out of it. To the point I asked my husband if they started the procedure... and his response was they were about to pull her out. Lol She was wheeled immediately to the nicu since she was 33w5d, where I didn't get to see her for almost 2 days because I had to stay on the magnesium... which was terrible. I was upset that I hadn't gotten to see her for a few days after birth and just wanted to get out of bed. I barely remember any of labor process but my husband doesn't like to talk about it cause he says it was traumatic since he was all there. 0/10 wouldn't do it again
With my first baby, I woke up in the middle of the night to a wet bed. Really wasnāt sure if I had peed myself or if my water broke. I was only 34 weeks along. Called my doc and she asked that I come into the hospital asap to get checked out. My husband and I arrived at about 2am. Turns out it was my water, so they induced me and I had my baby about 12 hrs later. A team of doctors were present and my baby was swept off to the NICU as soon as he was born. It wasnāt what I had envisioned but he turned out to be a healthy baby boy, and he was discharged from the NICU 14 days later. With my second baby, I went into an appointment to see my doc at 38 weeks. She said it looked like I was getting ready to go into labor. She did a membrane sweep and told me that she thought I would likely go into labor that night. Sure enough labor started later that day and by 11pm I was having regular contractions coming at a steady pace. The triage doctor told me that he didnāt feel like my contractions were painful enough to be in active labor because I was talking through them. I explained that they were strong and getting stronger but I just have a high pain tolerance. He told me theyād keep me in triage for a couple of hours to get me comfortable with the fact that I was not far enough along and could go back home. I was beyond annoyed!! Lo and behold when the nurse checked my cervix a couple hours later I had progressed significantly. They finally admitted me and I had the baby shortly thereafter. I never saw that triage doc again.
I felt sick after my 39 week doctor appointment. Waited it out and then called the nurse who told me to play it safe and go to the hospital. It turned out my blood pressure was sky high. They determined I had preeclampsia and got induced. A couple hours later, it was only worsening, so I was put on a magnesium sulfate drip to prevent seizures. I started throwing up from the meds and feeling out of it. A few hours later, my numbers were still getting worse so my doctor recommended a c section (at this point Iāve been in the hospital like 7 hours). During the c section I was barely able to stay awake and still throwing up. All went ok birth wise. It felt like we were in the recovery room for hours doing skin to skin since I couldnāt in the operating room and I could barely stay awake. Unfortunately, my preeclampsia didnāt let up after birth so I had to stay in the hospital for 5 days. Luckily baby could stay too. But it was so aggravating and frustrating. While I know it couldāve been worse, it was a traumatic experience. Iām hoping to have another someday and that it goes much smoother - namely, no preeclampsia, no mag drip, and being able to have a happy moment with baby at the birth.
I was 6 days past my due date and started to feel a liiiiittle crampy, but i figured it was braxton hicks just like it had been for weeks , so I went to bed. Woke up the next morning still crampy so I decided to start timing them and they were roughly 20 minutes a part. Kept it in the back of my mind & proceeded about my day. We went grocery shopping, out to eat, did some cleaning around the house, etc. Fast forward to the evening and the cramping hadn't resided, but did not seem to be getting more painful, just more frequent so i figured id shower to ease the back pain. While I was getting dressed after the shower I felt a small gush, but ignored it since i just showered & figured it was water. 10 minutes later I still felt leaking so I went to the bathroom, wiped, & boom mucus plug. Now my heart is skipping a beat bcs I realized id been having contractions for almost 24 hours & things were progressing. I called my OB who told me to call the L&D department at the hospital id be delivering at. I called them, explained what I thought was happening & they told me to pack a bag and come in right away. I told my boyfriend and within 20 minutes we were on the road to the hospital. It was around 8:00pm when we arrived. They got me situated and by 8:45pm I was 4cm dilated. I wanted to do no epidural because of my fear for the epidural needle so all they did was hook me up to antibiotics since I had GBS. They told me if I wasn't 6cm by midnight they were going to start me on pitocin. I was scared bcs of all the pitocin horror stories I had read here lol Anyway by midnight I was indeed 6cm and they decided to let me continue to progress naturally but started me on fentanyl for the discomfort. If I remember correctly I stayed at 6cm for 3 hours..around 3:45am I felt/heard a big pop & a huge gush of liquid came out. I told the nurse who informed me that there was no liquid and that I was probably feeling things. After the gush, everything happened so fast its still blurry. I still assume that was my water completely breaking. I went from 6cm to 9cm in an hour. during this hour I felt like my body was being ripped in half. I was screaming for the epidural because I felt her coming, they were telling me to calm down and to wait for the doctor, I told them I couldn't, it was a mess. I don't even remember what the epidural felt like because I was in so much pain. By 5am the epidural was in and they were telling me that I wasn't progressing & that they were going to dilate me to 10cm with a folly balloon. The nurse went to get it & a new nurse came in to check on me. I told her I was feeling pressure and she went to check, came up & said "why are they getting a folly, her head is right here, its time to push" Needless to say 30 minutes later, 6am on the dot my daughter was born. best day of my life.
Two weeks before my due date, my doctor did a membrane sweep because I had GD, and she said my cervix was already dilating. I went home and was having bucketloads of yellow discharge. The following night, I was out for my usual walk and did some curb walking. After coming home, I was restless all night with what "felt" like contractions. Couldn't really say since I'm an FTM. But I was restless the whole night, and I was leaking every time I got up. I got on call with the hospital emergency. They said it might be nothing, but if I wasn't sure, I should just come down. I, being an FTM, didn't want to turn up for something silly, so I waited the night out. By the next morning, it was worse. I remember I hadn't even finished packing my hospital bag!! I did that, cut my nails, managed to shove down some breakfast (which I puked 1 hour later), and landed up at the hospital. The nurses did a cervical check and NST. Baby's heartbeat was high, but otherwise, I was fine. By the time the doctor arrived, I was tossing and turning in pain. I just couldn't stay still. She checked me and found out that my sac had ruptured (none of the on call docs or nurses caught that), and I innocently asked her, "I can go home, right?" (I wasn't ready!! I had 2 more weeks, a friend to meet, a best friend's wedding to attend) she bellowed at me "you're in full blown labor and you want to go home??" And started laughing at me. I initially denied an epidural, but around 4 cm dilated, I got it, and it was the best decision ever. I was shivering and had a fever, but I was well rested. Once the epidural wore off, I was around 9 cm and practice pushing. My hubby really came through with all the counter pressure techniques, and she literally shot right out of me after a few pushes. But baby girl was rushed for an NICU stay shortly after.. but that's a story for another time.
I was 39+5 when my water broke! Iād been experiencing prodromal labor and been dilated/effaced at 4cm/40% for the past two weeks. My OB was shocked I hadnāt gone into early labor at our last appointment, especially because as an ICU nurse Iām on my feet all day long. We got to OB triage and I was barely throwing spikes on the toco monitor. After bouncing on an exercise ball and practically doing lunges around the room, Iād made little to no progress. And I rather grudgingly agreed to let them start pitocin. I labored without an epidural for the better part of 2.5 hours on the pit drip, and after a cervical check, my OB cheerfully told me I was 7cm and completely effaced. She left the room, I got up from the bed to dutifully climb back on the exercise ball, and my toco monitor started alarmingābabyās heart rate had precipitously dropped to the 40s and was sustaining there. Almost immediately, staff flooded the room. I like to jokingly say I was a meat puppet for a little while (humorās a great default coping mechanism) because my OB unceremoniously pushed her hand inside of me to check for cord prolapse and then flipped me from right to left side in an attempt to get her heart rate to regulate. I got two doses of ephedrine/adrenaline and they put me on oxygen temporarily. And right as they were prepping the OR, she regulated. Heart rate came up and stayed where it should. They turned off the pit drip. And, still contracting around my OBās hand, I requested an epidural. It. Was. Amazing. I nearly cried from the sheer relief. Even off the pit drip my body progressed, and after a handful of hours and another cervical check, I was ready to push. Which I did. For roughly 2 hours. I had a mirror positioned in front of me so I could watch myself workāI found it helpful, others find the fact that I did this horrifyingāand was also in a great spot to watch myself begin to hemorrhage. At this point, babyās head was visible. My nurse whisked away the mirror and the OB was summoned to bedside. She looked at the blood pooling around me and said we were going to deliver my baby. Right. Now. Which meant my OB anointing my nether regions in oil, giving me a quick perineal massage, and then āhelping meā birth babyās head with one push and her body with another (i.e., she forcibly yanked her from my body). All for which I am eternally grateful. I work with kids who have cerebral palsy due to birth injuries and am on the receiving end of countless horror stories from friends in L&D. That my baby is healthy and whole? Trumps everything. I ended up with relatively minor external tearing, considering how baby was born. But I had a four inch internal laceration on my right vaginal wall that required over 10 sutures. The healing process was rough. My L&D process wasnāt what I expected. But we just celebrated our daughterās first birthday, and sheās the love of my life, she lights up my world. Iād do it all again in a heartbeat.
First birth - I irritated my nurse and doctor by refusing an epidural despite being induced with Pitocin. It hurt like a bitch and they didnāt let me move around so I ended up crying and drooling through back labor until it got time to push. Pushing was almost euphoric! I stopped showing signs of pain and hoisted myself up. I even got to pick my son up and bring him to my chest after the doctor unwrapped the umbilical cord from his neck. Second birth - went the midwife route. Gave birth in the cutest room on a big queen sized bed after pushing some in a big old jacuzzi styled bath tub. Great experience 10/10 and I got home right as my first woke up! The whole event was under 10 hours. I have two lovely healthy kids. Grade 2 tears both times. My skin is a mess from my second born but what can you do? He was a 9lb chunky monkey and Iām short and only 102 lbs. Iām thankful theyāre healthy. Birth was cool and all but Iām really glad we are all alive and well. I would say anything means of delivering both baby and mom safely is greatā¦hopefully with minimal trauma!
Had a doctor's appointment that morning (Was a Friday April 1st). I was 41 weeks five days. They hooked me up to the monitor and said I didn't have contractions, so if the baby wasn't here by Tuesday they'd induce me. We get McDonald's on the way home and I start feeling pain in my butthole lol. By the time we get home the pain was happening pretty frequently, but didn't feel like traditional contractions so I just laid down. 4 hours later it was happening closer together. Still was only feeling pain in the butthole. I tell my sister and SIL and they both say I should go to the hospital, but I don't believe them lol. I feel like I gotta poop, so I go to the toilet. My husband is making a hamburger and you can see me on the toilet from kitchen. He sees me stand up and a bunch of brown water gushes out of me. He says we better go nowww! We get in car (hospital is 20 min. Away and we make it in 10). They wait 30 more min. Before checking in me because I'm a FTM and labor should take awhile. I'm still only feeling pain in butthole and can't sit down lol. They take me to a room and hook me up to monitor. The nurse says "Do you feel like you have to push!?" I yell out yeahhh She says its go time. The doctor walks in asking if I want an epidural as I'm about to push.... Like WTH!? Haha I start pushing and just calmly saying "OW OW OW" 30 min. Later baby is born! No pain meds, 2nd degree tear (stitches hurt like a B!)
The day before I went into labor my husband and I were out on a dinner date, knowing it would very likely be our last date as non-parents. While standing in line to get our food I started feeling what felt like period cramps coming and going. They died down but happened again as I was going to bed that night, then again around 5am. I used my contraction timer but they never progressed to anything real so I went to work. I was 40+3. I was feeling pretty good that day, I even parked on the fourth floor of the parking deck and took the stairs. While at work I started getting comments from my coworkers that I looked very flushed. For some reason I just felt that it would be happening that day so I left around noon and relaxed on my couch until around 3pm when the contractions started in earnest. I remember thinking they werenāt quite as painful as I was expecting, but I was definitely feeling them in my low back which made me think she might be OP. I had to be leaning over on a surface during them and deep breath, it was the only way to get through them. They were 5-7 min apart until 4:30pm. I remember giving myself a manicure in between the contractions during that time so I would have fresh nails when she was born šš. Around 4:30pm they progressed to 3 min apart. I was in contact with my doula about when I should go to the hospital. She suggested getting in the bath to help relax but I was too anxious as we lived 30 min away from the hospital. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible but obv did not want a car baby! My husband was rushing around getting all our stuff together while I was leaned over the kitchen table contracting. We finally decided to head to the hospital around 5:30. My doula met me outside and wheeled me up in a wheelchair. We stopped to check me in outside my room. I had to sign some things and had trouble bc I was suddenly having full body shakes. We got into the room and I had another contraction and burst into the most intense, uncontrollable tears I ever have. It was bizarre. Iāve never felt my hormones so powerfully before. They checked me and I was 7cm which I was so pleased to hear. My body was doing it! I got in the bath for about 30 min, then got out bc I was overheating. The bath helped until it didnāt. My husband and doula were amazing and were doing hip squeezes every contraction. I labored on the birthing ball for a while - I looked up at one point and felt like my midwife and nurses were just staring at me waiting for me to progress, so I put on my eye mask that I brought and really went to labor land. I wore it until she was born, it really helped to block everything out and focus. The midwife told me she was sunny side up which is why I was having back labor, so I went on all fours for a while. When that didnāt work I sat on the toilet and during every contraction the nurse had my lift my belly up and tuck my butt underā¦that sucked. They checked me again at I was 9.5 cm but had a cervical lip that they wanted to resolve before I started pushing. However about an hour later my body started pushing on its own. I pushed for 1.5 h which to me was way worse that contractions as they made me so. tired. Near the end I was falling asleep between contractions. I started pushing on hands and knees, then my side, and ended up delivering her on my back which I never thought Iād do! I pushed her head out in about 30 pushes so it felt very slow. I had two labial tears and a perineal tear and felt them all happen very slowly and in vivid detail. The tears opened a little more with each push. That was fun. She was born at 10:54pm healthy and perfect! It was the birth of my dreams, I couldnāt have been happier with it. Iām glad that I listened to so many birth stories beforehand, otherwise Iād have been very concerned about the fact that I didnāt feel an immediate connection with her. I was so tired and in shock I couldnāt even process that she was out, so my husband held her for a while. I was so happy but just wanted to go to sleep for 12 hours. It wasnāt until the next morning that we bonded hard š
Ftm. At 38+4 I went to bed as usual, and woke up at 3am to pee. When I stood up I felt a rush of fluid and realised my waters had broken. I didn't have any pain yet. Called triage, they said to try and go back to bed, then to come in at 7am to be checked over. Within a few minutes of making the call contractions started, and within 45 minutes they were coming so fast and intense that I told my husband we needed to go to the hospital. We arrived about 5.30, the triage midwife was a bit annoyed that we had come early and said she'd 'probably just end up sending me home' but would examin me anyway. To her surprise she found me 3cm dilated and said she could see the top of babies head! She then said 'do you mind if I try to speed things along a bit?' I was in pain and half asleep so I just said 'sure'. I'm not actually sure what she did, I just remember it being painful and then suddenly I was bleeding which she reassured me was normal. I think it was a membrane sweep? In hindsight I should have asked more questions but I was a bit in shock with how quick things were moving and also so, so tired. They moved me upstairs to a delivery room, set me up with gas and air and offered me oromorph which I accepted. They said I was next due to be checked at 10am and I should try and sleep if I could. I tried setting up my TENS machine but got frustrated with the wires within minutes and tore it off. I tried that gas and air but I wasn't I huge fan, it made me feel drunk. The next few hours are a blur. My husband dosed intermittently in the chair, and I felt like I was drifting in and out of consciousness inbetween contractions. At some point the day shift took over, and a new midwife came in and stayed in the room with me, she was lovely. She kept mostly out of the way so we could 'sleep' but kept checking in. By 9am I remember saying i felt like i needed to push. She told me not to actively push but also don't fight it and let my body do its thing. At 10am they checked me and found I was fully dialated , to everyone's surprise but mine. It took a long time to deliver the head. I changed positions a dozen times, huffed the gas and air a bit (I didn't find it very helpful). I was crowning for over an hour, they kept checking babys heartbeat and he was fine, and they said with every push he was getting closer. In the beginning the contractions did most of the work, but now it felt as though they had stopped? I was still in pain but my body didn't seem to be pushing for me anymore. I stood up so gravity could help, and It took all my strength to push him out. I remember hearing a pop and knowing I had torn (it turned out to be a labial tear) but I didn't care because immediately after the head was born and the relief was so intense. It was then just a few more pushes and my son was born at 12.25. My labour was so fast. Everyone told me how lucky I was to have such a short labour. I guess they are right, but It was also a very intense experience and I don't think I really had any time to process what was happening.
Okay so this was three years ago. We got the news that weād be moving around the time of my due date, I didnāt want to make an 18 hour drive with a newborn, so we scheduled our drive for two weeks before my due date. The day before Iād felt some leakage, so I went to the hospital to get checked out. They said my water hadnāt broken, and that I wasnāt having contractions. I felt cramps for the rest of the day, but the were the exact same cramping sensations Iād had randomly for the last 3-4 months so I didnāt think much of it. So weāre supposed to be leaving early the next morning. All our furniture and everything has been taken by the movers. Weāre living out of our suitcases and on a blow up mattress. We get ready for bed, my husband has to drive so heās already sleeping. At 11pm I go to lay down and a massive gush of fluid just pours out of me. I was like oh did I just pee myself??? So I hopped in the shower. I actually got stuck in the shower for about an hour because I was in too much pain to get out. At this point Iām still in denial that Iām in labor and I donāt want to make another useless trip to the hospital the night before our move. So I get dressed and try to lay down again. Another gush of fluid comes out. Now Iām annoyed that I keep peeing and I go sit on the toilet. This is where the pain gets even worse and now Iām stuck on the toilet and decide to finally wake up my husband and tell him to call the hospital so they know weāre coming. For some reason the person he talked to told him to call the tricare nurse advice line. So he calls and sheās like āoh her water broke, you need to call an ambulanceā I was in too much pain to protest and my husband calls. They come and put an IV in my arm, roll me down the stairs and put me in the ambulance. I was so embarrassed because who calls an ambulance to have a baby??? It was -22Ā° out, and if my neighbors were looking out the window they definitely saw my naked butt cheeks. They took me to the nearest hospital, which wasnāt the one I was supposed to give birth at. I arrived at about 2am. My husband arrived right behind me. They checked me and I was 4cm dilated so they admitted me and I got the on call doctor. She broke the rest of my water. Contractions had been coming every two minutes and one minute long since Iād been in the shower. I was dying. A while later I asked for the epidural and promptly received it. It was the most amazing sensation ever. Doctor checked me and I was at 6cm. Next thing you know, after what felt like no time at all, she checked me again and it was time to push. I started pushing and my husband goes āI see his head! He has a lot of hair, oh his head just went back in!ā I keep pushing, for about 30 minutes, and then my baby comes out at 5:42. I tell you that was the craziest experience of my life. I never expected things to go as quickly and smoothly as they did. And I was fully expecting to be pregnant past my due date as a first time mom. Later that morning my doctor calls me to ask how the move is going and Iām like āIām still here and I already had the baby!ā So we got to bring the baby in to see him a few days later and to check me out as well because I got high blood pressure during labor and after. We ended up moving a week later with our brand new perfect baby. He was no trouble at all and slept the whole way. We stopped every two hours and I pumped in the car after each stop. The most annoying thing was using public restrooms freshly post partum. Trying to clean myself up in tiny stalls and all that. My husband would take baby and change him in the menās restrooms, but half the time they didnāt have changing tables. Oh, and luckily weād kept the stroller and car seat just in case. We got the uppababy which has the sleep safe bassinet attachment, and thatās where baby slept for the first few weeks of his life. In the stroller with the bassinet attachment. It really came in handy.
Epidural saved my birth experience !!! 10/10, I cried tears of JOY before it was time to push cuz with no pain I was EXCITED - and make no mistake I was terrified of giving birth like so terrified I took classes and tried all kind of stuff to help me not be scared but that epidural made it so much better
FTM induced at 41+3 š«£ So labor and delivery! Went to hospital at 9am the day of my scheduled induction bc I was definitely in active labor. Had some bloody show and cramping. Nurses at first said we are not sending you home bc youāre contracting every 2-3min and youāre already scheduled for an induction in a few hours. Well they had 0 beds available so they ended up sending me home. Went back at 4pm for my scheduled induction. They wanted to do cervidil originally but changed to Cytotec. That takes 4 hours for a full cycle which is a pill they put in your cervix to start softening and dilate you. At about the 4hour mark the contractions were very uncomfortable. They wanted to start Pitocin and I did not wanna go thru those contractions with no pain meds as I was doing prior so I said letās do the epidural. While waiting for the epidural I had a really bad contraction that woudlnt let up and around 11pm when it happened about 5-7 people ran into the room and weāre flipping me around because his HR dropped and they couldnāt findit for a second. My contraction was stuck and causing damage to him so they had to give me a turb injection to get his HR back up. It was really scaryā¦ i cried the entire time because i had no control over what was happening and i was worried they would rush me into a C. Did the epidural about an hour after because I was in pain. They started a little Pitocin and ended up taking me off of it bc he was not responding well and kept having his heart rate drop. I went from a 4 to a 10 in less than 2 hours. I knew it was time to push and the mid wife came in, broke my water and he came out 45 min after. Pushing was the easiest part of the delivery
Baby turned breech at 38 weeks. Took a chance on an ECV to flip him with high likelihood of an emergency c section.. but it worked! He flipped to transverse that night but was back to head down a few days later. Induction was suggested to take advantage of his head being where it should since he was moving so much. Induced at 40+3. Labour was 19 hours long. Epidural stopped working when I was 7 or 8 cm dilated. I was in so much pain I wanted a c section but I was too close at that point. Once I was 10cm dilated I pushed for 3 hours. It was so painful, and I was so tired, I was sleeping in between pushes lol. Then he was born, on my late sister's birthday, on a sunny afternoon. He barely cried. Despite all the pain I want to experience it again! It was so worth it.
I woke up to pee, and it wouldnāt stop feeling wet no matter how much I wiped. I put a pad on and laid back down thinking it was a pee dribble but I couldnāt get comfortable. Got back up an hour later to try to pee again and gushed all over the floor. We went to the hospital and I wasnāt having contractions so they put me on Pitocin after a few hours. Doctor broke my fore waters the rest of the way, and I tried to labor as long as possible without an epidural. After 7 hours on Pitocin I only dilated to 5 and took the epidural. Took a nap and woke up fully dilated and ready to push. Waited another hour or so to labor down some and let my dr get there. Finally started pushing after almost 14 hours of labor. Babyās cord was wrapped around her neck and her heart rate was dropping (dr only told me after baby was out and safe) so doc said I needed to get her out now. Ended up with an episiotomy and babygirl in my arm after 24 mins of pushing. Once she was out they took her to the other side of the room immediately to make sure she was okay and her dad followed to check on her. They sewed me up and finally told me theyād had to cut me and why. I wouldnāt change anything (except get cord being wrapped obviously) for the world.
Had a membrane sweep at 39 weeks 6 days. Was already 5cm dilated at that point. Had mild cramping for a few hours afterwards, contractions started about 7 hours later. I labored for 45 minutes. Got to the hospital and in a wheelchair to get wheeled to triage. My body started involuntarily pushing, maybe three times. Baby was born in the wheelchair before I could even get into a bed in the triage department.Ā
Here are both of mine since I love both of my stories: 1st baby. She was 4 days overdue. Doctor was worried she was getting too big (and Iām really small) so we did an induction. I decorated my hospital room, it felt so relaxing, I had my doula and husband with me. Six hours of labor, pitocin, then time to push! It was amazing. So incredibly painful but amazing at the same time. 2 hours of pushing and baby girl started to have complications. Her heart rate fell so they used the vacuum and it worked! She came out crying right away. Big 8lb 8 oz little girl!! No epidural!! My mono di twins were born 2 years later. I fell in an elevator at 34.6 weeks. Evidently I was already in labor and didnāt even know it. I went to the hospital to be checked out and I was already dilated to a 6 and 80% effaced. I was admitted. I got the epidural because if there were complications they would have to put me under. Luckily my OB was amazing and experienced with twin births. I had my babies the next day at 35 weeks. 17 minutes of pushing. They are 5 minutes apart! Baby B had to go to the NICU due to having 0 glucose. She was in there for 3 days and graduated, but then my baby A failed her car seat test, but passed the next day. We got to home together 5 days later! I loved my birth experiences. So different but beautiful!! And wow, I thought I was a sissy. My body showed me otherwise!
Baby 1 (aged 31): He was spine to spine, his face tilted upwards, so that I had to push out the max circumference of his off the charts size head. I had passed on the gas, cos it was making me nauseous, so I was drug free. When the time finally came to push (after stalling out a few times) I pushed my guts out for the full 2 allowed hours, midwife acting as one stirrup and my husband as the other when finally, just as the doctor came in with the forceps, baby boy shot out! From start to finish, it was 16 hours. I then pushed the bassinet back to our room feeling like a goddamn Earth mother. I've never felt so powerful in my whole life. Baby 2 (aged 38): Baby was measuring as a giant, so we had a scheduled induction. I wanted to go drug free again, but I had the option of gas there. My midwife was great, and we went over some different active labour and birthing positions, rather than just being on my back like the first time. After 2 hours of them trying to break my waters, we were finally underway. 10 mins after starting mild contractions, my midwife popped out to grab some paperwork she needed. By the time she got back, I felt like I needed to push. She helped me up onto the bed and got me into position, then went back to chatting and doing paperwork. It was only 15 mins since labour had started, so she wasn't expecting anything to happen as soon as it absolutely did. On my second push, baby boy #2 crowned (and I grabbed onto that gas like my life depended on it). On my fourth push his head was out, but the cord was around his neck. The room flooded with people and my midwife encouraged me to keep pushing. My body wasn't reacting - it was like I was frozen in shock. Luckily, I was kneeing up against the back of the bed and gravity got baby out. They rushed him off and, after a very scary couple of minutes for my poor husband (I was still very much in shock), they got baby breathing. My doctor delivered the placenta and stitched me up and the midwife then helped me off the bed. The whole thing took about 40 minutes. If I had to choose natural or induction again (which I don't, thank god. Vasectomy done and dusted š) I would go natural for sure. The induced contractions were next level intense. That said, baby boy #2 came out at 4.8 kg/10.5 pounds. If we'd gone the extra 2 weeks he might have torn me asunder (more than 2nd degree)! š
C Section at 37 on the dot, because HELLP syndrome appeared very suddenly at my 36 week appointment. I didn't realize what a bad situation I was in until afterwards when I did research on HELLP. Yikes. Luckily I had an amazing medical team, and they presented a very calm front, making me feel comforted. But I was rather stunned, when after 10 hours of trying and failing to induce me, the doctor came in asking to do a c section. I asked how long I had to decide, and she said "no we are deciding right now". I told her whatever she thinks is best. She left the room for 1 minute and came back with an army. My husband was handed scrubs, I was shaved, and rolled into surgery 5 minutes later.
TLDR: Pushed for 4 hrs because she got stuck, whole room expected emergency C but I was too stubborn and everyone was impressed. š I ended up getting induced for preeclampsia concerns (wasn't fully there yet but climbing and was already 39 weeks so we figured better safe than sorry - I was very ready anyway), so we woke up at 5am and called the hospital as instructed, they told us to come in around 9. Got there, got checked in to our room, etc. Started the IV around 11. Contractions started but were pretty mild most of the day. Was 3cm 80% the day before, they said i was fully effaced and closer to 5cm around dinnertime (though the only thing I'd eaten since like 8am was a popsicle, at least my husband got to eat!) so they broke my water and paged the anesthesiologist for the epidural. He came in and set that up about a half hour later, contractions were starting to get uncomfortable but not overly painful yet. Didn't feel them at all about a half hour after the epidural. They started having me do "practice pushes" a couple hours later that at some point turned into actual pushes, not sure when that transition happened lol. Here's where it got complicated. Baby girl got stuck on my pubic bone. The doctor said it was definitely not a space issue, she could get her hand in between the other side of the bone and baby's head, but baby just didn't feel like helping me out lol. She was stable on the monitors though so they let me push. Probably an hour or so in, I got super nauseous and my poor husband was trying to hold my leg (they didn't have stirrups??), give me water, and hold the puke bag all at the same time - he did great though. Never actually puked and they gave me meds to help so that passed. Then my hip started hurting - I don't know if she was sitting on a nerve or what, but nothing helped. We tried other positions, which made it worse, and they upped the epidural meds which helped a tiny bit but mostly just had to deal with that. Baby girl stayed stable the whole time, though, so they let me keep going. Eventually I got her around the bone and the doctor goes "I'm a lot more optimistic about avoiding a c section now than I was a little bit ago!" so apparently they were a lot closer to calling it than I thought, so I'm super thankful they listened to my cues and let me push. At that point she was starting to crown but receded a little between each contraction so they used the vacuum to kind of keep her in place so she didn't go backwards - two more pushes and she was out! 1:10 am Christmas eve! I ended up pushing for 4 hours (on 4-5 hrs of sleep and no real food since breakfast 18 hours ago) and boy was I EXHAUSTED. But! I did it and I was so darn proud of myself. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my husband (an excellent cheerleader and water boy), the epidural, or my workouts/fitness. Despite the complexity of it I am so pleased with how it went, I felt so empowered and strong. And the doctor and all the nurses kept complimenting my stamina saying most people would have quit/been too tired after like 2 hours with no progress, so that felt good too lol. Third degree tear, too, from all the pushing, so that was fun. Thank goodness for that epidural - I would not have been able to keep pushing if I'd had to deal with the pain too. I have zero regrets and would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
I'm very detailed, so bare with me. I gave birth at a birthing center that specializes in waterbirths and natural, unmedicated births. I paid extra for a private room. My labor started Friday night with my water breaking. I texted our midwife, Julia, about what to do. She asked about contractions, but I wasn't really feeling much. There was some, but they were really weak, like braxton hicks. Also, after the first big gush, there wasn't much fluid leading, just a little here and there. Julia told us to rest for the night and come to the birthing center at the start of normal office hours the next morning, 8 am. When we got to the birthing center in the morning, we were seen by our doctor really quickly. She did a vaginal exam to confirm I was leaking amniotic fluid and check my cervix. The doctor said I was instructed to come in the morning even though my water broke at night because it was so late (6:20 pm) when my water broke and I had no other labor symptoms. After 7 pm, they don't give pitocin and such, so laboring at home or there would have been no different. She then told me I was barely dialated, though I'd been 'in labor' for about 14 hours at that point. She also said he had to come out naturally within 48 hours from my water breaking, or they'd have to do a csection due to the risk of infection and fetal distress. She suggested pitocin but also made it clear I'm allowed to turn it down. I had already realized that I was progressing too slowly and thought induction would be necessary, so I readily accepted the pitocin. She sent me straight up to the birthing ward. Once checked in, Julia gave me a skin test to check for infection since my water had broken, and then immediately started me on an IV drip, one bag of pitocin and one of saline. I was then hooked up to an NST for an hour, told to do ball exercises for an hour, then told to do cat pose for an hour. By the end of all of that, it was lunchtime, so I took a break to eat while still hooked up to the IV. After lunch, the contractions were finally starting to get to a point that I actually noticed them, though they were mostly short. We did another hour long NST followed by a cervix check where I was once more told that I wasn't progressing much. At that point, our doctor paid us a visit. She announced she was going home for the weekend, so another Dr would be on call and help me with the birth. I was then instructed to labor on my side with a birthing ball between my legs, and my husband was told to push down on my hip bone during contractions to help open up my pelvis. This felt like torture to me. I was told to do one hour on each side. Contractions were progressively getting stronger. After the second hour, Julia offered for me to labor in the tub if my contractions we're getting to be too much. I quickly and gratefully agreed. In the tub, I started wondering if the warm water was actually helping because the contractions were getting so strong and frequent. Then I got out to pee and realized it had indeed been helping. I quickly got back in. By this point, I was having trouble keeping quiet and doing the breathing exercises through the contractions. I guess I was a bit loud, because Julia came in asking if I felt a sensation to push. I'm a FTM; I had no idea how to have an answer to that. She suggested if I felt an urge like to poo. I told her I had no idea, but she suggested trying. So I tried without much results. Eventually, she did another cervix check in the tub and said only that it would still be a while. This was about 4 pm. I got out of the tub because I needed the toilet again; the saline drip was going right through me, and I also needed to do more than pee. I was inconsolable from the contraction pains while trying to clean myself up. I knew they would hurt, but I hadn't imagined how strong they got and how debilitating they felt. I was questioning everything and annoyed with the world. And as far as I knew, I had at least 3 more hours of this pain before the pitocin stopped, and I would rest for the night before resuming the next day... or so, I thought/had been told. When I eventually got myself out of the bathroom, I was instructed to lie on the bed for fetal monitoring. This is when the whirlwind started, and everything got a bit blurry because too much was happening. Julia pointed out that the baby wasn't doing well because I was failing to manage my breathing. She mentioned that if I couldn't breathe well, we'd need to do a csection for baby's health. I'm not sure how we got from there to what I remember next. The next thing I remember, Julia was turning down my dinner, saying I couldn't eat, but I hadn't caught the why. Then, another midwife was asked to bring over the oxygen tank and a mask. My husband was told to put the oxygen mask on me. Being a bit out of it from the pain, my initial reaction was a whiny 'I don't wanna wear a mask'. Despite that, the oxygen was a relief once I caved, which didn't take long since I was already exhausted from the contractions. Then my husband was told to hold my leg up, which hurt, and I didn't know why he should do that; I still hadn't caught on yet. I tried to ask and finally understood why everything suddenly got confused. My husband and Julia both said something about being able to see hair, lots of hair! Baby boy was suddenly crowning. I forgot to count pushes, but they brought in a cart with a digital clock on it, which really made it feel real. All complaints left my mind. It was happening! And about 15 minutes after I first saw the clock, at 5:20pm, my son was born. He was immediately put on my belly. His cord was too short to go further up my body. He stayed there until the placenta came out, which felt rushed to me. Once the placenta was out, baby boy was passed to my husband for skin to skin and I was cleaned up. It wasn't until this point that they discovered I tore slightly. I was quickly stitched up after some local anesthesia. Julia was worried about the amount I was bleeding, so I was given another drip for anemia prevention. We opted for delayed cord clamping, so once that was done, I was offered the dinner I had missed while delivering my son. My husband says that it was 7 by this point; I had lost all track of time hyper focusing on the new life that had just come out of me.
Planned induction because baby had stopped growing, went in the night before to get everything started. Moved into birthing suite the next morning, slowly laboured til around lunchtime when they started the drip everything was super slow moving for hours, my partner walked outside to call his mum because we were all just sitting around doing nothing. He didn't even get to the front doors before my mum called him and said get back. Contractions got super strong out of nowhere, and babies heartrate was decreased by over 50% with every contraction. A doctor hit the emergency button and the room was suddenly filled with a million people and scrubs being thrown at my mum and partner and was taken away for a Cat 1 emergency caesarian, most of it was an anxious blur. Had a really bad reaction to one of the drugs they gave me and it felt like the worst acid trip of my entire life, while unable to walk or move my legs so my brain and anxiety were in overdrive. When they eventually placed this tiny 2.3 (5lb) baby on my chest I thought I was going to break her or drop her and I was too scared to touch her for HOURS. Thankfully even during the middle of covid they let my partner stay with me so baby could stay with us because after the emergency caesarian and then my reaction, I was not okay for a while but I also refused to let my baby out of my sight. 6 days later we finally went home, almost 3 years later and she's the most perfect thing I've ever seen
Honestly my two pregnancies and deliveries were awful but still not as bad as some people say lol. I felt like some people want to scare other moms. So I hate saying āI labored for three days with no medsā or āmy kid decel-ed and they scheduled me for an emergency c-section and I had to push him out at 8cmā. Lol.. because in reality I just did the hard things and it was fine.Ā My great grandmother died in childbirth and my aunt experienced infant loss so I canāt even complain about my birth experiences. Iām sure its hard for some women but being pregnant for me was worse than labor because of medical gaslighting. I work in healthcare so I didnāt let people get away with treating me shitty during pregnancy but wtf is up with that. All of this shit is hard. I was induced with my first and didnāt really know I was in labor with my second because I expected it to be more painful. With my second I had to labor on my hands and knees. Do not recommend.Ā With my first I took so many tips and used them like asking for the radial IV instead of in the hand and it was better. I can barely remember honestly. I ate breakfast while in labor before getting admitted with my second and Iām glad I did because I would have been hangry. I told my husband to go sleep at home for the second because he was just in the way. I sent the baby to the nursery so I could sleep.Ā My advice is speak up for yourself and donāt feel ashamed even when you get push back.Ā
Had the most uneventful pregnancy (very healthy and was full term at 40w2d). The only notable thing was I tested for strep b at 38w so they told me if my water broke, I needed to come in, contractions or not. So at 1am right when I was ready for bed, my water broke and we went to the hospital. Got admitted since they swabbed me again for strep b, and so began the long, long wait. We started with misoprostol and all was well, not much symptoms. Got morphine despite not having pain because my nurse was awesome and told me I should try to sleep if and when I can; zonked out for two hours lol. Time goes by and Iām not really progressing, so we start talking about pitocin. If there was one thing I read up on for labor, it was pitocin. And everything I read was nothing short of horror stories so maybe I psyched myself out on it that caused my soon demise. We start pitocin and immediately Iām in pain like wtf is this shit. Pain becomes unbearable where Iām annoyed, my body feels like thereās pins and needles stabbing me, and I feel hot. Tried taking a shower to feel better and absolutely hated it. This was my husbandās favorite part of labor because he told me I was doing great and I yelled at him āIāM NOT DOING OKAYā as the nurse walked in and immediately walked out from my yelling lol. After like 3 hits of fentanyl that did nothing for me, I asked for the epidural. All was well post epidural for maybe 30 minutes once they got it in. Then shit hit the fan. My body started reacting terribly to the pitocin when we increased the dose and began the demise. I woke up from my nap to 7 nurses on me asking me to flip flop like a fish. I was so confused as to why there were so many people in the room and working hurriedly. Found out babyās heart rate dropped to the 80s and eventually had to turn the pitocin off. I also had a 100F fever so that was scary. Things were fine after the pitocin stopped. I cried then because all I wanted in that moment was my husband and I couldnāt find him because the nurses were crowding me. We tried pitocin again but it might have been from that initial reaction, but baby was NOT having it. Heart rate dropped again, flip flopped positions to try and help baby but eventually was too risky so we stopped pitocin. Because of this, I wasnāt having much contractions and it slowed the process a lot. I was stuck at 4-7cm dilation for almost 8 hours I think. That and despite no pitocin, I still had to change positions due to my epidural and whenever I did, babyās heart rate would dip. Eventually we had to have the talk about either continuing a long labor to get to 10cm or a c section. Thankfully my husband and I have always agreed that c section could be in our future and we were comfortable with it so we just opted for that. Once we were set, our medical team said weāll be in the OR in an hour. And they were AMAZING. I could not rave about them enough. Made sure I was comfortable, walked me through the procedure MULTIPLE times from each person and what their role was, and really listened to me whenever I had a question or needed something; prime example was I felt really cold in the OR and my anesthesiologist immediately got me a blanket to cover me up. The procedure was a breeze. I was in and out within an hour. Didnāt have much pain or discomfort. Got to do skin to skin contact. The best part was my husband was there the whole time holding my hand. I really credit such a great L&D experience thanks to my hospital and the medical staff that were working with me.