So, as I look forward to giving birth to Jack, I have a natural desire to compare my expectations of the impending event to Dory's story. I know I shouldn't, that every birth is completely different and that I certainly do not want to overshadow his story with hers. That said, I know that *I* have never blogged her account and I know that Jack's will soon be up for all to read. Therefore, it makes sense to add Dory's now.
Much of what follows is my recollection at 6 months along with other info that I didn't include then due to space issues in the baby book... And John should feel free to correct or add his memories to the comments section (please sweetie?)
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On Monday I started contracting in the early morning, about 2am. They went away by the early afternoon and I had spent much of the morning in the bath tub relieving some of the discomfort that they were causing and ding final nesting things. The contractions were accompanied with bloody show and part of the mucus plug.
On Tuesday, the same thing happened, early am contractions! John stayed home with me since he was very excited and we had a wonderful day together doing us things, but again, they stopped at about noon.
Wednesday and Thursday were more of the same, contractions and bloody show that went away with time only (didn't matter what I was doing, I was having steady contractions) and John being very excited and sticking around, us doing stuff together. In the afternoons, when he was disappointed at the lack of a main event, he would head into work for a few hours.
Friday started very similar!
However, they didn't stop. They got much stronger (not so much regulated though) and by 5am I had already taken more than one long bath to ease the pain. As the day went, they kept getting stronger, and not regulated.
By noon we had called our Doula, Lara Miller, to let her know that today was going to be the day since she has 3 kids and could use the bit of warning. We stayed at home until 11pm that night before making the 35 minute drive to our hospital and CNM, Bobbie Kimsey. Some of it was Lara's urging, but I knew that I wanted to labor at home for as long as I could. I didn't want to have issues at the hospital with someone tampering with the labor or attempting to give me a needle (again, needle phobic here).
Bobbie had told me that as long as I was hydrated upon admittance that it was fine and we could forgo even a heplock. I had been practically gulping water between every contraction the whole time, I have never been more hydrated than I was then.
I really thought at that point that Dorothy would have been born by 2am, but we were very wrong.
The stress on me of the hospital admittance (the nurses there didn't believe me about no needle and they had to find Bobbie to confirm it with her) caused me to plateau and I didn't progress much after that. I am willing to put good money on it that my cervix closed up a good bit on the way to the hospital too.... (YES, it CAN do that!!!) The contractions were intense and I managed the pain once there with low moaning (much like a cow's moo), walking, taking showers, and even singing - everything that I could think of to control the pain naturally. It did work! I did labor some on the toilet since i was drinking, but that just hurt like HELL. (We did however flood the shower, bathroom and part of the LDR room since John's foot ended up on the drain... It took us forever to figure that out, we even had ever available towel on the floor sopping it up!) Some of the nurses at the hospital thought I was a bit odd - not wanting drugs of any kind, but I knew in my heart it was best for both Dorothy and me not to.
Labor slowed down twice; I was threatened with both Pitocin and Cervidil and would not accept. We got it going again both times without medical intervention. (Nipple stimulation, *blech*)
I was nearly (well, pretty much was) sleeping throughout the contractions at the end I was so tired at that point. John was awesome, staying right by my side giving me strength when I needed it. I wouldn't allow the poor guy to leave for any reason.
I was too tired at this point to make it back to the toilet so I went all over the chucks pads on the bed, this is what happens when you are forcing fluids, and the last thing I needed was the bladder to be in my way fo pushing. that would have just added more pain and complicated things.
I ate PB&J sandwich, I think.
At about 7am Dory decided that she was ready and I started to push. It was at this point that my water finally broke. I felt her head as she crowned, but had NO interest in seeing it in a mirror. Two times I pushed too hard; on one of those times I should not have pushed at all... It was then that I gave myself a 3rd degree tear up. It was the ONLY time that I screamed the entire labor, that stinking hurt. At 7:36 on Saturday morning she was born.
She started nursing immediately. I had several stiches and was done. Never one needle except for the stiches.
Bobbie did want to give me Pitocin after birth to prevent hemmoraging, but I asked her if I was. She said "no" so I told her she could give it to me when I actually was, not before.
We forewent the newborn eyedrops.
She was 6lbs 12ozs and 21 inches long.
Her hair had been matted with blood while crowing and Bobbie tried to tell me as she was crowing that she had brown hair. Even though I could not see her, I knew better and corrected them. She did indeed have blonde hair, and lots of it.
Labels: birth, pregnancy
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