We are so very excited to announce the birth of our son Hunter James. Here is how he came into the world (fair warning, TMI for some).
Hunter was due on Monday, Septemer 30. I had an OB checkup October 3rd. I wasn't dilated more than 2 cm. We planned a non-stress test for the following Monday, and said if he wasn't here by then, we would set a date for induction (we weren't going past 42 weeks of course). By this point I tried all the wives tails to naturally induce labor (pineapple, spicy food, intimacy with husband, stimulation, etc) and nothing worked.
On Friday, October 4 evening, the mucous passed. My husband and I tried once more to see if we could get things going. The next morning, I woke up with a contraction at 6:24 AM, went to the bathroom and saw the "show." I called my mom and she was on her way up.
By 7:30, the contractions were 30 minutes apart. They stayed that way for about 2 hours. Then they moved to about 20 minutes apart. They were this way about 2 hours. At 11:40, they were hitting 12-15 minutes and were getting stronger. By 1:30 they were 7 minutes apart. When my doula arrived at 2:15, they had been 3-4 minutes apart. She checked and I was 5 cm. Off to the hospital we went!!
At 2:50, the nurse at the hospital checked and I was 7 cm. Time was flying! I got into the labor tub for about 30 minutes and could feel a lot of pressure with the contractions. With that next check, I was 9.5 cm and got ready for pushing. I was able to push in several positions, and worked hard at that for a little over an hour. At 5:15 PM, Dr. Jones broke my water and Hunter was born at 5:25 PM. As we learned in the class, at the end I felt like nothing I was doing was good and I just kept asking for them to take him out, that I couldn't do it anymore. My husband, who was a wonderful support this whole time, and my doula Amy, as well as the nurses and Dr. Jones kept telling me I was almost done and I was doing great. I did manage to make it through unmedicated. I think I succeeded because my labor went so quickly; I didn't have a choice at the end because it was too late!Here is our boy Hunter, weighing 8lbs 12 oz!! Our little family is overjoyed! Thank you so much Cora for this class. Without it, I wouldn't have made it through labor as easily. I remembered all the relaxation techniques. I did have a focal point when I started pushing, but I lost it as I allowed the pain to take over. That may be why I got scared at the end. Doesn't matter because he is here!
Glad to hear you got the birth you were hoping for. After experiancing it both ways which would you choose at this point if you are going to do it again? I hope to be sending Hunter something soon but I need to catch up on the backorders. Everyone seems to have had a baby in the last 4 months and I seem to have put off making all saints coustumes a bit longer than I should have.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose between the induction I had with Jeanne and the natural labor/delivery this time, I would surely pick the natural labor/delivery. Having an induction means you are stuck on the bed with an IV because you will need pain meds (since the induced contractions hurt bad), and you will probably get an epidural to take the feeling away, and all these things can possibly lead to problems with the baby (As mine did).
DeleteI have no problem doing an epidural once you get to a certain point, but I really enjoyed the "high" I felt after pushing him out with no meds, knowing he had no outside chemicals in his system he had to get rid of.