A few people have asked me how my labor went and my short answer is "it wasn't as bad as I expected." I ended up writing about my labor experience to some friends, so for those interested in the details, this is how it all went down.
My water broke at 6am while I was half asleep in bed. Although I wasn't feeling any contractions yet I called the hospital and they told me to go in (I tested positive for Group B strep so needed antibiotics prior to delivery). I was totally caught off guard because we had learned in our childbirth prep class that we would go through the early stage of labor for about 8-12 hours before even having to go to the hospital. I guess I completely skipped that stage. Anyway for some reason we took our time going to the hospital - I took a shower, did a load of laundry, we even stopped at Starbucks. But by 8am I started to feel minor contractions and by the time we got to the hospital they were really strong and 5 minutes apart. I had always expected it to feel like bad menstrual cramps but (and sorry if this is TMI) instead the pressure was more in the rectal area, like an intense urge to have a bowel movement. Then I was tripping because I couldn't remember if I had had a bowel movement the night before, and I didn't want to have one while I was delivering.
I was admitted, hooked up with the IV, and sent to my room. I had been 1cm dilated and 90% effaced the day before, and when I went in I was only 2cm dilated. Since I wanted the flexibility of being able to use the restroom and move around, I told them I didn't want the epidural until I was 5cm dilated. In the meantime they gave me fentanyl to take the edge off my contractions. That felt really good, except each dose only lasted about an hour each and by the third dose it was becoming less effective. I tried walking around and changing positions but by 2pm the contractions were so unbearable I told them I was ready for the epidural. Luckily I was 5cm dilated by that point. Once I got the epidural I didn't feel a thing and got to relax. The only thing I thought was annoying was the catheter because I was still able to feel it every time I moved in bed. It took another six hours until I was fully dilated. I was getting antsy to start pushing so at 7pm I gave in and let them administer pitocin to speed up the process.
In terms of hunger, I was able to have jello and fruit juice before the epidural but after that I was limited to ice chips. I wish I had brought some hard candy to suck on while in labor. The taste of Jolly Ranchers would have definitely been welcome after eating ice chips for six hours. I think the hospital had popsicles as well but they had run out when we were there. I snuck in a feel sips of broth and it was probably the best broth I had ever tasted.
Although the pushing lasted two hours it really didn't seem like that long. In the beginning it seemed like I was pushing and nothing was happening. Right before the baby crowned I actually got to watch in the mirror to see how things were progressing. Not for the faint of heart but it was amazing to see as the head came closer and closer to the opening with each push. So I don't know if the epidural just wasn't as strong, but I was really unprepared for the pain when the baby crowned. For me it was probably the worst part of the whole labor process, especially that in-between stage when she had crowned but her head wasn't out completely. I just wanted to keep pushing but had to wait for the next contraction. Once I felt her head come out the rest was a blur. I remember my OB holding her up and then placing her on my chest. All I felt was this tremendous sense of relief, shock, and happiness all at the same time. It really was an amazing moment. I don't even remember pushing to deliver the placenta, it seems like the OB just pulled it out of me, but it actually felt pretty good coming out. I had some very minor tearing and got stitched up.
I look back now and think how funny it is that I spent so many months anticipating and worrying about the whole childbirth process, but when it actually happened, it felt so natural. I won't lie, some parts were painful, but it was all forgotten and all worth it in the end. As for any hesitations about being unprepared before the baby was born, it's amazing how your maternal instincts just kick in once you have your own. Everything just seems to come so naturally. I used to be scared just to hold a baby and now I can't stop holding my own. =)
No comments:
Post a Comment