A Birth Story: Part I: Gus' Grand Entrance

Here is the story of the last few days of the pregnancy and the birth!

Our last hypnobirthing story was Thursday and it was exciting to meet someone who had successfully used the hypnosis to birth, it truly was. But on the same token I feared that with my mother here as much as I love her, that she would not understand and know enough to be able to support this method. Neil and I had not practiced enough hypnobirthing either, so it was going to be a shot in the dark really if the methods were going to work for us all. My mom flew in Friday night from West Palm Beach, and I was so thankful to see her!

How it started:

Saturday morning 4 am I had my first contraction. I was not sure it was for real, and I figured it was all in my head. I knew I just wanted labor to get started so I figured that every twinge I got I would probably would want to think... "this is it".

So it's now Saturday 10 October - 5 am. I get up to pee - again - and I think it's another contraction but it's not very painful, but it aches a little more than they have in days previous... but still not sure, I go back to bed.

It's 7 am. More peeing, some water starts to leak out of me. I figure this is round two of Monday's false alarm. I tell Neil maybe it's here.. water comes gushing out, I sit on the edge of the bath tub, and water starts coming out a lot... gush once, gush twice, thrice, ok... now we are pretty sure it's my water and it has broken. I must be one of those 8% of cases that water breaks prior to labor starting. Ok shower time! Called the hospital and it was neat to tell them that it was actually my due date! (5% of women go into labor and have their baby on the due date)

So we get cleaned up, get all our stuff and go get some breakfast. We went to Metro Diner on the way there and I had a couple blueberry pancakes, but the contractions were coming, even if they were not painful yet. Go to hospital in Bethesda... the President's hospital!

At Bethesda Naval Medical Center (Hospital):

I was triaged, 4 cm dilated. The baby's heart was monitored as well as my uterine contractions and they also did a quick ultrasound to ensure the baby's head was down. The nurse started an IV when I told them my water broke. I was not leaving the hospital without having this little man! (One the nurses blew out a vein in my arm.. very very bruised still!) But the second 18G needle that went in was set no problem. Did I tell you how lucky I was to poop while we were waiting to be triaged?? Lucky huh?

So about 1130 we were moved to a labor and delivery room (looked like a suite at your local Motel 8 rooms). There was a couch, a rocking chair, a bed for me that had a pull away section, shower, birthing ball... eh.. all good. But here's the thing that drove me nuts... I had to be on the monitor constantly, and I didn't realize the importance until the nurses and doctors kept rushing into the room with urgency and sense of purpose.

I had to be on the monitor all the time! So every time I had to pee, I had to let them know. When I sat on the birthing ball, they couldn't see the monitor.. it just wouldn't work while I was sitting that "way". So that was a pain. I wanted to stand but that was problematic as well. The surges kept coming and I was very comfortable for a while. I started listening to my hypnobirthing recordings a bit too late I think... that and well no one knew about it and my mom just kept telling me about the pain I was about to experience. The unfortunate thing was that the word "pain" was supposed to be off limits! We were not supposed to talk about it, but she did not realize that. My birth plan included that, as well as having the baby be put onto my chest if all goes well. OH well... Mom and Neil went to get some lunch in the cafe of the hospital.

After they returned labor was still moderate and I was easily able to deal with it. Some of the surges really started kicking up around 4 pm and I had to really focus on hypnobirthing. But still, I had distractions that were inevitable. I decided not to call the doula or Crystalene, I wanted privacy... and I didn't realize that I would feel like that, but I was off my birth plan already and I was a bit embarrassed in a sense. I was not doing everything I was supposed to be doing in order to be in the deepest most relaxed state I could be in. Oh well... poop. Oddly enough though looking back I don't remember how it all really went except for the very end. Time flew by and between some of the more serious surges, I was able to sleep and be in a hypnotic state, I listened to my ipod over and over.. the 1812 Overture was a blessing and made me feel perfectly content. I was zoning out... my mother' and husband's presence was comforting but I barely remember them there in some instances. Mom and Neil held my legs up too once I was moved to the bed. I barely remember but it felt so good, and I think I was telling them over and over how good it felt and how great the music was, I think I told my mom and Neil repeatedly. I also barely remember the talking... mom and Neil would be talking but it felt like their conversation was so far away and not in the room. It was awesome in hind sight. I remember the back pain I had too, and how I held the sides of the bed and held myself up for all of my surges. I remember the unbelievable desire to poop for so long and how badly I wanted it to go away. I had wished I could have pooped!

Around what I think was 10 pm I was 8 cm dilated. The anesthesiologist came by and between some erratic contractions (2 mins apart) she read to me the options I had for pain relief and what would happen if there was an emergency and/or c-section. I had to sign that I understood my options.. that was fun...

So I moved towards 9 cm pretty quick but I hung there for a while. One of the doctors kept saying how if I didn't progress they wanted to go to use Pitocin to completely dilate and regulate contractions. I am so glad I stood my ground and told them no. My cervix softened on it's own and to the point that my nurse was certain I was to be able to push through (thank goodness for the nurse - Margaret - she was a blessing).

Pushing and Delivery:

So I was allowed to push - I felt like I could see the finish line! It felt good to push, my contractions were manageable again! It was a warm feeling and I could feel the sensation as his head traversed the birth canal.

The nurse tried to empty my bladder by inserting a catheter into my urethra and that was painful and miserable! Not only that but no pee came out, it was too late basically and all that was successfully done is worsened my post deliver urinary incontinence (I barely made it to the bathroom a couple times during our hospital stay. . . ok, I will level with you, I made it to the bathroom - dropped trow and realized I had already peed on my feet and the floor just before making over the toilet!)

The room was ready in minutes. Absorbent paper was put on the ground and a bag was attached to the bed by my hiney. They poured some stuff onto me iodine or whatever... and i remember how cold it was. Brrr... but it also felt good, guess they had to clean the area up! The doc continued to stretch out my perineum to make it easier I suppose. They dropped the head of my bed a bit so I was leaning back a bit further. The doctors explained to me to grab my legs, push with my abs, and to breath in and hold for 10 during pushing. I did this three times each contraction that came on.

It felt so good to push! We pushed for about an hour or so maybe? Time was so skewed for me. Looking back the pain does not seem so bad, but I also remember looking into Neil's eyes and whispering that it would never be over and how I felt I may not be able to do it. His presence was all I needed.

Mom and Neil told me that they were holding my bum so that the hemorrhoids would not fall out!!! I never realized it.

He's Out! But I am still laying here....

So they take him out, pulling and pushing, there was urgency. He had the cord wrapped around his neck twice. I did not realize it and I just relished in the warm feeling of his exit and the fact that he was in good hands. I saw the female doctor cut his cord, I realized then that something was up, but they moved so quickly and the baby was moving quickly. I trusted them to do what they do best, the female doc that delivered us made me feel at ease, I had seen her a few times over the last few hours. She had an air of confidence and aptitude. She was good at what she did, or at least she had wonderful bed side manners.

I heard Gustave peep... he was not too loud but he was fine. The pediatricians appeared quickly and reported to us that he was fine and they would come by tomorrow to check on him. So he got a little extra attention, not a bad thing. They gave him his vitamin K shot, he didn't say a word. Neil was right there when he was on the warming table. The Corpman did their jobs well.

I was still on the table, one of the newer residents was at the ready holding the umbilical cord where it was still attached to the placenta which was still inside. They were waiting for it to come out. I was given Pitocin to facilitate the dropping of the placenta and shrinking of the uterus. I didn't feel much and then all of a sudden the female doc took over and showed the newer doc how to do it. She gave it a bit of a tug gave my abdomen a really good massage and out it came. No pain really. She put the placenta into a blue rubbermaid bin and inspected it.

Now came clean up. Doc rolled up her chair to inspect my underthings. I was joking with the doctors at this point, we were laughing together, she admired my strength to labor without an epi, I admired her professionalism. I was feeling pretty high on life I suppose that and I was exhausted and sweaty from all the pushing. She found a small tear and got the lidocaine out and injected me in with it to numb me up. That pinched a bit here and there, but then nothing, she gave me three stitches and all done!

Neil brought me my little man, I had been watching him from the bed the whole time while the doctors worked on me. I was so happy.. he was so little, I felt so inept! I just had never held a newborn. The nurse helped me get him to breast feed a little. She helped me put him in the football hold and then in a cross the chest hold. She was so patient. People had filtered out of the room, it was just us and the nurse.

A corpsman came by and gave him a sponge bath, and he got hepatitis B shot and he was given back to Neil. I was so tired. The nurse wanted me to pee prior to leaving the room to our newer cleaner recovery suite. Then we took the walk to suite 8 and settled in. Mom went to stay at the Navy Lodge on post (it was three AM!) and Neil went to get our bags. We brushed, baby was in the bassinet that they provided and he was checked on a few times as was I. Neil slept on the pull out couch that was provided. We kinda slept... everything is so fuzzy looking back!

Ok well you will have to read part II for more!