This time I knew better. I wanted a midwife, or someone who would listen to me atleast. I wanted a water birth and I wanted to have the baby as natural as I could, while still being in a hospital. VA Beach served its purpose in that respect. I wish I lived there, just so I can have that birth experience again. I didnt get my water birth, but that is on me. I didnt find time to take the needed class, so my fault.
Everything else, was awesome. Midwives, atleast the ones I had, are more hands off, and allow you to participate in the whole pregnancy and birth experience. I got to check my urine and learn all about what is normal and not, I'd weigh myself.. Which also saved time, since I wasn't bouncing between nurse and doctor.
Anyways, fast forward to the day of Kylan's birth, which oddly enough both her and Fal were born 40 weeks and 2 days. Fal's EDD Aug 3, and she was born the 5th, Ky's EDD Jan 9th and she was born the 11th.
I wish I took more notes on time and everything, but I wasn't sure I was in labor and I was still taking care of Fal during this whole thing so its all guesses leading up to the hossy.
I tossed and turned the night before, but that's normal for me. I wake up around 6:30 and just feel off. I think I have the stomach flu, and quickly start alternating between toilet and bath tub for different kinds of relief. It really just felt like I needed to go to the bathroom.. It took me awhile to catch onto my contractions. :)
Fal wakes up at some point, and I am chasing her, and running to the bathroom still. Finally, I get it, and start timing contractions. At this point, I wake up David, and tell him i need help with Fal, because I am starting to be in alot of pain, and think I may be in labor.
Finally we call our friends to come watch Fal, since I am pretty sure we need to head to the hospital.
We get there around 3 pm. ( I think, I asked David, and his response was "im not sure what your asking me") I walked in, and they made me ride in the stupid wheelchair even though I asked to walk. We had to go through emergency since it was a Sunday. I get to the labor ward, and I talk to the nurse, who says the midwife will be there soon to check me, but they are probably going to send me home, since they have never seen anyone be able to speak so calmly while in labor., Turns out I am already 4cm and the midwife asks to break my water. I agree and off we go. I start off walking around, and then trying different positions in bed and using counter pressure to deal with the pain. I had bad back labor with Kylan, and ended up in the shower, on a labor ball, as my last ditch effort before getting an epidural. The nurse really tried to reason with me, she said I only have about a half hour left til I push this baby out, and to just wait it out. Looking back, I probably could, but in that moment, I was done, and exhausted.
I had my epidural, which always makes me loopy, but they gave me such a low dose, that when kylan was born shortly after at 8:13pm, I was able to get up and walk around. I didnt tear or need cutting, which makes me wonder how Kylan who was bigger was able to leave me in one piece and Fal wasnt...
Kylan was 7.8lbs and 19.75 inches long, they placed her right on me, and I was able to nurse almost as soon as they did.
This birthing experience was so different and so was the recovery. I was up and eating shortly after, I wasnt catherter except for the actually pushing part. I got up and showered, and was able to pick Kylan up without needing someone to hand her to me (which happened with fal, since I couldnt move)
I was discharged with baby in tow, exactly 24ish hours after I had her. Fal and David visited several times after I had Kylan.. including at 1am that night.
I won't ever go back to a traditional hospital birth now.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Why I will never have a "normal" hospital birth again.
Basically this will be Falynn's birth story. I havent ever really told anyone my perspective of my birth with Falynn. I never felt the need too, other than trying to warn people against going the traditional route. I always thought your birth story had to be a homebirth, were you were empowered and did it yourself. But really any story of giving birth, is a birth story.
40 weeks, I go for my normal weekly checkup. I am told I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure is high, combine that with the 5-7 pounds of water weight I had gained in a week, and apparantly, it is recipe for concern. I am told I need to be delivering now/soon. If they had an opening at the hospital then, I would have been sent there immediately. I was panicked and excited to meet my baby girl.
2 days later, I had a scheduled induction. I went in at 7pm the night of the 4th. I was told to eat before coming in, because that would be my last meal til after the baby was born. Little did I know, I wouldn't be able to eat for several days, because I was so sick and out of it.
I was given cervadil to help ripen my cervix, and then at 3am, I was 3cm and they issued Pitocin. Up until that point, I knew I wanted to try for as natural as it could be, and I was handling it well. They broke my water, and had to do it twice. That skyrocketed my pain, to the point, I got the shakes, and couldnt control my body temp or my shaking. I was in so much pain. So at 3cm, I demanded an epidural. I just remember being young, scared and in pain.
I get my epidural and start feeling better, but also feel completely out of it. The epidural made me sick, so I was also given an anti-puking drug. I am now, completely out of it, but I guess I am able to sleep and I progress in peace. Not really the way I envisioned my labor with Falynn.
Fast forward to 1:40ish, I am finally 10cm and ready to start pushing. I think yes, pretty soon I will meet my little one. Noone told me, it would take an exhausting 2 hours to push Falynn out, and I would be on oxygen, begging for a C-section. One of my last pushes, my doctor says, its better to be cut and get the baby out in this next push, because I am going to tear anyways. Right before I have Falynn, they up my dose of epidural again, even though I requested to be taken off of it. I was numb for hours. It was scary. At 3:43 Falynn is born. She was tiny, 6.13 oz, and 19.5 inches long.
I barely get a glimpse of her, before they rush her off, because her coloring isnt right. Im spread eagle, Being sewn from hole to hole, and have yet to see my baby. I remember yelling at my mom,stop saying how cute she is, and stop describing her, I want to see her myself.
Finally, I am able to see and breastfeed Falynn. Really, that makes it all worth it. But looking back, I felt robbed of a better birth experience.
I was transferred to a tiny room, just waiting to be discharged. But instead, I was kept on a catherter for 3 days after, dispite my pleading, and begging to take it out. I knew I had the ablitily to relieve myself, but noone would believe me. So I was kept cathertered til the day I was discharged. Screw 6 weeks, It took months to not be in pain, and even longer to be able to have sex.
I knew that the next pregnancy and labor would be different, because I would never allow my body to go through something that traumatizing again. :)
40 weeks, I go for my normal weekly checkup. I am told I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure is high, combine that with the 5-7 pounds of water weight I had gained in a week, and apparantly, it is recipe for concern. I am told I need to be delivering now/soon. If they had an opening at the hospital then, I would have been sent there immediately. I was panicked and excited to meet my baby girl.
2 days later, I had a scheduled induction. I went in at 7pm the night of the 4th. I was told to eat before coming in, because that would be my last meal til after the baby was born. Little did I know, I wouldn't be able to eat for several days, because I was so sick and out of it.
I was given cervadil to help ripen my cervix, and then at 3am, I was 3cm and they issued Pitocin. Up until that point, I knew I wanted to try for as natural as it could be, and I was handling it well. They broke my water, and had to do it twice. That skyrocketed my pain, to the point, I got the shakes, and couldnt control my body temp or my shaking. I was in so much pain. So at 3cm, I demanded an epidural. I just remember being young, scared and in pain.
I get my epidural and start feeling better, but also feel completely out of it. The epidural made me sick, so I was also given an anti-puking drug. I am now, completely out of it, but I guess I am able to sleep and I progress in peace. Not really the way I envisioned my labor with Falynn.
Fast forward to 1:40ish, I am finally 10cm and ready to start pushing. I think yes, pretty soon I will meet my little one. Noone told me, it would take an exhausting 2 hours to push Falynn out, and I would be on oxygen, begging for a C-section. One of my last pushes, my doctor says, its better to be cut and get the baby out in this next push, because I am going to tear anyways. Right before I have Falynn, they up my dose of epidural again, even though I requested to be taken off of it. I was numb for hours. It was scary. At 3:43 Falynn is born. She was tiny, 6.13 oz, and 19.5 inches long.
I barely get a glimpse of her, before they rush her off, because her coloring isnt right. Im spread eagle, Being sewn from hole to hole, and have yet to see my baby. I remember yelling at my mom,stop saying how cute she is, and stop describing her, I want to see her myself.
Finally, I am able to see and breastfeed Falynn. Really, that makes it all worth it. But looking back, I felt robbed of a better birth experience.
I was transferred to a tiny room, just waiting to be discharged. But instead, I was kept on a catherter for 3 days after, dispite my pleading, and begging to take it out. I knew I had the ablitily to relieve myself, but noone would believe me. So I was kept cathertered til the day I was discharged. Screw 6 weeks, It took months to not be in pain, and even longer to be able to have sex.
I knew that the next pregnancy and labor would be different, because I would never allow my body to go through something that traumatizing again. :)
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