My birth story:
I'm sure you've heard that the best laid plans sometimes fail. My birth PLAN and my birth STORY are therefore very different from one another. However, I still think it was beneficial for me to think about what an ideal birth situation would have looked like for me.
On Monday, October 29th I went to the doctor for my 40+ week check up. My blood pressure had been somewhat elevated over the last few weeks, so my last day at work was the previous Thursday (my due date). At my check up my blood pressure was elevated, my weight gain had sharply increased (5 lbs in 5 days due to retaining water), and there was protein in my urine. Needless to say, I was diagnosed with pre eclampsia and sent straight to the hospital for induction.
When we got to the hospital, I was started on Cervadil to finish ripening my cervix. At my appointment, I was 2 cm dialated and 70-80% effaced. Although induction was not an ideal situation since I had hoped to labor at home, I still brought my labor craft and got permission to work on it in my room.
That night I didn't really rest much, and in the morning I was disappointed to learn that I hadn't made any progress. I was hoping that contractions would start on their own, but when they didn't my midwife started me on the dreaded Pitocin at 10am on the 30th. I didn't realize that the Pitocin level would be increased every 15 minutes until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, so I was really upset when my nurse just kept increasing my dosage without even speaking to me about it. It took a really high level to get me to that point.
Of course the 30th was one of the few days that my doula wasn't available, so her back-up (Cynthia) was there for me throughout my labor. She and Eric were very supportive of me throughout my labor. They gave me massages, breathed with me through contractions, kept my birth music playing, used aromatheropy. You name it, they did it. I found that the place I was most comfortable was on my birthing ball. Everyone is different, but I wouldn't try to labor again without it.
After having my membranes stripped and my water broken, I was still stuck at 4 cm at 10pm. After 12 hours of labor and no sleep the night before, I hit my breaking point and asked for an epidural. It's not right for everyone, but for me it was a Godsend. It allowed my body to relax and finish dialating. I was at 10 cm by 1:30am on the 31st! By 3am, her head was low enough for me to start pushing. An hour and a half later, at 4:23am, I met my little miracle.
We didn't get to have delayed cord clamping or immediate skin to skin because there was meconium. She had to be wisked away as soon as her daddy cut the cord. I think my heart stood still until I heard that first cry. I was very insistant that I be given the time a massage needed to prevent tearing, so I only had a minor tear. After all of that pushing, another sleepless night, the frustration of unsuccessful breastfeeding, and lots of visitors at the hospital, I was so exhausted. Although I didn't think I would, I ended up sending her to the nursery and supplementing with formula while at the hospital.
After coming home, breastfeeding caused me some major heartache. Aubrey never latched on properly to my breast. The only way she could feed from my breast was with a nipple shield. All of the tugging from the nipple shield really damaged my nipples. I decided that I would just pump instead. With a newborn, this meant I was constantly either pumping or feeding. I felt as though I couldn't go anywhere. I ended up getting mastitis and decided to switch to formula. I know that many moms may be rolling their eyes as they read this and calling me a wimp, but it was what was right for me and my baby. I only get 12 short weeks away from work with her, and I want to enjoy every moment of it. The moral of the story is to always have a plan, but not to panic if things don't go exactly the way you hoped. All that matters at the end of the day is that your baby is happy and healthy!
