Even before I was pregnant I knew I wanted a natural birth. I figured if millions of women in the history of humanity had given birth without the assistance modern medicine had to offer, why couldn’t I do it also? To give myself the highest chance of success I bought multiple books on various birthing techniques and some with inspiration and positive birth stories to help me stay focused and optimistic. I even researched doulas and chose Bianca at Better Beginnings to help me through this uncharted territory of giving birth.
So naturally, as the 40-week due date approached (July 26, 2014) my emotions started to build. I thought “I could go into labor in an hour,” but also “I’m going to be overdue and have to be induced.” I did everything I could to ensure the birth would come on time- relaxation, meditation, red raspberry tea. And the week before my due date I began trying things to induce labor- evening primrose oil, castor oil. I even had my membranes stripped with hopes contractions would start. I was trying anything to avoid Pitocin because I had heard horror stories about how strong and close together it can make contractions and how difficult it is to endure a Pitocin-induced labor without pain medications.
Well, none of the above worked. My due date came and went and I was never over 2 cm dilated when I went to the clinic for weekly checks. So they scheduled me for foley bulb induction on August 7, 2014. I was to arrive at the hospital at 3pm that day. So earlier in the day my husband and I finished packing and thought “how weird to be packing for the hospital”….as if we were going to check into a hotel. I had originally planned to labor at home as long as possible and then jet to the hospital when things became unmanageable. This was the complete opposite which scared me a little because I felt I had already lost control of the situation and it was not going to be anything like I planned. After arriving the staff showed us to our room, a med tech started an IV (which was saline locked), and a nurse inserted the foley bulb which was not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The foley caused me to have a few contractions that felt like menstrual cramps. It came out of my cervix around 9pm so I didn’t have to sleep with it in. Although, if it did stay in longer it wouldn’t have mattered because I still did not sleep long. I woke up at 2:30am and could not go back to sleep. I got out of bed around 4am and got ready for the day ahead.
I was standing at the nurse’s station at 5am and saw Bianca come around the corner. She had been up all night with another client in labor. As much as we both hated it, we planned for another doula to assist me during labor. Then at around 6am the nurse put on a wireless external fetal monitor and started the Pitocin shortly after. The monitor was required at all times because of the Pitocin but that was ok since I could walk around. The doctor came to see me and discuss my birth plan at around 8am. She was the only doctor I had not met in the clinic and established a rapport with so I was a little nervous. She turned out to be a great doctor and very supportive. Before leaving she said we could wait until 1200 to check my cervix. So the nurse and doctor were okay with increasing the Pitocin slowly so I didn’t really notice any significant contractions until around 9am. The contractions weren’t painful and were pretty easy to get through. They just felt like the cramping you feel when you need to have a bowel movement. Jeremy would just rub my neck and shoulders as I bent over onto the bed. Around 9-9:30am the contractions became more intense and difficult, still not “painful”, just an intense cramping sensation and I become more vocal. It was at this time we decided to contact the backup doula. I wasn’t comfortable in any position other than standing or bending over the bed. I tried squatting on a stool, sitting on an exercise ball, and sitting in a chair. Jeremy’s soft voice in my ear helped me remember to relax. As the contractions progressed my memory about the events fade and Jeremy had to fill in all the details of things I don’t remember. I remember going back and forth to the bathroom and feeling like I was having a bowel movement. I also remember thinking “I may need that epidural. If contractions get more intense I may not be able to do this all day.” Around 9:30am the nurse became concerned about the baby’s decreasing heart rate. They instructed me to lie in bed on my left side which was much more uncomfortable than standing. I actually didn’t even want to move because of the discomfort for fear it would hurt more. Then I had to roll on my right side. The nurses checked my cervix and they determined I was fully dilated and had been pushing not just having contractions! At 10:20am, lying on my right side, my water broke. Around 10:30am the backup doula arrived and I was helped to the squat bar at the end of the bed. The doctor was on her way and in the meantime I was in the squat position relaxing between contractions. I remember the pushing sensation. It felt exactly like my body was trying to have a bowel movement. It was not painful, just a lot of pressure. I was also being vocal during the pushing and had to be reminded to channel that energy downward with the push which made each push more productive in moving Samuel down the birth canal. I also remember the last push, just before he came out. It was also not painful. I think waiting for the doctor allowed the birth canal to stretch before he came out. I remember as I pushed the last time I was trying to ignore the discomfort and just push him out (and at the time I didn’t know it was the last push). There was a sudden release of pressure as I felt his head pop out and the rest of his body slide out into the doctor’s arms at 10:51am.
This birth was planned but also not planned at the same time. I hadn’t planned to be induced, but everything worked out well because I didn’t need pain medication which was planned. I planned to use various coping mechanisms but because the labor was so quick we didn’t have a chance to use a lot of them. Also, I wasn’t able to experience the labor with Bianca or a doctor that I knew but everything still turned out to be wonderful. So although the labor didn’t go as planned, it was a blessing in disguise. It taught me a lot about dealing with situations out of your control and making the best of it. And although things seem to all be going wrong, in the end it can still end up being perfect.
So naturally, as the 40-week due date approached (July 26, 2014) my emotions started to build. I thought “I could go into labor in an hour,” but also “I’m going to be overdue and have to be induced.” I did everything I could to ensure the birth would come on time- relaxation, meditation, red raspberry tea. And the week before my due date I began trying things to induce labor- evening primrose oil, castor oil. I even had my membranes stripped with hopes contractions would start. I was trying anything to avoid Pitocin because I had heard horror stories about how strong and close together it can make contractions and how difficult it is to endure a Pitocin-induced labor without pain medications.
Well, none of the above worked. My due date came and went and I was never over 2 cm dilated when I went to the clinic for weekly checks. So they scheduled me for foley bulb induction on August 7, 2014. I was to arrive at the hospital at 3pm that day. So earlier in the day my husband and I finished packing and thought “how weird to be packing for the hospital”….as if we were going to check into a hotel. I had originally planned to labor at home as long as possible and then jet to the hospital when things became unmanageable. This was the complete opposite which scared me a little because I felt I had already lost control of the situation and it was not going to be anything like I planned. After arriving the staff showed us to our room, a med tech started an IV (which was saline locked), and a nurse inserted the foley bulb which was not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The foley caused me to have a few contractions that felt like menstrual cramps. It came out of my cervix around 9pm so I didn’t have to sleep with it in. Although, if it did stay in longer it wouldn’t have mattered because I still did not sleep long. I woke up at 2:30am and could not go back to sleep. I got out of bed around 4am and got ready for the day ahead.
I was standing at the nurse’s station at 5am and saw Bianca come around the corner. She had been up all night with another client in labor. As much as we both hated it, we planned for another doula to assist me during labor. Then at around 6am the nurse put on a wireless external fetal monitor and started the Pitocin shortly after. The monitor was required at all times because of the Pitocin but that was ok since I could walk around. The doctor came to see me and discuss my birth plan at around 8am. She was the only doctor I had not met in the clinic and established a rapport with so I was a little nervous. She turned out to be a great doctor and very supportive. Before leaving she said we could wait until 1200 to check my cervix. So the nurse and doctor were okay with increasing the Pitocin slowly so I didn’t really notice any significant contractions until around 9am. The contractions weren’t painful and were pretty easy to get through. They just felt like the cramping you feel when you need to have a bowel movement. Jeremy would just rub my neck and shoulders as I bent over onto the bed. Around 9-9:30am the contractions became more intense and difficult, still not “painful”, just an intense cramping sensation and I become more vocal. It was at this time we decided to contact the backup doula. I wasn’t comfortable in any position other than standing or bending over the bed. I tried squatting on a stool, sitting on an exercise ball, and sitting in a chair. Jeremy’s soft voice in my ear helped me remember to relax. As the contractions progressed my memory about the events fade and Jeremy had to fill in all the details of things I don’t remember. I remember going back and forth to the bathroom and feeling like I was having a bowel movement. I also remember thinking “I may need that epidural. If contractions get more intense I may not be able to do this all day.” Around 9:30am the nurse became concerned about the baby’s decreasing heart rate. They instructed me to lie in bed on my left side which was much more uncomfortable than standing. I actually didn’t even want to move because of the discomfort for fear it would hurt more. Then I had to roll on my right side. The nurses checked my cervix and they determined I was fully dilated and had been pushing not just having contractions! At 10:20am, lying on my right side, my water broke. Around 10:30am the backup doula arrived and I was helped to the squat bar at the end of the bed. The doctor was on her way and in the meantime I was in the squat position relaxing between contractions. I remember the pushing sensation. It felt exactly like my body was trying to have a bowel movement. It was not painful, just a lot of pressure. I was also being vocal during the pushing and had to be reminded to channel that energy downward with the push which made each push more productive in moving Samuel down the birth canal. I also remember the last push, just before he came out. It was also not painful. I think waiting for the doctor allowed the birth canal to stretch before he came out. I remember as I pushed the last time I was trying to ignore the discomfort and just push him out (and at the time I didn’t know it was the last push). There was a sudden release of pressure as I felt his head pop out and the rest of his body slide out into the doctor’s arms at 10:51am.
This birth was planned but also not planned at the same time. I hadn’t planned to be induced, but everything worked out well because I didn’t need pain medication which was planned. I planned to use various coping mechanisms but because the labor was so quick we didn’t have a chance to use a lot of them. Also, I wasn’t able to experience the labor with Bianca or a doctor that I knew but everything still turned out to be wonderful. So although the labor didn’t go as planned, it was a blessing in disguise. It taught me a lot about dealing with situations out of your control and making the best of it. And although things seem to all be going wrong, in the end it can still end up being perfect.
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