Good Things Come to Those Who Wait....A Birth Story

Disclaimer:  If you have any amount of testosterone in your body, you should probably withdrawal from reading this.  The words "cervix" and  "dilated" used together are not for everyone.

Olen was due on March 3.  He was born March 14.  Hence the title.  I REALLY wanted to go natural.  I know I don't have a birth story up for Jackson, but it was basically the opposite of everything I had wanted in a birth.  I was induced with Jackson at 40 wks 6 days mostly because I wasn't educated on how much pitocin was going to kick my butt and how much my OB/GYN would want me hooked up to every monitor and contraption.  There is a reason pitocin is referred to as "pit" in the birthing world, because it is really the "pits."

Because it was my utmost desire to go natural with Olen, I had to let him come naturally.  I wanted to avoid being induced.  Working with the midwife (whom I will discuss later), I knew she would let me go to 42 weeks as long as I passed a non-stress test at 41 weeks and another non-stress and an ultrasound at 41.5 weeks.  This is where my story begins.

On March 14th, I went in for the ultrasound.  My midwife, Mary Ann, had asked me to go in a day earlier than I wanted because Olen was measuring small and she wondered if my fluid was low. At the ultrasound, everything seemed to be fine and although he wasn't moving a lot, the technician said that she would consider him to have "passed."  I knew it was Olen's typical sleepy time (11 am) so I wasn't worried in the least.  After going to the waiting room to hear the results from the midwife, we got the call that "it is time to get that baby out of you" and they asked us to go upstairs and be admitted for induction.  

Now at this point I wasn't freaking out too much, because I knew that pitocin was not going to be the first drug of choice.  Mary Ann, and the midwife on call, Debra, try a drug known as "cytotec" to get the uterus to contract.  The drug is actually taken by mouth for ulcers.  Not sure how they figured out it could be put on the cervix to cause you to go into labor, but hey, whatever works.  So I'm admitted around 1pm, and the midwife comes in at 4:15 to give me my first dose and check me. (This is the point that we found out at Olen only scored a 4/10 on the ultrasound because he wasn't reacting to movements.  Debra requested that I stay in bed with fluids and the monitor.  I broke down!!  I did not want to have another "bed" labor like Jackson.  Thankfully, the nurse, Angela had been monitoring me and Olen since our arrival and she reassured Debra that after I was done with my fluids, the baby would be okay if I was only on the monitor every 30 minutes.  Of course, as soon as I was admitted and starting drinking the icy cold water they had for me, Olen was practically doing somersaults in my stomach.  Thank you, Angela for going to bat for me, and thank you Debra for listening!!)... At this point I'm barely dilated and we're planning on me needing three doses before anything happens.  Brian leaves for my mom and dad's to get dinner.  I thank Debra for letting me eat (with Jackson I could only consume popsicles for over 24 hours).  Her reply, "This is a marathon!"  And Brian and I set the goal to have the baby by 7 am.  Oh, how we were wrong.

When Brian left about 6 pm, my mom came in to keep me company.  When she got there I was just a little crampy but by 7 pm I was having contractions 3 minutes apart.  Brian came in at 7:30 and asked how I was doing.  At this point I was standing up and swaying through the contractions because they were stronger and more painful than I could take sitting.  He started timing them and they were now coming between 55 seconds to 1:44 apart and lasting about 30 seconds.  I could not longer talk through them and I remembered from Jackson that when it got to this point I was getting close to 7 cm and starting to want pain relief (but I was also tied down to a bed and having a hard time getting comfortable). 

Debra came in at 8:15 to give me my second dose of the pill, but before she did she watched me handle a few contractions and felt my stomach to see how hard the uterus was contracting. She thought things were moving a little quicker than we'd like so she decided maybe she would remove the pill and let me labor a little more comfortable.  (I knew this was a big deal because Mary Ann had told me that she'd only ever had to remove the pill once in all her years of using it!)  After an examination Debra said, "Well we are at the point of no return.  That pill is GONE and you are 4 cm."  She broke my water and I got back out of bed.  Debra advised I get into the shower to try to slow down labor and help with the pain.  This was one of the things I had studied in natural birth so I was happy to oblige.

Now this is where things got intense and my best laid plans of low lights, Christian music and Brian calmly rubbing my back went right out the window.  Once I got in the shower it was ON.  The pain was intense and it got to the point where I was gritting my teeth and pounding on the shower wall (thank you Brian for reminding me of the shower pounding, at that point I was just trying to keep my sanity haha).  I joke that natural labor for me was like being an angry drunk, I was furious and couldn't see straight.  Kidding!!

I got in the shower around 8:35.  At 8:55 I yelled to Brian to, "Get me some pain relief!!  "I want some Nubain in here!!"  (Nubain is a drug that will just "take the edge off."  It is not an epidural.  And as a side note, I kicked Brian out of the bathroom because I saw him texting.  Apparently, as an angry laboring woman, the last thing I wanted to see was my husband giving labor updates to 20 of our nearest and dearest. :)  )  Within 30 seconds, I saw the midwife and nurse running into the room.  I found out later that when Brian called the intercom he just said, "uummm..."  They must have been worried!!!   The midwife asked if I could get into the bed and somehow I did but I honestly don't remember how...  She checked me and nicely offered a "You can't have anything now, it could hurt the baby.  You are almost ready to push!" 

This is where I joke that I turned from an "angry drunk" into a "mountain woman."  I'm not sure what that means but lemme tell you, if someone would have handed me a bullet to bite on like they did in the Civil War, I would have bit THROUGH that bullet.  Haha.  It was intense.  There really is nothing to describe it.  And what I might use to describe it I'll let you private message me to get the answer for...  ;)

But after about 30 minutes of "singing him down" and 30 minutes (give or take a little) of pushing, Olen Thaddeus made his way into the world at 9:58 pm.  At one point in the pushing Brian asked if he could go get the video camera to which I said, "DO NOT put the camera on me!"  He calmly replied, "Honey, it's for when the baby comes."  Haha.  Thank goodness or we may have needed a Dr. for Brian.  All I can say is "Thank you Lord!" that I read enough before Jackson's birth and this birth to know about the burning during crowning or I may have thought my lower half was going to burst into a ball of flames.  Again, I say, intense!!

But here's what made it completely worth it.  With Jackson the OB/GYN freaked that he was having trouble breathing so they whisked him off...I didn't get to hold him for an hour...  Brian didn't get to cut the cord...  I'm still bitter- 2 years later.  Olen was immediately placed on my chest.  They let the cord stop pulsing and then Brian got to cut it.  I had a good 5 minutes just staring at his little body before I told them they could take him and weigh him for me.  After the birth I felt sooo much better.  When you have the epi and it wears off, it is a complete shock to the system.  The pain was unbelievable.  With a natural birth you can feel all of it (good or bad) so it is not so bad when you have to get up the first time!  Nursing also came easier.  Olen was more relaxed than Jackson and I give a lot of that to not having all the pitocin and epidural pulsing through him...

I also had such better care!!!  Debra was amazing for the delivery even though I had not worked with her before.  Trisha was my nurse and she was so nice and helpful also.  I did apologize for yelling like "a mountain woman" and I do hope she will remain my friend on facebook even after birthing in a way that, "I used to make fun of all the ladies on A Baby Story for being like that!!"  And the postpartum and nursery care was 100 times better, too.  No pressure to nurse every waking minute.  No coming in and bombarding you with 100 questions.  Just friendly and helpful.  And they have a food station with coffee and little snacks (although I really think they should get some candy bars!!!)

A friend asked me if I would do a natural birth again now that I have done it both ways and I give an enthusiastic, "Yes!"  The old saying is true, "It is the worst pain, but you totally forget about it."  Obviously I haven't forgotten all of it, but it was 100% worth it and I'm so glad I was afforded the opportunity.

Welcome Olen Thaddeus!!  Another little miracle for our family.

 
 (Although Mary Ann did not deliver Olen, she was such a great midwife to work with!  She was the ones who eased all my fears about having another bad experience and helped me with deciding how long to let little Olen bake. :)  She also explained all the pros and cons of using cytotec.  I look forward to working with her again....and I think everyone in Holmes Co should look into Pomerene Midwifery for their next bubba).