Guest Post #2- I've been very excited to share this one with you...(well actually ALL of them, they are so educational!). I've always wondered what a comparison of birth experiences like this, medicated & unmedicated would entail. Here is a candid comparison for you...and tomorrow I will post a breakdown of important things to focus on from Mrs M's experiences!~K
Third Times a Charm
Looking back, my first pregnancy was an interesting one. I was excited when we got pregnant quickly after being married for 5 years. I was 28. My little man decided to settle head down at 18 weeks gestation, wedging himself into my pelvis and making his mama quite uncomfortable. Because of all the pressure I experienced, I had about 9 sonograms. I had been with my OBGYN for a few years and loved her, so I trusted her judgment on all things pregnancy. When I was 35 weeks along, I was fully effaced and dilated to a 3—for 3 weeks. I experienced early labor for 3 days (which meant I went into it sleep deprived) and then, at 38 weeks, it was the real thing. I labored at home for 3 hours, but went in to L&D when the contractions were 3 minutes apart. 14 hours later, and no epidural, I was exhausted and there was no end in sight. When my doc checked me, the baby’s head was coming down at an angle and was causing incomplete dilation. I wanted to avoid a c-section if at all possible, so she suggested Pitocin to help push him down straight. Pitocin is an evil drug. I proceeded to have so many mind-numbing contractions right on top of each other that I got sick. I was beat, and I asked for the epidural after giving it my all. 6 hours later, my beautiful baby boy was born, weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz, two weeks early.
He was wonderful, but the after-effects of whatever extra cocktail the anesthesiologist popped into my IV before I began to push (I remember hearing him say “she’ll be feeling no pain with this”) were absolutely not. I couldn’t feel my bottom half for 12 hours after giving birth, had to have a catheter, and had to have someone lift me up in the bed so I could nurse my son. Ugh.
Fast forward 2 ½ years, and I was having déjà vu. My second son was born at 38 weeks as well, with 3 days of early “warning” labor. I knew the drill, so I decided to see how it would go. I wasn’t going to say “absolutely not” to an epidural, as I was pretty tired again this time around. Pregnancy insomnia made me kind of nuts during both of the boys’ pregnancies. After 6 hours of hard labor, I asked for the epidural, but looking back, I think I could have made it, had I been encouraged (not exactly the norm at hospitals). He was born 3 hours later, healthy and strong, weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz.
Our boys were fabulous and a few years later, we decided that our family wasn’t complete yet. It took a while, but we got pregnant with our baby girl! By this time, my first doc had joined the navy (!) and so I had had to switch. One of my friends had just joined a private practice, so I opted to have a friend take care of me. Best decision! This pregnancy was the most uneventful of the three, even though I was no spring chicken when she was born (35).
I decided to give natural birth a shot. Since I was Strep B positive, I knew I needed IV antibiotics, but I didn’t want any other interventions. I didn’t experience any early labor, and then bam! My water broke at 4:30 early in the morning the day I turned 37 weeks, and it was just like in the movies, which was a little weird. A little earlier than we had expected, so it was a bit crazy trying to get the boys situated.
We headed to the hospital, and they got me set up. Labor didn’t start until 8:30 or so, so it was all a bit surreal. The doc on call kept asking me if I was sure I didn’t want to just “get the IV placed” so that if I wanted the epidural later it would be ready to go. Um, no. The nurse kept asking me if I was sure I didn’t want something (aka narcotics) to “take the edge off”. Um, no. Didn’t you hear me say “naturally”? I was on rocking through labor on my birthing ball, and my husband was doing an awesome job of giving me counter pressure on my hips during contractions.
By noon, my doc had come in (she was actually off that day), checked me (4 cm!) and said I was doing great. She was completely supportive of me doing it naturally, even though she thought I was a bit crazy (she was having her second baby via scheduled c-section that very Thursday). I was only at 6 cm at 2:00, but then I stood up, felt lots of pressure, and when they checked, I was between 8-9 cm. It was 2:45. The rest was a complete whirlwind. I got back down to sit on my ball, and couldn’t. The contractions weren’t letting up, and I began screeching in earnest. I was the epitome of those crazy ladies you hear about—cursing and screaming and trying to bury my face in the pillow to keep from scaring my husband. But they must have done the trick, because all of a sudden, she was coming out. Right there on the floor if I didn’t get into the bed soon. I grabbed the call button and yelled “HELP!” It took two nurses grabbing my legs and my husband under my arms to swing me back into the bed (I had a nasty bruise on my leg later to prove it), and within 1 minute, my baby girl was born—on the bed, with no doctor in sight. My poor 39-week pregnant doc/friend didn’t waddle down to the room in time. There was no stopping that train! The thing about this third birth was this: I had ZERO recovery time. With my boys, I had pain from the tears for at least 6 weeks. When you have an epidural, you can’t feel how hard to push, so you push at maximum capacity, which for me, led to tearing. Without the epidural, the contractions help you push like you are supposed to—I actually felt like I was holding her back at one point because she was coming so fast. Granted, my daughter was only 6 lbs, 6 oz, so much smaller than the boys were, but I hopped out of bed, walked around and had no pain whatsoever. That was amazing, but the whole experience was beautiful and made me feel powerful and strong. Took me three tries, but I finally had the birth experience I didn’t know I was longing for. So many women I talk to are “amazed” that I did it without an epidural, but it honestly wasn’t that bad. Our bodies are what is amazing, and being able to connect with that power was one of the best experiences of my life.
