At 38 weeks I got a stomach virus and got dehydrated... I checked into early labor for monitoring and they discovered that I also had a bladder infection so I left with antibiotics for that and nausea medicine for my virus. What fun.
By the time I was 40 weeks pregnant, I was beyond ready to be done being pregnant for awhile BUT I still strongly wanted my delivery to be as natural as possible. I kept my mind prepared to go over my due date and wait on baby as long as my body would let me. My due date came and went but later that week at another checkup my blood pressure started getting high like it did my last pregnancy so we decided to induce again.
I was disappointed in having to induce with pitocin again. I really want to experience birth without that added feature but it wasn't in the cards for me for this labor either...Maybe next time... I've done labor with pitocin before so I know what I'm agreeing to and what I'm in for. That is the hard part, I felt like it was a little worse or more nerve racking because I did know what I was in for. Eekkk. Not fun. WORTH IT but not fun.
Last time I didn't sleep a wink the night before vs this time I had a full night of sleep prior. Last time it took many hours to progress vs this time it was fast. I truly believe the chiropractor visits I had helped to make my labor and delivery go MUCH faster and smoother. He was breech but he flipped at the end thankfully!
I was a few days past 40 weeks pregnant and I went in the doctor for an appointment at 10am. My blood pressure was high again. I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. It was a Friday and Dr Scroggs suggested we stay put and get induced. That really wasn't what I was hoping for but we did it. I was admitted by around noon and the doctor said don't tell your family to come over until this evening. It will be probably later tonight that you will have the baby. She couldn't get my IV in and had to do that twice to find a good spot. Then hooked me up to the monitor and I was having natural contractions but small.
I was hungry so Amber snuck me some food! I had some bread and 2 bananas. I started sitting and rolling on the birthing ball. The contractions started but were not terrible. I was nervous because this time I knew what kinda pain I was in for and that I needed to stay focused. I began getting hard contractions where I don't want to talk, I have to look down or focus on an object. I got Amber, my doula, to hold my hand and Blaine, my husband, to sit behind me and push as hard as he can on my low back to provide counter pressure to my low back pain. Amber putting pressure on my hand helped as well. These pressure points helped to distract me and I could focus on that constant pressure instead of the wave of pain in the contraction. It's truly a wave of pain.
I had to get back on the bed so they could check me and decided to break my water for me. I knew that once that happens things are really gonna gear up to the hard stuff. I was already in the thick of some pretty good contractions when they broke my water. That was hard to lay back and be still for them to do. Laying back is the absolute worst feeling. I hate it. It doesn't feel right during those tight contractions. That was done and I got on the ball again next to the bed.
I listen to Amber and Blaine talk between contractions but I keep my words short like "ice please". "Push there". Once I feel the contraction coming I quickly tell them "it's coming" so they can be quiet and help me focus. It's scary and hard and it's so helpful to have the people around you go through it with you and help you focus. Amber would talk to me during it which helped. Saying things like "let the baby come down. Let it come. Breath the baby out." That was the biggest help to put my mind in the right place. It helped me tell myself to not be tense, don't fight against the pain, work with the pain. Its a good pain because it's working your baby down and out. Breathing relaxes you to not hold that baby up there but let that pain work with your body to bring the baby down faster. Lord knows you don't want to do anything to make this last any longer than necessary...haha.
What was awesome is my L&D nurse. It's really the luck of the draw there and it can really effect your labor and delivery by what kinda nurse you get. Mine was very supportive of my natural desires and she let me do intermittent monitoring and really stretched the rules on how long she did that too. It was SO much better to not have that extremely uncomfortable belt tightly around my belly. I really hate that monitor belt and when it get off the baby and freaks you out for no reason. Ugh.
Well since I didn't have the monitor on I felt much more natural and calm and free to move. I got on the birthing ball and stayed there the whole time. She would just come in every 45 minutes and bend down and use a handheld monitor to check the baby so I didn't have to move or leave the ball. THAT right there was huge. #1 the ball is comfortable and a much better position for productive laboring #2 for me moving around a lot throws me off my game. I lose concentration on breathing through those contractions. It's so important because when you don't stay in the zone...stay prepared for that next contraction and keep your breathing and rhythm...when that contraction moves up quickly and you suddenly are caught in the big pain you will lose your cool and start freaking out.
It's hard to refocus in the middle of it. It's so important to demand (strongly request) what YOU feel is best and most comfortable. It's your birth and you know your body and what will help you get through it best. They tried to move me to the bed or somewhere else a couple times but I really wanted to stay on the ball for as long as they would allow. That was my comfort zone. I did go to the bathroom once during the hard labor. I'm sure it's probably good to walk and move around like that... but it hurts like hell. I hate it. I remember being at the bathroom with Blaine helping me. And I kinda jokingly said "why am I doing this again!? What was I thinking!" Trying to stay lighthearted and keep it in perspective through the pain. Side Note: you are not responsible for anything you say during labor...
Back to sitting on the ball...I started squeezing Amber's leg and when Blaine attempted to stop pushing on my low back, I freaked out and said you can't stop not even for a second... it throws me off. I desperately needed that consistency through the contractions. These contractions were so "productive" to put it nicely. They were hard but they felt like things were really changing and moving along with each one. That is something that amazed me. My first labor was so long and drawn out and took forever to progress. This one with each contraction I felt my body making a lot of progress moving that baby down and in position. It was amazing!!! I think being on that ball in that position really helped moved the baby down and work with the contraction to do that but I also think going to the chiropractor so many times really helped get my spine and back in line and pelvis and all in the right position for baby to travel down smoothly.
All of a sudden I felt hard pressure that felt like it was in my butt. I told Blaine, they knew that means you are almost ready to push. They signaled for the nurse and the doctor to get ready. The nurses start prepping the room. Lots of people and things coming in and setting up. I vaguely notice in the background. Meanwhile, it's time for me to move back to the bed and into position to push. They help me slowly achieve that through the contractions which are constant. I told them I want to sit up as much as possible so they fix the bed to be more like a throne position so I'm sitting up and also get my legs up. All the moving around and getting into position is hard to breath through contractions during that so I start freaking out and squeeze the heck out of Blaines hand. I have to tell myself "Lindsey! Get a grip!!" Secret: I was thinking I don't care if I break his hand... I have to regain control of myself and channel this energy. Squeezing his hand until he was cringing helped me do that for some reason. Haha. (Sorry hubby!)
I finally got in the position they needed me and got into my zone again somewhat. At this point everything is so intense and fast and such an adrenaline rush. I kept saying... where are our moms... they are suppose to be here... I can't start pushing yet they will miss it! Well Nolan could not wait and neither could I. With my first baby I pushed for 2 hours so Blaine wasn't anticipating a baby to show up within a few minutes... well 2 or 3 pushes later Dr Scroggs hands Blaine the scissors and Blaine said "what's this for?" (Because in his mind we are no where near ready for that and he couldn't think of what else we are using them for... haha.) The doctor said "to cut the cord...this baby is about to be here!" Blaine was shocked. I was shocked but I was a little too overwhelmed to think about it much. A couple more pushes and baby was here!! Nolan was born and on my chest in all his gross baby juices and I LOVED it. There is nothing like that feeling. It's SO rewarding. It's SO empowering and magical. It's worth every ounce of pain to feel your child come into the world. The endorphins that are released. I was on cloud 9 after that. My baby is here on my chest and I don't care about thing else now... all is right in the world. Both of our moms showed up about 5 minutes after the birth. They barely missed it. I felt so bad that it all happened WAY faster then we expected and I couldn't wait for them.
Well I had some tearing during delivery so I had to get some stitches with a little local anesthetic as that point. I had to pass the placenta as well and then lots of contracting afterwards as well because they keep you on the pitocin for awhile but it's just bad menstrual cramps then... not terrible and you are so happy and in love you don't care. I felt great after delivery... I would have gotten out of bed and walked around if they let me.
It always amazes me what a woman's body can do. The day after I deliver a baby is when I really feel and realize what my body did... my back is so sore from pushing. The pushing part was so fast but so very intense and with so much power in my body.... the adrenaline takes over and I don't realize until the next day just how much of my muscles that I strained and used. Haha. I can't believe God made our bodies to do that!
My husband will tell you that he really appreciates having a doula for support for him and me. Amber is great and I just highly recommend a doula for any kinda birth you want. Writing down my experience sounds different then the time frame looks on paper. It's wild that I was 4cm at 3:50 and within an hour I had a baby in my arms.
Nolan Blaine Newby arrived Friday November 11, 2016 at 4:57pm. It is Veterans Day. He weighed 8lbs 7oz and 21 inches long.
