The Birth of Norah Jane...
It's been just short of a month since Norah was born. I finally took the time to write this down. It is not my best writing and it may not always make sense, but here it is.
I had an appointment on Monday, June 8th with one of the midwives. According to them, this was my due date. She did not see any reason to do an induction. I consented to a cervical check and was barely 1 cm dilated.
The previous week a different midwife was talking about induction because baby was estimated to be 9lbs 1oz.
I left the appointment on the 8th feeling pretty good about not being pressured into an induction. Around 5PM the midwife called, but we weren’t home. She left a message for me to call in the morning. Cody and I went to the mall and walked around, hoping to get some contractions going. When walking my contractions would get stronger, but as soon as I stopped, they would stop.
On Tuesday, June 9th I called the midwife. She had scheduled me for an NST (non-stress test) at 11am and then an induction following that. I wasn’t happy at all about that. She said that the OB wanted me to be induced because I was GD and that the baby was so big.
As Tuesday wore on, I was getting contractions more often; without walking, but they were spaced far apart. Tuesday night they started coming closer and closer together. I went to bed early. I woke up around 3am with some serious contractions. I was breathing through them easily enough. I had a little mantra, “it brings the baby down and opens the cervix up.” I’d repeat this over and over during a contraction. I relaxed as much as possible and just let my body do what it needed to do. I could sleep in between them for a while. Then I got up and went to get in the tub. Gavin of course had to join me. The water was very hot and he would pour a cup over my belly when a contraction would come. He was so sweet and wasn’t scared at all. He understood that this was what was needed to get his baby sister to come out. While in the tub, I clearly felt the baby move further down into my pelvis. I had never felt that sensation before. We got out of the tub and was walking around the bed room and up and down the hall. I woke Cody up so he could start timing the contractions for me. They were coming anywhere from 3-7 minutes apart. I was still breathing thorough them and using my little mantra. We got Ethan up to get ready for school around 6:30am. He was excited because he heard me breathing through contractions and he knew his sister would be coming soon.
I decided that once we got him off to school we would go to the hospital. I got dressed and made sure everything was in my bag. Ethan got on the bus at 7:30am. We left the house just before 8am. Cody stopped at the ATM to get some cash and then we drove through Chick-fil-a for some breakfast. I was hungry and knew if I didn’t eat then, it could be 24 hours before I could eat again.
We arrived at the hospital around 9am. I was given a room and a heplock. My favorite midwife Rhonda and a student midwife Stephanie were there. They checked me and I was 3-4cm dilated and 80% effaced. I told them that I really wanted to walk, because that was working very well for me at home. After the 10 thousand questions the nurse had to ask and 20 minutes of fetal monitoring; they let me walk. Cody and I walked the halls. I walked and walked and breathed through the contractions. I got some ice and then put some water in it and drank it. My midwife told me it was okay, just don’t tell anyone. I had to be on the monitors for 20 minutes every 1-2 hours per hospital and doctor policy. I let them check me again around 12:30 or so. They thought I was complete and they had me push. In my past labors I never got the urge to push. I pushed a couple of times and baby didn’t move. They re-checked me and discovered that they were wrong and that I was still 8cm. My cervix was so thin they couldn’t really feel it. So I needed to wait for the last two centimeters to dilate. At this point things got crazy. Looking back I should have said something, but at the time I didn’t. They were all set up so they just stayed in the room. I would have preferred had they left me alone for a bit. I was on the monitor for 20 minutes and had to be right by the bed. My contractions had spaced way out. So we opted for a small amount of pictocin. I tried lying down; boy was that a mistake. I lost control of my contractions then. They were extremely painful! I was doing well when I was upright and walking; not so good in the bed. Those last two centimeters were intense. I knew it was getting close to time to deliver as my legs were shaking like crazy. When the contractions had gotten away from me, the midwife asked if I wanted her to check me and then we could decide on what to do from there. I asked her what the choices would be. 1. Epidural 2. Pain medication. I said no thank you. I was at 8cm…why on earth would I do either one of those?
I suddenly had the urge to push. I said, “Something’s happening! I’ve got to push! I’m pushing!!!”. It was intense and crazy. I wasn’t prepared for that. With my two boys I had pushed quickly, but was prepared. This time was so intense I really didn’t know what was going on. I was pushing, that much is certain. I wanted to put my legs down to push, but they were trying to force me to hold onto the backs of my knees…that wasn’t going to happen. I just couldn’t do it. They put the left side of the bed down…that wasn’t going to fly either. I screamed and demanded that they put the side of the bed back up. I needed to hold onto the side. It’s just what I wanted. I can’t explain it. Cody was holding my left leg and someone was on my right. I wasn’t completely on my back; I was sort of on my side I think. My body just pushed. I had no control over any of it. It hurt and I said as much. But it was over very quickly. She was out. We had decided the day before to name her Norah. So there she was, and she looked really blue. But she was fine; her Apgars were 8 and 9. She came out so fast and that was why she was blue. She was swollen and a bit bruised. The midwife said it was a tight fit with her shoulders (they had anticipated that) but she came out. I had no tears and there was no need for an episiotomy.
I had managed to give birth 5 hours and 26 minutes after getting to the hospital. I was shocked, since my other two were hours and hours. This labor was extremely different from my other two. I didn’t have back labor this time. The contractions started in the center of my pelvis and radiated up. I could manage them more easily this time. I could feel the baby descending into my pelvis. I had the overwhelming urge to push. And I didn’t use any pain medication.
I was surprised at how alert Norah was. She latched on within 10 minutes of me trying. She is so different from my boys. It took them days to learn how to nurse; she came out ready to go!
I had an appointment on Monday, June 8th with one of the midwives. According to them, this was my due date. She did not see any reason to do an induction. I consented to a cervical check and was barely 1 cm dilated.
The previous week a different midwife was talking about induction because baby was estimated to be 9lbs 1oz.
I left the appointment on the 8th feeling pretty good about not being pressured into an induction. Around 5PM the midwife called, but we weren’t home. She left a message for me to call in the morning. Cody and I went to the mall and walked around, hoping to get some contractions going. When walking my contractions would get stronger, but as soon as I stopped, they would stop.
On Tuesday, June 9th I called the midwife. She had scheduled me for an NST (non-stress test) at 11am and then an induction following that. I wasn’t happy at all about that. She said that the OB wanted me to be induced because I was GD and that the baby was so big.
As Tuesday wore on, I was getting contractions more often; without walking, but they were spaced far apart. Tuesday night they started coming closer and closer together. I went to bed early. I woke up around 3am with some serious contractions. I was breathing through them easily enough. I had a little mantra, “it brings the baby down and opens the cervix up.” I’d repeat this over and over during a contraction. I relaxed as much as possible and just let my body do what it needed to do. I could sleep in between them for a while. Then I got up and went to get in the tub. Gavin of course had to join me. The water was very hot and he would pour a cup over my belly when a contraction would come. He was so sweet and wasn’t scared at all. He understood that this was what was needed to get his baby sister to come out. While in the tub, I clearly felt the baby move further down into my pelvis. I had never felt that sensation before. We got out of the tub and was walking around the bed room and up and down the hall. I woke Cody up so he could start timing the contractions for me. They were coming anywhere from 3-7 minutes apart. I was still breathing thorough them and using my little mantra. We got Ethan up to get ready for school around 6:30am. He was excited because he heard me breathing through contractions and he knew his sister would be coming soon.
I decided that once we got him off to school we would go to the hospital. I got dressed and made sure everything was in my bag. Ethan got on the bus at 7:30am. We left the house just before 8am. Cody stopped at the ATM to get some cash and then we drove through Chick-fil-a for some breakfast. I was hungry and knew if I didn’t eat then, it could be 24 hours before I could eat again.
We arrived at the hospital around 9am. I was given a room and a heplock. My favorite midwife Rhonda and a student midwife Stephanie were there. They checked me and I was 3-4cm dilated and 80% effaced. I told them that I really wanted to walk, because that was working very well for me at home. After the 10 thousand questions the nurse had to ask and 20 minutes of fetal monitoring; they let me walk. Cody and I walked the halls. I walked and walked and breathed through the contractions. I got some ice and then put some water in it and drank it. My midwife told me it was okay, just don’t tell anyone. I had to be on the monitors for 20 minutes every 1-2 hours per hospital and doctor policy. I let them check me again around 12:30 or so. They thought I was complete and they had me push. In my past labors I never got the urge to push. I pushed a couple of times and baby didn’t move. They re-checked me and discovered that they were wrong and that I was still 8cm. My cervix was so thin they couldn’t really feel it. So I needed to wait for the last two centimeters to dilate. At this point things got crazy. Looking back I should have said something, but at the time I didn’t. They were all set up so they just stayed in the room. I would have preferred had they left me alone for a bit. I was on the monitor for 20 minutes and had to be right by the bed. My contractions had spaced way out. So we opted for a small amount of pictocin. I tried lying down; boy was that a mistake. I lost control of my contractions then. They were extremely painful! I was doing well when I was upright and walking; not so good in the bed. Those last two centimeters were intense. I knew it was getting close to time to deliver as my legs were shaking like crazy. When the contractions had gotten away from me, the midwife asked if I wanted her to check me and then we could decide on what to do from there. I asked her what the choices would be. 1. Epidural 2. Pain medication. I said no thank you. I was at 8cm…why on earth would I do either one of those?
I suddenly had the urge to push. I said, “Something’s happening! I’ve got to push! I’m pushing!!!”. It was intense and crazy. I wasn’t prepared for that. With my two boys I had pushed quickly, but was prepared. This time was so intense I really didn’t know what was going on. I was pushing, that much is certain. I wanted to put my legs down to push, but they were trying to force me to hold onto the backs of my knees…that wasn’t going to happen. I just couldn’t do it. They put the left side of the bed down…that wasn’t going to fly either. I screamed and demanded that they put the side of the bed back up. I needed to hold onto the side. It’s just what I wanted. I can’t explain it. Cody was holding my left leg and someone was on my right. I wasn’t completely on my back; I was sort of on my side I think. My body just pushed. I had no control over any of it. It hurt and I said as much. But it was over very quickly. She was out. We had decided the day before to name her Norah. So there she was, and she looked really blue. But she was fine; her Apgars were 8 and 9. She came out so fast and that was why she was blue. She was swollen and a bit bruised. The midwife said it was a tight fit with her shoulders (they had anticipated that) but she came out. I had no tears and there was no need for an episiotomy.
I had managed to give birth 5 hours and 26 minutes after getting to the hospital. I was shocked, since my other two were hours and hours. This labor was extremely different from my other two. I didn’t have back labor this time. The contractions started in the center of my pelvis and radiated up. I could manage them more easily this time. I could feel the baby descending into my pelvis. I had the overwhelming urge to push. And I didn’t use any pain medication.
I was surprised at how alert Norah was. She latched on within 10 minutes of me trying. She is so different from my boys. It took them days to learn how to nurse; she came out ready to go!