05/11/2017
As we get closer to the launch of the podcast, I'd like to get a little more personal with today's post. Today is an incredibly special day here at the Variations of Birth home. Today we celebrate the life and birth of our oldest child! 🎉🎂
*This birth story may be difficult for some to read*
A's birth was long and far from easy. To break it down in numbers it was 39 hours of labor and 4 hours of pushing. I had sought out for a natural birth experience with a midwife and doula in an alternative birthing center within a hospital. I spent countless hours reading and watching documentaries to perpare and had also taken a natural birth class. A's birth began with my water breaking at 41 weeks to the day. Although I had been experiencing prodromal labor for weeks, the cramps I had that morning were different. These cramps were mainly in my back. 😑 All the research I had done to date explained that contractions have a definitive start and end- that even though a contraction can be painful, most women can look forward to a rest in between. Unfortunately, the pain in my back never subsided between contractions. I had no idea at the time, but A was in a posterior position AKA "sunny side up"- meaning his spine was laying against my spine. This was essentially the cause of my back labor. For the first 24 hours of Labor we stayed at home. We knew that staying at home as long as possible would give us the best chance at a natural birth.
We decided to head to the hospital and have our doula meet us around 5 a.m. when contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart. The hospital was 45 minutes away and we did not want to get stuck in rush hour traffic on the way to the hospital- so we figured it was a good time to leave! The drive was intense! Contractions in the car were not fun! We still managed to hit a bit of traffic, but were finally able to check in with triage around 6 a.m. We were unaware at the time, but apparently we were the talk of the L&D ward when we arrived! I had be laboring in the shower before leaving home and threw on the first pair of pajama pants and tank top I could find. It just so happened that the pants I grabbed were my husband's Christmas themed Stewie pajamas from Family Guy. 😂 I was hooked up to a monitor for a 20-minute strip and then checked by my midwife. She declared me 5 cm dilated which in turn qualified me for the alternative birthing center suite! 🎉
As soon as we settled into our room I decided to strip down and hop in the birth tub. Boy, did it feel wonderful! Warm water and double hip squeezes from my doula were the only thing that gave me somewhat of a relief from my back labor. For some women, hopping in the tub can slow their labor down. Relaxing in the tub had the opposite affect and brought my contractions closer together. My contractions from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. were 2 minutes apart and lasting about 90 seconds. I felt little relief inbetween. My doula at the time was also pregnant and was actually experiencing some contractions herself. She ended up spending a good chunk of time resting. I remember feeling completely out of my mind in the thick of everything. I just wanted it to be over. I did ask for an epidural at one point, but was quickly distracted and reminded of my goals to avoid using any drugs. Meanwhile, I was becoming quite dehydrated without knowing it. I declined the typical IV, but was not drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated. I also had not ate since the afternoon the day before. I was in pretty rough shape. I was frequently changing laboring positions and spent quite a bit of time frantically pacing the floor innothing but my birthday suit. My mother who was present at the time was an absolute angel and brought me some comfy fuzzy socks with grips on the bottom. It was quite the sight to watch an enormously pregnant woman pacing the floor in such a primal state while wearing nothing but fuzzy grip socks!
Around 4 p.m. I began to feel a lot of pressure in my butt. This was not to be confused with a pushing contraction- it was rather just consistent pressure. I hadn't actually spoken words and several hours. I had spent the last several hours just moaning and making a lot of Primal labor noises. I vividly remember telling the room that I felt a lot of pressure in my butt, to which my doula replied that it's because I pretty much have a baby in my butt! I wasn't amused!
By 5 p.m. I was fully dilated and "ready to push". Although I was fully dilated, I felt no urge to actually bare down and push. I was exhausted and so ready to be done! Against my original plan, my midwife had me lay down on my back to push. I spent 3.5 hours pushing with little progress. We were able to see the top of his head after 2 hours, but essentially made no progress after that point. Finally at 3.5 hours into pushing, I began blacking out with each push. We discovered I had developed a fever and was obviously extremely dehydrated. At this point we began talking seriously about getting baby out. She brought in the hospital OB to watch me push and discuss options. For the next half hour I pushed in a couple different positions, one of which being in a squatted chair. I felt like such a failure in the moment. We finally agreed to a C-section.
It's ironic, but shortly after agreeing to the C-section each contraction began to feel different. Before this moment I had to push with all my might with each wave. With this contraction, I literally couldn't resist my body's own uncontrollable urge to bare down and push. As I was wheeled in to the OR I had to keep stopping to push. When the anesthesiologist was prepping me I remember feeling terrified of having a contraction while hunched over. Luckily, I didn't. However I did notice some meconium on my leg. As soon as the anesthesia was in place, I immediately felt a wave of relief. It was the strangest feeling to be completely numb, but feel the doctor pull the fabric of my hospital gown off my belly. The anesthesiologist came over and explained to me that there was a complication with my epidural and that I would experience spinal headaches postpartum period at the time I had no idea just how awful that would be. Finally, my husband was able to join me. Although I am told it was about 10 minutes or so before A was born, it felt like a matter of seconds. Despite the meconium concern, he was pulled out sunny side up and screaming! He weighed a healthy 9 lb 8 oz! I was stunned that this amazing human being was mine!
Shortly after A was born, they took him for observation in the nursery. My husband followed while I was being stitched back together. Pure exhaustion finally washed over me and I began to fall asleep on the OR table. I remember fighting to stay awake. I was afraid of falling asleep in case something happened. Once the surgery was over I was taken to recovery. They allowed my mom to pop in for a short visit. She came in and told me how beautiful my baby was and how proud she was of me. Once she left I began bugging the nurse for my baby. Irritated, she explained that my husband had already been pushing to reunite us. Finally, after some time my baby was brought into recovery with my husband. My temperature was quite low and I required a special heated blanket. Once my baby was brought in I immediately unwrapped him and put him skin to skin on my chest. The nurse warned me that breastfeeding may not start off well. To her surprise, he latched perfectly at that moment! Through this experience, I was fortunate enough that breastfeeding was never an issue. He was a champ! After just a couple minutes of skin-to-skin time my temperature was within normal range.
We were transferred over to a room for the rest of our stay. At this time I was made aware that I did indeed have an infection, endometritis. Several hours later I began to feel dizzy. The nurse came in to do her checks and discovered I was hemorrhaging. It was quite scary, but was quickly managed. Over the course of the next few days I began experiencing an awful headache. This headache was only present when I was sitting or standing upright.
After we were discharged and I was unhooked from all IV fluids, the headache took a dramatic turn for the worse. Admittedly, I had completely forgotten about the anesthesiologist mentioning that I would experience spinal headaches due to a complication of the epidural for the C-section. I had no idea just how awful these headaches would become. I was essentially on strict bed rest for 3 weeks after the birth. Not just your typical bed rest, but I had to lay completely flat on my back or else the headaches would come on. These headaches were unlike any pain I had ever experienced in my life. It was easily tenfold of what I had gone through with the labor and to this day is the worst pain I have ever felt. As they worsened, I ended up requiring a bedpan. I was in so much pain, I literally could not sit up long enough to Change my baby's diaper let alone walk to the bathroom. Thank goodness for side lying breastfeeding!
At 3 weeks postpartum it was apparent that the spinal headaches would not go away without intervention. I opted for a blood patch procedure. During a blood patch procedure they essentially draw blood from your arm and then insert it in the epidura space of the spine which is responsible for the leaking spinal fluid. The theory is that The blood inserted in the space will clot and patch over the leak. In some cases, it doesn't work. I finally caught a break, and the procedure worked beautifully! I was on flat bed rest for 4 more days. after that I was finally able to sit up, stand, and generally began feeling like myself again.
The birth of my first born son was undoubtedly difficult. It took me a long time to come to terms with how everything unfolded, but I can confidently say today that I am at peace with his birth. I am so thankful to have this amazing little boy. He has brought such joy to our lives and those around us! Happy birthday my beautiful son! 💙
