I know that when I had Samuel I gave a brief explanation of how the birth went on Facebook, but I want to try and have a more detailed recording of it somewhere and thought some people might be interested in it as well, so here you go. (As a warning, I'm not going to be shy about what was going on, so be prepared for mentions of strange things a body in labor does, etc.)
On July 18 I had my usual 38 week appointment with my OB. At that point Samuel still hadn't dropped at all, and Dr. Harward warned me that might mean he wasn't going to fit through my pelvis and a c-section might be necessary. While I knew he could be right, I really hoped Samuel was just being stubborn and left my appointment totally expecting to wait a week or two more to meet our boy. Luckily, I also spent some time that day buying a couple of items I needed for my hospital bad and getting it mostly ready to go.
Fast forward to 9:30ish that evening, and as I stood up to use the restroom, I felt a small trickle of liquid down my leg. Now, I knew that could potentially mean my water had broken, but I also knew that sometimes excessive discharge is normal in the late stages of a pregnancy, and since it wasn't much, I told myself that was all it was. I really didn't feel ready for Samuel to come yet, so I may have been a bit in denial. But just in case, I started looking up all kinds of forum posts about how to tell the difference between water breaking and just discharge. Meanwhile, that trickle of liquid wasn't going away and was actually getting worse, so by 11ish, I admitted that my water had probably broken and we needed to go to the hospital.
(As a note here, I really did not understand what happens when your water breaks! In the movie sand TV shows, they kind of make it seem like it's one big rush of liquid and done. But in my experience, it started with that very small trickle that just kept growing into bigger trickles every time I moved until it was basically a small rush every time I moved. For hours. It's funny how they get the portrayal of birth so wrong in entertainment and also kind of annoying since it gives people false expectations.)
We got to the hospital at 11 something and they got me checked in. They confirmed that my water had indeed broken and I was actually having contractions, they just weren't super powerful at that point, and they seemed to maybe be slowing down as well.
So, around 2am they started me on Pitocin to help get my contractions going stronger and really get labor underway. They really don't like to let you go longer than 24 hours after you water is broken because of the chance for infection, which is why they used Pitocin to help me along. The time I was in labor kind of all blurs together for me, but I know Jacob and I both tried to get some sleep at this point and that I didn't really start feeling the contractions for a couple of hours.
As for how contractions were for me and how I dealt with them, I'm a little amused with myself. I kept refusing to get an epidural because my brain was classifying the pressure I was feeling as something separate from actual pain, because frankly I often feel like pressure isn't in the same class as pain of other kinds for me. And what I felt was definitely more pressure than anything. What it reminded me of most was when you have to go to the bathroom really badly but you've held it for so long it starts feeling really uncomfortable. But multiplied by like 10. But, it probably didn't help that the idea of an epidural kind of freaked me out. However, Jacob finally talked me into getting an epidural around 9 or 10am because he could tell I was in real pain even if I didn't seem to understand that.
My sister Sarah showed up just before they did my epidural, and at the time Jacob was actually trying to catch some more sleep, so she let me crush her hand as they gave me my epidural. Getting it wasn't the most pleasant experience, but I certainly was grateful once it started working. She then stayed for most of the day while I was in labor because she's totally awesome like that. Her support meant a lot to both me and Jacob, and I'm so grateful that she had just moved back to Utah and is so close to us now.
So, I labored pretty much all day long, progressing pretty slowly, but still progressing. To help me along they had me use something called a peanut ball (I think), which was shaped like a peanut and went between my legs while I was on my side, and it did seem to help, even if my progress was slow. at one point Samuel's heart rate got a little worrisome, so I was on oxygen from there on out, but it calmed down again and he was fine. Because I was progressing, Dr Harward let me continue to labor, but I still knew we might end up with a c-section.
As it got later in the day, I did eventually progress until I was dilated to a 9. But, even with all those contractions, Samuel still hadn't dropped. So, at that point, as I got closer to hitting 24 hours after my water broke, Dr. Harward told me it was time to start thinking about taking other steps. Jacob and I talked it over, and we decided to move ahead with a c-section.
The doctors, nurses and anesthesiologist were all wonderful and took great care of me during the c-section, which went very well. And it turns out we made the right decision, because when they got in there to pull him out, poor Samuel's head was pressed right up against my pelvis, which was too small for his head to fit through. He didn't cry a lot, and it was pretty quiet at first, so I was actually slightly worried about him. But then he got his lungs going and made sure we knew he'd arrived. Jacob was able to be with Samuel as they took his vitals, etc, and then brought him over for me to see while they worked on stitching me up. He was born at 7:13pm on July 19th and he weighed 7 lb 4 oz and was 20.5 inches long. And by the time he arrived, my parents had come down to meet their newest grandchild and see how I was doing, so we enjoyed some time with them after they got me settled and brought Samuel in for our first skin-to-skin. It had been a very long day, but it was so worth it to have our little miracle finally in my arms.
So, there you have the facts of the experience. But I also have a couple of my thoughts I want to make note of: 1. Epidurals are totally worth it. 2. My OB, Kory Harward, was wonderful. He took great care of me and was completely honest with me about how my labor was going and what I could expect. And most of all, I never felt pressured by him to get a c-section, but he did help me understand why it was the best option. I especially appreciated that he let me labor for a while because it was what I wanted to do even though he knew that we'd probably end up doing a c-section anyway. I'd totally recommend him to anyone looking for an OB. And the nurses were also wonderful, so I'd totally also recommend the Orem Community Hospital as well. 3. Having a support system is the best, and I am extremely grateful for Jacob and my sister for being there for me during labor. 4. Next time, if I have a c-secion again, I want to ask them to let me hold the baby sooner, as they're stitching me up. I'm pretty sure they would have let me, but I honestly didn't think to ask for it, so I didn't hold Samuel until I was stitched up and back in my room. Except for that, I really was quite satisfied with how my labor went, even if it was long and ended with a c-section.
In the future, watch for a post or two on how things have been since Samuel's arrival. I promise I will write one, I just don't know when I'll get around to it.
Spain: Ronda
4 days ago