Monday, April 7, 2014

A Birth Story Project: Sarah

Welcome to the inaugural post of A Birth Story Project. With it, I'm providing a public space for birth stories that want to be shared. Please contact me if you'd like to submit your own (anonymous or not, as you prefer). The spectrum of birth experiences is wide, and I'm hoping to be able to post an equally broad variety of stories.

This story is shared with permission. It was reformatted and edited for clarity, but no part of the story that was submitted has been removed. This is meant to be a safe space, so please read with compassion. Comments may be moderated.


Sarah's Second Birth

It was a regular Friday morning, my due date. I had donuts for breakfast with Grey. We went to the playground. I napped when G. napped. We went to the grocery store in the afternoon, and I felt fine.

Walking home around 4pm, I started getting Braxton-Hicks contractions. At 5pm, Kyle got home and I sent him to the playground with Grey so I could lie down.

I didn't want to get out of the shower at 6pm because the contractions were so painful.

By 7, I was calling my OB, bawling, because I was in so much pain and didn't want to get in a taxi.

Friends arrived to pick us up at 7:30. Somehow we got to the hospital by 8, even with tons of traffic.

When I got out of the car, a hospital worker saw me pause during a contraction and came running out with a wheel chair. "That baby is about to drop!" He ran us through the lobby and up a service elevator to L & D. I only remember gripping the wheel chair and looking down at the floor. The hospital was FREEZING and felt amazing.

L&D was hopping. My doctor checked me in triage and I was 4cm, so I could be admitted right away. I asked for an epidural immediately. My contractions were so close together I could hardly keep my breathing going. I kept saying "I just need a break to rest a minute" and another would come and then another.

I started screaming (bloody murder) and moving all over the bed, so she checked me again. This was maybe 10-15min later and I was 8cm. All the labor rooms were full so Kyle walks back over to me in scrubs and says "We are heading into the OR," and I freaked out. "Why do I have to get an operation?" And "Where are my DRUGS?!" I was seriously begging, but they were so backed up no one ever came.

I was in the OR for 5 minutes, tops, and I was at 10cm, but still at station -3 and my water hadn't broken. My doctor said "We can wait for him to move down or I can break your water." Wait for him to move down ?!?!? I wanted him out -- stat -- or I wanted the pain to go away... not to wait for him to move down!

She broke my water and just a little trickle came down. With the next contraction, his head came all the way down and the biggest gush of water came. I started screaming and laughing at the same time because it was just so surreal and painful. I could feel everything, and it was happening so fast I couldn't even catch my breath. It hurt so bad I really thought I was going to die for a second. I refused to push because I just couldn't.

Kyle helped me focus again and got me to breathe, drink some water and stop screaming. I felt for the first time, "OK. I can do this. I'm going to do this!" So I start pushing and OMG it's so hard, and it hurt to the point that I can't stop screaming. I move slightly to my left side and that really helped for some reason.

Suddenly an alarm starts going off. Heartbeat of baby completely drops, stops, and people start running in the room. Doctor says to take a huge, deep breath to get oxygen to him, and I did, and it picked back up again. She says, "We have to get him out now." A nurse basically puts her entire body weight on my stomach and pushes down. I'm pushing myself, my calf is clamped on Kyle's forearm for resistance, foot against his chest and the doctor is reaching in and like corkscrewing him out, and he comes out in that moment.

He doesn't cry at first and I'm very nervous. They whisk him over to a table next to me and he starts crying (thank God). The ped shouts out "10lbs 8oz." Kyle and I look at each other and I just say, "you are lying." Honestly, I'm still in shock. They bring him over and I see for myself that he is a man-baby !!!

They take me back to triage to hang out till our room is ready, and I finally ask what time it is. He was born at 10pm on the dot on his due date, only 2 hours after arriving at the hospital. Greyson's labor was 36 hours, so I was definitely in a state of shock. I did tear this time, but not even close to as bad as last time, and my tailbone was bruised but not broken (yay)! I had been for a growth scan 4 days prior and they guessed he was 8lbs 4oz. I'm so glad they were off because it would have definitely affected my labor and I would have most likely just opted for a section.

I still have no idea how I got him out. Maybe it was my crazy side position? Not sure but I'm definitely never doing it again :)

It was a very shocking but wonderful experience. I am so happy at the way it turned out.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you.