My birth story
Tuesday, November 12 at 1530 in the afternoon I felt the baby shift down low into my pelvis at that time I started having a lot of back pain, and by 1730 I was having contractions down in my back and then over the top of my uterus and through my pelvis. The pain was pretty severe so I called Thomas and left a voicemail asking him to come home as soon as possible. Thomas got home at 1830 and I was having severe contractions 20 minutes apart he stayed up with me until 2030 timing them and helping me to breath through. At 2300 I called my mom because the contractions were five minutes apart lasting upwards of 60 seconds for over an hour she stayed on face time with me and watched me have contractions. At midnight she told me to wake Thomas up and go to the hospital. So we packed our bags and left at about 0100. We arrived at the hospital at 1:30 AM. I was in-processed and taken to evaluation where I was told that I was 3 cm dilated and 100% effaced. We met the OB/GYN and were admitted back into the delivery ward. Within an hour of being in our room I wanted to get in the labor tub. The nurse told me I wouldn't be able to since the doctor ordered constant fetal monitoring but I wasn't accepting no for an answer. I got frustrated waiting for the waterproof equipment to be set up since they had to locate it and then figure out how to use it so after about 2 1/2 hours of waiting I just went and got in the tub. I laid in the tub for an hour and a half being monitored and this really helped me push through the contractions. I got back in bed and waited for the doctor to check my cervix again for an hour and a half. When he checked me at 0615 I was only 5 cm dilated so to help things progress more quickly the doctor broke my water. This really sped things up for me, but it tripled the intensity and the pain of the contractions and I dilated to 7 cm in 90 minutes. The pain of the contractions was so unbearable I started hyperventilating and getting dizzy I was having a hard time controlling my breathing and thrashing my head around. I was unable to focus on Thomas anymore so after debating for another hour I finally asked the nurse for an epidural. She set me up with a saline bag, it took about 20 minutes to drain then she got the anesthesiologist who placed the epidural within five minutes and I started feeling relief from the contractions within 15. This was sometime in the morning around 0800. I labored with the epidural from 0800 to 1200, and was able to really focus on my breathing and even get a little sleep. Hard labor started around noon; the pain from the pressure of the baby going through the birth canal became very severe so the doctor came and checked my cervix. He said I was 10 cm dilated but not yet ready to deliver. I pushed the baby out and from noon until 1330 I continued to push with Thomas holding my feet and guiding me as I breathed through the contractions. The epidural did not numb the pressure of pushing him out, but exhaustion was my real enemy after nearly 20 hours of labor. At 1330 the OB/GYN came in and told me that the baby had been in the birth canal too long and we needed to get him out, he suggested that we do the vacuum suction to assist since the babie's head was unable to get past my pelvis bone. Six contractions with vacuum suction and I was able to push the baby out at 1345 on 11/13/13. I endured a second degree tear to the internal muscles and the outer perineum which the doctor began stitching up. Thomas cut the umbilical cord. Immediately after his birth Jaxon was placed on my chest where he stayed for the better part of two hours. He took to the breast very well and ate a healthy first meal within "the golden hour". His father held him and then he was given to the nurse to get his stats 6 lbs. 10 oz. 19 1/2 inches and a nine out of nine on the Apgar.
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