Birth Story-Read with Caution ;)

Like Lizzie, I thought I would share my birth story more as a way that I can read it again in the future to remember.

At my 37 week appointment my doctor told me I was 1cm dilated already, which can be totally normal..it was really exciting to realize I was finally getting closer!
A week later I was at work and starting getting random pains in my belly, they were happening every half an hour or so but I decided it wasn't a big deal, probably just braxton hicks. After work I decided to go see my doctor just in case-she checked me out and said wow you are 3 cm dilated, she could feel baby's head and she was really low... it may be go time!
I was a blubbering mess, with Craig still in Alaska, Mum just starting her journey over, and my stand-in friend Sharon, who had come to all my birthing classes when Craig wasn't here-she was in Indonesia taking a vacation! Just my freaging luck I thought. I called Craig and said baby might be coming so he should probably get back ASAP. I went home and took a nice bath and decided it wasn't time yet-my belly contractions were trying to tell me otherwise but I decided to go mind-over-body.

Well it worked, the next morning I was just having sporadic pains, and by the time Craig got here baby had decided to retreat back into lazy mode.
For the next week I was miserable with no sleep, and intense hip pain. The baby was positioned so low the pressure on my hips was awful. I also had this random rash that broke out on my chest and belly and the itching was insufferable. Those last days seemed to go on forever.

At my 39 week checkup, my doc was surprised to see baby still in my belly. She examined me again and said she couldn't believe this baby wasn't coming yet...it was just so low and ready. She massaged my cervix and said go home and rest up. I had contractions again all through the night but then the next day=nothing.

A week later, the same deal at the doctors...she massaged me again to try and help things along. Nothing happened that day, but the following morning (Friday Sept 16th) I got up and decided my house was filthy contaminated and needed to be cleaned. There I was almost 40 weeks preggos down on my knees scrubbing the floor and vacuuming the rugs. I had Mum doing the windows and bathroom. By the afternoon I was exhausted and my hip pain was intolerable...I told Mum and Craig I couldn't go another day with pain like that and I would go see a chiropractor the next day.

Well that night, Mum and I decided to watch Gone with the Wind (I have never actually seen it..I just know all the songs from my Mum listening to it on the car growing up). Well at the intermission break (Wowza thats a long movie) I was starting to get light contractions every 30 mins or so, I didn't say anything because my body kept punking me out with these fake contractions for weeks now. I craved some apple cider, drank almost a whole bottle then an hour later I knew labor was really starting, contractions were already every 5 mins or less. Craig got in the shower and at about 930pm we headed to the hospital.

The drive seemed to take forever, the hospital is only 30 mins away but my contractions were getting stronger by the minute and with my cervix being so open already I imagined my baby just falling out. When we got to the hospital the pain was really intense already, I was trying to get checked in but would have to take breaks in-between signing all those bliming forms to breath through the contractions.

By the time we got up to the room, my contractions were every 3 mins and I didn't seem to get a break in between-the pain was so intense I was petrified I was past the point of getting drugs and would have to suffer through it. I was already moaning with the contractions and gripping onto Craig or Mum for dear life. If you know me, I am a pretty strong person and I really thought I could do labor all natural no problem.

When the nurse finally managed to examine me I was only 4cm dilated..that was the most depressing thing I have ever heard-with that much pain already I couldn't fathom I still had that much further to go.

In addition I had to be put on an IV drip and given fluids and antibiotics as I had a temperature of 102 F..so that limited me to how much I could walk around and try different positions to deal with the pain. Not long after that I was having a contraction and then it felt like a balloon popped inside of me and a moment of relief-my water broke! And damn did it break, it was serious flood-gates-opening for the next few contractions, I couldn't believe how much fluid just kept gushing out. With my water breaking, the pain intensified and I was a wreck. Craig and Mum seemed so tense and anxious, I have never known my husband so quiet just watching me moan and groan like that.
Not even an hour from when the nurse checked me, she examined me again and couldn't believe I was 7cm already..no wonder my pain was so high to dilate that fast. She said it must be a new record.

They asked if I wanted an epidural and I didn't even hesitate..luckily the anesthesiologist was there pretty quick and he was my saving grace. I would have married him right there and then...I couldn't believe how you can go from feeling the most pain you have ever experienced to no pain at all. It was complete heaven to finally get a break...the room went from all the tension to us all chatting and joking around-crazy!

With me running a fever, I was getting some crazy chills but other than that it was very relaxing for a while, Craig would feed me ice chips while putting on latex gloves and exploring other items in the room he shouldn't have been. The nurse was keeping an eye on my contractions, and after about 45 mins from getting the epidural she checked me again and I was 10cm dilated-crazy!

We starting pushing and that was a weird thing...with the epidural I couldn't really feel what I was doing. After about an hour of pushing, my contractions had slowed and my babies heart rate was taking a while to recover after each contraction, so they had me pushing through every other one to give baby more time to rest. Another hour later and I hadn't made that much progress, with my fever, baby was obviously getting a bit stressed and I was really worn out by then. My contractions had really slowed so the doctor gave me pitocin to speed things up...by then the epidural had started to wear off abit so I could feel more down there which helped me focus my pushing more. Another 30 mins later and still no real progress. The doctor was getting abit worried about baby by then, she was really really hot inside me..so they said they would just help me get her out with the suction cup thingy, I was disappointed but by then it was 330am and those hours of pushing had pretty much taken all my energy.

We put on some tunes to help me get pumped up, After a couple of intense pushes and pain I wouldn't wish on any soul, Ayla Rosemary Offret was born at 0348am while we listened to move like Jagger by Maroon 5 (I love that song!).
I looked down and thought I saw a penis, and I thought 'I knew it!' I had been dreaming that it was a boy for weeks, I was totally convinced. The doctor then asked if we wanted to know what it was, and when she said it was a girl I was speechless...total shock. It actually took me several days to get my head around it!

I think if I didn't have the epidural the birth would have happened much, much faster, but I don't regret it. I was in so much pain and my baby would have been born into a stressful, intense environment and the way it finally happened was so much better for me..and her I think.


I still have the other half of Gone with the Wind to watch..that will bring back some memories;)