Baby Beth has Arrived!s
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:58PMLast Monday, October 11, my husband and I welcomed our little girl into the world. Here is our birth story.
My due date, October 5, rolled by as did the next day and the next. By this point, I was ready to meet our daughter so I was trying everything to boost her arrival. I walked the Lyon Street Steps, ate spicy foods, exercised on my birthing ball and tried a few other practices that claimed to kick start labor.
My husband and I met with our OB and decided to schedule an induction on the Sunday following our due date. On Saturday night I decided to try one last thing, which I’m embarrassed to admit. I drank two tablespoons of Castor Oil. My hubby Tom, mom and I ventured out to the local drugstore in search of the ancient cure all. We ended up chatting up the pharmacist who said they might have some in the back and returned with a dusty bottle. That should have scared me, but at this point I was determined to try anything (that wouldn’t hurt my baby of course.) So we returned home, I drank the minimum amount and we waited. We went to bed and about 11:30 p.m. my tummy started hurting in a non-labor kind of way. I went back to bed and about 2:30 a.m. I woke up to more stomach pains though these seemed different and appeared to be coming every 4-5 minutes and lasting about a minute. Three hours later, my water broke! Tom and I quickly got our bags in order – this was the night we had been preparing for!
Tom, my mom and I all piled into the car and headed to the hospital. After checking me out and confirming I was indeed in labor and that my water had broken, they admitted me about 6 a.m. I was 1 cm dilated and about 80-90 percent effaced. It was 10-10-10 and we were told we would most likely have a baby today!
We quickly set to work on getting this labor to progress. I rocked in the rocking chair, sat on the birthing ball and took walks. Tom was incredible throughout the whole experience, monitoring my contractions, massaging my back, keeping my mind off the pain and helping me to the restroom (I had an IV in and a number of monitors so it wasn’t easy.)
By 5 p.m., my contractions were becoming very painful. Tom and I had a great strategy in place on how to manage the pain and were working through it well.
About 7 p.m., they became extremely intense so I requested the epidural. Minutes after receiving the epidural, my contractions slowed and became longer – not a good sign. I was checked around Midnight for the second time to see how far I had progressed. I was at 6 cm, one cm away from 7 when the transition phase begins which is super fast. At this point, they started bringing up the fact that the baby was probably going to be really big, which is why my labor hadn’t progressed. After two more hours and no progress, it was clear that a cesarean was in our future.
My husband dressed in his scrubs and walked alongside the gurney with me to the operating room. He had to stay outside while they got me prepped. Before I went in, we kissed and he squeezed my hand. We knew we would see our little girl very soon.
Once in the operating room, they set to work prepping me. Unfortunately the speedy epidural they put in place earlier wasn’t properly executed so I had to get a second epidural. I was shaking uncontrollably. Tom was in the room by now and I could tell that he was so sad to see me this way.
Having a cesarean was unlike anything I had imagined. I had no idea you could feel them pushing and shoving to find your little baby. I was elated though when I heard her first cries and I couldn’t wait to lay eyes on her.
Tom went to the warming table to greet her. He later told me he was worried whether he would feel an instant connection, but upon seeing her, fell instantly in love and knew that this was his little girl and he loved her more than he could have ever imagined. This still melts my heart to this day. He is so good with her and is such a proud father.
They brought little Beth over to greet me after a few minutes. She was so beautiful. I can’t even begin to describe the love and happiness I felt snuggling with her and seeing her with Tom. I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms.
It was a long journey and wait, but definitely worth it.
**Friends and family reading this blog please know we are using the name Beth as a substitute for privacy.