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Introduction

Victoria’s Birth Story (posted on her due date!)


The second to the last entry I posted could be considered part of Victoria’s birth story. I will do a brief recap of what went on, and then I’ll get to the good stuff. I don’t need to say this is going to be long, because that would just be stating the obvious. LOL


Thursday, in the wee hours

I went to bed late Thursday, because I was finishing up some assigned reading. This was in hopes that I would be able to write that 7 page paper. Anyway, I was in bed by midnight. Or rather, I was in the chair/recliner by midnight (or so). I know I was having contractions (here and there) by 2:00 a.m. I was woken up by them regularly (because they were mildly uncomfortable) at around 4:00 a.m. Anyway, I dozed fitfully until it was time to get up, which was around 6:30. I had timed the contractions, and they were somewhere around 5 minutes apart, but not too much to handle. I asked Al what I should do, and he told me to just go about my day.

So, I showered. Went to class, and contracted it seemed whenever I fell asleep. I went to my midwife appointment. I came home. I contracted some more. I debated going to my Thursday afternoon class, but I knew I didn’t want to be confined to a chair when a contraction hit. I was mostly just using breathing and walking to get through the contractions, but sitting was not good. As the day wore on, I had to lean on the bed just move my hips from side to side. I tried moaning, but it didn’t do anything. By 5:00, the contractions were still somewhere between 5-15 minutes apart, but I called the hospital. They thought I should wait longer to come in, so I did. Their exact words were, “You’ll be more comfortable at home.” Truer bullshit was never spoken. Anyway, I started to make Al time the contractions, and they started to kick up a notch in the pain scale. Somewhere around here I ate two disgusting Swanson's chicken pot pies. They were good, but I was worried they might make an encore appearance.

So, this contraction business went on for a while. The pain was getting more intense. The contractions weren’t getting closer together, but the pain was stronger. When I felt better by moaning through them, I knew we were getting somewhere. Here’s a sidenote: I was in denial. I didn’t really think I was in true labor. I thought I would deliver over the weekend. I refused to believe it was the real thing, even when I was instructed to push! I still had work to do, and I wasn’t really ready, right? LOL Also, around 7:00 was when Alexandria started really getting awful. She would try to climb on me when I would lean down and moan and groan with the contractions. She would be grabbing my pillows as I tried to lean on them. She made off with my blanket numerous times. You know a woman in labor is not to be screwed with, but I was in pain, and in no condition to play disciplinarian. I told Al to try his best and get her off my back, literally. Anyway, to make a long story a tiny bit shorter, Al at one point was yelling, Alexandria was screaming, and finally I just said, “Would you all just SHUT UP?!” Anyway, by 10:00 p.m. I had called the hospital, and we were going in. Then I had to call them back to tell them I had a doula, and to call her in as well. After much comedy (yeah right) we were on our way.

A word of wisdom for future mothers: if at all possible DO NOT have contractions in the car. They hurt. But they hurt more than contractions elsewhere, because you can’t do a damn thing about them. Except scream. Or moan. Or both! My first contraction in the car hit like a ton of bricks. I was sitting in the front seat (no seat belt, but don’t flame me for it), and I remember just moaning. Loudly. Alexandria asked “What’s wrong, Mommy?” but I couldn’t say a word. I was gripped by it. Finally, it passed. I knew I was going to have at least two more, and I braced myself. I had another as we were about 5 minutes from the hospital. (At this moment, I wished Al was driving a hell of a lot faster.) Finally, we get there. We pull up in front of the ER. Al asked me where he was supposed to drop me off, and I just kind of stared at him. I was so out of it, I just got out of the car, doubled over and limping from the pain. I walked into the ER, and went right up to the desk with the secretaries sitting at it. One of them got on the phone pronto, and said something like “Yeah, Labor and Delivery? We’ve got one for you!” I gave my name and my clinic number (don’t ask how I knew and remembered the damn number, but I did) and someone from L & D whisked me away in a wheel chair. It was almost 11:00 p.m. I don’t honestly remember if I had a contraction in this time or not. I remember getting into the room, and there was the bed, with the damned external belly monitors. I had to lie down and get the suckers put on me. I also had to be started on penicillin for the GBS. I had a contraction (or two or more) and the nurse kept telling me to “remember my breathing”. I was thinking, “How the hell is breathing going to help with *this*?!! I think I had to pee for them, because they told me my ketones were slightly high. I asked what that meant. They said it was probably due to dehydration. I wasn’t surprised, because after around 6:30, I really hadn’t had as much as a sip of water. I started to get even more loopy, because I wanted to ask them if they knew what a ketone looked like: that it was an oxygen double bonded to a carbon, which was bonded to two other carbons. I didn’t bother telling them this, though. LOL It seemed like too much effort at the time. They checked me, I was at 5 cm. I figured it was going to be a while, but now that I was at the hospital and my doula was on her way, it was going to be okay, and I wouldn’t need the epidural.

Anyway, I was then cleared to get in the Jacuzzi. I was so relieved. I hopped in, and the water was *hot*. I worried about overheating the baby, but figured the staff knew what they were doing. I hung out in there. My first contraction in the Jacuzzi wasn’t too bad, I just maneuvered my back so that the jets were aimed at it, and while I can’t say I didn’t feel a thing, it was so much better than lying on the bed. I managed to score some ice water, so I sat and sipped the ice water and labored in the Jacuzzi. Ahh, this was the life, right? After a while, I began to think about getting out. I remember a contraction hit (or was it after the contraction?) and I felt a sort of “pop” and the feeling of something like a bubble gushing out of me. I said (out loud, no less!) “What the heck was that? Did my water break?” The next few contractions were interesting. I started to push with them, totally against my will. I started to grunt. I couldn’t have had more than 8 contractions while in the Jacuzzi. Anyway, after the second “pushing” contraction, Jennifer (my midwife), Sue (the doula), and a nurse came in. I got out of the water, and a contraction hit. I just turned to Sue and hung on to her and moaned through it. Then it was back to the bed. Ugh.

I am sorry this is not terribly clear. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, that I’m not sure what happened exactly where. I know I had another contraction before I had to lie down on the bed to be checked for dilation. I know I leaned on Sue. I saw them assembling the birthing tub. Jennifer said there probably wasn’t going to be time for a water birth. She checked me, and then said something about being ready to push, since I just had a little lip on the cervix. I was incredulous. I asked her if I was at 10 cm, and she said yes. I still couldn’t believe it. I remember thinking, I’m *not* ready! She then told me another shocker: that she felt I could have this baby out in no more than the next two contractions.

When the next contraction hit, I began to push. I was on the bed, lying on my back, holding my own bloody legs apart. I was hesitant to push, and I remember Sue encouraging me to wrap myself up and push the baby out. So, I pushed harder. It’s crazy, I know, but I really did not want to aggravate my hemorrhoids, so I was holding back. Anyway, I gave up holding back, and did some serious pushing. With the next contraction I again pushed effectively. I pulled my own legs further back, and I just felt incredible pressure. Not so much a burning sensation as the first time, but a lot more pain. I will be honest, this little girl hurt more than Alexandria. I had thought I pushed the baby out, and was feeling incredibly relieved, until I realized Jennifer had just been stretching my perineum, and it wasn’t over yet. I don’t remember if I had another contraction, or if I just continued to push through. Either way, Victoria’s head was out, and they were telling me to push slowly. Well, I don’t know about you, but when I gotta push, I gotta push. I was trying to push gently, though. Kinda like a Mack truck barreling down the highway is gentle on the road, you know? And then, she was out. Every bit of her! The time was 12:16 a.m. (I had dilated from 5 cm to 10 cm in a little over an hour!) I asked what the baby was, and they said, “It’s a girl!” Right away, Victoria began to cry. She had a good set of lungs on her, anyway! I think they placed her on my chest, but things are a bit unclear again.

Right away they started messing with my uterus and trying to get the placenta out. I thought they would give me a little time, but apparently I was losing quite a bit of blood. They turned on the Pitocin, and it wasn’t long before I delivered the placenta. However, there was a bit of the amniotic sac still attached to the inside of my uterus. And this was hands-down the worst part of labor and delivery. I remember thinking that I couldn’t even enjoy my baby, that I had to be tormented. I don’t know how long Jennifer worked on pressing on my belly and tugging at this long annoying string of membrane that wouldn’t come loose, but it was at least 15 minutes. I squeezed Sue’s hand and kept asking when they were going to be done. I had to breathe when Jennifer “massaged” my poor uterus. Finally, the damn thing came loose, and I was free to enjoy my baby and recover. She was 8 lbs, 7 oz. and 21 inches long. I was surprised with how different she looked from Alexandria. First off, she seemed a lot smaller. Also, the skin on her hands and feet were peeling. I mean really, obviously peeling. She had super long nails. She also had some hair, more than Alexandria had. She was very red. She also had little “stork bites” on her eyelids. No little pimples, though! And her scalp had a ton of tiny red pin prick-like marks covering it. She was allowed to nurse for a little bit. She latched on well right away, and nursed for a bit.

After a while, they pulled her away to get her first bath. I was left to recover with Sue and the nurse. Every 15 minutes the nurse pummeled, oops I mean massaged, my uterus. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. After my recovery time was up, they made me pee. I performed admirably for them, and then it was time to move to the postpartum rooms. I was wheeled to the room, and then they brought Victoria a short while later.

And, that’s where the birth story ends, and the baby story begins! So, that should be enough for now. I will do at least one more entry about our hospital stay, and then I’ll see where I want to go from there. =)


Till next time,

Candace and Victoria Lynn