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Birth Story, 2004-05-02, 6:40 p.m.


This is my birth story. I will warn you that it contains words such as vagina and cervix. Deal with it or move on :)

With my little peanut sleeping, I figured I'd take some time and write up my birth story. It's a frustrating one that has a wonderful ending. I will just say that this story deals with high blood pressure, induction and c-section, so if any of those make you nervous or concerned, please feel free to stop reading.

Information for those unaware. Pit-drip is Pitocin, an iv drug that mimics the oxytocin in the brain and causes contractions, the creams are creams using prostaglandin, a hormone that thins the cervix. Both can hyperstimulate the uterus, causing more contractions than the point in labour calls for.

My due date was May 5th/6th (my doctor and I disagreed, I think due to a leap year issue). I was up to going to weekly appointments and had one on April 20th, when I was 375 (doctor measurement). This was a tuesday. The weekend previous was a tough - my grandfather was admitted to hospital and it became my responsibility to contact people, including my parents who were on a trip to Russia. As well, we did a lot of stuff and I hadn't been able to sit enough all weekend. Tuesday I'd planned to nap (as i was quite tired) and relax, but mom called and had gotten home that day so I went out to visit her. This is what was happening as I went to my appointment.

At my appointment, my blood pressure was high - 132/90. Due to the strike, my doctor decided to send me to the case room to get it checked on - going to get blood tests would have to wait until after the strike, unless you were an emergency and admitted. On the way over, I tried to reach my husband D. and couldn't. He was getting a ride home from a friend and I had no clue when he'd be there. My dad finally sent my brother out to get D. and my sister over with me. They took my blood pressure when I got over there and it was 150/108. They took blood tests (without being able to find my veins very easily!!) and I just lay there. Eventually D. got there and we talked about what we'd get to eat on the way home. My blood tests came back normal, but my blood pressure was still high. They decided it was to high to do the home program where you are monitored at home and decided instead to keep me over night, test my blood pressure every four hours, put me on a low sodium diet and watch. I managed to get a private room - a really nice one comparatively! - and went upstairs for what I thought was a one night visit. My husband stayed, but was kicked out of my bed just after we'd finally gotten comfortable. Neither of us slept much, especially me as they kept waking me to take my blood pressure, test my urine and weigh me.

The next day I stayed in bed on bedrest with bathroom privilages. They kept checking my blood pressure, but the bottom number never went below 94 - generally it was higher. One good thing about it was that they did a bio-physical ultrasound to make sure this wasn't impacting the baby. It was the best one ever! The nurse walked us through everything, identifying what each little piece was, letting us know that the baby wasn't impacted by the blood pressure issues and giving us three pictures- one of a side profile, one of a front profile and one of his scrotum!! They decided to keep me in another day. D. went home that night to sleep, which was lonely. The following day, thursday, the decision was made to begin inducing. This would involve the cream first, then the drip. I was told it could take three or four applications of the cream where my cervix was completely closed. We waited and waited to start the cream, but it didn't happen that day. Emergencies kept happening, or at least people kept coming in and having babies. D. took me outside in a wheelchair for a few minutes that afternoon, which was amazing!! It's funny how being cooped up makes you appreciate the little things.

We began at 8:30 on friday morning, April 23rd. We'd been keeping my parents updated and they'd been visiting. We then let others know, including my mother in law. My mom showed up after lunch and stayed there while they did the second cream application, after which I was in a lot of pain. People visited all afternoon, including the brother in law, the mother in law, my siblings and my parents. After they left, I was in soooooo much pain I took a shower, which helped curb it a little. We got excited because we figured that was it - we were on our way! My parents left and then came back as I was being brought down, in total pain. The joke was made to hold off delivering until the 24th, due to the fact that that's their anniversary.

When we went down, they hooked me up to the monitor. I was having contractions, but my cervix was still completely closed. They gave me a few adasol 30s and had me lie there for a few hours to see if the pain went away. It didn't. They couldn't continue the cream that night because it might continue me into more contractions and labour, but still not open my cervix. I recieved a shot of nubain and went back upstairs to sleep. No baby.

The next day, I recieved three cream injections. After the first one on the 24th, I opened about a cm, but they hoped to have me open two before breaking my water. No real pain was occuring. The next day I recieved three more injections of cream, directly on my cervix. By this point, I was really in pain vaginally - the cream irritates. I was also getting quite frustrated - after each cream injection, the baby needed to be on the monitor for an hour. My baby kept swimming around, making my hour last sometimes up to two hours. That night, the nurse poured me a hot bath and it helped emotionally and physically. Finally, on the 26th, after a ninth injection (and another bath!), I was open enough to break my water. It was all beginning!! Or at least, the middle of this process was beginning!

After my water broke at 2:00, I was turning into a cyborg. They hooked up a clamp to the babys head to monitor his heart beat without having to worry about his swimming. I was hooked up to the pit drip, as well as a blank iv. Every 30 minutes, they upped the dose of the drip. I wasn't allowed to walk much, but did get to stand up some and pee. While standing I got very weak - my blood pressure dropped to over 60 (84/60 I think). Finally at 7:00 they checked my dialation and I was 4 cm and 80%. This was considered a good thing and a sign that the discomfort that I was feeling was doing something.

All of a sudden, my heart rate went up, as did the babys. His was up to around 200, mine was 117. They decided to give me an emergency c-section and rushed me down to the or. My husband was given scrubs to put on as he waited for them to prep me. They then looked at the heart rate again, which had dropped to 150 - perfectly normal. They decided not to have a c-section for me. However, in case it happened again, they hooked me up to an epidural and started the drugs. They also inserted a catheter and ensured that everything they could do in advance of the heart rate going up again and needing an emergency section was done. They also decided not to up the pit drip that fast, in case that was what made everything go crazy. {added later}One other thing they did was test the oxygen the baby was recieving. They did this by taking blood from his head. If it was low, he could have permanant mental problems. They took a vial of it and ran to the lab, but it'd clotted. They had to take another and run with it. Luckily it came back perfect - one more worry that became one more good thing{/end edit}

By this point, I had no idea what to feel. Could I do this or not? Would I make it through if i did try to birth this baby? Would he? The drugs helped me not panic, as I didn't feel anything and could sleep a little. When I woke it was 11:00 at night. They checked me and I'd not progressed - I was still 4 cm, 80%. You should open at least 1 cm per hour. They then decided again to do a c-section. They brought me to the or, in a little less of a panic this time. I was still really scared, as was D. We called mom and dad and told them what was happening (they'd known about all the craziness a few hours before) and they drove in to wait and see what was happening.

The doctors gave me more drugs and began to prep me. Then, the two doctors doing the surgery were called away to an emergency in a birthing room. So we waited. When they came back and I was ready to go, it was 11:50pm. I was shaking so badly that my head was almost bouncing off of the table. They had to put warm cloths around my face. D. sat next to me and we talked, wondering what was happening and trying to contain the fear and joy that was going on. Finally at 12:04 (or 00:04) on April 27th, we heard the first cry of our baby. They did the AGPAR on him and his scores were 9 and 9. Apparently they'd had to use foreceps on him, even with the section - everyone kept remarking on what a big boy he was a 9pounds, 9ounces and 55 cm long. D. held him for a while and they let me hold him for a minute or so as they stitched me up. Finally they brought us all out to recovery. I was still shaking, but past that, all was good. D. and I got to see the baby and he was able to hold him for a while. Finally they let mom, dad, j. and a come in and see the baby - one at a time. Mom couldn't put him down, dad just looked awed and spoke babytalk, my brothers jaw dropped and he was amazed and my sister just cried and cried. It was good to have them at the hospital, but not in the room.

We went back upstairs around two and they brought Patrick to the nursery. D. and I just talked for a while in awe of the fact that we made this baby boy. They brought him in once more and I held him - the shakes were almost gone - and D. held him. After he left, we slept a very well deserved sleep.

The following few days taught me a lot about after pregnancy care. I was able to walk a couple hours after the section, but other issues surprised me. I was physically ill at one point, which hurt my incison. I'm on painkillers which I didn't want (hell, I wanted a natural birth!). I do have a six week healing time projection which seems like a long time, during which I can't do anything. But I have a perfect little boy. He is wonderful and I wouldn't give him up for anything!


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