Monday, December 17, 2007

The Big Day

a.k.a Birth Story ~ Part Two

Friendly Caution: If you are uncomfortable reading about dilation or get weirded out by the word "cervix", then just go ahead and skip this post!

So after the deer incident, I wake up Wednesday morning with mild contractions. I didn't suspect anything other than those pesky Braxton-Hicks, but these were accompanied by a backache, giving me the sneaky suspicion that this was the real deal. They were about 10-12 minutes apart, sometimes longer, so I wasn't sure whether this was actual "labor". I called the hubster around 10:30 am & told him I wasn't feeling well. I mentioned the contractions & he requested that I call the doctor's office. I was advised not to come to the hospital until they were 5 minutes apart. {Good thing that God had planned for me to have a doctor's appointment already that afternoon or I would've had an unplanned homebirth.} I told hubby to come home early to take care of me. I rested. I Knitted. I Sudoku-ed. {I *love* Sudoku!}

My appointment was at 3:30 pm. We all went as a family, hoping that maybe the doctor would send me to the hospital. I saw Dr. Z. The nurse asked how I was feeling & I told her that I thought I might be in *early* labor. So Dr. Z examines me. She has a puzzled look on her face during the examination. I am thinking, "Oh Great. I am still 2-3 cm or something like that." She informs me that I am "at least" 6 cm, but she can't really tell because one side of my cervix is completely dilated. She asks if there is any chance I can go directly to the hospital. {She told me the next morning that she didn't want to make me nervous, but was really thinking that I better get to the hospital, like, NOW.} We all arrive at the hospital, my mom meeting us there to retrieve the children.

I am admitted & checked by Dr. F {new doctor in the practice if you are following my abbreviations}, who tells me that I am 8 cm. WHAT???!!! This is seriously unbelievable to me. UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE. During my last labor I was at 2 cm and already in a lot of pain. The doctor and nurse kept asking me if I was sure I didn't want anything for the pain. It was bizarre. I wasn't even really in that much pain. I felt like a woman from the Baby Story, just la-de-da during labor. I was positive for Group B Strep, so I needed to have pencilin & waited 3 1/2 hours before my water could be broken. Dr. F thought I would go pretty fast after my water had been broken. I tried pushing at 9 1/2 cm, but with no luck. My contractions were pretty strong at this point, but not unbearable. I did ask for an epidural while waiting to dilate the rest of the way. I didn't realize that the anesthesiologist would need to be called in. Yeah. Would've liked that bit of information a little earlier in the process. I waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. By this time I was feeling like I had to push & really, my body just couldn't help it anymore. Dr. F says, "Go ahead & try pushing." I push & much to my disbelief {and the doctor's too} I feel his head coming out. The bed hasn't been broken down yet. Doc doesn't have on any surgical apparel. She says, "Please wait. Let me get my gown on." as she runs across the room to retrieve the surgical tray. Through my bloody-murder-type scream I tell her I can't wait. She says, "Please at least let me get my gloves on." Again. Body. Just. Won't. Wait. His head is out & with one more push his body splashes out & doc delivers him while sitting on the bed. More disbelief when I read the scale from across the room. Eight pounds, fifteen ounces. I. Can't. Believe. It. Doc shows me her hand & I just have to laugh as she managed to get her hand into the palm of the glove & delivered the baby with the fingers of the glove just hanging off. Funny. Just as amazing is that I need no stitches. WHAT?! After delivering a nearly nine pound baby?!! Amazing. Really. No drugs. No stitches. A nine pounder. God really does exist ~ LOL!

In all seriousness though, I really could see God's hand in caring for me that day. I had many people praying for me & I am sure that that made a lot of difference. I still can not believe that I was able to deliver such a big baby, drug-free & with no stitches. It makes me feel like I conquer the world now. I hadn't set out to do that, but it just sort of happened upon me. My body feels like it has had a much quicker recovery. I don't know if it's just because it gets easier with each child or if it's due to the type of labor I had.

So now you know. It's not that every birth story isn't a miracle in and of itself, but for me, this one really stands out & I am still in amazement over the whole thing. I leave you with this,
"Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare

14 comments:

Beth said...

Yea for you! You are in the group of only 10% of women that give birth with NOTHING! Doesn't it feel awesome to know that you had so much stregth in you that you had no idea you had?! Your next one will be a piece of cake! ;-)

AmyR said...

That is so amazing, and so GREAT!! Happy mommy and baby from THAT kinda birth!!

Erin said...

So I guess that puts me in the 90% wuss club! I am glad you had the type of birth you wanted!

I remember thinking when Beth had Collin..."man God was really here" and I know exactly what you mean when you say that although it won't stick out to many others it will for you.

Beth said...

wuss club...maybe...ha ha! Just kidding. I just think that the other 90% doesn't realize just how strong they really are. You could do it if you really wanted to, or if you had to. Then you would see it's really not all that bad. I would rather go drug free.

Anonymous said...

There goes Beth putting others down again
Sara

Beth said...

And there goes Sara jumping to conclusions. I don't know why I feel the need to explain myself but I think the people who really know me knew that I wasn't putting anyone down at all. I know that if Erin really put her mind to it, she could go drug free too. I don't think she is a wuss AT ALL!

Dan Barnett. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hollie said...

Wow... here we have Becki just trying to share about HER big day, and Beth trying to share how PROUD she is that BECKI made it through HER labor and delivery without taking anything for the pain, and then there's Sara who has to ruin it!
So Sara... Before you go making statements about someone you'd better make sure you know what you're talking about! You had no right to say what you did about Beth!

Hollie said...

Oh yeah... Congrats on the birth of the little man, Bec... He's adorable!!

Saralyn said...

Congratulations! It does seem strange but my biggest baby (9 lbs 3 oz) was my easiest delivery, too. I've done both the drug and no drug route and found the no drug to be MUCH more painful but the recovery was easier. I was able to pace the push with the baby's progress instead of for the doctor's convenience. I'd bet that's a big reason why there is less "wear and tear" on the body.

Rebecca said...

Thank you all for your kind words! I just wanted to say that for me, my drug-free labor really depended a lot on the labor itself. Because I was already so far dilated, I was able to mentally get through it, knowing that I didn't have too far left to go. With baby #2 though, after hours and hours of labor, I was only dilated to 2 cm. I just didn't think I could hold out for hours and hours more without some sort of relief. All births are miracles though, drugs or no drugs.

P.S. Can't we all just get along ;>)

Erin said...

So funny! I knew Beth wasn't saying that I was a wuss. I said that! I am honestly so afraid of the pain that I don't really even get to the real pain before I want pain meds. For me...I am always induced and always in labor for most of the day, so honestly the anticipation is really scary! I think that if I had gone into labor naturally and found myself in less pain and already many cm dilated I probably could do it. Especially if I had people to work me through it.

Sorry to hi-jack your comments! You really deserve all the congrats that is available!

Anonymous said...

Nice Job Bec!! What an awesome thing Birth is!! Truly AMAZING!! I loved seeing the little guy he is adorable!!
I remember something about the diva cup back a long time ago post, remind me to talk to you about it, now that your back to the real world or I guess you might not be since your nursing huh! ;0)
oh and Sara I applaude you for at least using your name, although I may not like what you have to say at times, I like that! Its to bad we can't see how people are writing the words and expressions and such cause thats where the trouble comes in. Kind of a bummer at times.

But anyways love to the Rios fam!! :0)

Anonymous said...

You go ahead and think that is her real name. Look, I can sign mine too, Alicia.

Sara
maybe Michael
or maybe Julie