At my 39 week appointment with my midwife, I was checked to see how things were progressing. I had been putting off being checked because I didn't want to get my hopes up and then find out nothing was happening. Up to that point I hadn't had any signs of labor...no braxton hicks, no contractions, no dropping, nothing. However, Andrew was anxious to see if I was progressing, so I figured I was far enough along to see how things were going. Well, I was in for a doozy because I wasn't even close to being dilated and was only 60% effaced. Haha! I was so depressed...I was really hoping I miraculously was dilated to a 3.
At that appointment, my midwife actually forced my cervix open to help the process along (not a very pleasant experience) and told me to get myself some primrose oil to help get things going. It was crazy though because when she was up there, she could feel the baby's head! So I knew my baby was down where she was supposed to be... my body was just being stubborn. Anyway, so that night I went to the natural food store and got myself some oil and began my nightly walks with Andrew. I was so anxious at that point to have a baby. I was unmotivated at work, I was hot and uncomfortable, and my hormones were making me a crazy woman, so the nightly walks really helped me out (emotionally, anyway).
Well, another week came and went, and at my 40 week appointment I was still only dilated to a 1 (which is how wide my midwife had forced me open to), but was effaced 80%. The oils were helping to get my uterus nice and thin, but they weren't doing much for dilation. So I went home, depressed and wondering when I'd be given the induction speech. I was really hoping to not be induced since I had been mentally and physically preparing myself for natural labor. I made a birth plan and at the bottom of my list was having a C-section, and right above that was being induced. I just really wanted to avoid pitocin and an epidural. But, I talked to my sister Nicole knowing she had to be induced with one of her boys, and she convinced me that being induced wasn't so awful.
Another week passed and I was DYING. I was so cranky and grumpy and hated talking about labor/baby. I was just done. I'd go into work really late and leave early just to come home and lay in bed and wallow in self pity. It was ridiculous. Luckily, my great husband took me out on walks, or drives to get me out of the apartment. One night we took the most beautiful drive west of Springville by Provo Lake. The colors were perfect, the country side was lit by the most beautiful late evening light, the mountains were surrounding us on all sides...it was amazing. We drove along the Provo Lake shore, and the mosquitos were out of control. There were literally tornado clouds of mosquitos as we drove by...needless to say, we didn't get out of the car. But that was a great drive...I won't ever forget how beautiful it was.
Anyway, so the night before my 41 week appointment (my appt was on a Friday), Andrew and I had a little talk about whether or not I would want to be induced. School was only 4 weeks away from starting, Andrew's parents were coming into town the following Monday, and I was just ready to have a baby. We both thought it would make the most sense to be induced if that was an option at my appointment. So the next day, she checked me, I was still only dilated to a 1, but was 90% effaced. She then realized how far along I was (I met with 6 different midwives at the Central Utah Clinic's Women's Center in Pleasant Grove...I highly recommend it, they were all great!) and asked if I wanted to be induced the next day. She said I technically hadn't progressed enough to be induced, but that she thought I would be fine. So I said yes, and she planned my induction for the next day. I admit, I was a little bit disappointed that I wasn't going into labor naturally. I just wanted my body to do it by itself, but I hadn't the slightest clue what a contraction even felt like. If I was going to go into labor naturally, who knew how long it would have been until that happened?
The next morning at 7 AM I arrived at the American Fork Hospital with Andrew. I changed into my little gown and they hooked me up to all of the necessary IVs, which was mostly annoying. I was on pitocin from about 8 AM-12 when my midwife came in to break my water. I hadn't progressed much and my contractions were really weak. They felt a lot like gas cramps, except in my lower back. I think was dilated to a 1.5, so she attempted to break my water and barely succeeded. After that, I spent most of my time sitting in bed watching tv with Andrew. Once the contractions started getting stronger, I was able to stand next to my bed (couldn't go far with everything I was connected too...so annoying), but honestly, my contractions weren't too bad. They were painful, but painful in a gassy/menstrual cramp sort of way. They started in my lower back and I eventually could feel them in my lower stomach. They were about about a minute and half to two minutes apart and lasted for 45-60 seconds. I was starting to get really tired (because who can sleep at night when they know they'll be having a baby the next day?!?!) and started to get cranky, so I asked for the epidural. I honestly wasn't in that much pain...but I knew I was going to get the epidural since I was on pitocin, so I figured why wait? I was dilated to a 4 once I got my epidural around 4. The epidural kept me comfortable. It was an odd sensation not being able to move my lower body very well, but it wasn't as frustrating or annoying as I had expected it to be.
Around 5 or so, my nurse and midwife came in and were watching the baby heart monitor. Things weren't looking too good as far as the baby's heart rate was concerned. She was averaging in the 120's, and then she was having random dips after a contraction was over, which isn't normal. Her rate would drop super low into the 110's and 100's, so they did all sorts of things to help out. They turned me side to side, sat me straight up, laid me back down, and then they resorted to other things. They took me off of the heart and contraction monitors that stick on the belly and put some internal monitors onto the baby. The heart monitor was stuck into the top of her head and the contraction monitor was put into my uterus to track how strong my contractions were. Then they started pumping more fluid into my uterus. Things were a bit better, so my midwife left. My nurse was in the room with me when Reese's heart rate dropped into the 50's (which is incredibly low for a baby...typical baby heart rate should be in the 120-150's), so she quickly called my midwife and another nurse. I was given an oxygen mask to help get more oxygen to the baby, and then a lot of other things went down. It was a blur and I don't really remember everything that went on, but they turned off the pitocin, and called the doctor that was on call as well. I thought for sure I was going to have an emergency C-section (Reese's heart rate was in the 60's-70's, sometimes jumping to the 90's), but things calmed down. I'm not an emotional person by any means, but I was really close to tears! It was such a weird feeling to feel so connected to my little baby when I hadn't even seen her yet. In that moment I would have done anything to get my girl out safe...screw the birth plan, let me have a healthy baby!
Luckily, with the pitocin turned off, things were better (if you've ever watched The Business of Being Born, you'll being thinking "mmm hmmm"). Her heart rate jumped back up and things were good for a while. Elsie showed up to start taking photos, and she brought her laptop and movies. What a saint! Andrew and I watched Tron (well, he watched it...I was on facebook and talking to Elsie mostly), and just hung out while I was in labor. At some point they turned the pitocin back on in a low dose because my contractions slowed down and my progression was slower than before. Reese really didn't like the pitocin. Her heart rate was continually dropping, so I stayed on oxygen the rest of the time and they monitored me pretty closely.
Things really got moving around 7-8 o'clock. I dilated from a 5 to an 8, and then before I knew it I was dilated to a nearly complete 10. It was about 9:00 when my midwife told me to start getting ready to push. We originally were going to labor down at this point (basically letting the contractions push the baby down after being completely dilated to a 10), but my midwife was concerned about Reese's heart rate and wanted to get her out. So I started pushing around 9:15 and pushed my heart out! I didn't think pushing would take so much energy, but it really does. I would push 3 times during a contraction and then rest. There were a few times when I rested during a contraction as well so that I could let my poor baby have a break (her heart rate was plunging while I was pushing...poor thing). Finally, my midwife told me that she needed to give me an episiotomy to get Reese out right then. I didn't object because I wanted her out as badly as my midwife did. There was a fairly big crowd in the room with my midwife, two nurses, Andrew, Elsie and a respiratory crew (since she was having heart rate problems, they wanted them in the room to help her breathe if needed), which was kind of fun. Anyway, so at 9:57 Reese was born! She came out screaming her head off and was absolutely perfect. She had a ton of light hair (red! At first it looks kinda like bronze, but now it's definitely strawberry blonde/red), and big eyes! It was so emotional when she finally arrived. I just felt SO much love for her...it's hard to describe that feeling, but of course I just cried. She was more perfect than I had imagined her to be. I remember looking up at Andrew after she was born (he was the one who delivered her!) and he was crying too. I felt so connected with my little family, looking at Andrew and holding Reese. It was such a cool moment...having a baby is the best feeling EVER!
I got to hold Reese for a really long time...nearly two hours! She was wiped up, weighed and measured (7 lbs. 10 oz., 19.5 inches), and I got to hold her skin to skin nearly the entire time. I can't even begin to describe everything that I felt. Even though I was induced, had an epidural, nearly had a C-section, and had an episiotomy (everything I DIDN'T want), I loved every little bit of my labor and delivery. It was SUCH an amazing experience and I don't regret a single thing that happened. And while I'd love to have a baby naturally next time, I think my first time was pretty great. I just love my baby so much!
Ok, so I know you've seen some seriously glamorous looking women after having given birth, but I'm not one of them. My hair is a crazy mess and my face is super puffy...but I think it kind of adds to it:)
All photos taken by my sister-in-law (Elsie McDonald Lopez). To see more, visit her facebook page.
As a side note, I was induced at 41 weeks and 4 days. My midwife, after having delivered the placenta, said that it was partially calcified, indicating that I was truly overdue. I was so grateful to her for inducing me when she did. Who knows what may have happened? I loved my midwife (Jennifer Walker) and delivery nurse (Autumn) too.
