Short Version of the Birth Story

This is from a couple of posts I made to the SMC Forum while I was in labor. A little disjointed but the first was written while in labor and the next was written a few hours after her birth. I'm also finished with my longer version but that's written out by hand and who knows when I will have time to transcribe it. 

Friday March 20th, 12:44 am 

Looks like I'm next!

Reading in bed at 11 pm, I felt a surprisingly painful kick, which I never felt before, then a trickle. Then, as I scrambled out of bed and stood on the [luckily] washable rug next to my bed, there was a deluge. I kept saying "Oh my god!" as fluid poured out of me in waves. 

I've had a few contractions since. Lying down now and they seem to have quieted. 

Tree Leaf has been unusually active this afternoon and evening but since my water broke almost 3 hours ago, almost nothing. It's kind of eerie. I talked to my midwife & drank some diluted juice & just switched to full strength. Apparently it's very common for babies to get quiet when labor starts but this is worrying me a bit. Giving her 20 more minutes then calling midwife again. 

I just gave my Doppler away yesterday, after not using it for months! Ugh. It would be so reassuring right now. 

Friday March 20th, 3:30 pm 

....I finally felt her move just as I was about to mobilize to go to the hospital for a NST. 

Contractions gradually picked up in intensity during the night. Hypnobabies helped quite a bit until pretty close to the end. 

Left for the hospital at 7 am, I think. My midwife said they only had 2 rooms open so they wouldn't admit me unless I was at least 4 cm. but as soon as she saw me she said "oh, you're getting a room." 

The contractions were intense by that point and lying on the triage table was tough. My midwife examined me and I was already 7 cm!!!

We got a room before too long, which I was waiting desperately for because I knew I had to be in a room to get an epidural. But I had to get vitals and an IV started first... And by the time that was done, I screamed & realized I was pushing.

I was NOT happy about that! But my midwife said there was no time for an epidural so after some fruitless yet desperate pleading, I gave in to the inevitable & decided to just get it over with. I think I pushed for 20 minutes or less and suddenly there was this perfectly pink baby crying on my chest! 

I was in shock that there was an actual baby. Still am. I never fully believed there was a baby in there. My friend cried and I was glad because I was too out of it from the crazy intensity of the experience. 

But I feel so much better after this birth! I retained some clots so every time the nurse pressed on my belly, I bled some more. My midwife had to reach into my uterus to remove the clots which sounded horrible but was bearable. She said I was just under the cutoff for postpartum hemorrhage because she estimated I lost 450 ml of blood and PPH is 500. So I got cytotec & pitocin to slow the bleeding, and she will watch my blood tests carefully for anemia. 

But I'm not crazy dizzy like last time so I'm not too worried. 

Have a fever so they are watching that too but I feel good (relatively speaking!) so I'm not worried. 

I'm so sleepy now but can't sleep. What a wild ride!