jogger7474
Cathlete
Continued from this post:
http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=18683&mesg_id=18683&page=
At birth, Derek weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 20.5 inches long.
I hope I forget how bad this labor was before I have my next child. :*
On Monday the 26th, I felt what I thought were just gas pains on and off all day, and didn't think anything of it. Then, at 10:00 PM, it started to get more painful, and started every 10 minutes or so. I paged the OB on call and she said not to go to the hospital until they were five minutes apart. By 1:30 AM, they were five minutes apart and getting progessively more painful. The OB on call said to leave for the hospital. I thought she was going to meet me at the hospital, but she didn't.
Once at the hospital, I was placed in a triage room. The contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and hurt beyond belief. I consider myself to have a relatively high pain threshold from all the running I've done (and IMaxes), but this pain was far beyond that level. Surprisingly, I was only 1 cm dilated and effaced maybe 30 percent! (Note: I had shown no signs of dilation or effacement at my last OB appointment the week before.) The nurse assigned to me didn't give me any pain medication at first. She recommended walking around the labor/delivery ward to help progress the labor. That didn't last too long, as I was unable to walk very far before throwing up. Next, the nurse recommended taking a whirlpool bath. I tried, but by this time I was in agony and was throwing up again. Lamaze-style breathing exercises didn't help at that point. I remember screaming that I needed drugs or I wasn't going to be able to bear it anymore. The nurse got a hold of the OB on call, and at last, I was given an IV of a morphine derivative (I forget the exact name, it starts with a D, not Demerol). It didn't numb me to the contractions, but I was able to breathe through them.
At this point, it was 6:00 AM on Tuesday the 27th. By then, I was only 2 cm dilated and 40 percent effaced. I couldn't believe it, considering the strength and duration of the contractions (60-90 seconds every 2 to 5 minutes). I went through a couple of IV bags of morphine before I was given Demarol. At about 2:00 PM, I was almost 4 cm dilated and 60 percent effaced, and at last, I was
given an epidural. For the next six hours, I watched the strength and duration of the contractions on the fetal monitor. They were still quite strong. The baby's heart rate steadily increased from about 120 bpm to 150-160 bpm.
I was examined every couple of hours. The farthest I got was 6 cm dilated and 60 percent effaced. At 8:00 PM, my OB told me that he wanted to do a C-section, as it would be best for the baby and myself. I was very frightened to hear this news, as I had never really considered that I would ever need to have a C-section. My epidural dose was increased, and I was wheeled to the OR. I cried the whole time. I couldn't stop being so scared. Once the surgery began, I felt a LOT of yanking and tugging, but no pain. I did feel a burning sensation in my vagina, which was also disconcerting. Apparently, that sensation is normal. Perhaps ten minutes passed, and then my husband, who was standing next to my head, said, "There's his head!" A few
seconds later, I heard a loud cry. My husband cut the cord (not that I could see) and then Derek was briefly brought behind the curtain, still covered in vernix. He was shown to me again after he was cleaned up, and I was told to kiss his head, which I happily did.
There was more yanking and tugging as I was sewn up, and then I was wheeled to the recovery room. I was still crying, but because I couldn't get up and hold my son. At this point, both my husband and myself had been awake for over 40 hours straight. Neither of us were coherent. I did manage to get some sleep, but the rest of the night was a total blur.
We have been home for three days now, and nothing is routine yet! Derek is doing fine. I'm still a bit sore, but it's getting better by the day.
I look forward to joining the post-partum checkin when I get the doctor's OK.
http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=18683&mesg_id=18683&page=
At birth, Derek weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 20.5 inches long.
I hope I forget how bad this labor was before I have my next child. :*
On Monday the 26th, I felt what I thought were just gas pains on and off all day, and didn't think anything of it. Then, at 10:00 PM, it started to get more painful, and started every 10 minutes or so. I paged the OB on call and she said not to go to the hospital until they were five minutes apart. By 1:30 AM, they were five minutes apart and getting progessively more painful. The OB on call said to leave for the hospital. I thought she was going to meet me at the hospital, but she didn't.
Once at the hospital, I was placed in a triage room. The contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and hurt beyond belief. I consider myself to have a relatively high pain threshold from all the running I've done (and IMaxes), but this pain was far beyond that level. Surprisingly, I was only 1 cm dilated and effaced maybe 30 percent! (Note: I had shown no signs of dilation or effacement at my last OB appointment the week before.) The nurse assigned to me didn't give me any pain medication at first. She recommended walking around the labor/delivery ward to help progress the labor. That didn't last too long, as I was unable to walk very far before throwing up. Next, the nurse recommended taking a whirlpool bath. I tried, but by this time I was in agony and was throwing up again. Lamaze-style breathing exercises didn't help at that point. I remember screaming that I needed drugs or I wasn't going to be able to bear it anymore. The nurse got a hold of the OB on call, and at last, I was given an IV of a morphine derivative (I forget the exact name, it starts with a D, not Demerol). It didn't numb me to the contractions, but I was able to breathe through them.
At this point, it was 6:00 AM on Tuesday the 27th. By then, I was only 2 cm dilated and 40 percent effaced. I couldn't believe it, considering the strength and duration of the contractions (60-90 seconds every 2 to 5 minutes). I went through a couple of IV bags of morphine before I was given Demarol. At about 2:00 PM, I was almost 4 cm dilated and 60 percent effaced, and at last, I was
given an epidural. For the next six hours, I watched the strength and duration of the contractions on the fetal monitor. They were still quite strong. The baby's heart rate steadily increased from about 120 bpm to 150-160 bpm.
I was examined every couple of hours. The farthest I got was 6 cm dilated and 60 percent effaced. At 8:00 PM, my OB told me that he wanted to do a C-section, as it would be best for the baby and myself. I was very frightened to hear this news, as I had never really considered that I would ever need to have a C-section. My epidural dose was increased, and I was wheeled to the OR. I cried the whole time. I couldn't stop being so scared. Once the surgery began, I felt a LOT of yanking and tugging, but no pain. I did feel a burning sensation in my vagina, which was also disconcerting. Apparently, that sensation is normal. Perhaps ten minutes passed, and then my husband, who was standing next to my head, said, "There's his head!" A few
seconds later, I heard a loud cry. My husband cut the cord (not that I could see) and then Derek was briefly brought behind the curtain, still covered in vernix. He was shown to me again after he was cleaned up, and I was told to kiss his head, which I happily did.
There was more yanking and tugging as I was sewn up, and then I was wheeled to the recovery room. I was still crying, but because I couldn't get up and hold my son. At this point, both my husband and myself had been awake for over 40 hours straight. Neither of us were coherent. I did manage to get some sleep, but the rest of the night was a total blur.
We have been home for three days now, and nothing is routine yet! Derek is doing fine. I'm still a bit sore, but it's getting better by the day.
I look forward to joining the post-partum checkin when I get the doctor's OK.
