04Hokie: Elsie's birth story

Posted Tuesday, November 06, 2007 8:23 PM

The Beginning
I had an easy pregnancy -- low risk with no problems or complications. and at my 40 week appointment (39w5d) I was 0 cm dilated and only 50% effaced (which I had been since 36w). My midwife was concerned that I had not dilated at all and decided to perform an 'outpatient gel procedure' with prostaglandin gel to jumpstart dilation in hopes that I'd dilate a few centimeters for my scheduled induction the following week. So at 8 p.m. on 39w6d, I went in to the hospital where they administered the gel. Within 10 minutes I was having regular contractions. We were released two hours later and I went home. My contractions were still going, but I assumed they would stop at any time.

Back to the Hospital
I went to sleep, but woke an hour and a half later because they were getting stronger. I couldn't time them to save my life -- I think they were between 5-8 minutes apart. At 2:45 a.m. my water started leaking. It took me a while to confirm that is what happened since it wasn't a big gush! We called the midwife and were back in the hospital in triage by 3:30 a.m. where I was...1 cm dilated! Total bust. We were hoping for more. A few hours later, we were settled into our L&D room where we tried to relax and walked the halls to stay comfortable (my water leaking the whole time). At 8 a.m., they checked me and I was only 3 cm dilated.

The Epidural
The nurse said that if I was thinking about the epidural, now would be a good time. The anesthesiologist was available, and it was looking like I was in for a long day of labor and would need my strength when it was time to push. So at 8:45 a.m. they started pitocin and by 9:30 I had the epidural. (This was the worst part of labor for me, it took four stabs to get it in the right place!) 

Trouble = C-Section
After this I was checked each hour and each time Elsie's heart rate dropped and then sped up so that was a concern. In addition, my blood pressure kept dropping (80/40) so I had to get medicine to raise my BP. Finally, at 6:30 p.m., I was still only 5cm dilated and the decision was made to go for the c-section since Elsie was in distress and hadn't descended into the birth canal at all! Within an hour we were in the operating room and everything went perfectly smooth. The only down sides were that I was shaking with hunger/from the drugs, and I was SO thirsty since I hadn't eaten in 24 hours!

She's Here!
At 7:35 p.m. they pulled out our surprise baby (we didn't know what we were having), and my husband got to announce that it was a girl! We were thrilled. She was perfectly healthy, weighing 6 lbs and 9 oz.

Recovery
We had to stay in the hospital four days b/c Elsie was a little jaundice and had lost too much weight, but my recovery was going perfectly. Once they removed the catheter on Day two and I was able to get the first walking/getting out of bed under my belt,I felt pretty great. I recommend wearing the girdle thing the hospital gives you -- it really helped! Within two weeks, my scar felt fine and the swelling had gone down drastically. I only had minimal bleeding and was taking regular walks each day (also highly recommended for your own recovery). I had a great support group (my husband/sister/mother), and besides the fact that my body was totally out of shape, I felt pretty much normal at  three weeks post partum. I'm also very fortunate to have an AWESOME baby who is rarely fussy and is very laid back! :)