kec8203: James Logan's Birth Story
Posted
Monday, December 10, 2007 5:54 PM
"Our surprise baby, James Logan, arrived on
November 28th at 1:20 a.m. (just 80 minutes past his due date). He weighed in at
7 lbs., 13 oz. and was 21 inches long."
Labor Begins
I was having cramp-like contractions late in the day on
Monday, but they went away when I went to bed that night. On Tuesday the same
contractions started again early in the day. By late afternoon they were
getting more intense, and radiating throughout my back. By about 4:00 p.m. I thought that this might just be it, so I started to get the rest of my bag packed. Just before 5:00 p.m. I called
DH at work to see what time he'd be home. By the time he
got home at about 6:30, I was on the couch having contractions every 3 - 5
minutes or so. They were still coming through my back as well, so DH and my Mom
(in town for the birth) alternated putting pressure on my back to relieve the
pain.
Off to the Hospital
DH called the doctor and let them know what was going on, and they said
we could head to the hospital at any time. I still didn't really believe this
was it, so I was unsure if we should go or not. Shortly after 7:00 p.m. my Mom
thought we should go. The contractions felt like they were one on top of
the other at this point, so DH started to get the car loaded up. We headed to
the hospital around 8:00, my Mom and I in the back seat as the contractions
were just getting more intense with a lot of pressure on my back.
I don't know how I would have made it through the 25 minute drive without her!
I was in the delivery room by about 8:30, and was five centimeters
dilated. I got on my side so that DH and Mom could keep massaging my back. I
had a slight fever, so they needed to put in an IV for fluids. This was one of
the worst parts of the labor, believe it or not. They couldn't get a good vein
for the IV, and had to try both wrists and bring in a second nurse to finally
get it in, all in between (or during) contractions that were coming every few
minutes.
The Delivery
By
9:00 I was eight centimeters, but my water still hadn't broken. I asked the doctor to hold
off, as I knew the contractions would just get more intense if she did. They were pretty strong as it was, and I was still making good progress. I was
put onto my back for a while, which slowed things down.
Some time before midnight the nurse had me get back on my side and my water
broke shortly afterward. At that point I knew I needed to push. I started pushing
shortly after midnight, and one hour and 10 minutes later, James was born.
He came into the world screaming and very alert, with a head
full of dark brown hair and the biggest hands and feet I've ever seen! He
scored 9 on both APGAR tests. I knew I had a big strong baby boy in there,
and I was right!
The Bradley Experience
The placenta delivery was no big deal. I didn't have to push or anything, and
we really just waited for my body to push it out on its own, which took maybe
10 minutes or so. I did have a second degree tear, which took an eternity to stitch
up (or so it seemed.) But my labor really couldn't have gone more perfectly. I was able to use the Bradley Method described in "The Husband
Coached Childbirth," which it truly was. DH was absolutely wonderful
throughout the process, as was my mom (who had delivered both my sister and me
using the Bradley Method.) For me, I really went "internal" for each
contraction, eyes closed, no noise, and focused on relaxing my entire body to
breath through it.
The New Family
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