Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:57 PM
"By then, my contractions were back-to-back and so painful. This
time, I was definitely in labor."
An early trip to the
hospital…
On Saturday, February 12, when I
was 40 weeks pregnant, my husband, Michael, cut his finger badly and needed
stitches. We went to the emergency room, and I waited while he got stitched up.
As I sat there, it occurred to me that my baby didn’t seem to be as active as
she’d usually been. Since I wanted to play it safe—and thankfully, our hospital
is so small—I walked over to Labor and Delivery to check in with the nurses
there. They assured me that everything was probably fine, but said they’d
examine me just in case. Before I knew it, I was hooked up to the fetal monitor
and my cervix was examined. The nurse determined that I was having Braxton-Hicks
contractions every five minutes, and I was 100 percent effaced and dilated 5
centimeters. “You’re not going anywhere tonight,” she said. Sure enough, I was quickly
moved from the temporary monitoring room into a birthing suite where I would
spend the night.
A little too early
I waited and waited the whole
night. But by 8 a.m. the next day, my contractions were still four minutes
apart and I wasn’t in any pain, so my OB agreed to let me go home while I
waited for things to progress. As I left, the nurses warned me that when I
finally started active labor, my baby would come very quickly.
It’s time—for real!
At 4:30 a.m. on February 14, I woke
up to my first real contraction. They
were 11 minutes apart at first, but soon started coming closer together. I woke
up Michael and told him it was time. He woke up our older daughter, Destiny, and
we got in the car—by then, my contractions were back-to-back and so painful. This
time, I was definitely in labor. When
we arrived at the hospital, the clerk at the admitting desk was adamant that I
fill out and sign all the paperwork. I remember rushing because I was so
worried that my baby would come any minute! Finally, at 5:50 a.m., I was
admitted into Labor and Delivery.
Welcome, baby Kaleah!
Before long, it was time to push! I
was committed to having a med-free birth, and Michael did an amazing job
helping me stay relaxed. I found that if I paced my breaths to the beat of our
baby’s heartbeat on the fetal monitor, I stayed calm and distracted from the
pain. There were a few moments when I questioned my decision to go without pain
medication, but Michael helped me stay focused. At 7:19 a.m., I gave one last
push, and my sweet daughter was born. She weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and was
21 inches long. Kaleah was placed directly on my chest, and she looked at me
with her beautiful big eyes, almost as if to say, “I love you!” I was amazed at
how perfect our sweet little valentine was.
>>Want to share your birth story with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at community@thebump.com
Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:45 PM
"Right then, a new sense of love came over me—I could feel
it in every cell in my body."
A false start
My water broke on October 11 when I was 35 weeks pregnant. We
hurried to the hospital, but since I wasn’t having contractions, the doctors told
me to go home and get a good night’s sleep (well, as good as I could get at
nine months pregnant!). They said they would induce labor the next evening. That
night was surreal. My boyfriend, Ratha, and I talked about how our son would
look and act. Would he be shy like his father? Creative like me? We promised
that no matter where our lives brought us, our baby would always be our number-one
priority.
I had the entire day to prepare. But of course, I was tired
and ended up watching The Twilight Saga
on the couch. My mother begged me to walk around to get labor moving, but waddling
was the last thing I wanted to do. As we drove to the hospital later that day,
I still didn’t feel any signs of labor. It was hard to believe that the next
time I’d be home, there would be a baby in my arms!
The real thing
After getting started with IVs, heart monitors and a pill to
soften my cervix, I realized that nothing would be happening that night. My
mom, boyfriend and I all fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, they
were preparing me for Pitocin when I heard a loud pop, followed by a huge gush of water. Apparently, the water that
had broken two days before was just because of a tear. My first thought was, Thank God my water didn’t break when I was at
work! Now I knew that my labor had really begun.
Brayden arrives!
I was given Pitocin and immediately started feeling
contractions. That was the worst feeling ever! I wanted an epidural right away,
but the doctors told me to wait 20 more minutes and then decide. I tried
waiting 10 minutes, but just couldn’t take it! Once I was given the epidural,
everything was a breeze. I started pushing at 8:30 p.m., but because I was so
numb, the nurse needed to tell me when it was time to push. My boyfriend and mom
were guessing how long my delivery would take and how big the baby would be—they
were guessing two hours. I couldn’t imagine pushing for that long!
Thankfully, Brayden was born only an hour later at
9:50 p.m. on October 13, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and measuring 21.5
inches long. He was so quiet when he was born. They put him on me, and he
looked so confused. Right then, a new sense of love came over me—I could feel
it in every cell in my body. My son was absolutely perfect, and if I could live
in that moment forever, I would.
>> Want to share your birth story with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at community@thebump.com
Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:34 PM
"Although I had enjoyed being pregnant,
things had been starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I was relieved my labor
was finally happening and that I would meet my baby soon!"
“It” was happening!
On December 29, when I was 38 and a half weeks pregnant, my
husband, David, went surfing with some friends while I rested at home. I
started to experience what felt like menstrual cramps, so when David came home
later, I told him “it” might finally be happening. Sure enough, as the evening
progressed, those cramps slowly turned into contractions. At 9:30 p.m., when they
were about seven minutes apart, I called my doctor, but she said to call back
when they were three minutes apart. Since we didn’t want to make the mistake of
heading to the hospital too early (and risk getting sent home), we waited. In
the meantime, we packed our bags and got more and more excited that our journey
would be starting soon.
Finally, at 1:30 a.m., my contractions were only three
minutes apart. I called my doctor again, and she said it was time. We packed
the car and hurried to the hospital. Although I had enjoyed being pregnant,
things had been starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I was relieved my labor
was finally happening and that I would meet my baby soon!
At the hospital
Once we arrived, the nurse checked on me and said I was 7
centimeters dilated and 90% effaced—I was pretty close! They rushed me to the
delivery room. I didn’t have a formal birth plan, but David and I felt like we
knew all of our options and would make decisions based on how I felt during the
birth. At that point, I was still undecided on whether I wanted an epidural. The
pain wasn’t excruciating yet, but with each contraction, I was becoming much
more uncomfortable.
Time to push!
Around 4 a.m., I was 8 centimeters dilated and in a lot more
pain. I decided to get an epidural—that way, I could enjoy the experience more.
I’m so happy that I did! From that point forward, I was completely relaxed and
was able to focus on meeting our little boy. With David by my side, I labored
through the early morning. Finally, at 8:30 a.m., my doctor told me it was time
to start pushing.
Welcome, baby Chasen!
Strange as it may sound, I actually enjoyed the pushing part! I was thankful that I had done so much
prenatal yoga, which made the process much easier. After pushing for about 40
minutes, the doctor told me to look down. I did, and saw my baby’s little head
popping out! It was truly incredible. One push later, our son arrived! At 9:17
a.m. on December 30, Chasen was born. They immediately put him in my
arms. My first thought when I looked at my son was “Wow!” I felt so lucky to
have been able to experience every moment of the birth and felt an
extraordinary sense of relief that our baby boy was healthy. After weighing
Chasen, they put him on my chest for an hour of skin-to-skin contact, and I was
able to watch him open his eyes for the first time. Only a few hours later, we
moved to the hospital room where we rung in the New Year as a new family!
>> Want to share your birth story with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at community@thebump.com
Posted Thursday, March 08, 2012 5:20 PM
"I was able to sleep for a little while, but woke up to
chaos."
Before
it all started...
My birthday was on August 4, so two days later, my
husband and I went out for dinner in the city to celebrate. We hadn’t been in a
rush to go on my actual birthday since I wasn’t due for another six days. We
thought there was no way I’d go into labor before then. “You should order
whatever you want,” our waiter joked. “This might be your last meal for a
while!” After we finished dinner, I decided to skip dessert there since I was
craving a cookie-dough Blizzard from Dairy Queen. We went to get one and then
headed home.
At home (with my Blizzard in hand), we decided to take
our puppy for a walk. We’d only been walking for a short time when I felt
something that definitely could be my water breaking. No way, I thought. That’s
not possible. I ignored it and kept walking, but then it happened again.
“You’re
going to have this baby soon!”
I called my doctor, who immediately said I should come to
the hospital to get checked out. “You’re going to have this baby soon,” she
told me. Thankfully, my hospital bag was packed, and I was ready to go!
Although my husband and I were surprised, we’d been waiting and planning for so
long that we couldn’t wait for our little girl to finally arrive.
A
slow start
We got to the hospital at 8:30 p.m. The doctors examined
me and determined that my water had, in fact, broken. However, my cervix wasn’t
soft or dilated at all, so I was given three rounds of Cytotec every six hours
to speed things along. Eighteen hours later, I hadn’t made much progress. My
cervix had softened somewhat, but I was still dilated less than a centimeter.
Finally, I was given Pitocin to quicken my labor. That seemed to help, because
suddenly, my contractions started!
I wanted a natural birth and was determined—no matter how
many times I was asked—to decline the epidural. But after 30 hours of natural
labor and little progress, I decided I needed one. I wanted to be rested enough
to push when the time came.
Welcome,
baby Kiley!
I was able to sleep for a little while, but woke up to
chaos. My baby’s heart rate was all over the place. At that point, I’d been in
labor for a whopping 38 hours, so my doctors wanted to get her out as soon as
possible and decided on an emergency c-section. Before I knew what was
happening, five nurses rushed in, and I was moved to the operating room. I have
to admit, I was pretty scared.
I was completely numb during the c-section and only could
feel heavy pressure and some tugging. Finally, I heard the most amazing sound
in the world: Kiley crying for the first time. She was born on August 8 at
11:52 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces. She was such a little peanut!
Holding my daughter in my arms was the best feeling I could ever imagine. I
couldn’t stop looking at her in awe; I was so happy to finally meet my baby
girl!
>> Want to share your birth story with The Bump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com
Posted Thursday, March 08, 2012 5:12 PM
"Before I knew what was going
on, I was rolled into the delivery room. I remember wanting an epidural but
being told it was too late. My baby was coming now, whether I liked it or not."
An early arrival...
At 2:30 a.m. on May 10, when
I was 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant, I woke up and needed to use the bathroom.
Then, only a half hour later, I woke up again. That was weird—it wasn’t like
I’d drunk a lot of water before bed. Shortly after, I felt something I hadn’t
felt in a long time: cramps. They were mild at first, but my tossing and turning
woke up my husband, Thomas. Just to be safe, I called my hospital’s nurse line.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, please rate your pain,” the nurse asked me. “Hold on,”
I answered, “another one’s coming!” When the nurse heard my groans, she advised
me to come in immediately.
Certain we’d be home soon,
my husband and I didn’t even pack our hospital bags. We arrived at the hospital
at 6:15 a.m., and my parents met us there soon after. The contractions were
coming harder and faster. Since it was so early, I was given two shots: one to
stop the pain and one to help my daughter’s lungs develop.
A painful wait
My husband paced the room,
and my mother stroked my arm to soothe the pain. The second round of
medications wasn’t nearly as effective, and my contractions were incredibly
painful. At check-in, I’d been dilated 1 centimeter; only a few hours later, I
was already at 8 centimeters. Everything was happening so quickly.
“Now push!”
Before I knew what was going
on, I was rolled into the delivery room. I remember wanting an epidural but
being told it was too late. My baby was coming now, whether I liked it or not.
An oxygen mask was put on my face, and I heard a nurse yell, “If you can
scream, you can push; now push!” My husband was by my side. “Push so you can
get her out and not be in pain any more,” he said. On top of the excruciating
pain, I was scared. It was so early—would my baby be okay?
Welcome, baby Hannah!
I pushed for about half an
hour—my delivery was extremely fast! After
one final push, baby Hannah was born. She was so tiny and weighed only 4
pounds, 5 ounces. We saw her for a moment, but then she was rushed to the NICU
for further examination since she was such a tiny preemie. Now, I’m so grateful
that I had taken a birthing class only a few weeks earlier. From the class, I
was able to recognize that my water had broken and that I was having
contractions, and I knew a number to call for help.
Those first few days after
Hannah’s birth were so hard; she had to stay in the NICU, and I hated not being
able to take her home, but at the same time, I was reassured that she was being
cared for. Three weeks later, Hannah was healthy enough to leave the NICU.
Today, she is a joyful 18-month-old, and I’m so excited to be her mom!
>> Want to share your birth story with The Bump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com
Posted Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:24 PM
"It just seemed
so surreal that my little one could be inside of me one day, and the next day
she could be in my arms."
“I can’t believe that I will have a baby
tomorrow!”
My baby was breech, so a c-section
had been scheduled for April 26, when I was 39 weeks pregnant. Since I knew
exactly when I would be giving birth, I was incredibly anxious the night
before. I tried to mentally prepare myself by keeping busy; I finished errands,
bought last-minute infant gear and went on a long walk with my dogs. I knew it
would be awhile until I felt up to those activities again! Before I went to bed
that night, I excitedly said to Matt, my husband, “I can’t believe that we will
have a baby tomorrow!” It just seemed
so surreal that my little one could be inside of me one day, and the next day
she could be in my arms.
A completely new experience
My mother and Matt brought
me to the hospital at 9:30 a.m. the next day. The surgery was scheduled for
11:30 a.m., so the next two hours were spent preparing for what would happen.
I’d never needed so much as stitches before, so as the hour came nearer, I
became increasingly nervous. I was very scared about the surgery itself—whenever
I let myself think about the spinal needle, I’d start to cry. Thankfully, Matt
and my mother were hugely comforting. They helped remind me that the c-section
was a necessary step toward meeting my new baby!
Like being in a dream
At 11:30 a.m., I was given
anesthesia, and then Matt accompanied me into the operating room. My baby was
“stuck” beneath my ribs, so the c-section took longer than the doctors
expected. But to me, it seemed to go by quickly, as if I were dreaming. I
remember being asked if I felt anything, and then, after what seemed like only
a minute, I heard my doctor say, “Okay, we are about to pull her out. You will
feel a lot of pressure.” What? Already?!
I thought. Before I knew it, the doctors had safely pulled my little one out
into the world.
Hello, Averie!
Averie was born at 12:07
p.m. and weighed 6 pounds, 9.8 ounces and was 19 inches long. I stared, astonished,
as they gently cleaned her up and wrapped her in a blanket. I marveled at
Averie’s features: She had skinny legs, a little nose and the tiniest ears.
Those ears amazed me! It seems silly now, but I couldn’t get over how perfect
and adult-like they were.
Finally, the doctor placed
Averie on my chest, and I was overcome with emotion. I couldn’t say anything
except, “She is so beautiful.” Matt and I started crying—we couldn’t believe
that we had a baby! Everything about
Averie is incredible, and I am so excited to see what she has in store for us!
>> Want to share the story of your birth with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.
Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:25 PM
"After
we signed the paperwork, I was wheeled to the OR. I started to cry because I
was so scared. This is finally happening,
I thought."
Not
your typical anniversary
On the night before our first wedding
anniversary, my husband, Rudy, and I went out to dinner. I was almost 39 weeks
pregnant, and although I was a little tired, I felt fine. When we got to the
restaurant, however, I started having lower-back pain and mini spasms. I
ignored it, but the spasms continued when we returned home. I lied on the couch
and called my doctor. "Unless your water breaks, it isn't time yet," she said.
Around 12:30 a.m., Rudy suggested I go to bed. "I don't think I'll be able to
sleep," I said, lifting myself off the couch. As soon as I stood up, BAM! My
water broke! Rudy quickly got me a change of clothes, and we left for the
hospital at 1 a.m. I was excited and nervous at the same time; I'd assumed that
my baby wouldn't be born on my exact due date, but I wasn't expecting him to be
born on our anniversary!
The
waiting game
At 2 a.m., my contractions became a little
stronger, but they weren't as terrible as I'd imagined. The anesthesiologists
gave me my epidural, and everything went numb below my ribs. The nurses
continued to check on me throughout the morning, but I wasn't progressing enough.
At noon, they gave me Pitocin to help things along, but still, at 3:30 p.m., I
had only dilated 5 centimeters.
"It
doesn't look like he's going anywhere soon"
"Your baby is comfortable," my doctor told
me. "It doesn't look like he's going anywhere soon." She told me that since my
water had been broken for more than 17 hours, I'd need antibiotics to prevent
infection. My other option was to have a c-section, which I decided on. After
we signed the paperwork, I was wheeled to the OR. I started to cry because I
was so scared. This is finally happening,
I thought. In the OR, I was given morphine and prepared for the surgery. The
morphine made me loopy, and I began to feel a lot of heavy pressure. They were
performing the surgery.
Hello,
baby Cruz!
Before I knew it, I heard my baby cry. It was
the best sound in the world! Cruz was born at 4:58 p.m. and was 7 pounds, 2
ounces, and 19.5 inches long. I looked at Rudy, and he had tears in his eyes.
The nurses cleaned Cruz and brought him to me. I was tired and my arms were
weak from the anesthesia, so a nurse held my son to me so I could breastfeed
him. He was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen! I was so happy and amazed
that I was a mom. When I looked at
Cruz, all I could think was, How can you
love someone so much after such a short amount of time?
>> Want to share the story of your birth with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.
Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:15 PM
"Before I knew what was happening, I was
admitted to the hospital for additional monitoring. I couldn’t believe it—how
had my regular appointment turned into this?"
A
not-so-normal appointment…
At my 35-week appointment on July 26,
everything was normal. I’d had a worry-free pregnancy and anticipated that my
daughter would be born in exactly one month, on August 26. My son, Charlie, had
been a week late, so I was hoping that my baby girl would be on time! Before I
left the doctor’s office, I mentioned that I hadn’t been feeling the baby move
very much. My doctor suggested I make an appointment at the hospital for fetal
monitoring—just to be safe.
At the hospital, I was hooked up to monitors
and given an ultrasound. The nurse “buzzed” my stomach to try to get my baby to
move. But every time she did, the baby’s heart rate dropped, and the doctors were
concerned that she was in distress. Before I knew what was happening, I was
admitted to the hospital for additional monitoring. I couldn’t believe it—how
had my regular appointment turned into this?
Headed
to the hospital
I called my husband, Fritz, and explained
that I was at the hospital. Everything was happening so quickly; I was even
told that my baby might come that day!
I was beyond stressed—not only was the nursery not ready, but I was also worried
about potential complications. Would my baby need to go to the NICU?
Welcome,
Lila Elizabeth!
When my doctor returned, I was told I would
need a c-section. “Your baby’s heart rate is too low,” she said. “There is no
time for an induction.” That’s when it really hit me: my baby girl was coming today. I started to cry; I never thought
I’d need a c-section. I’d heard about difficult c-section recoveries and got
incredibly nervous. At the same time, I wanted my baby to be okay and knew that
she needed to be born immediately. We were moved to the operating room and Fritz
held my hand while we waited. Before too long, it was time for the surgery.
Lila Elizabeth was born at 4:19 p.m. and weighed
5 pounds, 7 ounces. A team of doctors surrounded me anxiously during her birth;
they had no idea whether she would be healthy. Thankfully, Lila was just fine
and cried immediately when she was born. The umbilical cord had been wrapped
around her neck, which was what had caused her distress. Lila was so tiny and
beautiful. I was scared to hold her at first because she looked so fragile! I
didn’t want to let her out of my sight, and I couldn’t believe that she was
really with us. Lila’s birth taught me to trust my instincts. Every pregnancy
is different, and I’m so thankful that despite being early, my baby girl is
perfectly healthy!
>> Want to share your birth story with TheBump.com? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.