Labor Story

You saw the title. You know what it is. If you don't want to know the details, than stop reading now.

It's been a month and half since Alex has joined our family, but I can't remember life before him... I don't really want to either. Everything is just so good, so much better. So before I get all mushy, here's the story. Alex was due on Kevin's birthday, and I had Alex on the 5th (four days early). I was uncomfortable and whiny at nine months pregnant and instead of doing nothing I thought I'd see if I could get things started. I ate pineapple, I jogged, and... I won't list everything but if it was safe and said to induce labor naturally then I tried it. I even went as far as to have Kevin buy me Castor oil. It's supposed to be an intense laxative that can jump start contractions. I put it in a DQ shake, which did NOT mask the taste and I couldn't actually get any of it down anyway. Around 8:00 PM I started to get some back pain and pressure, but at this point everything ached and I didn't really notice anything significant about it, and then the "cramps" started. I did not attribute these to labor pains because I was told contractions would come and go, and this pain was constant. It felt like I'd taken a ton of laxatives and just had really intense digestive pain. Anyway that went on from about 9:00-12:30 until I couldn't take it anymore and woke Kevin up. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, I ended up sticking to my "birthplan". I'd wanted to do a lot of laboring at home.

On the way to the hospital I told Kevin that if it was labor pains that I absolutely wanted drugs because if it was going to get worse I was sure I'd never make it alive. We got to the hospital and before going in I thought it'd be nice to throw up in the parking lot. Well we went in and got sent to L&D to get checked. The nurse saw I'd been crying and asked if I was anxious or in pain, I told her a little of both and then she checked me. Kevin said her face changed when she realized how far along I was, it shocked all of us, I was almost 6 cm dilated when they admitted me.

The nurse that I got was amazing! I told her immediately that if it was going to get worse I wanted drugs then and there and that my midwife had made me choose a code word because I'd told her I wanted to labor naturally, in case I begged for drugs without thinking it through, and that my code word was rattlesnake and I'd thought it through. She told me how well I was doing, and then she lied and said it wouldn't get much worse. It did. I am grateful though because I feel like I've had a great recovery, and am almost ready to do it again!(not that we will anytime soon) Anyway my contractions regulated, and it sucked while they were there and then was fine when they were gone. I truly believe that I was able to do it naturally because my water didn't break until the very end in a sort of birthsplosion.

The hospital I delivered at is fairly progressive. They never broke my water, they delayed clamping the cord, waited to wash and test Alex and put him directly on me to hold after birth. It was really a great experience, and I remember that it hurt, but I don't remember the pain. The Dr. did have to ask Kevin to step away when he looked a little "woozy" There was A LOT of blood. It looked like a crime scene. Oh and here's the embarrassing part. My water didn't break, but I did pee... on the floor... three times. When I was getting contractions near the end, my body must have not gotten the memo to only squeeze my uterus and squeezed my bladder and stomach too because I would simultaneously pee and throw up, while having a contraction. The nurses would keep asking if my water broke, and I'd have to keep saying no. I spent most of labor out of bed, moving around.

I have so much to say, and this has already gotten to be too long! I was lucky that my labor was short, and I'm not expecting as "easy" a labor next time. I'm not saying it was easy, but I know that it could have been so much worse. The end for now! The baby beckons!