reminiscing about birth

Since I'm about to be pushing another wee little baby out of my body again, I wanted to read through the story of Millie's birth again. It's been a long, long time. OK, it's only been 20 months (and 13 days, but who's counting?) but it seems like a long time. This once teeny, tiny little girl is now a big girl. She can identify circles. She can make just about any animal sound you ask her to. She can go pee-pee on the potty. If that's not big, I don't know what is. She seems to big and old, yet wasn't she just a baby? Sigh. Everyone says they grow fast... I was hoping that was just a saying, but as it turns out, they grow pretty fast.

So, copied from the blog of our last chapter of life, here is Millie's birth story. I'm putting it here so both of my baby's birth stories are here. Cause I like birth stories. :)

September 9, 2009

It was a surprise beginning when my water broke Monday (Sept 7) at 12:30 in the afternoon. I got to the hospital a little before 4, was only dilated 2 cm, and was only having sporadic contractions. They wanted to induce labor, but I said I wanted to try to get it going naturally. I didn't want drugs. I also had less then 24 hours to give birth because my water had broke.

When Todd arrived around 5, I was still happy and only having minor contractions. Around 7 they started to get a little more intense. When the nurse who would be my nurse came on duty, I got the crushing news that I tested positive for Group Strep B, which doesn't mean anything for me, but is potentially lethal to baby. That meant that I had to be on an IV and get antibiotics so not to pass the GSB to baby. That also meant that I was not able to get in the jacuzzi to help with dilation or pain.

My friend and doula arrived around 8, and we started the birth ball, which ended up hurting my hips so much it was too hard to use.

I was checked sometime between then and 9 and had progressed very little. I was at 3 cm and contractions were still not super strong. I was still walking around trying to get this show on the road.

Shortly after my dad visited around 12:30 I was checked again. I was only at 5 cm but my contractions were now very strong. I was already struggling to get through them. Because of my slow progress I was offered 3 solutions: to induce and get the epidural, to continue struggling and hope I can start progressing, or to have a bit of Stadol, a pain reliever, into my IV. The Stadol was supposed to only take the edge off. I would feel and be awake for contractions and would be relaxed and sleep in between contractions. As soon as the Stadol hit my IV was out. Todd said that as soon as I fell asleep my contractions immediately began to get more intense.

It must have started to wear off around 2:30, because I remember feeling the less than delightful experience of what is called "back labor."

I was checked around 3 and was dilated to 9. The Stadol had done its job to help me relax so my body could to its job.

I began pushing at 3:35, Pushed through about 8 contractions, and didn't think I could keep going. The baby was so low that the doctor said one good push and I'd have a baby. Unfortunately that was easier said than done. My blood pressure elevated to the point of requiring me to go on oxygen and upping my IV (not the Stadol, I only had one dose), while baby's heart rate began to drop. The doctor said baby had to come now, and I needed help. He gave me two options: episiotomy or vacuum baby out. Because I learned in childbirth classes how much the vacuum hurts the baby (gives them a wicked headache) I chose to have a full episiotomy.

2 pushes later I heard a cry and Amelia Jane was born and was placed on my tummy. It was 4:01 am Tuesday, September 8. No pitocin, no epidural, just one dose of stadol.

She and I were both so worn out we just looked at each other, neither one of us even had the energy to cry.

As doctor began to sew me up and clean me up, baby was taken and cared for by papa and a nurse, while I delivered the placenta and continued to be sewn up. It quickly became apparent that my bleeding wasn't stopping. The doctor tried to find the cause, but was unable to reach it... part of the placenta had torn and was still attached to my uterus, which caused uncontrollable bleeding and wouldn't allow my uterus to contract back down. I was prepped for emergency surgery.

I woke up in ICU after having a D&C, which is where they went in and scraped the inside of my uterus to get anything, like the torn placenta, that was left behind. It took a long time to wake up from the anesthesia but I as soon as I was able to form words I asked for my baby. She was not allowed to leave the maternity ward and I had to stabilize before I could move.

Around 7 am I was finally taken to my room where Papa and baby waited for me. I finally got to hold my beautiful baby girl.

Meeting my girl for the first time. Love.

First family photo!

Puffy little face. :)

Millie was 5 lbs 1 oz when we brought her home.