Born on June 27, 2013 at 11:03 am
7 lbs, 7 oz 20 inches long
7 lbs, 7 oz 20 inches long
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Claire's Birth Story
I woke up on Wednesday at 2 am with something that felt like mild contractions every 15 or so minutes. They weren't bad, but sleeping through them was impossible so I got up and played on the computer for the rest of the night. By morning, they were still going and I decided that I wasn't going to work just in case this was going to turn out to be the real deal.
My doctor did not want to let me go past 41 weeks because of my age, and Wednesday was 40 weeks and 3 days, so it was time to get the show on the road. I had an doctor appointment and a chiropractor appointment already scheduled for that day. At the chiropractor, he did some pressure points (OUCH) that are known to induce labor in the right circumstances. But my contractions had stopped before I even got to my appointment. At the doctor appointment they stripped my membranes which is where they separate the membrane that connects the amniotic sac to the wall of the uterus. This is also supposed to be a good way to induce labor. Eventually in the evening, the contractions came back, every 15 minutes, every 10 minutes, but still not very strong, but strong enough to be annoying. I went to bed early and defeated.
At 11:00, Kevin went to bed and I got up because I couldn't sleep anyway. They say early labor can last several days and I was not looking forward to not sleeping for days only to have to induce labor at the end of it all. I sat down down and started playing on the computer and the contractions started coming quicker. I called the OB Triage line at the hospital and explained what was going on and they said to come in and get checked.
I woke Kevin up (he had JUST gotten to sleep), and we arrived at the hospital at midnight. 5 hours later, I was still in OB Triage, writhing around on the little gurney bed hooked up to monitors, waiting for them to decide whether to admit me or send me home. The contractions were getting a lot stronger and a couple minutes apart, but my cervix wasn't dilating much. Luckily they decided to admit me, and I finally called my doula.
My plan was to try to go natural, but leave my options open. They let me labor in the jacuzzi tub for a while, and then I spent the next hour dancing a very bad merengue around my room. I was in good spirits and telling stories to my doula between contractions. I was dilated to about 7.5 when I decided I wanted the epidural (one of the best decisions I have ever made.) They made it so that I could still move my legs and I could feel everything that was going on, minus the pain.
The baby had retreated a little backwards from where she was earlier in the day at the Dr. office, so I chose to wait for a couple hours and see if she would descend any further. When she didn't, we decided to just push her out -- and less than an hour later, she was coming into the world screaming bloody murder. Wow, that kid has some lungs! Kevin cut the cord, they stitched me up and left the three of us together for a while to bond.
Momma and baby are doing great, though she's on an opposite sleep schedule from everyone else. She has the bluest eyes, but we don't get to see them very often because she sleeps most of the time and when she's not sleeping, she's screaming. Hopefully will get some hints from the pediatrician tomorrow!
My doctor did not want to let me go past 41 weeks because of my age, and Wednesday was 40 weeks and 3 days, so it was time to get the show on the road. I had an doctor appointment and a chiropractor appointment already scheduled for that day. At the chiropractor, he did some pressure points (OUCH) that are known to induce labor in the right circumstances. But my contractions had stopped before I even got to my appointment. At the doctor appointment they stripped my membranes which is where they separate the membrane that connects the amniotic sac to the wall of the uterus. This is also supposed to be a good way to induce labor. Eventually in the evening, the contractions came back, every 15 minutes, every 10 minutes, but still not very strong, but strong enough to be annoying. I went to bed early and defeated.
At 11:00, Kevin went to bed and I got up because I couldn't sleep anyway. They say early labor can last several days and I was not looking forward to not sleeping for days only to have to induce labor at the end of it all. I sat down down and started playing on the computer and the contractions started coming quicker. I called the OB Triage line at the hospital and explained what was going on and they said to come in and get checked.
I woke Kevin up (he had JUST gotten to sleep), and we arrived at the hospital at midnight. 5 hours later, I was still in OB Triage, writhing around on the little gurney bed hooked up to monitors, waiting for them to decide whether to admit me or send me home. The contractions were getting a lot stronger and a couple minutes apart, but my cervix wasn't dilating much. Luckily they decided to admit me, and I finally called my doula.
My plan was to try to go natural, but leave my options open. They let me labor in the jacuzzi tub for a while, and then I spent the next hour dancing a very bad merengue around my room. I was in good spirits and telling stories to my doula between contractions. I was dilated to about 7.5 when I decided I wanted the epidural (one of the best decisions I have ever made.) They made it so that I could still move my legs and I could feel everything that was going on, minus the pain.
The baby had retreated a little backwards from where she was earlier in the day at the Dr. office, so I chose to wait for a couple hours and see if she would descend any further. When she didn't, we decided to just push her out -- and less than an hour later, she was coming into the world screaming bloody murder. Wow, that kid has some lungs! Kevin cut the cord, they stitched me up and left the three of us together for a while to bond.
Momma and baby are doing great, though she's on an opposite sleep schedule from everyone else. She has the bluest eyes, but we don't get to see them very often because she sleeps most of the time and when she's not sleeping, she's screaming. Hopefully will get some hints from the pediatrician tomorrow!
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