Birth Day Story

Hanging over the head of the hospital bed (head of the bed at an incline, arms draped over the head of the bed, knees on the bed):
Standing and swaying/rocking through contractions:
Right after she came out, they put her on my chest:
We were instantly in love and in awe:

Lauren getting used to the 'outside' right after birth. She nursed right away for over 1 hour:
Daddy J giving Lauren her first bath. She didn't like it, but Daddy did a great job:

With Nancy our doula in the Post-Partum Visit:



Birth Story:
Contractions started at 8am on Tuesday, Jan 19. They felt just like monthly cramps, but I had not felt anything like them since I was pregnant. I did not have Braxton Hix contractions during my pregnancy. Daddy J left for work at around 10am and told me to keep him posted, but I was not getting my hopes up. I thought the contractions would go away. I had a doctors appointment on Wed, Jan 20 at 10am so I thought that I could always ask the doctor about the 'cramping' the next day. I also had a pregnancy massage scheduled for Jan 20 at 3pm and I was very excited about that. Daddy J gave the massage as a gift to me for Christmas. At around 11am I decided to time the contractions and see how long they lasted. They were about 10 minutes apart and lasted about 30 seconds. Hmm... something was happening! But I was still trying not to get my hopes up. Our Bradley teacher told us to eat a hearty breakfast and hydrate as soon as you think you might be in labor. You can do this at home, but once you get to the hospital, they probably won't let you eat or drink. So I made 2 eggs and peanut butter on toast even though I wasn't very hungry. I also started drinking my coconut juice, recharge, and lots of water. I knew that I might be preparing for the 'marathon' of labor. At around noon I decided to call our Doula, Nancy Connelly (see: http://annajfamily.blogspot.com/2009/11/29-weeks-we-hired-doula.html). She had mentioned that she liked having a long lead time so she could arrange child care. I talked to her and told her that it might be nothing, but I was having contractions and I'd keep her posted. She encouraged me to eat a good lunch so I warmed up a leftover turkey taco. I had 3 contractions while trying to eat my taco. Every time I had a contraction, I ran to the birth ball and draped myself over it so I could rock back and forth on my knees (arms and chest on birth ball, knees on the floor). I spent more time in this position than in any other during labor. Hands and knees was much more comfortable than laying down. Also, constant rocking and movement was what I desired during these contractions. I called my husband on the phone in the afternoon and told him what was going on and that it might be nothing. I was totally fine at home and didn't need him at this time. He called at around 6:30pm and said he was heading home and at that time I told him that I really needed him... perfect timing. I had a contraction while we were on the phone together and had to run to the birth ball. When my hubby got home, I showed him some of the contraction data and he told me, "We better pick out a name for our baby!" We had not picked out a name for her yet. I continued to labor in the living room on the birth ball on my knees while he ate leftover turkey tacos and watched Steven Colbert and hockey. I encouraged him to relax and watch his programs because I knew it could be a long night and it could be a false alarm. I realized after the contractions got harder that I could not stand to even listen to the TV while having a contraction so I had to ask him to mute the sound during contractions. Then, at around 8pm, things progressed to me holding and squeezing his hands during contractions. I also noticed the 'bloody show' (mucus plug) during one bathroom break. Contractions seemed to be triggered by changes in position like going to the bathroom or trying to lay down on the couch. I decided just to stay on my birth ball, but I also added sitting on the birth ball as a good position for contractions. I'd sit on the birth ball and sway back and forth or bounce up and down. Finally at around 11:30pm, Daddy J realized that my contractions were coming at 4 minutes apart or closer and lasting for one minute or longer. I also had a contraction where I told him, "I don't think I can do this"... but then I quickly corrected myself and said, "Wait, it's too early for me to say that." Little did I know that I was probably heading into Transition at that point so it was about the time most women say "I can't do this". Other signs that I was heading into transition: burping, hiccuping, trembling legs. Looking back, I think I was in the following stages of labor at the following times:
Stage 1: Labor
Phase One: Early Labor: 8am - 4pm....0-3cm
Phase Two: Active Labor: 4pm - 9pm...3-7cm
Phase Three: Transition: 9pm - 4:30am...7-10cm
Stage 2: Pushing: 4:30am - 5:08am

Daddy J wisely suggested we head to the hospital after realizing that I was probably in transition. He loaded up the car while I labored in the living room. Then we headed to the car and I had a contraction before we left. I had my eyes closed and had another 3 contractions in the car. The hospital (Glendale Memorial Hospital) was only 10 minutes away, but since it was around 12:30am, we weren't sure where to park. We found good street parking and walked into the ER. I had a contraction when we walked in and I knelt down onto a chair and started my deep breathing and moaning. The other ER patients must have been amused by this. The lady behind the desk looked at me and said to Daddy J, "It's time." So she brought a wheel chair and wheeled me up to L&D. I was told to take off my clothes and put on the hospital gown. The nurse checked me in between contractions and I'll never forget the sweet words out of her mouth, "She's at 8-9cm". WHAT!!! Oh YES YES YES!! Oh, we had not called the doctor yet. Oops. The doctor had wanted us to call him when contractions were 5 minutes apart, but I never called because I kept thinking it was a false alarm. The last thing I wanted to do was to get to the hospital too early. I wanted to try to avoid getting to the hospital early to avoid interventions or begging for pain meds. At 8-9cm, I realized that there was no turning back and I was not going to ask for the epidural - too late for that!! They put a hep lock on my left hand, hooked me up to the blood pressure cuff, and hooked me up to the contraction and fetal heart rate monitor. As soon as I could, we raised the head of the hospital bed up to around a 60 degree angle (as if to sit upright in bed) and I flipped around on the bed and draped myself over the head of the bed for the coming contractions. I swayed left and right during and in between contractions. I took deep breaths in and low vocalizations (moaning) out for each contraction. I must have burned a lot of calories that night because I never stopped moving the entire time. Daddy J called the doula and told her 8-9cm and she sped over to the hospital. She was worried she wouldn't make it in time, but I still had a few hours to go. The doctor arrived and checked me and said I was at 7-8cm and then asked if he could break my water. He broke my water and then left me to labor. The nurses received a copy of our birth plan and they honored it - no offering pain meds, allowing us to labor at our own speed. Nancy, our doula, arrived and the three of us labored together for a few hours. The nurses checked in every now and then. Nancy had me in various positions: standing and holding the side of the bed, standing next to the bed and draped on the birth ball, sitting on the birth ball, draped over the head of the bed, sitting on the toilet, and sitting propped up on the bed. I also remember her cheering for me every time I told them I was having a contraction... Nancy would say, "Yay! Great! Now picture the baby sliding through the cervix and picture the cervix melting away. Picture the cervix going over the baby's head like a turtle neck sweater." I remember thinking it was a strange reaction for her to cheer at my contraction, but it really worked! I was very encouraged by her reaction... I needed to welcome the contraction because that was how we were going to get to the pushing stage. Finally at around 4am, the nurse checked me again and said I was fully dilated except for a cervical 'lip' on the right side. The doctor came in after that and had me push while he pushed the lip out of the way. This was the most painful part of the whole labor and the first time I screamed. Then the doctor informed me that I was ready to push. I don't think I ever really got the urge to push, but I went ahead and pushed during the contractions. Everyone cheered me on. Well, against the instructions of our Bradley Class, they had me laying flat on my back for the pushing. Oh well. At that point, I was just following instructions and it seemed like things were going well because of the encouragement and cheering from everyone. "We can see the head!"... What? Really? "Do you want to touch the head?" No thank you! So during contractions I had to pull my legs back and push with all my might. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed as hard as I could. I thought for sure I was going to poop on the hospital bed, but I did not. Whew! The nurse was awesome and did the perineal massage so I would not need the episiotomy (I didn't need the episiotomy and only had a slight tear on the right and a tiny tear on the left). I pushed like that for around 3o minutes and then the doctor was called in. I couldn't believe it... they were prepping me for holding the baby on my chest!! Wow!! I pushed my hardest while everyone counted to 10 for me... each contraction I'd push 3 times for counts of 10 each. Then I'd rest. Towards the end, the doctor held the baby down in the birth canal by pushing a little on my stomach (probably where her feet were) so that she wouldn't slip back up between contracions. Then he was able to massage the head out during a push. The head popping out didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. There was a little sensation of the 'ring of fire' I had heard about, but not nearly as painful as I thought it would be. Everyone cheered and I could tell Daddy J was so excited. Later he told me that when Lauren first opened her eyes, she made direct eye contact with him. The doctor told me not to push again and suctioned her mouth and nose. He was waiting for her to turn her shoulders. As soon as she turned, he told me I could push again and she slid out. This part was also not very painful like I thought it would be. The next moment, she was placed on my chest, crying and crying, and my husband and I were in awe and in love!! What a high!! What an amazing moment! I was super excited when I felt the placenta come out and I knew that labor was over. Whew! I made sure to tell everyone who would listen that I cant believe people do this more than once. Of course, now that time has passed, I know I will want to do it again and again (maybe 2 more times). I told everyone thank you sooooo much and also praised the Lord for the delivery.

Lauren weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and she measured 19 inches long. Lauren nursed for over 1 hour right after birth. The nurses left us alone to bond and feed her. She was very alert. After the placenta came out, they hooked me up to a Pitocin (or oxytocin?) drip to help the uterus contract. The doctor gave me a few stitches on the right (around 3 stitches) and a few stitches on the left (around 2 stitches). We were moved to the recovery area and had awesome nurses again. Lauren was born 1/20/2010 at 5:08am and we left the hospital on 1/21/2010 at around 1pm.

I was on an adrenaline high for 4 or 5 days afterwards and I had a really hard time sleeping. I almost felt 'manic' - talking a lot, excited, ... on a high. Now I've crashed a bit and had tears over feeling tired and overly sensitive. But things are going well. We put together Lauren's vibrating Little Lamb Chair and I got an extra 2 hours of sleep this morning. I feed her every 2.5 to 3 hours (she eats and then gets hungry again after 1.5 or 2 hours).

Thank yous:
Nancy our doula was an awesome support... we will definitely hire her for the next birth
Glendale Memorial Hospital - awesome nurses!! Amy, MiYoung, Evelyn; lactation consultant Roxy
My hubby, of course
Dr. Frields
My in-laws - they came to the hospital at 7am to see us. My mother-in-law was especially supportive and helpful and she showered us with baby gifts.

Here are the tips that helped me through labor in no particular order:
* Think of one contraction at a time. You can handle one at a time. Dont think too far in the future.
* Deep breathing and low vocalization
* Constant movement and hands and knees positions. I cant imagine going through contractions flat on my back laying down on the bed.
* Hire a doula - we were very reassured Nancy Connelly (nsconnelly@earthlink.net) was there and she was super encouraging, knowledgeable, skilled with massage, and a calming presence to us. Cost $800 for a shorter labor, $1000 for longer, and $1400 if it goes over 24 hours. We paid $800
* Take a Bradley Method Class... I loved our teacher and class: Kathy Killebrew (empower4birth@hotmail.com) Cost: $350 for 10 weeks, 2 hours each class
* Exercise during pregnancy. I took pilates up till I couldn't lay on my back anymore and then I took low impact aerobics up until the end of December (I was 8 months preggo)...
My hubby and I also walked together at least once a week and we hiked Griffith Park a few times too.
* Eat healthy... I tried to eat really healthy and barely ate out at all. Besides a few in and out burgers and domino's pizza, we did not eat fast food at all but mostly ate at home. I did eat sweets (cake cookies chocolates), but tried not to over do it. I gained 40 pounds during pregnancy so I definitely ate sufficient quantities
* It's true that once you get to 7cm, the contractions don't increase in intensity. If you can handle them up to 7cm, you are fine for the rest. Our Bradley teacher told us this and I realized during labor that she was telling the truth. This is encouraging when you are in labor and the contractions are really bad, but not continuing to get worse and worse.
* Savor the breaks in between contractions. The breaks were great even if they were only a few minutes long. I definitely felt better during each break.
* Labor at home as long as you can... it's more comfortable and you can eat and drink.
* Hydrate before labor and as soon as you know you are in labor - drink lots of water. My doctor said that if you are dehydrated, your body will not have productive contractions.