Adalyn's Birth Story

[alopdx]

We went to the hospital around 7:30pm on Friday, February 18th for our scheduled induction. They were inducing us for a risk of IUGR. They got us checked in, and the midwife came by to check me. I was 2.5cm dilated, 75% effaced, and the baby was at 0 station. She explained that we would be starting with Cervadil to ripen the cervix, and then would move on to Pitocin once we were ready. She said that induction can take a couple days, and that we shouldn't get anxious if things don't progress quickly. She was optimistic about a successful induction based on my cervix. They started the Cervadil at 9:00 PM, and I was given an Ambien at 10:00 PM to help me sleep.

Around 11:00 PM I began having contractions as my cervix dilated. They weren't measuring strong, but they were incredibly painful. I was shocked by how quickly I was in so much pain. I tried to focus on making it through each contraction and breathing, but it was very difficult. The Ambien didn't make me tired, but instead made me very emotional and unable to focus on anything. I couldn't focus on getting through the pain, or concentrate on anything. I ended up laying in bed crying through each contraction and gripping the rail bar. At some point, I began to feel very wet, and we discovered that my waters had ruptured, but they were a slow leak. Also, they had meconium (sp?) in them, so NICU was alerted for delivery in case she had aspirated any. At some point during the process, I decided I wanted an epidural. The anesthesiologist came in, and the epidural was a lot quicker and hurt a lot less than I had expected. I had some relief after that, but the pain in my abdomen never subsided, it just took the edge off.

The next time I was measured (I have no concept of time at this point) I was at 4. We waited a while for things to progress, DH and I tried to distract ourselves. Between 6:00am and 7:00am I began to feel like something was happening, and I asked DH to call my parents to come to the hospital now instead of later, and then he called his mom to come as well. Everyone arrived by around 7:30am, and they checked my cervix again. I was fully dilated and just had a lip. We decided to see how pushing would go. My dad and MIL stepped out to the waiting room, and we got set. Pushing hurt, but it made the contractions feel productive. The lip was making the pushing pointless, so we decided to wait and hour and see if she moved down and if the lip went away. Around 8:30am we started pushing again, and that was when the torture started. We pushed for about an hour in a standard position, and I was getting so exhausted from the pain that we decided to switch. They put the back of the bed all the way up, and I turned around in a squatting position and leaned against it, holding myself up with my arms. The pushing was a lot better at that point. I didn't have to make sure someone was holding my legs up, or be told when to push. They let me focus myself and encouraged me to push when my body told me to push. I could feel her moving down, and while it hurt, it was such a relief to know we were progressing. After a while they put an oxygen mask on me. I never knew why they did this, but it helped me so much I didn't care. I was covered in sweat by this point and my mom & husband were taking turns fanning me. They asked me to not push for a contraction so they could get a good read on Adalyn's vitals, but I couldn't do it, the urge was too strong & she was too low. They turned me back over into the traditional position at this point, and attached an internal monitor.

The squatting position had given us a ton of progress, and pushing got more serious. What I didn't know is that her vitals had been showing signs of distress and they wanted her out as soon as possible, but it wasn't so urgent than I needed a C-Section.

No one had told me that she was in distress, but the internal monitor told me that something must be up, and really put me in gear to get her out. The entire time I had been pushing, I was in intense pain. The epidural had only taken the edge off of my pain, and at this point only my right leg was numb and parts of my back. I could feel every contraction, every push. I had been pushing a button for more meds every 10 minutes almost my entire labor, and I wasn't getting any relief from the pain. The anesthesiologist came in twice and gave me extra drugs into my epidural, but all it did was make my right leg more numb. I was given the option of having the epidural replaced, or finishing the delivery. I chose to finish. I didn't think I could sit still long enough for them to place the epidural, and I was afraid of having to go through all that just to have it not work again.

We went back to pushing, and things moved quicker. In just a short time, she was starting to crown. I describe crowning like having to force yourself to put your hand on a burner. It hurt in a whole new way. DH got to feel her hair as she crowned, and I could hear him and my mom in awe as Adalyn started to make her appearance. I gave another really good push, and her head was out, and then another push and her shoulders... and in a giant whoosh, she was here, and crying (Good bye NICU staff!) My husband got to help catch her, and he put her on my stomach. The first thing I said was "She is perfect" and "She has my nose." She was very slimy, but amazing, and was already trying to root. We got to sit there for about 3 minutes while the cord finished pulsing, and then DH cut the cord. They took her to get cleaned off while I delivered the placenta.

And that's when things got interesting. They did the traditional "massage" of the placenta to help it detach, and it took me 2 pushes to get it out. I felt the placenta deliver, and then felt a LOT of fluid release... followed by an expression of "oh shit" on the midwife and nurses face. I felt more and more fluid leaving me, and then saw the midwife's hands covered in blood. No one was really saying anything to me, but everything had gotten quiet. My mom and husband were focused on taking pictures of the baby, and didn't immediately notice that something was wrong. The called in a doctor, gave me medication in both my IV and shots, suppositories, and a few other things I don't remember. I asked the midwife to please explain to me what was going on. I had a hemorrhage from the placenta delivery. It took about 45 minutes, but eventually things calmed down, the bleeding stopped, and they stitched me up.

Adalyn was perfect! She latched the first time at breast without any assistance, got a 9 on her APGAR, and was very awake and alert. Things went fine from there on out, until my epidural wore off that night, and we realized I either bruised or broke my tailbone (they don't find out which because treatment is the same regardless).

That's our experience! Failed epidural, lost a liter of blood, hurt my tailbone, 2nd degree tears... and the most perfect baby girl ever!

[Kate]

WOW! What a birth story! Sorry things went so rough. My birth experience with Ryan sounds pretty similiar.

Glad to hear you both are doing well and are HG free!

Would love to see some pictures!!!!!

CONGRATS! (love the name!)

[alopdx]

Pictures as requested!

Brand new baby!



Now, 7 weeks old

[Hayleyn]

Oh my gosh. Congrats. You are very good at describing your experience, I felt like I could really connect. She is so precious and alert. I'm so glad that they got the bleeding under control, how scary.

[mia1976]

That was pretty traumatic! hope you are healing well now and enjoying that precious baby girl! GOOD JOB, MOMMA!!

[nikkibee]

i sort of felt sad that i didn't have any kind of labor or a vaginal delivery, but that story kind of made me glad we did the c-section...scary and painful! but, you made it through and your daughter is GORGEOUS! huge congrats and i hope you are doing well now.

[saskHG#2]

Wow! I've had a few friends deliver lately who've had bleeds... it sounds so scary when they describe it. Did you end up getting a transfusion? I hope all is well. I love the baby pics, the hanging in wool one is precious. Glad to hear all is well! Congrats!

[E-Mom]

"Slimy, but amazing!" I love it.

I'm sorry the birth was so traumatic. HGers should get a pass.

I love her hanging picture.

[Lori875]

She's gorgeous! Congrats! I'm glad everyone is doing well!

[DivineLotus]

Wow! Your such an amazing mommy. You did great and shes so beautiful. On the pic, she does have your nose.

Congrats on your new little bundle and so glad in the end things turned out well. We suffer to bring these miracles into the world... amazing what a woman does for her baby. ((Hug))

[Nezabudka]

Wow, I am glad you have your story written down so in detail, you will re read it later and you will be so proud of yourself =) Your baby is perfect. It was all worth the pain! Congratulations!

[lovemytannerman]

She's so cute! Congrats on your little one.