On Saturday, the 24th in the evening I started having steady contractions. I was having a lot of prodormal labor though so I didn’t think a lot of it and instead my husband and I went for a walk around town (we had been doing a lot of his because I was overdue and so uncomfortable). I was really hoping it would kickstart labor but the contractions didn’t really get worse so we went to bed around 10:30 that night. Around 4 am I felt a small gush and knew that my water had torn. We waited a bit and then called my doula who suggested going to the hospital and we would meet her there. At around 5:30 am we got to the hospital and they tested the fluid and sure enough, it was my water so they admitted me. I began walking around with my doula and my husband called my sister and my mother who were to be with me as I labored and each took turns walking the hall. As my labor intensified, I began to sit and rock on the birthing ball and finally got in the jacuzzi tub at around hour 10, as my husband, mom and sister took turns pouring water on my stomach as each contraction hit. Soon, at around hour 12, I was in a huge amount of pain from back labor and my teeth were chattering. They had to get me out to check me as they thought I was near transition. Turns out I was only 5 cm and writhing in pain from the back labor. My doula asked me some questions and it turns out my cervix was not dilating correctly either from a prior treatment I had on it. I opted for an epidural and they had to give me pitocin to try and dilate me. I started to doze on and off throughout the night and frequently if I was in a certain position and with every contraction, his heartrate would drop so I had to stay in pretty much the same position with an oxygen mask. Soon, I felt the urge to push in the early morning around 4:30 am. My doctor came in and I pushed for about an hour, as I couldn’t quite feel the contractions enough to breathe him down. Our Baby Boy was born at 5:43 am on Memorial Day, 5/26/14. He was 8 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long and completely beautiful. His cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times though and he had quite some trouble breathing at first. He was put on my chest but immediately took off as they worked to get him to breathe, which was completely terrifying! Luckily everything turned out great and he is a healthy, thriving 2 week old 🙂
-EF, Salem
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