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Jacob's Birth

I was due with my first child on Saturday, October 14, 1995. I had a really good pregnancy, pretty bad food aversions, but no throwing up, so I thought it was a good trade off. My name is Kelly and I was, at the time of delivery, 27 years old. Jacob Burton was born on his due date weighing 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches. I gained 25 pounds while pregnant. This is my labor and delivery story.

On the night of Thursday, October 12, I had a terrible backache that would not let up. I slept in the Lazyboy like I had been most nights. Tylenol nor a heating pad could touch this one. When I got up Friday morning I went crying to my husband, Gary, I don’t think I’m ever going to have this baby. He smiled and hugged me and assured me I would. I want Chinese food for supper. Ethnic food is supposed to start labor. I said through my tears. He agreed. Gary called me later from work and said all of the girls in his office thought I’d have the baby that weekend; they said when your back hurts so bad you cry, you’ll have the baby within 48 hours. Later that day I received a Teddy Bear and Balloon bouquet from the girls in his office. The note read, Been there, done that, it will end!

I went for a walk at 4:00 PM. I started contracting as soon as I hit the street. I walked for 40 minutes, having regular contractions about every 4-5 minutes. They weren’t painful, just felt like a tightening down really low. Not long after I got home, my husband arrived. I decided not to tell him about the contractions. We talked about our day and then he went to get on the internet for a while. It was 6:00PM and I realized the contractions hadn’t gone away, so I decided to time them. They were 5-7 minutes apart. Gary decided to get supper about 7;00 so I told him I had been having contractions. He asked if I still wanted to eat. Yes, If I was going to go through labor I was at least going to not be hungry! I had Cashew Chicken and Crab Rangoon.

Just as I was taking my last bite I felt a small gush of fluid that felt different than the usual pregnancy discharge. I went to the bathroom and sure enough I was leaking blood tinged fluid. I called Gary into the bathroom and half laughing, half crying, told him I thought my water had broken. He got very excited and very flabbergasted trying to figure out what to do. I had him bring me the phone and the hospital number and I called and spoke to a nurse in Labor and Delivery. She felt pretty sure my water had broken and since we were an hour and forty five minutes away told us to leave. It took us about 45 minutes to call everyone, including my sister who was my secondary coach, and for Gary to pack a bag. He was so excited he didn’t know what to pack.

We left for the hospital at 8:45. It was a cool, crisp, dark night. About 20 miles outside of Columbia, the town where our hospital was located, we were stopped by a cop for speeding, 67 in a 55! I was in the back seat of the van, with my shirt up over my belly because I was hot, my shorts to my knees and a beach towel stuffed down my underwear to absorb the leaking fluid. The officer lit up the van with his spotlight and then started toward us. Before he reached us, Gary stuck his head out of the van and uttered the classic line, "Officer, my wife is in labor!" If I hadn’t been breathing through a contraction I would have busted out laughing. The cop shined his flashlight in my direction, turned white as a ghost and said, I’m not stopping you, just be careful. Then made a beeline for his car and drove away the other way!

We got to the hospital at about 10:30 and walked up to L&D. I didn’t bring my beach towel so I was soaked when we got there. The nurses were great. They put me in a L&D room and I got undressed. I got hooked up to monitors, one for contractions, one for the baby’s heartbeat, a blood pressure monitor and an iv. I was having contractions about every 3 minutes and lasting about 1.5 minutes. They were very manageable with my breathing. The doctor on call came and checked me. I was 1 cm dilated and 80-90% thinned. We were left alone for awhile and Gary and I just talked about how our lives were about to change and what it would be like to be parents together. (Gary has two adult sons from his first marriage). I had to go to the bathroom so the nurse came and unhooked me. I looked in the toilet after I went and saw that I had lost my mucous plug. It looked like a large brownish glob of Jell-O. I made Gary come look at it! My sister got to the hospital at around midnight. Things were getting tough. I didn’t like anyone to count during my contractions, but I slapped my hand on my thigh or the bed in a rhythm that seemed to help. Gary and Cathy took turns rubbing my back and my nurse sat at the end of my bed rubbing my feet. I got my first shot of Nubain at 1AM. It really took the sharpness off the contractions and helped me relax. I got another at 2AM, and I am told another at 3AM, but I don’t remember that one. Contractions were coming about every 2 minutes and lasting about 2 minutes. I sometimes fell asleep between them or would talk to Cathy and Gary. I was a loud laborer, a lot of moaning. The hours I labored before the epidural all kind of blur together, I think that is my body's way of helping me forget the pain. I don't remember it being so bad and I am amazed when I watch the video and see myself. The doctor checked my at 4AM and I was only 3 cm but he ordered my epidural anyway. I was going to have relief at last. Getting the epidural wasn’t as bad as I’d been told. I sat up in bed, with my legs off the side, and leaned over the tray table. It took about 10 minutes to get it in and dosed. Unfortunately it only took on the right side, I was still feeling contractions on the left. It took until 5 AM for the anathesioloist to return to fix the epidural. I was then at 4 cm. The feeling of relief I felt when the pain went away was so wonderful. I slept a bit, but woke up at 5:45 needing to push. I told the nurse and she didn’t believe me. I insisted so she told the doctor. He came in and also didn’t believe me. They expected me to labor for several more hours.

The doctor agreed to recheck me and was stunned to fine me 9cm and 100% thinned. By 6AM I was pushing. I tried several positions and found I liked using the squat bar the best. While I was pushing I needed someone to count but the only person who could was the medical student observing! I didn’t want Gary or my sister talking. My epidural was not real strong; I wasn’t in a lot of pain in my vaginal area and could feel to push. Unfortunately I had several very bad hemorrhoids and pushing against them was pure torture. By 8AM I was worn out and getting discouraged and my hemorrhoids were killing me. My doctor was there now and decided to use vacuum extraction. We could see the baby’s head but I didn’t know how much longer I could go on. It took a few good pushes with the vacuum and the baby’s head was delivered! He had his cord around his neck twice which they removed and then suctioned him. then I pushed him the rest of the way out. WOW!! What a incredible feeling. He didn’t cry right away, which scared me, but then after 45 seconds or a minute let out a wonderful scream of madness. They wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my chest. I don’t remember delivering the placenta. As soon as it was over the most incredible euphoric feeling came over me, I just can't describe it. My pregnancy was suddenly over and I had this perfect little person. I didn’t have an episiotomy, but did have a second degree tear which required a few stitches. Those I felt completely, ouch!

I stayed in my L&D room for an hour . With only a little help from the nurse I got into a wheelchair for the ride down to maternity with baby in my arms. We left him at the nursery after seeing him get weighed. I got to my room and my nurse, who had been our Prepared Childbirth Class instructor, showed me how to clean my bottom and got me all taken care of. Then she brought me a breakfast tray. I was starving! I can’t imagine how hungry I’d have been if I hadn’t had supper the night before. And, I never did get nauseous, throw up or get the shakes during or after labor. Three hours after delivery I was in the shower and feeling great. I did my makeup and hair and got ready for my visitors!

I am really looking forward to doing this all again. I have such wonderful happy feelings of Jake's birth. The only thing I would change would be NO hemmorhoids : ) I am also looking forward to doing it when I actually know what is going to happen. All the classes and films in the world can't really prepare you for the incredible experience that childbirth is.