pregnancy

Hailey’s Birth Story: Part 1

by Brittany on September 27, 2011 · 48 comments

At 36 weeks, I went ahead and got the house cleaned, my toenails painted and the freezer stocked because I just knew we’d be welcoming a baby within a week or two… tops.  I felt my body couldn’t stretch any further.  I was wrong.

39 weeks hits and I thought, WOW, it’s right around the corner- for sure! But at the doctor I was 50% effaced and though one midwife said I was 1 cm dilated, 2 other doctors assured me I wasn’t dilated at all.

And I stayed that way at 40 weeks, too.  At that appointment we had to set an induction date because the doctor wouldn’t allow me to go further than 10 days overdue.  How did I get to this point? I thought I’d go early.

At 41 weeks I was a bit softer- 75% effaced and 2 cm dilated! With my induction 2 days away, I had high hopes my body was kicking into gear and we’d have this baby without intervention.  I was having contractions and could just feel it!

I was wrong ;)

Wednesday night, September 14th, Hubbs and I headed into the hospital.  At 7:00pm they inserted the cervadil, which was going to soften my cervix.  I had read that sometimes it’s enough to put you into labor, too.  Again, my hopes soared!

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Not long after we settled in, mom showed up with dinner- veggie pizza! And mom and dad Dixon came to hang out for a bit, too, and brought adorable pink and blue cupcakes. At this point, no one knew whether Baby D was a boy or girl.  The cupcakes got a bit mixed up on the ride over, but they were still delicious!

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It was nice to have the company to pass the time and calm the nerves.  Hubbs and I were giddy knowing that FINALLY the day had come… even if it needed a jump start to get things going.

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I didn’t sleep too much that night for a few reasons. Excitement, nerves, the saline lock in my arm (even though I didn’t need an IV – safety precaution!) and, oh yeah, the pumpkin inside my belly :)   At 2:30 am I woke up to contractions that were 4 minutes apart.  I also noticed I felt very sore ‘down there’… almost like someone had kicked me between the legs and it had bruised.  I played on my phone for about an hour before forcing myself to close my eyes and squeeze in a bit more sleep.

At 5:00am I woke up and was having contractions that were 2-5 minutes apart.  I was so excited to be having contractions on my own.  They weren’t painful, though I could feel them, and finally understood the ‘wave’ that people describe as contraction as.  You can feel it coming on, feel the height of it and then feel the relaxation.  It felt like a belt tightening around my middle.

At this point, I was up for the day and hungry. Contractions were still coming often, but ouch, I was more focused on the bruised feeling on my pelvic bone.  It didn’t matter too much though, I was excited!  Hubbs ran to Starbucks for some coffee (he would need it) and I begged him to bring me a turkey bacon, egg and cheese English muffin.  He did, hesitantly, and suggested I not eat too much of it.  Even though I could have scarfed it down, I took his advice and only had a few bites.  I was glad later!

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The doctor came in to check and see if I made any progress. I was a bit disappointed to hear that I was 85% effaced and 2-3 cm dilated.  I hadn’t made much progress, BUT I was having contractions on my own.

At this point, the doc said we needed to get things moving.  He suggested we break my water and start pitocin.  I freaked out.  Pitocin? I was contracting on my own! I thought we’d get to wait it out.  And I wasn’t so sure about breaking my water and getting rid of the contraction ‘buffer’ right off the bat.  However, the doctor said we needed to do something to move things along.  My eyes opened wide and the doctor left us alone for a minute to discuss.  I frantically started googling on my phone the pros and cons of breaking water, and after reading and talking with Hubbs, we decided it was best.  At 7:27am we broke my water.  I didn’t feel any pain, just the gush of warm water that was released.  It totally feels like you just wet yourself.  My heart started pounding knowing that now there was no turning back.

We agreed no pitocin, and I hoped my body would keep contracting.  It did!  The contractions were a bit stronger, too, which gave me hope.

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I made a conscious effort to stay well hydrated and away from IV fluids.

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I sat on the birthing ball, which was great.  When a contraction came, I would put my head down and David would push hard against my back with counter pressure until it passed.  Once it was gone, I could lift up, chat and smile like nothing had happened.  I was feeling optimistic that I could do this, even though nurses would tell me that eventually I wouldn’t be smiling through them.

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Dad arrived and popped in to say hello.

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After a little bit, I decided I need to focus a bit more, so mom and dad moved out and it was just Hubbs and me.  The contractions were coming a bit stronger by 11:30am.

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The one thing I had going for me is that I wasn’t hooked up to an IV of any sorts, so I could move around freely.  That was fantastic, because the only thing that sounded more painful than what I was already going through would be trying to do the same thing strapped to the bed.

I did have to keep monitors on my belly that tracked the baby’s heartbeat and my contractions, but luckily they had one that was portable.  Although annoying and I would have much preferred to go without them, at least I could move.

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In between contractions I talked to Hubbs, texted, tweeted and snacked on some jell-o.

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The contractions kept getting more intense.  Hours kept passing, but I had begun to lose track of time.  At this point, the contractions were coming quickly and hitting me hard.  I realized that when contractions are 2 minutes apart, and lasting for 90 seconds each, that you only get a 30 second ‘rest’, which isn’t much at all.

I was able to get into a hot bath, which is the only thing that would provide any sort of relief from the strong pressure and pain ramming into my pelvis.  However, in the tub, I’d get more a break in between contractions, but when one hit, it was like slamming into a brick wall.  I’d breathe deeply and whisper to myself ‘open, open, open’ as if I could talk my cervix into dilating.  I spent my time going from hot bath, to walking around, then back to the bath.  I couldn’t stand the thought of standing still, and sitting or laying down was not an option.  All I could do was try to breathe through the contractions, which I did with some tears and moans.

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I have to pause for a second and tell you how amazing Hubbs was.  I wouldn’t have made it an hour without him.  He never took his eyes off of me.  He rubbed when I wanted him to, drew my baths, and would sit and watch me when I wanted to be left alone.  I didn’t know it was possible, but I fell even more in love with him that day.  I can’t imagine watching someone you love in that kind of pain, but he stayed strong, like I had asked him to, and never left my side.

At 2:00 the doctor came in to check me. The checks were the worst part because I had to crawl into bed and try to handle the contractions on my back while the doctor reached up inside. I thought that surely I had made progress because the contractions were too intense and painful to not have.

I was 4 cm dilated.  And I see why people don’t want to be checked.  I had hardly progressed at all, despite all my hard work.  I must admit, I felt discouraged… until a contraction came, then all I could focus on was the pain.

Leading up to labor, I never referred to contractions as painful.  I’d call them intense or powerful, but I tried to switch my language from using the negative word of ‘pain’, but to be honest with you, ‘intense’ doesn’t do what I was feeling justice.

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Part 2, coming soon! With as wordy as I got with this story, I didn’t want to bore you with a novel of a post.

The Time has Come…

by Brittany on September 14, 2011 · 73 comments

Well… I really thought my next post would be an introduction to Baby D post because things started to feel different yesterday.

Again, this is baby-focused. My apologies to my health-n-food-focused friends- please check back on Monday ;)

Monday I went to the doc. No progress at all, so they couldn’t do a membrane sweep. They did an ultrasound to check the baby’s fluids- excellent fluid.  Then, they did a non-stress test, which essentially is hooking me up to a monitor that tracks the baby’s heartbeat.  We passed with flying colors! And I heard I was having contractions.  I knew this, but they weren’t painful, so I didn’t think anything of them.

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Yesterday I went back to the doctor (yup, I’m the crazy one that goes to the doc everyday if necessary!).  To my (and his) surprise, I had progressed some! 75% effaced and 2 cm dilated. WOW!

I asked for the membrane sweep, but he said my body had already done it on it’s own, naturally, so there was nothing for him to sweep.

I left excited and with a renewed belief in my body!  I decided to help my body along with a long walk.

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I showered, took a nap, and noticed I was feeling contractions more regularly.

I decided to see if I could encourage my body a bit more by trying acupuncture for the first time.  I was so excited when Caitlin said they could squeeze me in at the Holistic Wellness Center of Charlotte.

I was a bit nervous about the needles, but Kristien was fabulous! He explained everything he was going to do in detail, which took my fear away.  Soon enough, I was needled! (Check the ears!)

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Acupuncture didn’t hurt at all, and was really fun to learn about.  It’s easy to see that Kristien is passionate about what he does and he offered both Hubbs and I great advice and encouragement about the natural labor I’m hoping for.

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I left feeling inspired, optimistic and sooooo ready to have this baby. Thank you Caitlin and Kristien!

Holistic Wellness Center of Charlotte

My contractions kept on going, and so Hubbs and I decided to grab dinner in Charlotte, then head home to rest up for what I was sure was going to be a long night ahead.

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I’ve been wanting to try out 300 East, so we did!  It was a beautiful night and we sat outside to enjoy the fresh air… and guacamole.

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I loved 300 East’s fresh tasting food! Hubbs had a hanger steak and I opted for a black bean and green chili tortilla.  I snapped photos so I could show you ‘my last meal’.

300 east hanger steak 300 East Chicken Tortilla

On the way home, contractions stayed steady at about 5-7 minutes apart.  They weren’t painful, but I could notice them.  I went to bed around 9:45pm with the contractions feeling a bit more firm, and I just knew I’d be up at 2:00am.  I was giddy.  I text my parents to let them know to be on baby watch…

and then…

I woke up this morning.

Well, I guess I woke up a time or two during the night, but my eyes officially popped open at 5:15am and I noticed I wasn’t feeling too much.

I’m still having contractions, but they are anywhere from 8-14 minutes apart and not strong.

Right now I’m feeling a bit let down.  I let myself get my hopes up that I’d get the experience I really wanted- a natural progression into labor and delivery.

But, I won’t let myself focus on that. Instead, I am trying to comprehend the fact that I will be meeting our baby tomorrow… which still feels totally unreal to me!

I’m going into the hospital tonight at 6:00pm and will be induced tomorrow morning.  I feel like I tried everything I could think of to make Baby D come on his/her own, so I’m trying to accept the circumstances I am in now instead of wondering if there was anything else I could have done differently.

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement.  I’ll keep you updated (here and here) and really am excited to introduce you to this sweet surprise I’ve been growing for the past TEN months.

Here goes nothing!!!

It’s Baby Week: For Real This Time

September 12, 2011

I know most of you must be thinking that the correct answer to my survey in the right column must be ‘C: A pillow stuffed under Brittany’s shirt’.  Trust me, I’m beginning to think that myself! But the saying is right… no one is pregnant forever… because doctor’s won’t let you.  And so we’ve reached [...]

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How Long Does it Take for Doubt to Creep In? 2 Days.

September 8, 2011

On my blog, I’m happy-go-lucky.  Things are usually upbeat and cheery.  Why? Because that’s how I am in real life. I know, you thought I was going to say something about ‘staying real’, but sorry to be annoying- happy ‘me’ is the real me! However… 2 day overdue ‘me’ isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. And [...]

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Operation Baby Eviction

September 1, 2011

Hi friends! It’s finally September!!! I’m still here (I guess you knew that because I keep blogging everyday…) and going strong at 39.2 weeks pregnant. I will have another doctor appointment tomorrow, but last Friday’s appointment looked something like this: Blood Pressure: 104/68 Blood Sugar: 78 Baby D’s Heart Rate: High 140’s Weight Gained: 30 [...]

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38 Week Bumpdate! Warning: Bare Belly

August 25, 2011

Or more specifically, 38 weeks…and 2 days. And getting very excited! Exercise I’ve skipped the gym lately and instead have been enjoying neighborhood walks with Koda, plus my yoga.  My walk pace is slow, but it always feels good to get out and move.  I stretch at home, bounce on my ‘birthing’ ball and will [...]

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My Unexpected Pregnancy Symptoms

August 11, 2011

36 weeks pregnant… some days it’s hard to believe I’m this far into the journey and so close to meeting my first child. What do you mean I’m going to be a parent?! I mean, I knew we were having a baby, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we are [...]

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Why I am Choosing Natural Childbirth

August 4, 2011

I’ve thought quite a few times about whether or not to post on this subject, but after hearing from you that you’re interested on my what my plans are, I decided, what the heck. I’m a little hesitant to discuss my plans for natural childbirth for three reasons: 1. I don’t want anyone to think [...]

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34 Week Pregnancy Update & My Detailed To Do List

July 28, 2011

34 weeks along and feeling pretty good… even with the afternoon sleepiness, Braxton Hicks and feeling like rolling over in bed should be an athletic event.  Things are progressing well with Baby D… Baby D’s heart rate: in the 150s My blood pressure: 98/62 Total weight gain: 27 pounds Number of times I get up [...]

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33 Weeks Pregnant

July 21, 2011

As July starts creeping to an end, I’m finding myself 33 weeks pregnant and in amazement that we’ll be meeting Baby D in 6-7 weeks.  Did you know that only 5% of babies are born on their due date? That fact has this planner in a tizzy with trying to figure out all that needs [...]

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