Daniel Morgan was born at 9:25 pm July 21st, 2004 one day before his due date. He weighed 6lb 7oz and was 19 and 1/2 inches long. His APGARS were 8 and 9!
Let's see, the previous Wednesday I had my ob appt. and I was 1cm, 50%. (Ob only told me this later when I asked.) The next Monday I started having contractions. They were very far apart, and very irregular. I walked, waited, and was confused for the most part. I knew they weren't anywhere near regular enough to be more than BH, but then again I had not had any BH previously and these were 24 hours a day. They continued Tuesday and Wednesday.
I had an ob appt. that Wednesday at noon. Dr. Miller told me (later) that I was 2-3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. The problem was that for a couple weeks now Daniel wasn't cooperating on the NST's. He would kick all over EXCEPT when we were doing the NST! At one point I had to go into the hospital on a Saturday for one just to be sure all was well. It was. Anyway, they checked my BP which was high for me and had been for a while, did an NST, and then did an u/s. The NST was fine, he was reactive and had good kicks. My BP was fine that day too. The u/s showed him head down, spine to the left, and my amniotic fluid was a 2. She said normal was about 18 and I was dangerously low. She wanted to induce me. Right then.
(Pause for explanation: I was terrified of being induced. We had been taking Bradley classes, wanted to go totally natural for many reasons. Partly for the baby, and partly because I couldn't stand the thought of having a needle put in my back! I've never been in the hospital other than the ER twice, once for an ear infection and once for stitches to the top of my head (a loooong story!) So I wanted my birthing experience to be as non-medical as possible. I was so scared that if I was induced it would lead to all sorts of complications and I would either have to have an epidural or c-section.)
So I called Doug at work from her office, and he met me at the house. We live 20 minutes away from the office and then it takes 20 minutes to get to the hospital. Oh wait, I just remembered something! My mom was at the ob appt with me that day! I was glad, because she drove me home...I wasn't in shape to drive, too preoccupied. She dropped me off at home and went to her house 5 minutes away to tell Mary and get ready to meet us at the hospital. Meanwhile, I packed the car and called Beth, my Bradley coach, for encouragement. I had a sandwich and looked up any info I could find on low amniotic fluid, which wasn't much. Doug finally got home, and we headed to the hospital.
3:30 We arrived at the hospital and checked in. I had my vitals done, bloodwork done, and the hated belly moniter put on. I didn't want a moniter in my birth plan because I wanted to be free to move, but with pitocin I had to have it.
4:42They had to try for my pitocin IV 3 times! Actually, that was probably the worst part of the whole experience. The guy doing it was a friend of Doug's from the armory. I was nervous, and the first time he tried it in my hand I jerked my hand back. Jen (my nurse) tried next and didn't get it. Finally they called in another nurse, and she ended up putting it in my wrist as my veins in my hand were shot. I ended up bleeding all down my hand and on the floor. Good thing I wasn't watching it!
4:50 Dr. Miller (ob) broke what little water I had and headed out. I sat on the birthing ball with Doug in a rocker behind me pressing our rice sock on my back for counter pressure. I leaned my head on the tray that you eat from when in bed. We put it to a good height and braced it against the bed. The nurse came in every now and then to up the pitocin drip. I remember talking with Doug a little in the beginning but that was it. The contractions were painful, especially in my back, for the count of 5 exhales, then they would ease off. I found that if I kept my breathing controlled and relaxed and could make it through the 5 exhales, then the worst was over and it would ease off after that. That was my saving grace the whole time, that count of 5. At one point I was there on the ball, my gown open all the way down the back, when Doug's armory friend, the IV guy, came in to see how things were going. Oops, he got an eyeful. Served him right! Later I got so hot and sweaty on the ball that I stripped my gown half off...good thing he didn't come in then. Of course at another point I got cold and wanted a blanket.
The contrax got stronger, and the nurse suggested a beanbag on the bed. I draped myself over it with Doug up on the bed behind me putting his full body weight on his arms on the rice sock on my back. The nurse later told me I had back labor...no kidding! Poor Doug said his arms were smoked later.
7:59 The pain was getting pretty bad, but I was still able to relax myself through it. I asked the nurse to check on me. I was 6-7 cm and a 0 to -1 station. For a change of pace I tried to lay on my side as my knees were killing me. The position was the wrong one for me! I lost control of the pain and had to go back to the beanbag. What a difference just the position makes! If I'd had to be on my side the whole time, I don't think I'd have made it without drugs. Those first 5 breaths got much harder, and I started to have trouble focusing. I started rocking and tipping my pelvis down unconsciously. I soon started to feel like I was having convulsions, or whole body cramps during the first 5 breaths. I had no idea what was going on, until I started to realize I felt like I had to push. I didn't think I could be ready yet, since just an hour ago I was 6-7 cm! I had Jen my nurse come back in to check on me because I felt like I had to push so bad.
8:57She said I was fully dilated and had just a little lip showing. They had me go in to the bathroom to sit on the toilet and push while they got the bed ready. Doug came in with me. It felt so much better to push instead of fight the feeling! There was a med student, Beth, there, and some other ob in addition to mine (some kind of intern? I had no clue). She was African-American and had such an accent that it was very hard for me to understand her. Dr. Miller came, and sat with me on the bed. She had me push while she checked on me...that hurt! I was letting my breath out on pushes, and Dr. Miller had me focus on her and hold my breath during pushes. I could see him crown in the reflection from her glasses, and couldn't believe he was coming already! At one point the African-American doctor put her finger in me and pulled down while I was pushing, that HURT! I have no idea why she did that, and I was so po'd at her because it hurt so much.
9:25 His head ws starting to come, and I had only pushed for 25 minutes! His head came out, and I could look down and see. I couldn't believe it! Another push and he was out and put on my chest. (I wish they hadn't wrapped him in the cloth, skin to skin would have been better especially as he was a little cold.) Dr. Miller waited for the cord to stop pulsing and Doug cut it.
He was crying great, was nice and pink with a perfect head. Of course he came out so fast he had no chance to turn into a cone head! His APGARS were an 8 and 9. I think he only lost points because he was cold.
I was surprised to find that it didn't hurt to deliver the placenta.
I had no episiotomy, and had 2 small tears: one inside the labia and one at the bottom of the birth canal. She stitched me up which stung some. I had the shakes while she stitched. (Wonder if that made it harder for her? ) I remember my nurse Jen was pressing on my belly to help the uterus contract back down, and I was laughing at how jiggly it was. Another nurse tried to help me latch him on, but we weren't that successful at first. This was the same nurse who came in while I was laboring and said "What's that weird tribal music?" (We had Native American flute music playing). I didn' tpay any attention to her at the time. We stayed in the delivery room for an hour with Daniel, then I was wheeled to maternity while Doug went with Daniel to the nursery. Jen brought me some warm blankets with my wheelchair, and I remember saying to her "I love you! You're my new best friend!" I was so cold, and the blankets felt wonderful.
We passed the nursery on the way to maternity, and mom, Mary, Dad and Pat were all waiting in that hallway to see Daniel. Mom was funny, she saw me and hugged me and said she was so glad to see me and see that I was ok. She told me she was more concerned about me than the baby at that point...there's a mom for you!
Daniel pooped right away in the nursery, but his temp was cold so he had to stay there a while. Doug stayed with him. In retrospect, I wish I had done skin to skin, I think that would have warmed him right up. He warmed up enough for Doug to give him his bath, and then had to warm up a little more before they brought him back to me.
12:15 Doug finally brought Daniel to me. Daniel stayed with me, Doug went home for some much needed sleep. I stayed awake looking at Daniel in the bassinet and wrote his birth story. Not long after he came into the hospital bed with me, and has been in bed with me ever since! We coslept in the hospital. The nurses saw, but didn't say anything.
I had a very sore bottom and tailbone, and took some Tylenol for it. The labor was 4 hours and 43 minutes total, with only 25 minutes of pushing! Not a bad way to do it in my opinion.
Here is Nick's birth story.
