610pm We arrive at L & D.
I have to wait to be triaged; there is a shift change, I am also told there is no midwife.
715pm 4cm – My contractions are now between five and six minutes (they’re dying down again!)
There is a midwife, the day shift was sick, but there is one for the night shift.
I am told to go walk, eat, relax - come back by 930pm.
My contractions really pick up, I begin to feel nauseous.
We drop off the kids for overnight, stop to get something to drink (I wanted a Sobe) and some tacos to eat - I end up not eating, but drink some of my Sobe.
We arrive back at L & D, get settled in the room.
945pm 6cm
I asked to be checked.
1110pm 7cm
1130pm threw up, a lot (until stomach was empty, nearly all liquid though).
I was given some IV fluids, for about a half hour. This was suggested because I threw up and could only sip water - the Sobe was making me nauseous.
I asked to be checked, had to wait about half an hour.
1am 7cm
We discuss breaking my water, the midwife believes I may be stalling out like my other labors.
106am AROM
The midwife suggests getting sugar/electrolyte IV fluid, as I hadn't eaten in about twelve hours, I was still at 7cm, and water was now making me nauseous. I agreed.
During my contractions I am sitting up and rocking back and forth. During the back labor my husband is applying counter pressure to my very low back. He is also helping me rock back and forth, he kneels in front of me and I hold his arm and rest my head on his shoulder - this helps me relax as much as possible while breathing and working through the contractions. In between contractions I rest and actually doze off for a few seconds - never thought that was possible. When things really pick up during late transition, the midwife wipes my face with a cold washcloth between contractions, this was very soothing.
I feel 'pushy', pressure on my pelvic muscles, like my pelvis is filling. The midwife offers to check my progress, doesn't have the chance. I have a few contractions where I can't help but push a little. -- New experience for me, with my first I felt pressure, but had an epidural at this point, with my second I went from 8cm to baby born in 11 minutes - it was too fast and intense.
They set up for the birth. After another pushy contraction, the midwife takes a peek, sees head with lots of hair.
216am begin pushing.
Push with five or six contractions. Its very laid back, I do as my body tells me. I felt the strongest urge for pushing with the end of the contraction, so that's what I did.
225am baby born.
Daddy gets to announce baby's gender. Baby is immediately placed on my belly.
Baby has a lot of fluid in lungs; midwife believes it may be due to the nuchal cord (around neck). By the way, baby's heart rate was excellent, no decels or any clue until his head was out. I'm asked to delay feeding until they can get him breathing/crying good. They have someone from pediatrics come to assess the baby, by then baby has coughed up quite a bit of fluid and is breathing better.
Baby has 8 & 9 APGARs (seems a bit high, he was purple and took a bit to pink up, but the corpsman was pretty new - the corpsman was there for the baby; I had the CNM and L & D nurse for me).
I am given straight pitocin to help my uterus contract, encourage placental separation, and prevent hemorrhage. I feel crampy and the midwife guides the placenta out. I have a few clots, then a big one that the midwife has to fish out - ouch! Remarkably, I've had very light lochia. This time is so much better than with my other two births (delivering the placenta, clots, bleeding, and lochia).
We attempt feeding at one hour of age. It takes several tries, but he finally latches on. Baby feeds for about ten minutes.
Baby is weighed, measured, and bathed.
8lbs 2.1oz, 21in
Baby is very sleepy for most of the first day, that is, until he pukes up all the amniotic fluid in his stomach and coughs up more from his lungs. Having a baby that still has a bunch of fluid in them was a while new experience.
Baby is Coombs positive, so his bilirubin gets checked at six hrs (4.2), 12 hrs (6.0), 24 hrs (8.2), 30 hrs (9.6), 36 hrs (11.5), 48 hrs (was actually 51 hrs - 11.8). It was checked again at 3 1/2 days (82 hrs - 10.9).
Baby's weight is 8lbs 2.1oz (1.5 hrs), then 7 lbs 14.1 oz (12 hrs), then 7lbs 12.6 oz (24hrs), then 7lb 13oz (51 hrs). At the three day appt it was 8lb 5oz - with cloth diaper on, all other weight checks were naked.
Before transferring to the post partum room my husband asks if I've had strong feelings about the baby's name. Do I feel baby is a [name choice A] or a [name choice B]. I reply that I have to think about it more. After getting settled in the post partum room I remind my husband that we have to pray about which name to use. We pray, and then try to get some sleep. Before leaving to pick up our children in the morning, my husband asks again about which name. I tell him I'm pretty sure about [choice A]. He feels the same. I ask him to talk to the children about it. When they return our oldest comments about how the baby "looks like a [choice A]" and our now middle child thinks [choice A] should be the baby's name. My husband asks "that's final then?" I tell him "yep, that's final." So, you see, our whole family helped to name our newest family member. Welcome earth-side, Pumpkin.
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