Carly’s Birth Story #1
August 26th, 2017
How Carly stressed herself into labor
I could not wait to meet my baby, but could also not wait to get labor and birth out of the way. Not because I was uncomfortable or miserable, my pregnancy was honestly pretty chill. But because my type A personality could not handle all of the unknowns of the impending birth.
My goal was an unmedicated birth. For the main reason of being able to move around freely and not feeling stuck or confined anywhere. I had a frank discussion with my provider, and came to the realization that an unmedicated birth could be tougher than I anticipated. I sought out and found an excellent birth doula (who also happened to be a midwife student). I took self-paced hypnobirthing classes. I took hospital childbirth and baby care courses. I tried to do all the research and read all the books.
<—Here I am 7 days before go time!
I went in for my 38 week appointment quickly after running errands for a big weekend of meal prepping before baby. My blood pressure was high and was sent to the hospital for labs, monitoring, vital sign checks, etc. I ate a big lunch just in case, because I had a feeling it was going to be longer than brief monitoring. Good thing I had a full belly because blood pressure stayed elevated, and the covering OB urged me to be induced.
I was not excited about an induction, knowing inductions can make unmedicated births more difficult. But after a discussion with the OB on call I'd never met and my husband who was at work in NYC who was subway, bus, walk and 30 minute drive away, an induction it was.
The team waited until my husband arrived to discuss the process and plan with me. I showered with hospital baby soap and in my Toms shoes ANXIOUSLY waiting for what was to come. While my baby meal prep groceries were going bad in the car, my laundry was sitting wet in the washing machine, and my husband was in such a rush to stop by the house for the bags that he left the back door open for 3 days while at the hospital 🤣
The plan was a couple doses of the pill called Cytotec to see if things could get labor started, then Pitocin in the morning. Before I even got the first cytotec, I started having contractions, I thought just Braxton Hicks since I would get those often in the evenings. Then once on the monitor, I saw they were making some consistent changes on the fetal monitor.
8pm first dose.
My husband and I ate the food we snuck in, called our families, bounced on the ball, played Words with Friends and my husband named each contraction 😂 They were getting painful and regular, but able to talk through them. It was an amazing couple of hours as the last few as a family of 2.
12am cervical check
2-3cm and fully effaced. Still awhile to go but decent progress. Second cytotec and then active labor came on fast and furious. The doula who was on standby quickly came in after I deferred that decision to my husband (which I never do, lol), so he knew she needed to come quick. With the help of my husband, I was breathing, squeezing his hand, reminiscing and bouncing/rolling on the ball. At the time of the second dose of Cytotec, i was also given an Ambien- why I do not know. Myself and everyone there thought I was in it for the long haul so might as well try to get some sleep.
12:30 Doula arrived
My husband busted out his camping cot and SOMEHOW slept for awhile on the doulas suggestion. My doula Chrissy, helped me through the worst parts, giving me sips of water, helping me reposition, not puke all over myself, massaging and stroking my head. It felt like a surreal out of body experience, like I was feeling all of the pain of each contraction, but at the same time like I was watching myself from above. I wasn't able to call upon any specific hypnobirthing tactics in the moment, but I feel like the principles and headspace I was able to get to was hypnobirthing to thank. I made all the crazy noises and let my body do what it clearly knew how to do.
2am I really had to poop
I disconnected myself from the monitors angrily and tried to poop on the toilet but nothing. I was bracing for the next contraction before getting up and it didn't happen. So i stood up and felt something "Um Chrissy what is this?" I said feeling something coming out between my legs... oh just my son's head, snuggled nicely still in his amniotic sac.
Chrissy called the team in saying its go time. My husband who was sleeping through ALL of this got to wake up just in time. 2-3cm to 10cm in 2 hours! But guess who wasn't there.. the on call OB. They went home for a snooze since I wasn't in active labor at last check and it was my first baby. So I got the random OB at the hospital to be there for the biggest moment of my life to date. All the time I spent researching and agonizing over my OB provider, it didn't even matter.
I insisted on pushing on my hands and knees or squatting. I did not want to push on my back. But I was told there was no time, and my son was born on the next contraction, a couple of pushes later. Pushing strangely felt good, like after all this buildup and anticipation, pushing was exactly what my body needed for relief.
My cheesy with vernix and perfect little boy was placed right on my chest as I was in utter disbelief! 7lb 2oz at 2:19am. My husband was offered to cut thee umbilical cord, and when he politely declined, I just did it myself 😂
I moved from my labor room to my postpartum, peed, got settled, saw the nurses JUST in time to fall asleep until the next shift started all over again! Don’t worry, I am one of those exact nurses now, so I am extra mindful of the mamas who deliver around this time to let them get a little rest!
My postpartum story I will share another time. But two reflections on my postpartum hospital experience that I wish I knew from the beginning
1. In your arms is the only place baby want to be. They will tolerate your partner, mom, friend, etc holding them, but guaranteed they’re just being polite. Do all the skin to skin you can if you’re feeling up to it and you don’t have to pass off baby to anyone else if you don’t want to (unless you’re sleeping, which you also definitely need!) I passed my baby around a lot on day 1, and so wish I just snuggled him instead
2. If you're breastfeeding, early on try to think of it first as a way to bond, and second as a way to feed them. You will never know how much they're drinking at your breast, you will always feel like you could be doing things differently, but baby just wants you. They are so so sleepy early on and their tummy is the size of a marble. If you approach it in a more laid back and less task-oriented way, the latching will very likely soon follow.
Everyone’s birth story and experience is their own. We wanted to share this with you to share a part of ourselves. Nothing in this birth story and our future birth stories is the “right" or “wrong” way, just the way it happened <3
Your postpartum nurses Meg and Carly here to prepare you for postpartum and beyond. We want to make sure you have the education you need to care for your own healing body after birth, not just your baby.
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