Birth Story Joanna Ruth

This is the birth story of my fourth child. With my first I had been in labor for 24 hours, with my second it was 10, and my third, 5 hours. Since the time seemed to half each time, I was hoping for a 2-3 hour delivery. Alas, it was not to be.

Friday 9^th June (12 days overdue)

Charles and I went to the hospital to have prostaglandin gel applied to my cervix in order to soften it. They applied it and then monitored me for 2 hours. I had frequent contractions and some painful ones. We went home.

2 cm dilated, cervix posterior and soft

3pm – 6pm frequent regular contractions 4-5 minutes apart, half of them painful, but after 6pm although the contractions continued, very few of them hurt.

5:30pm I put my TENS machine on, but the longer it stayed on, the more convinced I was that I wouldn’t need it that day.

Saturday 10^th June (13 days overdue)

Fairly normal day with contractions every 30 – 60 mins, not hurting much

Sunday 11^th June (14 days overdue)

8am Lost loads of mucus plug

9am Went to the BirthCenter where I hoped to give birth

9:15am 2 cm dilated, cervix posterior and soft

Dr broke my waters and then I heard the words, “Oh no, meconium”. I learned that I couldn’t give birth at the Birth Home and I’d have to go to the hospital.

9:30am Charles, Arlene (Doula) and I arrived at the hospital, a few contractions. With the reduction of fluid, I could feel the baby kicking a lot more than previously.

They aimed to flush out the meconium with saline solution, so I had a tube in my uterus pumping saline solution in, and I had to keep towels between my legs catching what was coming out. All this stayed for the whole duration of labor. Also the baby’s heartbeat and my contractions were monitored. The nurses said I had to be monitored throughout because of the meconium. However, I spent a lot of my labor on my feet leaning on people or things and I was able to move, albeit three steps in each direction. I found the most comfortable position for contractions was on my feet. When they got intense I sat in the chair and slowed them down, and that gave me the energy to stand up again. Arlene talked me through each contraction encouraging me to breathe deeply and not pant. This was so helpful that when she left the room for one contraction I didn’t breathe properly and had a very painful time.

10:24am I was having strong enough contractions to ask Charles to put my TENS machine on

11:20am 4cm dilated

12:22pm Bowels felt full, slight urge to push. I think, “Not long to go now, here comes my quickest labor yet”. Checked and found to be still at 4cm. Wanted to give up and go home.

12:45pm Contractions getting stronger. I was starting to get hungry so I started eating a tiny can of fruit, but the nurse told me put it away “In case I had to have a C-Section”. I was annoyed, I narrowly missed a C-Section with my first because I didn’t eat and ran out of energy.

2:35pm 5cm dilated, cervix still posterior. I could fully understand people who want epidurals. There was a crib in the room. I kept looking at it and thinking, “I’ll have a baby in there soon.” It helped. I kept hearing comments about me smiling between contractions.

3:30pm At this point with my labor with Robert (#3) I pushed him out, I realized this baby was going to take longer, I didn’t want it to.

4:15pm The pads on the TENS machine started to come loose, obviously because I’d used them on Friday. I decided to abandon the TENS, and continue purely natural.

4:20pm 7cm dilated. Doctor and pediatrician were asked to come in; doctor was 30 – 45 mins away. I was asked to lie down in order to slow down contractions so the doctors wouldn’t miss the birth. No way, it was too painful. The fact the doctors had been called encouraged me immensely.

5:15pm Doctors had arrived and I reached 9cm, I was told I could push because my cervix was so soft, I was pleased that I didn’t have to wait until 10cm. Started to push, but I was still on my feet. There was a great debate about whether my doctor wanted the end of the bed on or off, it was taken off and put back on. Lights were lowered from the ceiling; a cart was wheeled out full of scissors. Then I said I wanted to deliver on hands and knees, but I was put in position on my back for the doctor to examine me. It was more comfortable than I thought, I decided to stay there. I started pushing with screaming contractions, and then decided hands and knees was a better position, so I rolled over and the end of the bed was taken off!

It took a lot of pushes to get the head out; as the baby came out she was suctioned for meconium. The doctor commented on her size and warned me her shoulders might get stuck, and they did. I had to flip, which I did easily and in one go (with the head sticking out!) The shoulders took a lot of pushing, then I heard, “One last big push and she’ll be out”. I gave one last big push, and another – four in all, and Joanna Ruth was born at 5:50pm weighing 10 lb 10 oz, after seven and a half hours of labor. There was no tear, and therefore no stitches. One of the nurses commented that it was a “Textbook Natural birth”. I had some afterbirth pains, and I pulled muscles in my back through pushing so much.

Then the pediatrician had her on the warmer for 45 mins, while she slowly went a good color. Charles cut the cord at 6:06pm.