My Amazing Natural Birth Story (drug-free) - Sienna Charlotte 8.13.09!!!

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CaMacho
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Member since 7/06

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Jess

My Amazing Natural Birth Story (drug-free) - Sienna Charlotte 8.13.09!!!

I just want to start off by saying that giving birth is really indescribable and until you experience it yourself you can't even begin to understand what it's going to be like. I am lucky enough to have had a quick, natural drug-free birth that I can look back on as a positive experience and amazing accomplishment! It's a life changing experience... NOTHING compares to giving birth!!

Ok now onto my story (really long)... Chat Icon

I had a dr. appointment on Friday 8/7 and the dr. said I was 1.5cm dilated and she was VERY low. His exact words were, "You shouldn't have a hard time." And he was right!

Almost a week later on Thursday 8/13, I woke up like every other morning and got in the shower to go to work. When I got out I went to the bathroom again and saw I was losing my mucous plug. Finally, I was waiting for that for a while. I also noticed I was having some cramping that felt like mild menstrual cramps in my back and stomach. I called into work at around 8:30am and told them I was going to lay down for a while and if it went away i'd be in later.

I called my parents (who are in NY, i'm in FL) and told them they probably needed to get on a flight today, but it could also be nothing so I told them i'd keep them updated.

By 10am they had increased in intensity and I was able to time them. I used contractionmaster.com which is so easy to use and the contractions were anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes apart. I decided to jump back in the shower to shave and then I got in the tub to help with the back labor. At this point I KNEW this was the real thing and told my parents to get their butts down here. Chat Icon

I called the dr.'s office and they said to go to the hospital right away. I didn't listen! I knew they would say that and didn't even know why I called. I wanted to labor at home as long as I could b/c I really didn't want drugs!! I know i'm strong, but WOW contractions are no joke and I wasn't sure I could say no to pain meds once I was at the hospital.

By 11:30am I had to get out of the tub, it did nothing for me and I couldn't get a comfy position when a contraction came. They were pretty much all in my back at this point and radiated to my stomach as well. I told DH we had to go to the hospital b/c the contractions were now 2 mins or less apart! I had to lean over the counter and rock back and forth when a contraction came.

It was only a 10 minute drive to the hospital but it was an absolutely horrible 10 minutes! I had probably 4-5 contractions in the car and it was just awful not being able to stand up and rock through them.

We got to the hospital around 12pm and they had me change into a gown and lay in a bed in triage. By 12:30pm the nurse checked me and said I was 6-7cm dilated! I was THRILLED! This is exactly what I was hoping for and it really motivated me to go drug-free since I was that far along already.

At this point the contractions were incredibly painful and I didn't know what to do with myself when one came. I'd tense up (which they said not to do in lamaze - by the way lamaze is total b.s.! lol) but it felt better to tense my shoulders and arms and push into the bed with my fists. I also had to move my legs around constantly during a contraction. I had hardly any time in between to get ready for the next one b/c they were so close together. DH was amazing though, he watched the monitors to let me know when it peaked and started going down.

By 1:30pm I was in my own labor/delivery room and MIL and SIL had arrived to be there with us. By 2pm I felt the urge to push with each contraction and since my dr. was there at the hospital she decided to check me and said I was 10cm! The nurse said "well I guess it's too late for me to ask you if you want any pain meds!" I said I didn't want them anyway and she said well you have no choice at this point, you're going natural! DH and I were actually excited... he knew that is what I wanted.

Even though I was 10cm my dr. wanted me to labor a little bit more without pushing to get her a bit lower first. But by 3pm the urge to push was more intense and the dr. came back in and said I could start pushing.

PUSHING. It's intense. It's like you're pushing your entire upper body out of your lower body! It felt so good to push through a contraction though. But it was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my entire life. Every time a contraction came during pushing I braced myself and pushed with all my might (usually 3x for 10 secs each per contraction) and by the end of a good push my body was basically doing it all on it's own. It was incredible.

They actually hooked up Pitocin to me about 10 minutes before she was born b/c my contractions were spreading out and they didn't want her stuck that low for too long, but it never even had a chance to kick in!

Once she crowned my dr. said to reach down and feel her head and when I did that I couldn't believe she was coming out of me! It was surreal. She said I would feel burning once she crowned and I did a little bit but it wasn't bad.

My dr. was awesome, she was so calm and so supportive. I couldn't have asked for a better dr. and nurse! My dr. was there through the entire time pushing and was massaging me so I wouldn't tear and so she didn't have to do an episiotomy. I ended up with a tiny tear inside that only needed a couple small stitches.

I pushed for almost an hour and at 3:58pm little Sienna was born!

Everyone was crying when she came out. DH got to cut the cord. She was perfect! Scored 9 on apgar.

DH was amazed and still is. My MIL still talks about how incredible it was to see me do that naturally. And I was honestly so proud of myself.

Delivering the placenta was a breeze, my dr. told me to push one more time and that it wouldn't even hurt b/c it had no bones or anything in it. As I pushed she pressed on my stomach and pulled on the cord and out came the placenta.

After that I started shaking uncontrollably and felt really cold. I got nervous but the nurse and dr. said it was totally normal and that my body just went through a lot and it's a normal reaction. They got me hot blankets and a few minutes later it calmed down.

Shortly after birth Sienna went right to breastfeeding and it's been going great ever since. They let us keep her with us for about an hour before taking her away to bathe her.

The contraction pain goes away immediately once you give birth, it's crazy. And just like most women say... you totally forget the pain b/c of how much of a miracle your little baby is. I would do it all over again tomorrow if I had to for her.

I had a wonderful experience and couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy, labor or delivery... or baby! She's an angel. Chat Icon

Sienna Charlotte
8.13.09 (3 days early)
7 lbs. 14 oz.
20.5 inches

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Message edited 6/1/2011 1:42:31 PM.

Posted 8/26/09 2:42 PM