Laila Gabrielle's Birth Story

So I went into labor on November 20th at about 10 pm. Light contractions, nothing crazy. But I wasn't sure if it was labor at that point yet because it felt like cramps, which I expected because I got my membranes separated at the doctors that day. I was 6 days overdue at that point.

So after an entire night of timing contractions, at about 4 am I woke up DH and my contractions were about 6 minutes apart and lasted between 45-60 seconds. So we headed to the hospital...Maimonodies Medical Center in Brooklyn. So we get to the hospital, but were not admitted because I was still only 2 cm dialated and my contractions weren't strong enough. They had me "walk" for 2 hours which did nothing, so I went home. I tried to sleep but the contactions were getting stronger. So we went back 7 PM that night and the contractions at that point were about 2-3 minutes apart and lasted 50 seconds. But I was still only 3 cm. They were pretty painful at that point too. So the doctor admitted me. But I didn't get an epidural until about 11 PM. Once that happened I was able to relax and sleep for a while. It was a long and slow labor. My doctor broke my water, but I'm not sure when. Since I had the epi, the doctor told me to let her know when I felt pressure like I had to go to the bathroom. At about 6 am Thursday (November 22nd) morning I felt the pressure and when she checked I was 9 cm. Then around 7 am I was fully dialated, but the baby still had about 4 cm of the birth canal to travel down. The doctor said we would start pushing in about 15 minutes. But then there was a shift change and the new doctor decided she wanted to wait until the baby was closer so I wouldn't have to work so hard. When she checked me again the baby was crowning. I pushed for about 10 minutes and the baby was born at 7:55 am on November 22nd. She weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 inches long. It really was an amazing experience. After about 34 hours of labor she finally arrived!! And she is perfect.

I was in love instantly!!!

So that is my story in a nutshell.

If you are reading this and are a first time mom, my only advice is to get an epidural. And with that, don't start pushing until the baby is ready--crowning. My epi never had a chance to wear off. Once you start pushing they turn the drip off and if you don't get the baby out quickly you're gonna feel it. Me, not knowing this, was very lucky. And I'm glad the second doctor made me wait, otherwise I would have been pushing a lot longer and it would have hurt. I had no pain when my DD came out. I can only hope that my second baby is born the same way, with a less lengthy labor.

Re: Laila Gabrielle's Birth Story

Thanks for sharing your story!! And this first time Mom appreciates the pushing advice! Congratulations!!