Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Born 1:21 pm and in perfect shape
Juniper Joy W.
Born April 29, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Vaginal birth! No pain meds, induced with Pitocin.
Regular intense contractions started at 6:30 am this morning. The induction was started 8 pm last night. It went smoothly. I labored some and pushed (more like my body pushed without my control) in the warm labor tub of water. Then climbed out of the tub, and pushed Juni out while kneeling on a mattress on the floor. Bob caught the baby himself, coached by the midwife Emily. Juni was put on my chest right away. She latched on within half an hour. She's a great sucker! The placenta was born pretty quickly without complications. The baby's Apgar score was 9 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes (A+). She cried pretty quickly and let us all hear her beautiful voice for a bit. Bob got some skin to skin contact, too, pretty soon after the birth while I pushed the placenta out.
We are so grateful. We are blessed.
Born April 29, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Vaginal birth! No pain meds, induced with Pitocin.
Regular intense contractions started at 6:30 am this morning. The induction was started 8 pm last night. It went smoothly. I labored some and pushed (more like my body pushed without my control) in the warm labor tub of water. Then climbed out of the tub, and pushed Juni out while kneeling on a mattress on the floor. Bob caught the baby himself, coached by the midwife Emily. Juni was put on my chest right away. She latched on within half an hour. She's a great sucker! The placenta was born pretty quickly without complications. The baby's Apgar score was 9 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes (A+). She cried pretty quickly and let us all hear her beautiful voice for a bit. Bob got some skin to skin contact, too, pretty soon after the birth while I pushed the placenta out.
We are so grateful. We are blessed.
Monday night/Tuesday morning 4/29/08
Shortly after I posted the last blog, I lost my dinner. I vomited and then went to the bathroom and gave birth to the foley ball. That was probably at about 9:15 pm. The foley ball is a small balloon, filled with 40 mL of water, with a diameter the size of a half dollar coin. So that means that my cervix dilated to 3 or 4 cm, though I haven't been checked again. I felt a lot of relief when the water balloon fell out. The surges (contractions) stopped being so intense instantly. It was like a mini-birth and it gave me an idea of what is in my near future.
Ever since then the surges have been very tolerable or hardly noticeable to me. Just like mild to moderate menstrual cramps. I've been staying relaxed, mostly laying down and sometimes standing and moving my hips around to make my sacrum feel better (it is a little achy) and also to encourage the baby to drop further down the path. Currently I'm sitting on the birth ball (yoga ball) and eating a meal we brought from Cafe Gratitude called "I am Accepting". It is 3:10 am. Bob is sleeping. I slept a little bit off and on from midnight to 2 am. They've increased the Pitocin twice in the last 2 hours. Before that it hadn't been increased since 7 pm or so. The contractions are frequent enough (2 to 3 minutes apart). I'm just lucky enough at this point to handle them easily.
Ever since then the surges have been very tolerable or hardly noticeable to me. Just like mild to moderate menstrual cramps. I've been staying relaxed, mostly laying down and sometimes standing and moving my hips around to make my sacrum feel better (it is a little achy) and also to encourage the baby to drop further down the path. Currently I'm sitting on the birth ball (yoga ball) and eating a meal we brought from Cafe Gratitude called "I am Accepting". It is 3:10 am. Bob is sleeping. I slept a little bit off and on from midnight to 2 am. They've increased the Pitocin twice in the last 2 hours. Before that it hadn't been increased since 7 pm or so. The contractions are frequent enough (2 to 3 minutes apart). I'm just lucky enough at this point to handle them easily.
Monday, April 28, 2008
9 pm Monday... feeling contractions!!!
I'm typing in between contractions. Julie midwife put in the foley bulb at 8 pm. She checked my cervix and said it was 75% effaced which is thin and good, it was 2 cm dilated and moderate to soft consistency, and tilted way forward (anterior) which is good. When she inflated the foley bulb I started to feel sensations in my lower abdomen. At first it just felt like I had to pee really badly, but I'd just emptied my bladder 5 minutes earlier. Then the sensations started to feel like menstral cramps. I got very uncomfortable suddenly, and the midwife pointed out that she could see from the monitor that I was having a contraction. So the foley bulb changed my labor in that now I'm feeling the contractions. Hopefully that means the contractions are also more effective.
Now contractions are 2 to 3 min apart and lasting 30 to 60 seconds. I sat up for a bit and now I'm laying on my side with Bob behind me.
Now contractions are 2 to 3 min apart and lasting 30 to 60 seconds. I sat up for a bit and now I'm laying on my side with Bob behind me.
7:30 pm Monday 4/28/08
I passed the stress test (OCT). The baby responded "beautifully" to the Pitocin-induced mini-contractions. Change of shift and the new midwife is Julie who seems great. Onward with induction. I'm eating dinner now and then they'll check my cervix and probably put the foley bulb in. The Pitocin continues to enter my veins at a slow pace, and I don't feel anything in my uterus except for the baby's occasional movements. Bob is reading People magazine quietly. Before sitting down for dinner I did some yoga stretching and squats to encourage the baby down and stretch my muscles. Things are good.
5 pm Monday at the hospital
We got here at the hospital and while talking to Sue the midwife we learned that because of my asthma, prostaglandins are contraindicated. So if they induce, they'll use Pitocin and a foley bulb in the uterus right above the cervix. They pull the bulb downward and it will help my cervix dilate to 3 or 4 cm. The last time they checked it was 1.5 cm at 10 am.
I have an IV now in my left arm. At 4:15 pm they started the pitocin drip for the OCT. It is very slow and I don't feel anything yet. It is now 5 pm.
I'm laying down and Britt (doula) is about to do some relaxation with us.
I have an IV now in my left arm. At 4:15 pm they started the pitocin drip for the OCT. It is very slow and I don't feel anything yet. It is now 5 pm.
I'm laying down and Britt (doula) is about to do some relaxation with us.
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