Firstly, I am so grateful to all of my friends who have made me feel so loved and cared for by your comments! Thank you.
Next, this is the long story because it was a long labor and only of few of you will be interested to know it all... so don't read on past this sentence if you don't want the ENTIRE, LONG Labor Story.
As for the Gruesome details of the labor....there are plenty! I will share, in some detail, our story, because it is a story to tell for sure. If you want the really gruesome details though, you will have to call, because the internet is not the place for it!
It all began on Saturday evening, when I was coming home from shopping with some girlfriends and my first contractions started. They didn't hurt, but were every 2-3 minutes, as usual. My mom was flying in the next afternoon, so I took it as easy as I could, and went to bed that night. The next day was Sunday. I woke up with the contractions still, not hurting. We went to church, still contracting, getting more uncomfortable, but fine. Sunday night, still contracting, starting to get annoyed. Went to bed.
I woke up Monday morning with contractions, but not as consistent. As the morning progressed they started more and more. By Monday afternoon, I was really starting to feel them. So, we made plans to have Rochelle(my lifesaver always) to come over after we put the kids to bed and we went to the hospital.
All of my past experiences have been super fast labor with no time to breath, so I just didn't want to go in when I was miserable and couldn't get what I wanted in order for my labor when I really needed it. My birth plan was to get into the water when the contractions were getting super uncomfortable, which is always at 6 cm. I was going to stay in there until 8 cm, then get out and deliver her on the bed. That was the plan.
We arrived at the hospital when I wasn't in much pain, I knew I was early. I was 4 cm and 80 percent effaced when we got there. This labor just wasn't progressing and hurting as it always has before, so I was in totally new territorynot knowing what to do.
So when I got to the hospital I found out that the doctor who was on call would not let me labor in the water at all, and this really upset me, but I was still determined that I would do this unmedicated no matter what they say i can and can't do. After I cried, I called Liz, my dear friend, and asked her to come be with me at the hospital to help me laugh, and that she did at 10:30 at night. She stayed with me for 3 hours......of walking! It was horrible! Nothing was progressing, yet I was having contractions every 2 miunutes for three days! I went from 4 cm to 5-6 cm in 3 hours of slightly painful walking!
So, at 1:30 am I was so frustrated about NOT being in enough pain that I was again hysterical and stuck, literally. The doctor on call told me that she thought it would be best to take a rest, try to sleep for 3-4 hours, and see what my body does on rest. She would NOT let me go home because she said it was too risky. Plus, my doctor would be oncall at 7 am that morning, if I made it that long. So we rested.
The next morning Dr Reider calls me from home and asks me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to get the baby out! So, he came to the hospital and said that I was 6 cm, contracting every 2 minutes(like I needed a man to tell me that). I wasn't in pain though! Not enough to be 6 cm atleast! So, we decided to break my water. I thought this was one of my last options left at this point, so we did it. I cried. I cried because my pregnancy was over. I have enjoyed the last half of this pregnancy more than any pregnancy I have ever had. I have LOVED EVERY MINUTE of this pregnancy since I even started slightly showing and feeling her move. I only had one day left uinitl my due date, but I was still so sad for it to be ending.
So, Dr. Reider Broke my water at 8:15 am on Tuesday morning. The contractions started to feel atleast as hard as I thought they should have felt earlier at 6 cm. Within 30 minutes I had to get in the water. I was 7 cm and starting transition at that point. I started to lose feeling in my fingers, then hands, then forearms. It was just a small nuissance compared to the contractions.
I had the best labor and delivery nurse the Lord could have found for me. She was in Midwifery school, young, and so good at helping me get through transition. I don't know how I would have survived without her. She helped me not pass out, stay focused and not be scared of the monsterous pain, and knowing it was getting me somewhere and would end soon. She was AMAZING.
So, Dr. Reider wanted me to get out of the water because of my non-use of my extremities, but I could feel that I was going to start pushing, so I got out and walked over to the bed just before the first contraction of pushing started. So, I pushed her down on the first contraction, her head out on the second contraction, and tried to push her shoulders for the third, but she would budge. At that point I started screaming to get her out, and Poor poor Dr Reider started pulling on her head trying to help us both, and ended up adjusting both her and my positions for the next contraction and I finally pushed her out. It was INSANE! And AMAZING! It hurt so bad, but it was one of the most unbelieveable experiences of my life!
Well, folks, thats it in a nutshell. When I arrived at the hospital Monday night, the situation looked grim and dsimal. As one thing after another that has never happened before in any of my other three labors happened, the blessings of what was occuring started coming to the surface.
Blessings listed in some order:
1. my body waiting on my doctor to be there for my delivery so I could have the delivery I had planned and wanted,
2. having the oncall doctor suggesting I just rest, instead of pushing my body the way modern medicine is trained to now do,
3. having Liz there for me at the exact time that I needed her the most to keep my spirits alive, 4. the timing of my getting the labor and delivery nurse that I needed to pull me through it,
5. Rochelle just happening to be coming up to bring Jeremy food at the exact right time to get my mom to the hosital to be able to be there for the last 45 minutes of my labor and delivery,
6. her being perfect when she was born(which is absolutely the most miraculous of all),
7. Chauncey happening to be on a hospital rotation without even knowing it and being given the day off the next day and spending the entire day with Bella nad I at the hospital.
The list literally goes on and on.
I am so grateful to have had the experience of a lifetime that Heavenly Father obviously blessed me to have. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me my Husband, and four of the most beautiful and wonderful children I could have ever dreamed of.
Next, this is the long story because it was a long labor and only of few of you will be interested to know it all... so don't read on past this sentence if you don't want the ENTIRE, LONG Labor Story.
As for the Gruesome details of the labor....there are plenty! I will share, in some detail, our story, because it is a story to tell for sure. If you want the really gruesome details though, you will have to call, because the internet is not the place for it!
It all began on Saturday evening, when I was coming home from shopping with some girlfriends and my first contractions started. They didn't hurt, but were every 2-3 minutes, as usual. My mom was flying in the next afternoon, so I took it as easy as I could, and went to bed that night. The next day was Sunday. I woke up with the contractions still, not hurting. We went to church, still contracting, getting more uncomfortable, but fine. Sunday night, still contracting, starting to get annoyed. Went to bed.
I woke up Monday morning with contractions, but not as consistent. As the morning progressed they started more and more. By Monday afternoon, I was really starting to feel them. So, we made plans to have Rochelle(my lifesaver always) to come over after we put the kids to bed and we went to the hospital.
All of my past experiences have been super fast labor with no time to breath, so I just didn't want to go in when I was miserable and couldn't get what I wanted in order for my labor when I really needed it. My birth plan was to get into the water when the contractions were getting super uncomfortable, which is always at 6 cm. I was going to stay in there until 8 cm, then get out and deliver her on the bed. That was the plan.
We arrived at the hospital when I wasn't in much pain, I knew I was early. I was 4 cm and 80 percent effaced when we got there. This labor just wasn't progressing and hurting as it always has before, so I was in totally new territorynot knowing what to do.
So when I got to the hospital I found out that the doctor who was on call would not let me labor in the water at all, and this really upset me, but I was still determined that I would do this unmedicated no matter what they say i can and can't do. After I cried, I called Liz, my dear friend, and asked her to come be with me at the hospital to help me laugh, and that she did at 10:30 at night. She stayed with me for 3 hours......of walking! It was horrible! Nothing was progressing, yet I was having contractions every 2 miunutes for three days! I went from 4 cm to 5-6 cm in 3 hours of slightly painful walking!
So, at 1:30 am I was so frustrated about NOT being in enough pain that I was again hysterical and stuck, literally. The doctor on call told me that she thought it would be best to take a rest, try to sleep for 3-4 hours, and see what my body does on rest. She would NOT let me go home because she said it was too risky. Plus, my doctor would be oncall at 7 am that morning, if I made it that long. So we rested.
The next morning Dr Reider calls me from home and asks me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to get the baby out! So, he came to the hospital and said that I was 6 cm, contracting every 2 minutes(like I needed a man to tell me that). I wasn't in pain though! Not enough to be 6 cm atleast! So, we decided to break my water. I thought this was one of my last options left at this point, so we did it. I cried. I cried because my pregnancy was over. I have enjoyed the last half of this pregnancy more than any pregnancy I have ever had. I have LOVED EVERY MINUTE of this pregnancy since I even started slightly showing and feeling her move. I only had one day left uinitl my due date, but I was still so sad for it to be ending.
So, Dr. Reider Broke my water at 8:15 am on Tuesday morning. The contractions started to feel atleast as hard as I thought they should have felt earlier at 6 cm. Within 30 minutes I had to get in the water. I was 7 cm and starting transition at that point. I started to lose feeling in my fingers, then hands, then forearms. It was just a small nuissance compared to the contractions.
I had the best labor and delivery nurse the Lord could have found for me. She was in Midwifery school, young, and so good at helping me get through transition. I don't know how I would have survived without her. She helped me not pass out, stay focused and not be scared of the monsterous pain, and knowing it was getting me somewhere and would end soon. She was AMAZING.
So, Dr. Reider wanted me to get out of the water because of my non-use of my extremities, but I could feel that I was going to start pushing, so I got out and walked over to the bed just before the first contraction of pushing started. So, I pushed her down on the first contraction, her head out on the second contraction, and tried to push her shoulders for the third, but she would budge. At that point I started screaming to get her out, and Poor poor Dr Reider started pulling on her head trying to help us both, and ended up adjusting both her and my positions for the next contraction and I finally pushed her out. It was INSANE! And AMAZING! It hurt so bad, but it was one of the most unbelieveable experiences of my life!
Well, folks, thats it in a nutshell. When I arrived at the hospital Monday night, the situation looked grim and dsimal. As one thing after another that has never happened before in any of my other three labors happened, the blessings of what was occuring started coming to the surface.
Blessings listed in some order:
1. my body waiting on my doctor to be there for my delivery so I could have the delivery I had planned and wanted,
2. having the oncall doctor suggesting I just rest, instead of pushing my body the way modern medicine is trained to now do,
3. having Liz there for me at the exact time that I needed her the most to keep my spirits alive, 4. the timing of my getting the labor and delivery nurse that I needed to pull me through it,
5. Rochelle just happening to be coming up to bring Jeremy food at the exact right time to get my mom to the hosital to be able to be there for the last 45 minutes of my labor and delivery,
6. her being perfect when she was born(which is absolutely the most miraculous of all),
7. Chauncey happening to be on a hospital rotation without even knowing it and being given the day off the next day and spending the entire day with Bella nad I at the hospital.
The list literally goes on and on.
I am so grateful to have had the experience of a lifetime that Heavenly Father obviously blessed me to have. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me my Husband, and four of the most beautiful and wonderful children I could have ever dreamed of.
11 comments:
Wow Melly you're a tough lady! She's beautiful!
Wow, thanks for filling us in on the whole story. Though in some ways it makes me a little less anxious for us to start having kids. But then I see how happy and positive you are through the whole thing, and it encourages me. You are awesome :)
You truly are amazing. I wish I could have done natural labor with my last but I was too sick. I admire your strength and your determination and your beautiful little girl. We sure miss you guys.
Josh and Heidi
Congrats Melanie! What a story! You are one tough cookie!
Congratulations West's! We are so glad to hear that everything went well with delivery. Bella is beautiful. Sorry we can't be there to help out, but we think about you guys often and hope that all is well. Get some rest!
Thanks for the story. I'm almost there. Your story gives me hope that it will be here soon enough.
What a stressful few days Melanie! You are so brave to do it all natural. All of my deliveries have been completely different from eachother-who knows what will happen when we have another baby. You did great!
So happy for you! There is something empowering and exhilerating about delivering unmedicated! CONGRATS!
I'm so happy for you that everything went well. She is darling, so beautiful, looks just like little chauncey. wow, you had a tough labor, wonder what it is about number 4?!? I'm glad you got to do it the way you had planned and that everything worked out so well for you. The Lord really does know what he's doing even if we don't always recognice it at the time.
Great job and congrats to all of you.
I am so happy that everything worked out for your good! She is beautiful and we love her. Babies are amazing they make the most difficult experiences seem worth it.
Thanks so much for all the details. I am amazed at how each delievery can take on a life of its own. Reading your blog makes me a little sad I will never have another birth story. I love pregnancy and birth (although the love of the birth ususally comes after not during). You are awesome and your pictures are, as always, absolutely fabulous.
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