Labor Stories

Hello All,

Couple of months back I was browsing the same forum trying to build courage and confidence to face the unknown. I understand that every labor is different. But it might give an idea to first time moms about what to expect in labor.
The purpose of this thread is to boost the confidence of the anxious pregnant ladies esp first timers.Feel free to share your labor story if you are ok with it.

Here goes mine:

I wanted to have a natural birth as much as possible - meaning no epidural, no pitocin to induce labor, no medical intervention as much as possible. But I was not sure if I will be able to handle the pain. So, I was open to epidural but I wanted to try without it first before opting for one.

I was gestational diabetic and that puts me into high risk category. I visited the high risk doctors every week who kept a close watch on the baby's growth.I had my 39 week appointment and I was told the baby was in the 57th percentile. Usually this practice recommends inducing labor for women with gestational diabetes. I was scheduled to visit my ob two days later for my last appointment before my due date. I was scared to death that they might recommend inducing labor to my ob. I was praying that my baby should come out before due date. On the very morning of the day I had my last appointment, my labor started. Huh! What a relief!!

I had very light crampy feeling around 2.30 AM in the morning. I have read that labor lasts longer for first time moms and they usually start very slow.There could be false alarms too. So, I ignored it since it was not painful and tried to sleep. I felt a crampy feeling again in 10 mins. So, I started timing it - something you would be asked to do by your healthcare provider. It was 10 mins apart. I woke up my husband around 3 AM as the pain increased. They were still 10 mins apart. I tried going on my hands and knees as I had back labor. Had a warm bath to manage the pain.We called our doula around 5 AM and she asked us to wait a little longer. I had some string contractions that made me shiver but they were 7 mins apart and didnt get any closer for a long time. Our doula came to our house around 7 am and my contractions were 5 - 7 mins apart. Sometimes it slowed down to 10 mins.She suggested that we take a walk to speed up things. My husband and I went for a walk stopping when I had a contraction. The contractions didnt get closer but some were really strong and as close as 2 -4 mins. It was all over the place. We decided to go to the hospital around 11 am. It was a 20 min drive and I was screaming for pain med :hide:.We checked in and a nurse did internal exam to find out dilation and I was 7-8 cm dilated.:thumbsup

After getting to the hospital, my contractions slowed down a little bit. They didnt get closer. My husband, my mom and our doula were helping me get through the contraction one at a time. Time went by with no improvement.The nurse suggested pitocin and epidural to speed things up.Our doula suggested that the bag of waters can be broken ( it didnt break yet) to speed things up. We waited for sometime to see if it breaks by itself. It didnt and so our ob did it.The contractions got really really strong but my husband and mom helped me breath through it. I had crossed the point of getting epidural since I was almost there. After several strong contractions, I was ready for pushing. We had our baby at 4 PM. All the pain just vanished after holding my baby.

I am really thankful to my husband, my mom and our doula for helping me achieve the birth I wanted. They made right decisions at the right time.
My ob was very supportive of my natural birth wish and did everything he could to support me.

To all those first timers out there, you can have your perfect birth if you have a supportive birth team. So, take utmost care in finding a provider who is in sync with your wishes.

Good luck
Aswini

 

Hello Rakhi,
Congrats! Please do not push yourself to walk if you are tired. Rest if you need to. 30-40 mins is good enough I think. Infact I didnt walk during my second trimester. I was just going to my zumba class now and then.) I did most of the walking in third trimester. So dont worry if skip a day or two. When you rest, dont slouch on the couch etc., I used a birth ball to sit ( I wish I had used it sooner). My baby was posterior and i had back labor - much more painful than anterior babies. So do whatever you can to ensure good baby position. You can search for spinningbabies and the website has some good info.

If you are up for it, do the pregnancy exercises typically taught in childbirth classes like squatting, tailor sitting, kegels etc., they are very helpful.

Enjoy your pregnancy. Take care.
Aswini