This experience was so very different from that of Reuben's. I will just write it out all as it happened though! Also, note that we hired a doula which is a person who was able to be a support during the whole birth.
Liliana was due on January 10th, 2012. On the 8th I began having cramping pains - nothing serious and nothing that I was able to time but it made me think that maybe something would happen soon. Nothing really progressed, but unlike that of Reuben's birth, this one followed a lot of "textbook" signs of labor. Cramping started slowly. On the 9th of January-10th, I lost my mucous plug, which was VERY exciting because it was an actual sign that showed that labor would (eventually) come. With Reuben I had no signs, it just hit me all at once. So when this started happening, I got very excited!
Nothing really happened after that, though I kept losing bits of it over the next couple days.
On the 11th of January I decided to just stop thinking about it all and do some cleaning - as I had done every day for the last month. I cleaned out the back entrance to our house, cleaning and scrubbing the bathroom that we never use. The cramps had pretty much subsided and I was a little discouraged but like I said - decided not to think about it. The day carried on and I let Adam and my doula know that nothin seemed to be progressing. Then, at 3:30 in the afternoon I was in the kitchen when I realized that my water had broke! A very weird experience because all I knew was that I didn't pee my pants...so something was happening. Because of the Strep B, I had to go straight to the hospital for them to confirm my water had broke and tell me what to do from there. So I called Adam at work, and my doula (who was actually away from the area until 5:30pm) to let them know I needed to go. We called Adam's mom to come look after Reuben and by about 4:30pm we left for the hospital.
We arrived at about 5pm and literally upon arrival my contractions started! I knew my doula was going ot be a little late so she didn't meet us until 6:30ish, by which point we'd been told that my water had definitely broken and I was 1cm dilated.
My doula arrived at 6:30 and at this point the contractions were coming 3-5 minutes apart, and quite painful but having her there to just chat helped me to try and ignore the pain. The hospital offered me dinner at this point which I knew would not stay in my system long - but I hadn't eaten all day so I went for it.
The next check came at about 9pm where I was told that I was at 3 cm and my cervix was still long - I felt like I should have been farther along but I accepted this and was encouraged by Adam and my doula that this was good news.
Things got more and more intense, the contractions more painful but I felt like I was able to cope. At some point here I was able to get gas and air which is laughing gas - this doesn't take the pain away at all but was a beautiful thing!! It helped me to relax and laugh..a lot.
The next check came at about 1am, they routinely do them every 4 hours so I knew it was coming. I would have guessed that I was at about 7cm at this point - it was very painful and they were coming pretty constant. It was such a strange experience becuase it was SO different from Reuben; these contractions were low down and in the front, Reuben's were all in the back and just very different feeling. At this point they also gave me the IV for the Strep B. This was genuinely more painful than any contraction I had the entire labor. They shoved a massive needle which put a tube into my arm; I SCREAMED. The people who put it in were jerks and acted like I was being a wuss. It was so flipping painful though.
So the 1am check came - and where was I? STILL 3cm. I cried. I PANICKED. I just couldn't believe that I hadn't made progress - but my doula and the midwives assured me that I had made progress, that my cervix was now very thin. But I was still told 3cm and this was more than I could handle - I remember yelling at Adam telling him I couldn't do it. At this point I realized that I NEEDED pain relief - mostly becuase I was panicking so much. My doula told me that they could offer me pethidin, and it was so wonderful to have her there because she was able to tell me right then and there what the pros and cons of this drug were. She said that if the baby were born within 2 hours it might make her drowsy and it could make me feel sick but the pros were that it would allow me to relax between contractions. I accepted RIGHT away. I got 2 injections, one was an anti-sickness one and one was the pethidin. Within 10 minutes I threw my dinner up but was able to relax between each painful contraction. While the drugs only worked for a little while, it was a MUCH needed relief. What was even more awesome was that my next check which was only 2 hours later revealed that I had gone from 3-8cm in about an hour.
At 4am I realized that I was beginning to feel pressure, what a weird feeling! I had never gotten to this stage with EwReuven so I had no idea what to expect. At 5:00am pretty much on the dot I began pushing - this was the single more insane thing I have ever experienced. My body just took over completely. I could never have anticipated the kind of feeling that took over at this point - the uncontrollable need to push with everything in me. My midwives and doula were encouraging me, helping me to focus on breathing and allowing my body to do what it needed to do.
After about 40 minutes on my hands and needs on a bed, they were encouraging me to move but I didn't feel like I could. I stayed in that position for a little longer and then there was a massive BURST where my water really broke all over the place - I had no idea this was even part of the labor process and it just scared me and motivaed me like nothing I have ever experienced. Then I started to move slightly to the side and immiedietly my body just seemed to find the right position, continued pushing, and I could feel her head crowning which was just crazy. It went from a cramp feeling, to a push, to an absolute burning. A few pushes later I felt her head come out followed by the rest of her little body. My whole body felt like it had definitely just ejected a massive person. I was shaking and just in shock and awe. I heard my little girl cry and soon turned over as she was handed to me. It was the most awesome, amazing, incredible thing I have EVER experienced and I am just beyond excited and proud that I brought my little girl into this world the way I did.
Unfortunatley... this is where things started to go wrong. I lost a LOT of blood, about 1600 ml (about 56 oz). The placenta didn't come out and the midwives and doctors injected me with something to get the placenta out but it didn't come; they then tried to inject the cord with the same drug but the cord was really thin and they couldn't get the drug in. I was then taken to the theate (ER room?) and was put to sleep (I coulnd't just be anesthetized because my platelets were incredibly low). They manually removed the placenta and while I was under stitched up my 2nd degree tear. When I woke up my heart rate was ridiculously high and had to get my blood taken for testing. Platelets were still low and I was told that I had to be on antibiotics for the next48 hours due to risk of infection from the placenta removal. They also said that I had a potential infection of the uterine wall so I have to stay on the antibiotics for another week at home.
I also tore my abdomial muscles twice as much as a normal person does when they deliver a baby. This means that I can't lift anything and had to see a physiotherapist. I have to wear this weird band thing for the next 4 weeks until my next appointment where they will let me know how things are doing.
The Strep B is still being monitored but fortunately there are currently no signs of it - just pray that it stays that way!
I realize that maybe the birth didn't really go as smoothly as some, and my body now feels like I have been hit by at least 15 large trucks. I can't really walk and because of my muscles can't even pick my son up. BUT I got the birth I wanted. I went through the pain and the work of bringing my little girl into the world. It was the most incredible thing I have ever, and could ever, experience. I could just talk about it forever and am so excited that it went the way it did, despite the aftermath! My little girl is beautiful and we are all home ready to live as a little family <3
Liliana Kathleen was born at 6:05am on January 12th, 2012. She weighed 8lbs 3oz.
Great job Sara! I love the "raw" pictures. You are amazing. I hope I'll get to hold her soon!!!
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