Birth of Baby Number 5

by Lori Ramsey
(USA)

Nataniah Danielle

I had my almost 37 week doctor appointment. I would have been 37 weeks had I made it to Thursday. My doctor was very concerned over the size of my baby. He said with this being my fifth baby and with my old cesarean scar he didn’t want me to deliver over a 6 pound baby for the risk of uterine rupture. He also said that if I did this again it would be an automatic cesarean. When he checked me I was a full 3 cm and 75% effaced. He stripped my membranes to get labor going.

Once we left the doctor's office I felt "funny". I knew that things were progressing as I was walking around the rest of the day. That night I was doing my usual laying on the couch and the contractions started. Every 6 to 11 minutes - I said nothing to Phillip. I peered at the clock and just had a gut feeling that this was it. Yet I wanted to rule out full bowels, needing water, etc. So I went to the bathroom, then I got a huge glass of water and laid on my left side. Contractions still came. I finally told Phillip and went to lay down in the bedroom. Often I would do that and wake up the next morning still pregnant.

I laid there trying to go to sleep, I would drift off, but every time a contraction would hit I would bolt awake. My lower back started aching, as did my thighs. I finally got up and told Phillip to shower and get ready to take me to the hospital. I called my parents to come over and watch our children.

On the way to the hospital at 11 pm, the contractions were coming every 3 to 7 minutes. I was glad we were on our way. Once we arrived at the hospital I had to sit in a wheelchair because the contractions were so strong I felt like I was going to pee on myself. Phillip wheeled me up to Labor & Delivery and the nurses asked me what number this baby was. I held up my hand displaying 5 digits. One nurse said “"Oh wow, the only other OB we have here just gave birth to her 5th baby too!!!"

So I changed into the lovely hospital gown, with nothing else on and the nurse with short fingers checked me. Talk about pain when it felt like she was up to her elbow to find my cervix! "You are about 4 cm dilate and 75% effaced." I was hooked up to the fetal heart monitor and the Toco contraction monitor. I knew the drill very well, so we waited and waited and the contractions were coming every 4 to 6 minutes. I dosed off for a couple of hours and woke up early the next morning during a blood pressure/temperature check and my contractions had spaced out to 11 minutes apart. I was very disappointed, at that point I wanted to get it over with.

My doctor arrived and checked me, still at 4 cm and it seemed my cervix had gone backwards to 50% effaced. He looked at me and said "What do you want to do?" Phillip piped in and said "Well, I don’t want to take her home, just to have her water break and give birth on the road." My doctor agreed and said to me, "Well, you are definitely in labor, but it's slowed. If I break your water you'll be on a time clock to give birth or it may end up being a cesarean." I told him I was ready. So he broke my water.

Normally, when my water is broke, I give birth within about 4 hours. I thought that would be the case this time too. But I was given orders to lay there - and use a bed pan. The baby was too high up and the risk of prolapsed cord kept me in bed. The nurse checked me after an hour - still 4 cm.

As the morning progressed, the contractions became more painful. By noon they were painful enough that I couldn't talk very well during them. One of my friends phoned me and when the contraction hit I threw the phone at Phillip. Another friend phoned me and would talk me through the contractions – she called me several times and I really think talking with her helped.

The nurse checked me again after lunch - I was 5 cm and about 80% effaced. I was getting real discouraged by now. The contractions were getting more painful and yet my doctor didn't want to give me the epidural until I showed consistent timing - like every 5 minutes. Unfortunately they were flitting from 4 to 11 minutes still. Every time I had to use the bed pan I would have a horrendous contraction. I was exhausted, hungry and wanted nothing more but to take a shower and EAT.

I finally got fed up and sat up - Indian style in bed. I had been told in previous pregnancies that this would bring on labor better. It was about 3 pm when I did this and the contractions became a lot more painful and closer together. I begged for an epidural and FINALLY my doctor said yes, but only after I had a "bolus" of IV fluids - which would take about 45 minutes. I was not happy about having to wait.

During this time the contractions started coming every 3 minutes and the pain was unbearable. I would ball up holding my breath through them, because that was the way I could cope with the pain. Even Phillip would tear up during them, as I would say "Please God, take this pain away" I think at one point I asked God to just take me. The longer I laid there the more painful they were, the louder I got! I can laugh about it now, but at the time I just wanted someone to help me!

Finally at around 6 pm they came in and put the epidural in. The contractions were coming every minute at that point and the nurse had me sit on the edge of the bed and put my feet in a chair. I was super nauseous and when a contraction hit during that I screamed "I’m in PAIN and about to puke - HELP!" I was afraid I’d fall off the bed, puke and no telling what - I think when a women is in transition all bets are off - because I'm not 100% sure what all I said at that point. When they supposedly numbed my back, he proceeded with the insertion of the epidural needle and I felt pain shoot down my legs and into my lower back, not sure which was worse, the contractions or the horrid needle in my back. I screamed in agony and he said he needed to numb it more.

Well the darn epidural didn’t kick in. He gave me a pump button to push when I felt pain, to which I yelled, just open it up because this hurts like a bad dog. He said "Well, this will take about 45 minutes to an hour to kick in." I was livid. Contractions coming every minute - I wanted to die at that point.

The nurse finally checked me and yep- I was fully dilated and ready to push. What I didn't tell the nurse - and what I regret is that I needed to push before I got the epidural, but I was so afraid of that pain that I went ahead and got the epidural. But God has a sense of humor and the epidural didn't work.

So I started to push before they got me ready - I was hoping to pop the baby out before the doctor got into the room, but they set me - legs in stirrups, etc. I felt every single contraction - had Phillip to push the button with each one - the epidural would NOT kick in. I screamed and moaned as I pushed out the baby.

Everyone was excited because no one knew what gender the baby was. As I pushed the baby out everyone grew quiet and serious - even Phillip had a look of surprise on his face. What they didn’t tell me until AFTER the fact - the cord was wrapped around Nataniah’s neck - and she wasn’t breathing, she was turning blue. My doctor took the scissors and cut through the cord - she cried (YAY) - and then he delivered the baby he held her up and said "It’s a girl." Phillip told me after the fact what had happened - because I couldn't see - was in too much pain, etc. Scary Scary Scary!!! At that moment I was soooooo thankful that my doc had stripped the membranes and I went ahead and delivered her early - had he not done that and I just walked around another 3 weeks - I don’t even want to think about it!

I felt such relief at that moment - and I knew deep down that she was a girl! She cried and I cried - they laid her on my belly - then wrapped her in a blanket before checking her out so I could hold her a few more seconds before they took her to the isolet. She was a little bluish/purple in the lips and her fingers and toes. She pinked on up within a couple of hours though.

Thankfully my doctor said I didn't need an episiotomy - but I did get a 2nd degree tear - Now here’s the funny thing. The darn epidural didn’t work - so he gave me a shot to stitch up the tear. I delivered the placenta - which didn’t hurt - in fact it was a relief as well. When he was stitching me up - everytime he passed the needle through me - I laughed because it tickled! I laughed and laughed and squirmed. He said I was wired funny - for the needle to tickle me - but apparently it was a side-effect of the numbing med they gave me.

Then after all this the epidural kicked in. So my legs were numb as a door nail and I had to lay in the bed until the feeling came back which took about 2 hours.

I don't remember what her APGAR was - 8/9 - something like that. They did type her blood and she's O+ like me. Birthday May 3, 2006 at 6:49 pm. She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces - which was BIG for a 37 weeker. The doc said if I had carried her on to 40 weeks she would have probably weighed over 10 pounds. OUCH!!!!