73 Minute Labor--1st Baby!!

Ahzel Jullian was born on July 20, 2012.  I gave birth at the Well-Rounded Maternity Center.  I had the fastest delivery EVER for a first time mom and I felt it!  Three and a half hours from being 2 cm dilated to finish with a roughly 73 minute labor (4cm dilation to birth).
My water broke at 1:30 a.m. on the 20th when I went to the bathroom, so Ben and I started monitoring the contractions while still in bed but we fell asleep in the process.  The contractions really picked up early morning (~7 a.m. ) but were not consistent yet so we thought we had the whole day/night ahead of us.  By about 9:00 a.m. they became more consistent and pretty much 30 to 45 seconds long and about 6 minutes apart.
By 9:30 a.m. they became more intense so we decided to get ready to drive to the center.  The car ride was uncomfortable with all the bumps on the road.  At that point the contractions were one minute long and about four minutes apart and I could not joke/laugh anymore.  We got to the center at 10:30 a.m.  Deb our midwife arrived shortly after.  Deb checked me at around 11 a.m.  and I was 2 cm dilated. 
Then it went really fast!  At around 1 p.m. I was four cm dilated.  Forty minutes later I was fully dilated and started pushing.  i pushed for 35 minutes and Ahzel was born. 
Ben was awesome and is still awesome!  I think he sweated as much as I did during the pushing part since I held on to him so strongly! 
Cris & Ben, Milwaukee

Well Prepared for Scheduled C-Section

Our little one was born, happy and healthy, on July 8th. Ivy Claire Lapham Timm (she's a girl!) was 8 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 1/4 inches.

The anesthesiologist had Benji wait just outside the door of the operating room while he administered the spinal for the c-section, but I knew he was just a few feet away, and they brought him in 10 minutes later, after the spinal was administered and I was nub. They had him sit right at my head, and the drape was hung at the top of my chest so he could be right with me and still see what was happening below... I wanted updates from him.

Around 8:30 a.m. he announced that the baby had hair--I asked how much, and if he could see the baby's face, but he said the baby was back in. Apparently, it was difficult to get the baby around the tumor--Dr. Berkoff had to use a suction on her head and it took five pulls with the suction, with her head just peeking out, to get her around the tumor and out. Benji said at one paint Dr. Berkoff had a foot propped, against the table and was pulling back hard while the other doctor was on a stool at my side, pushing down hard on my abdomen. The incision never hurt, but I had hand print bruises all over my stomach and felt sore and bruised there, but not nearly as bad as I expected to feel. Benji got some photos of the tumor too--it was the size of a giant grapefruit. Unfortunately, it was too well attached and vascular to remove it then, but we're hoping it will shrink postpartum.

Ivy was born at 8:36 a.m., and they took her right to the table to clear her airway... I couldn't see her because one of the doctors was blocking my view, but they kept saying she looked great. Benji said she was so blue, and that it was probably best that I was just told she was great without seeing her color. When I did finally see her feet, i couldn't believe how blue they really were. Yet within a minute I heard her cry, which made me sob. As soon as she cried, they brought her right over and help her against may face; the anesthesiologist took off my oxygen and undid my arms so I could touch her right away for a minute to weigh and measure her, then brought her right back. it was wonderful to have her touching me all the time.

Laura was there as I as I was wheeled into recovery, she was going to come into the operating room if Benji needed to leave with the baby, but she came into recovery and took photos of our first moments with her, which meant so much.

We stayed at St. Mary's until Tuesday; the nurses and lactation consultants were so, so very helpful and we were glad to be there and soak in all the advice and tips we could.

Ivy is now nursing so well, sleeping well, and just all around perfect. I just look at her and cry several times a day; I feel so lucky to have her here, and so healthy after such a rocky start.

Thank you so much for all your guidance and support; you really helped put me in the right place to be ready for everything and advocate for the best birth experience I could have, given that it needed to be a c-section.

Corey & Benji, Shorewood

Completely Natural Labor & Peaceful Birth

Holden was born completely naturally after a very short and peaceful labor. My water broke at 4:30 p.m. on June 3rd. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30 that evening. Our doula helped us settle in and create the relaxing environment we wanted per our birth plan. The lights dimmed, the room silent, there were candles (battery operate, of course) spread around the room. Around 10:30 p.m. I was 4 cm and 85% effaced. I used some relaxation exercises/breathing, told my body that it needed to dilate and deliver this baby and kept repeating positive birth mantras in my mind. About 15 minutes later, I went into transition. Transition lasted about 45 minutes, afterward I was 9.5 cm and 95% effaced.

I pushed for two hours to get him out due to him being stuck sunny side up but it was all worth it! Just as planned the room was dimmed and silent as he was born. Justin announced that we had a boy and spoke Holden's name to him for the first time. Holden was immediately placed on my chest and we both wept tears of joy and told Holden how much we loved him. He was so alert and was able to nurse for 45 minutes! His rooting reflex worked just as we learned in the classes and he was able to crawl around and latch himself without really any assistance. He remained wide-eyed and alert for a few hours, which allowed Justin and I time to bond with him. It was truly the most beautiful experience Justin and I have ever felt.

Amy & Justin, Glendale

Birthing Experience Was All They Desired

Audrey Lynn was born on May 26th at 3:46 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 18.5 inches.

I was having light contractions from the time I woke up on Wednesday the 25th. By 3 p.m., the contractions were getting more intense, but I still wasn't sure if "this was it." Conor came home from work at 5 p.m., we did a little curb walking in the rain and some stair climbing. After pacing my house 100 times, we finally checked into the hospital at 9:30 p.m.

I thought I was really far along, but to my dismay, I was only 4.5 cm (at my doctor's appointment the week before, I was 2.5 cm)! Fortunately, things progressed fairly quickly. We requested to not have the monitor on me and our nurse reluctantly said OK. Conor and I think she was slightly skeptical of our desire for a natural birth. I was 6 cm an hour after settling into our hospital room. Every hour the nurse came in to put the monitor on me and I had to lay on the bed for twenty minutes (super uncomfortable as my contractions intensified).

We were able to labor in the tub until I was 7.5 cm. After that, it was pretty uncomfortable for me to get around. Every hour after that, I progressed a little more. My water finally broke at 9 cm (even though the nurse kept offering to break it in order to help things along... I happily declined every time!). The doctor came in to tell me I had five more contractions to get through and then I could start pushing. I remember looking at Conor and feeling really scared and tired and unsure of myself. I just wasn't sure I could go any further. We counted the five contractions and sure enough! By 3:35 a.m. on Thursday, I started pushing. Ten minutes later (although it seemed A LOT longer), Audrey was born! We spend the next three hours with our wide awake little girl before she fell asleep from all the excitement. Conor was an amazing coach and for the most part our birthing experience was all that we desired!

Mary & Conor, Waukesha

Stuck With Cervical Lip for Too Long

On Friday, May 14th I went to the doctor and discovered I was 3 cm dilated and baby was getting ready to make her arrival so Jeremy and I decided to take a nice long walk and see if we could get things moving along. Later that night i experienced some cramping but nothing indicating labor. Saturday morning was a different story.

I woke up and immediately started to experience heavy cramping. We started timing things but they weren't close enough or consistent enough to be too concerned. I cleaned up around the house and watched some TV so I could relax and be distracted. As the day went on contractions were closer together and lasted for longer.

About 6 p.m. contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart and getting more uncomfortable. We wanted to stay home as long as we could so we continued to hand out at the house. At about 8 p.m. my water broke or rather was partially punctured. We called the doctor and she said we should head to the hospital. Once at the hospital things started to progress rather quickly. My doula and Jeremy were very helpful in keeping me focused on my breathing and reminding me to relax through the pain. I changed positions several times which I found very comforting and helpful. I spent quite a lot of time in the tub in different positions.

In the tub Dr. Koch checked me and I was about 8 cm dilated so she punctured the remainder of my membranes to move things along. At this point she suggested I move out of the tub and back to room. I sat on the birthing ball for a while as contractions intensified. Dr. Koch checked my cervix again and realized I was not longer progressing. She discovered that my lovely little girl was on an angle so she wasn't lined up in the birth canal. I did some positioning of my body to get her to move into the proper position. After about 30 minutes of that she was properly aligned but my body was exhausted and still not progressing.

I continue to try the birthing ball and laying on my side but nothing. As were now well into Sunday late morning I was exhausted. Dr. Koch said I needed to relax and suggested I receive an Epidural to see if that would help my cervix dilate. I was very reluctant since that wasn't my plan but my body really couldn't take it anymore and different things didn't move along I would need a C-section. Jeremy and I discussed it and decided we would try the Epidural and hope for the best. After a few hours on the Epidural my cervix was still not progressing so I needed Pitocin as well.

About 1-2 hours after the Pitocin I was ready to push. I pushed for an hour and at 3:35 p.m. (after 30 hours of labor) Olive Frances Sawyer was born. We are doing well and happy but tired.

Jessica & Jeremy, Mequon

Pride of Accomplishment & Awe at Body's Ability to Birth

I was given a "due date" of Sunday, April 3rd, and that day came and went without even a Braxton Hicks contraction to be felt (as I suspected it would). As the next few days also passed without incident, I decided to start taking Evening Primrose to help soften my cervix, hoping to help Mother Nature on it's course. My doctor (Dr. Claudia Koch--love, love, love her!) said she usually lets her patients go to approximately 41 1/2 weeks as long as everything is going well with mother and baby, so I definitely wanted to go into labor naturally within that time frame, to avoid any induction methods. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for Friday April 8th, which I had been hoping not to make it to, but Friday came and still no baby, so off we went to the doctor.

Baby and I checked out well, and the doctor asked if I wanted her to check and see if I was any further dilated at this point (she had checked at my previous appointment the week before, and announced I was maybe 1 cm dilated, if that), but I declined at this point, figuring it didn't do me any good to know if I was or not--Baby obviously wasn't coming yet! She then discussed the possibility of stripping my membranes, explaining that she would rather attempt that sort of induction method than using a drug. The thought that it might come to having to induce scared me a lot, as I kept picturing the slippery slope of interventions, and I was convinced that if it came to that, I would end up with a C-section. (OK, OK a dramatic, I know--blame it on the hormones). She suggested we meet again the following Tuesday (my birthday!), and if I still hadn't gone into labor, she would strip my membranes to try and get things going. I left the appointment scared and disappointed.

I decided to start tying some natural induction methods (except Castor oil, I decided that having massive diarrhea just did not sound appealing whatsoever, and I had a 45 minute drive to the hospital...imagine that drive!) I kept up with the Evening Primrose, I had Clint massage the labor-inducing acupressure points, I ate a ton of fresh pineapple (suggested by my doula), even "got cozy" with Clint. :)

Saturday during a trip to the bathroom, I discovered that I lost my mucous plug and/or had some bloody show... I'm not really sure which... I think maybe both. I tried not to get too excited, because then I read that it could still be days/weeks until labor begins.

BUT...

Sunday morning, April 10th, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. with menstrual-like cramps that were definitely different from any Braxton Hicks I had previously felt. They weren't particularly painful, and were coming about every 10-15 minutes. I just had a feeling that this was it... FINALLY! I thought for sure we would be headed to the hospital by afternoon...

HA!

The day dragged on, and the contractions stayed pretty much the same intensity. Just when I thought they were getting closer together, I wouldn't feel one for 20-30 minutes. I got in contact with my doula (the first of MANY phone calls/texts throughout the day as I bombarded her with questions about my labor: Now they are a little closer together, should I go to the hospital now? The last one felt a little stronger, should I go to the hospital now? I am getting really anxious, should I go to the hospital now? Bless her heart, she put up with all of my questions!), who reminded me that I should try to RELAX, and keep myself occupied, and get some sleep if I could, because this sounded like the real deal to her, so eventually I'd be heading to the hospital to meet our Baby!!! I decided the nap sounded like a good idea, since I had only slept for about 4 hours the night before. I headed to bed, but only managed to sleep for about an hour; I was waaaay too excited/nervous to sleep! (I would later regret this.) We had family over to visit, so that kept me occupied for a while. I also didn't eat too much (something else I would regret later), because I absolutely dreaded the thought of "Going Number 2" during delivery.

As evening approached, I noticed the contractions coming at more regular intervals. My doula gave me a link to a website contractionmaster.com that would time my contractions with the click of a button, and keep track of the intervals at which they are happening. I played around with that for a while, until they were about five minutes apart, lasting one minute for about an hour. Then I started to get a little (OK, a lot) nervous, because right about that time we got some nasty weather rolling through the area; severe thunderstorms, gusty winds and threats of tornadoes. the last thing I wanted to drive through in the midst of labor was a tornado. Since my contractions were pretty regular at this point, and the weather was getting bad, and we had a 45 minute drive ahead of us, and I was pacing around the house like a made woman (relax?! Not a chance), at 9:30 p.m. I called my doula--for the millionth time--and told her we were going to head to the hospital. Then I called the doctor and told her my news. They both said they would meet us there. We grabbed our bags (which had been mostly packed since my original due date; we finished putting things together earlier in the afternoon when we figured this was really happening), texted our families that we were heading to the hospital, and said a final goodbye to the life as we knew it was we walked out the door.

All I could think about was" Oh my God, this is really happening! And: Oh. My. Go. This is really happening!

We arrived at the hospital (Columbia St. Mary's Mequon) at 10:00 p.m. and we were taken to our birthing suite. I had filled out paperwork ahead of time, so we were able to bypass the admission process. The nurse had me change into a gown, took my vitals, and hooked me up to the monitors to read Baby's heart rate and my contractions. I had given the doctor a few copies of my birth plan, and she made sure the nursing staff also had a copy so they knew I requested only intermittent monitoring, so the nurse informed me I would be hooked up to the monitors for a few minutes about once an hour to get readings. At this point my contractions were definitely stronger (though still manageable), and coming about every 4-5 minutes. The doctor arrived at this point, and she checked to see how much I was dilated: 4 cm and 80% effaced. Not bad! I decided I would take a few laps around the floor for awhile (I wish I had a pedometer to see how far I actually walked that night!), so Clint, myself and the doula began walking. And walking. And walking...

After that became immensely boring, we made our way back to the room, where I tried some different positions with the birthing ball for a while, watching some TV, tried to get Clint to sleep (he refused; he actually never left my side the entire time, he was amazing!), and basically tried to pass the time as best we could. I was getting really tired at this pint (remember, I'm running on about five hours of sleep), but I wasn't able to sleep through the contractions any more. The doula suggested we try the hot tub, so I sat in the tub, listening to my relaxation CD for about an hour. I must say, the tub was AMAZING. It really took the edge off the contractions, and it was incredibly relaxing and peaceful. I felt like one of the women in the birth videos that is in a totally relaxed, meditative state, and is making labor look like a piece of cake. I thought, "This isn't so bad!" I actually think I said that out loud to the doula; she just laughed.

When I got tired of the tub (I couldn't seem to focus on any one position for very long), the doctor decided to check me again. In the six hours since I had arrived, I was now at 5 cm. WHAT?! ONLY ONE CENTIMETER FURTHER?!?!?! That was when the first little seed of doubt was planted; was I really going to be able to do this? They assured me that the first 5 cm usually take the longest to get through; now I should start progressing faster. So, off we went, more walking...

The next few hours basically consisted of more walking, trying more positions with the bed and birth ball, and another round in the tub. I was pretty exhausted by now, and the only place I actually managed to doze off between contractions (which were about 2-3 minutes part at this point and really strong) was the tub. The doctor had told me to let her know when I started to feel pressure "down there", like an urge to have a bowl movement. This, she assured me, would not be a bowel movement, it would signal time to start pushing. (I still hadn't eaten much at this point, so I'm sure there was no danger of me really having a bowel movement. I should add that I was allowed to eat and drink anything I wanted the entire time I was at the hospital, which I think is great. I should have taken advantage of that.) While I was in the tub I started to feel the pressure, and the doctor told me to start bearing down a little with each contraction, if it felt good to do that.

At some point I decided I wanted to get out of the tub and walk around some more. I think I only did that for a few laps because the contractions were really strong and I had to stop and lean against Clint for each one. I must say I think I was handling the contractions really well; don't get me wrong, they were STRONG, and I had to make a conscious effort to relax for every one, but I just tried to open up, relax every muscle in my body, and I just wanted to lay down, so I climbed into bed to try and rest between contractions, but holy crap that was so uncomfortable to just lay in the bed. So the doula positioned the bed into a chair (the head raised up, and the foot dropped down), and I tried bearing down like that for awhile.

The doctor came back in and decided to check to make sure I was fully dilated so I could push, and she discovered that I had an anterior cervical lip, resulting from Baby's head not being in proper alignment, I think. She told me she would try and push the lip out of the way during the next contraction, and when she did I thought I was going to pass out because it hurt more than the contractions. I think I even screamed a little. Since she wasn't able to push it out of the way (because I was begging her not to do that again), she had me get on my hands and knees, resting on a birthing ball, to see if that position would help move the lip out of the way. I found that position EXTREMELY uncomfortable with contractions; this was the point when I lost that "feeling like the relaxed, meditative woman who thinks this is a piece of cake." There was definite moaning and crying and saying "I don't want to do this any more." (Transition, anyone?!)

I think I managed that position for about a half an hour, then I begged to try something else. Luckily, when the doctor checked me again, the lip was gone (she later admitted she was a bit worried that the lip wouldn't move out of the way; I wonder what would have happened then?!) and the doula put a squat bar on the bed so I was able to try pushing while squatting. I found the uncomfortable also, partly because I was so utterly exhausted at this point, that I found it hard to hold myself into a squat, even with the assistance of the bar (this is where I start regretting not napping longer and not eating to have some energy). After doing this for awhile, I asked to just lay flat on the bed, because I no longer had the energy to hold myself up. So, yes, I ended up delivering Baby in the worst possible position... flat on my back in bed!!! Go figure. :)

So I pushed... and pushed... and pushed... and with every push Clint, the doctor, doula and nurses cheered me on, saying how great a job I was doing, and I wanted to punch every one of them in the face and tell them to shut up unless they were going to tell me that the head was coming out with the next push. Every time I pushed, I absolutely knew I wasn't going to be able to push any longer. I just had no energy left (I couldn't even open my eyes, I was soooo exhausted), but every time I managed another tremendous push. Then I remember thinking; OK that's it, I'm done,, I cannot do this anymore, they are going to have to take me for a C-section because I cannot push any longer.

And finally... at 12:55 p.m. on April 11 (one before my birthday--I guess she didn't want to share a birthday with me after all!) I gave birth to Eve Margaret, weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long. Clint got to grab her head while they suctioned her mouth out, then ease her body out as I gave the final push. They put her on my chest, and I was in complete awe at finally getting to see the baby that had grown inside me for the last nine months. They wiped her off and when she didn't pink up fast enough for their liking, they put an oxygen mask on her face for a few minutes to help her breathe a little better. Clint got to cut the cord after it had stopped pulsing, and she was kept on my chest for some skin-to-skin bonding and to try and start breastfeeding (more requests from my birth plan). Meanwhile, the doctor was busy tending to me, which consisted of delivering the placenta (I was terrified of having to push yet another thing out of my body at this point, even though I knew this couldn't hurt as much as pushing a baby out) and stitching a small internal tear. I was still bleeding a little too much, so they gave me a short of Pitocin to help contract my uterus, and then discovered a piece of the placenta still inside my uterus. Once that was out, I was OK. We had decided to forgo the eye ointment and Vitamin K shot for Eve (we bought oral Vitamin K drops to give her instead), so they finally cleaned her up, checked her out, and give her back to us to enjoy.

The whole aftermath is a blur, I do remember shaking like a leaf from Adrenalin and exhaustion. I also remember looking at Clint and say, "WE ARE NEVER HAVING KIDS AGAIN! I CANNOT DO THAT EVER AGAIN!" The next day, it became "OK, maybe we can have another kid, but I CANNOT do that without drugs!" Today I have decided that I wouldn't be able to do it any other way than how I did it. I'm so proud of my accomplishment and totally in awe of my body's ability to give birth. I realized I am a lot stronger than I ever thought. I just hope that it goes a little faster next time. :)

Christy & Clint, Eden

Challenging Parts Completely Forgotten the Next Day

Milan (pronounced like the city) Natalie was born on March 28th at 10:17 p.m. She was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches tall.

At 3:00 a.m. on the 28th I started feeling regular labor pains that felt much different than the Braxton Hicks from before. We continued to time them until about 9:00 a.m. and they were 5-6 minutes apart. We called our doctor and she told us to go to the hospital since we lived 30-40 minutes away.

We got to the hospital (St. Mary's Ozaukee) and the on-call doula (Vanessa) came soon after that. When we started walking the halls there was a slow leak in the amniotic fluid and the contractions were coming much faster. By 11:00 a.m. our doctor (Dr. Koch) had come and encouraged us to go into the birthing tub.

We spent the next seven hours in the tub with Vanessa and Dr. Koch at our side. The two of them were fantastic and extremely attentive. The nurses were annoying and seemed to only be concerned with getting the baby monitoring machine working.

Time seemed to stop while I was in the tub and Vanessa and Tony helped me concentrate on breathing and changing positions to stay comfortable. Four hours into laboring in the tub Vanessa and Dr. Koch had me start pushing, when comfortable, to break the last of the water. This wasn't working so Dr. Koch broke the rest of it. At this time I started having the need to push at every contraction. I pushed in EVERY position possible. (Squatting while in the tub is very doable and not as tiring outside of the tub!) I pushed for three hours squatting, leaning over the tub, lying on my side, floating and laying back against Tony, hands and knees, and more but she wasn't coming down the birth canal.

I remained at 7 cm the entire time. At this time Dr. Koch said the cervix was blocking her and she had me get out of the tub. In the bed I had to lie with my face and chest on the bed and butt in the air so that the baby could slip around the cervical lip. This position, as well as being outside of the tub, was extremely painful. They also were not getting a reading on the baby's heartbeat. At this time a ton of people started running into the room and Dr. Koch paged the OB doctor she works with. After consulting with the OB, she recommended a C-section. I hadn't progressed after three hours of pushing in every position possible and they were concerned they weren't getting strong enough readings on the baby's heartbeat. By this time, I was so exhausted and in so much pain, I just wanted it to end. And Tony was concerned about me and the baby.

Vanessa was with me when they took me to the operating room and Tony was allowed in soon after. I admit it was such a relief when the spinal tap kicked in. Dr. Koch assisted Dr. Gilman (the OB) and she showed Tony the baby as they pulled her out. Tony likes to brag that he saw my guts all hanging out. She announced to us that it was a girl which surprised us because, while pregnant, we and everyone around us was convinced the baby was a boy. The sad part was that they took her to clean her up and I had to look over at her while they operated on me. All I could see was a bunch of brown hair. Tony and Milan went into the room and they finished stitching me up (which is far from painless). We were so exhausted so had her sleep her first night in the nursery. She slept the entire night but I didn't; thinking about the day's events and wanting to be with her.

Jeni & Tony, Milwaukee