Labor = my worst nightmare come true

Labor:  another example that life really never goes as planned.  As mentioned in previous posts I was really hoping for an all natural birth.  I was going into it with an open mind that I would try to go as naturally as possible but realizing that my body has limits and some medical interventions might be needed.  

After 48 hours of labor, 4 separate sessions of vomiting, every medical intervention imaginable, and an emergency c-section our precious Ayla was finally born.  Here is our story.  It is a lengthy one.  

Our due date came and went, and after being strongly advised by our doctor we consented to be induced.  To pick up from the last post It begins.... I was able to get little sleep that night, hence my post at 3am.  The following day (Friday) they inserted 2 more doses of  prostaglandin gels.  I was having semi strong contractions but still able to walk through them.  And I did walk.  I walked, ran stairs, did squats.  I was doing everything I could think of to help move things along.  By the end of the day I was only dilated to a 2 and there was no way I was going to be able to sleep through the pain, especially since my contractions were all in my back.  Since 3 doses is the max dosage they can give you in 24 hours, they gave me an oral pain killer and a sleeping pill so I could get some rest and start the process again in the morning. 

 
 Saturday morning after my 4th does of protaglandin gels I was feeling really strong contractions.  I called Chris crying, begging him to come to the hospital as soon as possible, to be with me.  He finally arrived at the hospital and found me crying in the shower trying to ease the pain with the hot water running on my back.

  Then I started to feel the urge to poo.  We called the nurse to ask her if it was ok to go poo, she asked if I had to strain, I said yes, then came the bloody show.  Ok, we thought it is happening.  We walked over to the labor room.  She checked me.  I was only dilated to a 3.  But the baby was fully effaced, hence the urge to push.  She wanted to break my water but I asked her to wait till I was dilated to a 4 because once they break your water you have 12 hours to deliver or they preform an emergency c-section because you become at risk for infection.  She told me I needed to drink more water or I would need to have an IV because the babies heart rate was starting to drop.  I began to chug. My parents finally arrived and by this point I was screaming in pain with each contraction.

 Then the doctor came in to talk to me.  She recommend I get the IV and then they can give me some medication to help the cervix to soften and dilate.  I agreed.  Shortly after IV and medication, I started vomiting.  Good thing I had the IV so I could stay hydrated.

I swear there is nothing that can prepare you for this kind of pain.  It was awful, the back labor was excruciating.  I was so glad my mom was there to help me with the breathing. That is the only way I lasted as long as I did.  My mom, dad and Chris would alternate: one would sit with me helping me to focus on breathing as the other massaged a piping hot pack of rice on my back, while the other ran back and forth getting this or that.  They encouraged me to switch positions, I sat on the ball and leaned over the bed, I would stand and hold onto Chris as he held me up with each contraction, I got in the shower again and let the hot water run on my back.  We tried everything to get me out of bed and let gravity do its job.

 At 3 o'clock I had finally progressed to a 4 and they broke my water.  By this point I was getting so tired.  The contractions were so exhausting I would almost fall asleep in the 2 minutes of rest in between.  Around 5pm out gushed a bunch of green liquid called meconium, which is the babies feces.  So they hooked me up to the fetal monitor to watch if Ayla was becoming distressed.  I was dilated to a 5 and the urge to push was getting really strong, it was difficult not to.   Her heart rate dropped down twice and the doctor was strongly pushing for c-section.  She was ready to put me to sleep and get this baby out.  I didn't want to be put under and asked what the risks were if we waited and got the epidural so I could at least be awake.  Chris was really great at advocating for me and reasoning with the doctor.  Our pediatrition came in and confirmed it would be alright to wait and get the epidural.  I have never been so grateful for pain relief.  I could still feel pain but it was nothing compared to before and was more much more bearable.  Ayla's heart rate seemed to be doing better so they said we could wait a little bit longer on the c-section but that they wanted to give me some pitocin to make my contractions more regular and have them last longer.  They didn't care if the baby came c-section or vaginal it just needed it get out fast.  After laboring another 2 hours with the epidural and the pitocin my contractions had gotten more regular and were lasting about a minute but I had only dilated to a 5.5 and instead of thinning out my cervix was swelling up.  Then Ayla's heart rate started dropping after each contraction indicating she was under distress and not coping with the contractions.  Our doctor was very concerned, they had tried everything and we had given it our best shot to have this child vaginally but at this point a c-section was not just the best option it was our only option of delivering her without putting her at risk.  Chris and I agreed to the c-section.  I felt at ease with our decision, we said a prayer as a family and they started to prep me.

 (Relieved to finally get an epidural.) 

The c-section went great. She was born at 10.56 pm.  I felt Zero pain, just a little tugging and pulling.  I felt very relaxed and almost like I could fall asleep. When she was born she had somehow managed to wrap the umbilical not only around her neck but her entire body and legs.  The umbilical cord was also very thin and stringy looking from being over due.  It was definitely struggling to provide the nutrients and oxygen she needed   No wonder she was getting distressed, poor thing.  After they were able to get the umbilical off of her they had to rush her over to be suctioned out since she had swallowed quite a bit of meconium.  So I didn't even get to hold her.  After they suctioned her out and wiped her off they brought her over to me for a brief moment so I could see her kiss her sweet head.  Then they had to rush her out to the NICU.  I was so grateful she was ok and so beautiful.  I was amazed how pretty she was, most newborns look kind of funny when they are born, and they are covered in nasty blood and mucus.  She was so clean and alert.  

Chris got to go be with her in the NICU while I had to stay and be stitched up.  It was another hour before they were finally able to take me back to my room where Chris and my parents were waiting for me.  They told me how Ayla was doing and showed me the pics they took of her in the NICU.  I didn't get to see Ayla again till the following morning.  Chris ended up staying with me that night even though it was against the rules.  We had a really awesome midwife and I am so grateful she didn't kick him out.  I didn't get much sleep that night. I couldn't bring myself to quit thinking about her.  It was surreal.  Ayla weighed 7lbs 5 ounces and was 21 inches long.