An American Birth Experience 2004

"Our actual due date was September 13th. We were planning a home birth with a team of midwives and even had a birth tub giving us the option of having a water birth.

On Tuesday, September 28th I was just over 2 weeks late and my cervix was still closed for business. Our midwives suggested we go for an ultrasound just to check things out and so we did. We came away with flying colors on all but one thing. The amniotic fluid level was low. Although this caused alarm to our midwives, and stressed us out a bit, we felt the baby was fine. I had started taking herbs and acupuncture treatments to naturally induce and wanted to see what the next couple days would bring.

With no real activity two days later, (Thursday, September 30th), we again went in to monitor the baby. We were excited as the baby looked great and the amniotic fluid reading had risen and was now at a safe level (the level’s can change sometimes depending on how the baby is positioned). We again went home.

Friday, October 1st early AM was a night of continuous light labor.
In the later part of the morning I noticed the baby wasn’t moving as much as usual. Our midwives came over and we all decided it was best to go to the hospital and have a look at the baby again. This was a heartbreaking moment, as we knew we would probably now birth at the hospital rather than in our home.

2pm or so we meet with a great post-term doctor, hospital midwife and nurses. The baby looked great but we were all in agreement that it was time to check in and get the show on the road. The staff and care we received couldn’t have been better. They all really listened to us and understood the importance of us having this baby as naturally as possible.

4:30pm they insert a foley catheter into my cervix to invite opening. This is a bulb type device that actually expands the cervix (to about 5 cm, which is halfway to completion). Within an hour the race was on. It was contraction city.

By 12:30am we had reached our goal of 5 centimeters and the foley fell out. We thought we would get a great night of sleep but instead I started laboring hard. We were encouraged and even thought we’d have a baby by morning’s light.

Details- At the onset of stronger contractions I asked the nurse if she could tell me approximately how long each one was lasting. Thank God she said these were 2 to 3 minutes. I had no concept of time but would have fainted if she said they were 30 seconds or so.

I’m not sure if I could have survived this last night and next day if not for Bryan.
He was with me through every painful moment, every primal cry and breath. He held me, pushed and pulled on me, bathed me, brushed my hair, kept me hydrated and lent me comforts that can’t be asked for. At one point he asked me if he could leave my side to go to the bathroom. I said yes. Suddenly the room filled with laughter from my midwife and acupuncturist. I too laughed and understood the hilarity of it because he hadn’t had a break in hours.

I need to also mention my acupuncturist C. L. Wow! What an incredible healer and soul of a saint. I had been working with C for about 3 weeks. She had been preparing my body for labor and was planning to be at the birth in our home for pain relief and support. Upon our decision to go to the hospital, I left her a message so that she wouldn’t wonder where I was.

As my contractions swung into high gear Friday evening she appeared like an angel. She gave me acupuncture, acupressure and sweet loving support. When my foley fell out at midnight she said she was going home to get some rest. Cut to 5:30 am when I was getting my first break in hours I look up to see who is around me. There’s Bryan, my midwife D and C. Unbelievable.

Saturday, October 2, 7am our hospital midwife (Kaiser, our care provider, has midwives on staff in their labor and delivery ward) comes in to check me and shared I was still at 5 centimeter’s, only 80% effaced and that the baby was still high.

I labored until noon on Saturday and was wiped out. I’m sure it didn’t help that I hadn’t had a meal since Thursday night.

It’s now 12:30pm Saturday afternoon. Everyone agrees I need a huge break and that an epidural with light pitocin is the next move. I gotta tell ya, drugs had never seemed more appealing. We’re now all hopeful that this will really get me going. The baby and contractions look great on the monitor. Other than severe shakes I’m finally able to rest and relax a bit.

Around 3:30pm a swat team of nurses come barging into the room. The baby’s heart rate is fluctuating. After the drama is diffused they realize that I need to stay on my right side or the baby starts pooping out. They agree to stay on our path if I can stay on my right side and if I agree to have an electrode inserted to monitor the baby more closely. Done deal. The catheter also slightly breaks my water, which we hope will also create more opening. P.S. I’m still sitting at 5 centimeters and 80% effacement.

At 4:00pm they insert a device into the uterus called and IUPC that monitors the strength of the contractions to make sure that the force of the contractions are enough to bring the baby through the birth canal (I had already been monitored for the frequency of the contractions, but now they’re making sure all systems are go.) And they are.

9pm the baby’s heart rate fluctuated drastically again, which could be the baby rolling or tugging on its cord, or that the baby is truly in distress. It’s thirty hours later, I’m less than half way there and now they say my cervix is swelling rather than opening. Taking these things into consideration and that I’m 2 weeks and 5 days late our team was beyond concerned and wanted to go in to get the baby. As much as I wanted to have this baby naturally, I wanted to have this baby. It was a huge heartbreak coming to terms with the fact that our idyllic, natural home birth had now turned into a hospital birth by Caesarian.

10:14pm Saturday, October 2, 2004 [our baby] enter[ed] our world with the sweetest angelic vocalizations.

Sat Nam"