Since I had already been having contractions on and off for five days, it took quite some time for me to notice a difference with pitocin. I kept wondering what the big fuss was about with the drug. My nurse continued to refill my cranberry Sierra Mist and my husband and I visited with my midwife. For a couple hours not much happened. The nurse had been instructed by my Dr. to continue to turn the pitocin up every half hour until contractions were less than five minutes apart. She must have come in four times or so before that goal was met. Finally the contractions got serious and I was no longer comfortable in bed. I got up to use the restroom and then asked for a ball to sit on. For awhile I sat on the ball and leaned forward on the bed during contractions. Then that too became too painful and I began standing during contractions. I would sit on the ball and as one began and then rise up and lean on my two hands on the bed. I let my head drop and swayed my hips back and forth while it peaked. Then I would drop back down as it finished. I did this for about two hours and some time during that period my midwife left and got lunch for herself and my husband.
Six hours after the pitocin had been started and about two hours after it got serious I requested to be checked. I was getting tired, contractions were two and a half minutes apart, and based on the pain I figured I was about 7-8 cm. I knew I needed to get the epidural soon if I was going to because otherwise it would be too late. Unfortunately I was off. After 6 hours on pit, starting at 3-4 cm, I was only 5 cm dilated. I was very crushed at that point and just felt exhausted and defeated. Part of me toyed with the idea of saying, forget this, I'm going home. Yet I knew the continuous pattern of labor was here to stay and I would only continue to get more and more tired so I told the nurse to call for the anesthesiologist. She said that once the epidural was in place they could break my water and then I would progress quickly.
I sat on the edge of the bed and the nurse explained the whole epidural process to me. It sounded straight forward and simple enough so she paged him and we waited. As we waited contractions continued with the same intensity and I began to get frustrated it was taking so long because sitting through them on the edge of the bed was not comfortable at all. We waited, and waited, and waited. Finally I began to panic. What if he had changed his mind? What if he had a heart attack somewhere and there was no anesthesiologist? I tried to tell myself surely since I made it this far I could do it if I had to but this only sent waves of panic through me. Finally the nurse began to worry. She told me some people at the hospital were known for taking forever or being hard to reach but not this man, he was always very easy to reach and very prompt. I worried. Then the nurse decided to have someone call his office instead of paging him. Five minutes later, after about 45 minutes of waiting on the edge of the bed, he came in. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and he apologized profusely explaining that somehow his pager had turned off. "I'm so glad you called because otherwise I never would have known my pager was off!"
The anesthesiologist once again gave me instructions and then he numbed my back. He warned me it would feel "like at tiger bite" but I chuckled at his description when it felt like nothing more than a little sting. Then he administered the epidural. The strangest part was feeling the tube go into the spinal cavity and curl around before the drug was sent through. It was a very bizarre feeling and I was amazed at how much I could feel. Finally he put the drug in and I waited for it to take effect as a contraction started. I braced myself and began to breathe through it and half way through it fizzled away to nothing, except it was still going. I laughed. Then I realized I could not only still feel my legs but I could move them, kick them, and I was sure I could walk except I was sure they wouldn't let me try. I said, "Wow, I can move my legs!" He said, "You can?" I showed him and he said, "That's great! Everyone responds differently and we never know how it will be." I waited for another contraction to start just to be sure it had worked and sure enough as one started I felt nothing until the end when I felt intense pressure and stretching of my cervix dilating some more. I laughed again, thanked him profusely, and then laid down. Suddenly I was very tired and cold. My Dr. came in and I looked at her with a huge grin. She laughed and made some joke about the happiness that comes with an epidural and then checked me. Still 5. She asked if she could break my water and I agreed. Let's get this show on the road! She did and the only thing I felt was the hot water come out. She announced the fluid was clear and then her voice got intense as she announced I was dilating, "5...6!..7!...8!" In a matter of about 5 seconds I dilated to 8. Now THAT was progress! I was even more glad I had not had to feel that. After that I got cold and was shaking some. They covered me in heated blankets, brought me some hot black tea to drink, and my Dr. instructed me to call when I felt pressure. She explained that when the head began to descend they would turn off my epidural. I, however, did not know that it takes time for the epidural to wear off. I thought, "There is no way in hell I am letting them turn off the epidural for the WORST part!" I decided right then and there to not tell when I felt the head descending.
For the next hour and a half I dipped in and out of sleep while drinking hot tea. It was heavenly. I just rested and thought of my baby. My husband and midwife continued talking and a few times they thought I was asleep and would start talking about me and I would open my eyes and correct them or argue with them which they thought was funny. Then, quite suddenly, I felt a change. As always, two contractions in a row I felt such intense pressure it was hard to not moan through them. Instead I rolled away from my company with my back to them so I could quietly breathe through them without alerting anyone that I was nearing completion. After those two contractions a third began right away and with it I felt the head begin to descend. I was so amazed at the feeling of it that it was hard to not laugh out loud. It hurt, it was very intense, but I could actually hide the fact that I was pushing out a baby's head!!! Just as the first contraction ended my husband appeared on my side of the bed and said, "Melrose? Melrose, what's going on?" I didn't respond as another contraction began and tried to just pretend that I was sleeping. Instead he looked to my midwife and said, "Something's different, I think she's pushing." Or, at least I think that's what he said but I know there was chatter between the two of them before they called for my Dr. At this point I realized they were on to me so I got serious and began pushing. I was so afraid they would turn off my epidural! This is hilarious to me now. I pushed and pushed and then my Dr. came in and, knowing I was far enough along, I opened one eye and said, "he's coming". The Dr. lifted the blanket and shrieked and then there was a wave of activity as nurses came into the room and everyone gowned up. My Dr. said, "Melrose! Your baby is RIGHT THERE! Here! Feel him!" She took my hand and put it there and I put my fingers in to feel his head. He really was right there! She tried to keep her hands there with me but I yelled at her to get them away as the extra pressure hurt. Another contraction began and I kept my hand there. Oh it was SO COOL to feel his head inch forward bit by bit as I pushed and then suddenly as the contraction ended he would slip back just the tiniest bit. Normally I fire my babies out so fast there is no chance for them to slip back so it was really cool to feel this and to know the epidural was allowing me to slowly push my baby out so that I didn't tear.
Finally about the fifth contraction since I felt his head begin descending, he crowned. I screamed at them to get my baby out already (though my husband says I'm exaggerating and that I was actually very calm and making "good birth noises" but in my head I was screaming). It took about two contractions to get through crowning to head out and then the little stinker decided to have one of his hands up by his head which made it very hard for his body to turn and come out. A contraction later his body finally came out in a rush and with my Dr.'s help I pulled him up to my chest. I laughed and cried and felt that insane rush of relief and love all around and then I pulled his leg up and saw my son. My husband and I laughed and cried that it was another boy and I cooed his name in his ear as I kissed him all over. My Dr. then gave me a hard time for cutting it so close and I explained that I didn't want her to turn off my epidural when I was pushing. She laughed incredulously and asked if I knew it takes time for the epidural to wear off. "It does?! oops."
For the next two hours we reveled, I nursed, I kissed his fingers, and one of my friends showed up just minutes after the birth having just missed it and she and my midwife went out to get us a celebratory dinner of Qdoba. I can tell you a burrito has never tasted so good. We visited and admired him and finally my friend and midwife left and a nurse asked if she could weigh the baby right next to me and measure him. I took that opportunity to use the restroom and then asked if I could shower. I showered for a long time and then took my baby and we were off to my recovery room.
The rest of our hospital stay was uneventful and the next evening we were on our way home.
Coming up: Conclusion and will I ever home birth again?
Thank you for sharing. I love a good birth story! Congratulations again.
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