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"It doesn't matter how the baby got here as long as it's healthy...."
- Jul 1, 2008 at 1:12 PM
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Written by Wendy46121
I think it does...
What basically got me into writing it was being told that "we are the ones too stupid to know what happens when you have a baby" and I thought to myself "Oh, we KNOW what happens, we know whats SUPPOSED to happen, and when we get to that hospital something 100% completely DIFFERENT happens."
Once the baby is ready to come out, the babies lungs secrete a chemical called surfactant, this tells moms body that baby is ready to be born into the world. At this point other chemicals start being made by both mom and baby, which trigger contractions, dilation and effacement. Beginning labor.
The magical pitocin faerie blesses the woman with and induction. Who cares if the baby is ready or not? it's been 38 whole weeks, maybe! ALL BABIES ARE READY BY NOW aren't they??
During Labor a woman's uterus contracts, a lot. These contractions are working to dilate the woman's cervix, and move the baby down into her birth canal. During this point the woman usually feels the urge to move around a lot, walking, rotating her hips, doing whatever her body naturally wants her to do in order to help the process of opening her hips and moving baby into position.
Or... she lays in bed to writhe in pain during each contraction, not working WITH her body, but working completely against it. She's already been hooked up to at least one IV, and two EFM's. At least one nurse has already "checked her for dilation" Only to come up and say "well, you're only at a two right now hmm... the doctors going to want you to progress a little faster than this..."
Meanwhile, since her contractions are getting stronger, and sometimes a lot more painful, she want a little type of relief. She chooses to get into a nice hot bath to relax, and because of her bad back labor her birthing partner,husband, can apply counter pressure to our back to help. She's still, for the most part, in a vertical position, still working with her body, and with gravity, working this baby down.
After two more hours of contractions, and laying in bed, this woman is barely past a 3-4cm, the doctor at this point says "well, you arent progressing well, so we're going to turn up the pitocin drip." Fast forward an hour... this woman is in AGONY. Screaming agony and pain... and the only pain relief in sight is an epidural. She's already tried the Demerol, it wears off too quick, and she's back to this agonizing pain. "PLEASE GIVE ME THE EPIDURAL" She is progressing really quickly now though, already up to a 6-7cm!! She gets the epidural.
Transition is beginning here, this is the hardest part of labor for all women, it is going to take a lot of perseverance to get through this alive, at least, that's how it feels. This is really more of the working with her body, because everything is getting ready, everything is moving into position, the last few "cm" of dilation happen here. This part usually doesn't last long though.And when she does hit 10cm, she finally gets a break. She relaxes in her tub, and even manages to catch a very nice cat nap, leaning against her rock, her man.
After getting the pitocin turned up, again, the nurse comes and checks her and says "good news your 10cm dilated! time to start pushing" They prepare the table and the stirrups and with the nurses hand in her vagina she is told to bear down and push with the next contraction. Although this woman isnt really feeling anything at all, she listens. and pushes. "Good Job!"
The cat nap doesn't last very long at all. 20 minutes tops, and she feels the overwhelming intense urge to bear down. To brace her body. Her body is pushing, and there isn't a thing she can do to stop it. Surprisingly, she can feel the baby moving a little lower each time. And she hasn't once held her breath to push. She breathes through each contractions and her body is pushing. This part, compared to transition is strangely invigorating, and her energy and excitement is building!
Purple Pushing. The kind of pushing where you are told at the beginning of a contraction to inhale and hold your breath and push into your bottom for the count of 10. exhale, immediately inhale and push again, hold until the count of 10, exhale, inhale and push, count to ten, and finally release. Repeat, over and over, every 5 minutes for the next two hours. The epidural is ensuring you arent feeling any pain at all, and you are still utterly exhausted. Completely spent. The baby has not even started crowning. The doctor is starting to sound.. worried? impatient? She says "Come on hon, we have to get this baby out, you need to push harder, there are decels in the heart-rate. If you cant get this baby out within the next 3 contractions we are going to have to c-section."
After less than an hour, the baby has started crowning. Now is when Momma gets to start pushing with her body. When she is given the feeling to bear down, she pushes too. She can feel babies head moving down, and the ring of fire. A burning sensation that you're entire body is about to split open from the bottom up. She stops pushing, lets baby slide back in a little bit, and waits for the next contractions. This process repeats a few more times before mom finally feels like this time babies head is coming out. She pushes through the burning, and refuses to stop. Her body opens as far as possible and her babies head finally comes all the way through. She's delivered her baby's head. Breath a huge sigh of relief. It is almost over.
The next three contractions go so fast. Momma pushes as hard as she possibly can, the head is there, it can been seen, but it just is NOT coming any further into the birth canal. But the end of the third contraction, she has given up on pushing, and the doctor calls for the OR to and she is prepped for an emergency c-section. Reason: Failure to progress. In the end, her baby is healthy, she is healing from the c-section, but she focuses on the positive, she has her beautiful baby with her now and she has never worked so hard and loved something so much in her entire life.
Just one more push and her babies flops out, caught by her daddies loving hands and brought immediately to mommas chest, where she inhales her first breath and lets out a piercing scream. This is the moment they've all been waiting for. Mom has done it, she has her beautiful baby with her now and she has never worked so hard and loved something so much in her entire life.
By Wendy46121
Comments:
Purple Pushing. The kind of pushing where you are told at the beginning of a contraction to inhale and hold your breath and push into your bottom for the count of 10. exhale, immediately inhale and push again, hold until the count of 10, exhale, inhale and push, count to ten, and finally release. Repeat, over and over, every 5 minutes for the next two hours.
Oh my.. This describes my experience with Emagin right down to the crosses on the Ts!!
And the way the nurses made me feel!!! Like I wasn't trying hard enough because I'd "give out" after 5 or 6 seconds. "Honey, you need to HOLD IT!! You need to push HARDER!!!!" *Disaproving looks and voices* *Checks baby's heart tones, trying to scare me into thinking I'm killing it because I'm not pushing hard enough* *Fear from my mom, MIL, and husband and nearly pleading with me to hold it to 10*
UGH!!!!!!!!
Just a few more weeks until my nice SAFE homebirth!!!!
No one screaming at me.
No one coaching me..
No one disaproving of how "hard" I'm "trying" to get my baby out..
Just love surrounding me..
The magical pitocin faerie blesses the woman with and induction. Who cares if the baby is ready or not? it's been 38 whole weeks, maybe! ALL BABIES ARE READY BY NOW aren't they??
Unless deemed necessary by the doctor, it is best to let the BODY decide when you go into labor. Wendy's post was in regards to mother's who "get tired" of carrying the baby so they schedule an induction early. While some doctor's do practice this, most doctors will let you go two weeks over your due date before even considering scheduling an induction.
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