For my avid and new readers alike, you may have noticed a lapse in writing lately. It has been very busy in our house for the past month. Since life is getting back to normal, I thought I would indulge you in a little story. No names, but the story is true!
This is for the birth junkies out there like me. Our daughter was born on March 30, 2011 at 3:49 a.m in Dover, De. This is her story.
The Beginnings... Again
My husband and I discovered we were pregnant with our second child when our first was only six months old or so. Happy about the blessing, we also had our reservations. What would we do with two? Will the first like the second? Still nursing our son, I wondered how tandem nursing would work out. We also wondered about the shoulder dystocia and if that would happen again during birth a second time around.
For this birth, we hired a doula from Delmarva Birth Services in Ocean City, MD to help avoid the problems we had in our previous birth. I also quickly began research into shoulder dystocia, natural births, c-sections, breastfeeding and anything else I could get my hands on. I discovered, although the doctor said the dystocia from our son was due to a small pelvis, that it was more likely due to unneeded medical interventions such as lying on my back for the duration of labor, fetal monitors, pitocin and other issues. I took this revelation to the doctors office with me, each and every visit.
My OB/GYN's office, an office of about ten doctors, held strong to the opinion that I needed a c-section this time around because the risk of another dystocia was higher the second time around. My husband and I, after having done our research, firmly believe the risks of c-sections and medical interventions such as inductions were much higher than risks of dystocia since we knew how to avoid the problem: go all natural (assuming no dire medical need to do otherwise).
Every single pre-natal visit, a doctor would mention the c-section and almost always tried to push it on me. I held my ground and probably annoyed them in the process. I often was lectured about the 'risks' and even given the impression that I didn't know what I was talking about because they were the doctors. We did meet with one doctor of the ten who was okay with the decision we had made to go natural. This doctor wanted to know that we knew the risks of shoulder dystocia. I then said yes, and I also know the risks of all the other issues. He said okay, and let it go. Finally!
Labor
While home with my husband and then 14 month old son, my water broke in small trickles in the early afternoon. After long discussions with our doula, we had already made the decision to not only go all natural since I had no medical need to do otherwise, but also to labor at home as long as possible. So, I cleaned up and waited... and waited... and waited some more.
Later in the evening, we called the doula to come on up to be with us for the birth. Contractions were about seven minutes apart. We had a grand time when she arrived! We chatted for about an hour in the living room at home. Finally, she suggested to me to get up and do something to jump start labor a bit. I was quite content hanging out on the couch and riding out the every seven minute waves.
Taking her suggestion, we got up and wandered a bit finally resting at the stairs where she suggested I do stair lunges. Within an hour, my contractions jumped from seven minutes apart to one to two minutes apart. At that point, we didn't wait the hour the doctors ask you to wait when timing contractions. After half an hour of contractions that close, our doula suggested that perhaps it was time to go and I agreed.
The Ride Up & Birth
We all piled into our cars and drove the longest twenty minute ride of my life to the hospital. I listened to the local Christian radio station and sang to the music as my contractions picked up speed and intensity. Had it not been for that, I really think we would have had a 'car baby.'
My husband took me to the emergency room and let my doula take me up to labor and delivery from there. When we arrived, I was in transition if not ready to pop any second and in no frame of mind to be having conversations or filling out paperwork. I was left in the hallway while contracting every minute so they could 'get a room ready.'
Finally, I was taken to an intake room where my husband and doula were not allowed despite my very loud protests that I wanted my doula and husband with me. The nurses wanted me to give them a urine sample and they wanted to check my cervix to make sure my water had indeed broken. This was, needless to say, very irritating to the woman who was very obviously ready to have a baby any second. Not to mention, my doula and husband had yet to be brought back. When one of the nurses finally managed to get me up onto the bed to check my cervix, she blurted out, "Well, there's not much cervix left! We're having a baby!" At this, the other nurse, who had been very rude to me so far, kept asking if we were having this baby in the intake room or if we could make it across the hall to the labor room.
My doula and husband were finally brought back to me and we all somehow waddled to a labor and delivery room. Nurses were flying around everywhere inside the room. At one point, I was asked if I had any previous birthing problems which I managed to blurt out 'shoulder dystocia.' Apparently, this put the nurses into even more of a flurry. My doula overheard the doctor telling the nurses (who were all very nervous about the previous dystocia issue) that it was medically induced. Knowing this made me feel validated in my opinions and research.
Within twenty minutes of arriving at the hospital, our daughter was born at 3:49 a.m. with no medical interventions whatsoever. Our daughter was almost a pound larger than her brother; a small pelvis could not have been the problem.
To see the birth story for our son, please read A Birth Story: Shoulder Dystocia and our son.
To find out how a doula can help you with your birth, click here.
If you're interested in finding out more about Delmarva Birth Services and local doulas, find them on facebook or on their Web site.
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