Our first mistake was that we took the hospital prepared childbirth class. It was supposed to be Lamaze (I hadn't heard of Bradley) but I realized we were in the wrong place when the instructor said that "the epidural is a wonder drug!"  My husband and I both looked at each other amazed and astonished at that point.  We decided that we would have a natural birth in spite of what she said.  My insurance said I needed to birth at Torrance Memorial (southern California) so we went there.  I didn't think much of the fact that they do 30 births a day.  They just told us on the tour that we could have one of the four birth suites.  I was very excited about labor and when I lost my mucus plug I called everyone knowing that it would soon begin. That was Friday, May 20, 1996.  I woke up on Saturday morning at around 3am with contractions.  I told Glenn (my husband) and he told me to go back to sleep and rest, that labor would take a while and I should sleep while the contractions were light.  That was easy for him to say!  I was so excited!  I waited an hour and then I called my mom.  I practiced breathing with her on the phone and I wrote down every start and stop.  I tried to eat and sat in my glider envisioning myself back home with a baby.  We sat and talked while the contractions were 5 minutes apart until about 6am.  Then I tried to wake Glenn and he just mumbled and rolled over.  I decided to take a bath so I would feel fresh.  When I got out 40 minutes later I told Glenn he should get up and shower too.  He was so surprised!  He jumped and flew into the bathroom and I called my mom to tell her we were coming to her house because it was closer to the hospital and we could labor there for a while.  She was very happy.  We arrived there at about 9:30am and I continued to labor in the same way.  I remember that I was worried about my water breaking on my moms rug <g> so I asked that we go to the hospital.  There they stuck me in the smallest room and put the monitor on me, just to get a baseline.  The nurse said that the baby was posterior and that I should lie on my side.  I wasn't sure what she meant so I just laid there on my side.  We changed rooms then and they did an internal exam, I was 4cm.  I was disappointed!  I wanted to be farther along, but my mom said I was doing really good and reassured me.  I preferred to be sitting so I got out of bed.  The nurses came into the room every time I removed the monitor so it stayed on the whole time - yuck!  I was sipping water and urinating frequently but hated the contractions when I was in the bathroom.  I had lots of family present!  My mom, 3 aunts, 2 cousins, my sister, my 2 sisters-in-law, my mother-in-law, and my husband.  It was crowded :)  They kept checking me and I was progressing slowly.  I was beginning to get discouraged because the contractions were getting stronger and I was fearful.  The nurses were constantly asking if I "needed something to take the edge off" and Glenn was helpful in fending them off.  I could hear women crying in pain.  One woman kept saying, "Dios Mio!  Dios Mio!"  It was driving me crazy!  I started to beg for pain medication.  The contractions were on top of each other and Glenn was telling me to do a cleansing breath at the end of the contraction but it never would come.  I was hyperventilating and panicking.  My mom got my attention and focused me.  After a while I couldn't do it again.  I begged for "just a little something" and the nurse gave me a shot of Nubain.  I felt that Glenn was disappointed but I was in so much pain. Then my aunts and sisters started to massage my legs and I felt better this went on for the next 2 hours.  It was after midnight.  My doctor finally got there and checked me.  She said that I needed a boost and told me that breaking my water was the best thing to do.  I was scared!  I thought it would hurt and didn't really know what to do.  My mom said that it could help.  I said okay.  They did it and then my contractions really started to take off again!  I got to 10cms and they asked me if I'd like to push.  I said okay, even though I didn't have an urge.  I pushed with a squat bar and felt more comfortable than I had in hours.  I remember the nurse saying that my baby had a lot of hair, "enough for a barrette!"  I was excited but after almost 2 hours I was getting tired.  My mom and Glenn were collapsing on the floor between contractions and the doc whispered to the nurse that she "let me go until I gave up."  It seemed that a lip had formed and that the baby wasn't getting past it.  I was frustrated!  I kept at it for a total of 2 1/2 hours and then the doc said that I had two options: I could take pitocin and labor would get harder and she couldn't guarantee that the baby would come out, or I could have a c-sec and I could see the baby in 15 minutes.  Guess what I chose.  Yep a c-sec!  I was swarmed with hospital staff and Glenn and my mom were dressing in scrubs.  I asked for my water and they said that I wouldn't need it because now I had an IV.  I was insistent but Glenn was confused.  I needed it because my throat was dry and I was going to gag!  The nurse looked at me and said "roll her she's going to throw up!"  I did.  It seemed like a gallon of water went all over and I kept apologizing.  Then they took me to the operating room and my family waited in the waiting room.  Glenn watched the whole thing and cried.  I was shivering and contracting and crying too. They gave me the epidural and I felt relieved.  It was gone.  All of the pain was gone.  They told me I'd feel some tugging and I said "no, I won't!"  It was too scary to even think about :(  The anesthesiologist was really kind and spoke reassuringly to me the whole time.  It was just minutes and Kyle Chase was born.  They took him from my womb and weighed, measured, bundled and capped him before I got to see him.  I had both of my arms strapped down and I had warm blankets warped around my upper body.  I also had an oxygen mask on so when they brought Kyle to me I didn't know what to do.  They said, "Here's your baby!  Give him a kiss!"  But I couldn't really touch him.  It was so weird.  He was just a little face and I must have looked equally odd to him. I vowed to never let this happen to me again.  My OBGYN told me at my 2 week check up that I wouldn't be able to have a VBAC "He was too big to fit.  What makes you think that the next will?"  She said this with a laugh!  I cried for a long time and she just left the room.  I never went back to her.  I realized that I really hadn't prepared for this birth.  I went along with what was standard hospital care.  I chose not to do that the next time.

 ~ Lisa (APmom)

(Lisa did get her VBAC when Cheyenne was born!)

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