I went into labour on December 28, at 9 pm. At first, I thought I was just experiencing the effects from the teaspoon of castor oil I had taken 6 hours earlier, on the advice of my midwife, Claudia. As I was already 6 days late, I was willing to try anything, as I was hoping to avoid being induced. When the cramping began at 9 pm, we had no idea if this was labour or just the unpleasant *ahem* effects from the castor oil. When my water broke at 11 pm, that answered that question. The contractions continued through the night, and our midwife Sarah showed up at around 2 am, and stayed with us from that time on. Having her there was a huge comfort to both of us - as Mark and I couldn't tell how far along I was, and had no idea whether it was time to go to the hospital. Sarah checked me every couple of hours at home - and I progressed well to the 5 cm mark. Knowing this was only halfway to the magic 10cm mark, and having been in labour for 14 hours by that time, I started hinting that I wasn't going to be able to make it without pain relief.
This was a tough subject for me, as I had been pretty adamant ahead of time that I was wanted to deliver naturally, but I guess I learned the lesson that only women who have given birth know: labour and delivery hurts like nothing else, and if you know pain relief exists, it's almost impossible not to ask for it. I am now more than ever in awe of women who have done without.
We went to the hospital at around 10 am on Saturday because my contractions were slowing down and I was stalled out at 5 cm. Sarah suggested that I get oxytocin to boost my contractions, and she agreed that an epidural would allow me to rest and recover my strength for when the pushing would have to begin.
The epidural was a godsend, although it really freaked me out, suddenly being in the hospital and being tied down by a fetal electronic monitor, a contraction monitor, an IV in my hand for saline solution and oxytocin, and a needle right into my spine for the epidural. I also had a blood pressure cuff on my arm. I was lying flat on my back, and was convinced I was heading for further interventions. On the positive side, I was able to snooze for a couple of hours, oblivious to the work the oxytocin was doing.
Mark was able to nap on a cot in the room and when we woke up a couple of hours later, I was ready to go! I guess I was one of the lucky ones for whom the oxytocin/epidural combination didn't result in a C-section.
I pushed for a couple of hours, and despite what others had told me, the epidural did NOT have the effect of dulling the pain. I was in a ridiculous amount of pain, and wanted nothing but to have it stop. My concentration was so intense that I forgot that there was going to be a baby at the end of the ordeal. When they put the baby on my stomach, I was completely surprised: what the hell is this? I looked at Mark and said something like "is this our baby?" Amazing what the human mind can do.
Having a midwife was amazing - I can't say enough positive things about it. We got tons of care before and after the baby came, and when I needed hospital intervention, it was there too. We had to have the baby "turned" about a month before she was born because she was in breech position, and the midwives performed that procedure too. All in all, a completely excellent experience - I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to returning to the medical establishment's care...
Clockwise from top left: Sarah, our awesome midwife, spent 24 hours with us through the labour and delivery; I don't get it - I've got a baby next to me - why do I still look 7 months pregnant?; Hello Bébé, where'd you come from?; Mark keeping a watchful eye on our new roommate.
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