Ask A Nurse
Pregnancy Photos
Pregnancy Calendar
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Zachary Armand Cote's Birth

Everyone thought that I was going to go early. I was 3cm dilated for 3 weeks. The baby dropped in the 36th week (not uncommon for first pregnancy) and kept on dropping every week after. I was so impatient and unwilling to believe that I was going to go a week late! Well it started to look that way when my due date came and went and all of the sudden I was 41 weeks pregnant. I was going to be induced on August 27th or 28th (I was due on August 18th). I calmed down a little and prepared for the baby knowing that the baby is coming no matter what in a few days.

Monday, August 25th, I lost my mucus plug and felt crampy all day. My husband had to start a new job, so I sat at home alone wondering if I was going to go into labor or if these cramps were just more Braxton-Hicks contractions. We went to my parent's house and celebrated my Dad's birthday. We joked about how great it would be if I gave birth on his birthday. Needless to say, I did not give birth that night, but I did go into labor around 10:00pm that night.

The pains would not go away, I could not sleep or concentrate on watching TV. I woke my husband up at midnight and we sat up together and timed my contractions. They were about 5 minutes apart for 1 hour. I called the hospital at 1:00am. The doctor on call called me back and told me to come in. On the way to hospital, my contractions stopped. I was so mad! I got kinda ugly with my husband. When we arrived, they took me upstairs to the OB wing. I was put in a LDRP room. They hooked me up to the monitors and did an exam. The contractions came back! The nurse was able to stretch me to 5cm from 4cm during a contraction. I was not going to be sent home! I was so happy. Adam called my mom and she came up right away.

Adam took a short nap while my mom sat with me. I was put in a whirlpool. It really helped me with these early contractions. I stayed in it for 40 minutes, I even had my blood drawn by the Lab Tech. while I was in the tub! I got to hot and dizzy so I got out and went back to my room. My husband got up and sat with me while my mom went to the lounge to rest. During this time, I got another exam, it was so painful that I lost control for a minute and cried and screamed. The nurse felt so bad, she kept apologizing and I kept telling her that it was all right. She was only doing her job. The contractions got stronger and more uncomfortable, I was at 6cm by this time. I asked for Nubain at 5:30am. The shot of Nubain helped me sleep in between contractions. At around 8:00am, my doctor came in and broke my water. He said that this would help speed things up. It sure did!!! The Nubain wore off, and I shook uncontrollably. I tried to deal with the more intense active labor but ended up asking for one more shot of Nubain. This time it did not help the pain at all. It did, however, let me rest a little in between contractions.

I lost it!!! I was not using any of the techniques that I learned in childbirth class. I could not focus. I bit my husband, I actually did not mean to though. I was trying to bite just his shirt! I was biting pillows and thrashing them around in between my teeth. I look back and laugh at that scene now! During the Transition, I was asking for an epidural! To late! I could not have had one at this point and would have been disappointed if I had got one! I stated at the beginning of labor that I did not want one.

I had the urge to push. The nurse checked me but I was only 7cm. In about another 1/2 hour or 45 min. I had the urge to push really bad. This time I was 10cm. It was time!!! The nurse had me lay on my back and my mom and husband held my legs up while I pushed in sets of 3 during each contraction. I pushed for about 50 minutes like that when my doctor arrived. I was sleeping in between contractions, I even skipped a few contractions because I was so exhausted. I wanted to lay on my side not my back! My doctor told me that I could give birth on my side if I would like. I layed on my left side and pushed in sets of 3 for another 20 minutes or so.

The doctor saw the size of the head as I pushed and decided that this was a large baby and that I would need an Episiotomy. He gave me a local anesthetic and cut me. I pushed a few more times and my beautiful baby boy was born at 12:12pm on August 26, 1997. I was so thrilled!!! My husband cut the cord, and my mom and mother-in-law cried.

My husband is a very special man. He was so calm and supportive during my labor, birth and postpartum period. He did everything he could for me! He loves his baby Zachary so much. He can't wait to come home every night to see Zach and me. I will never forget this experience!

Jocelyn E. Cote