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Week by Week

Brianna Rachelle’s Birth
By Samantha & Justin

The Pregnancy

Over two years ago, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries. I worked diligently to correct my condition naturally by receiving treatment from a nutritionist who put me on a B-Vitamin regimen, and my husband Justin and I increased on exercise by walking 30 minutes or more almost every day and improving our diets in order to lose weight. I also spent a great deal of time reading about charting fertility cycles. I charted my cycles for five months before we tried to conceive, taking my temperature each morning, checking my cervical position and mucus each day. I was having cycles that lasted about six weeks. Once we were ready to conceive my periods stopped for two months! I went on a cycle of Provera to get them started again and we were fortunate to conceive on the second cycle.

I should mention that I started out our pregnancy around 75 pounds overweight. We were blessed with a great family doctor that took on our pregnancy; I never once felt like I was on a medical treadmill. But I also knew that we needed to understand exactly what she would and wouldn’t do. We covered almost every possible detail of the pregnancy and birth with her in advance. From the beginning my husband and I agreed that the Bradley Method of childbirth was the way we wanted to go. We found someone who taught classes about 70 miles from our house. The classes were once a week for 12 weeks (they ended when I was around 34 weeks). In preparing for the birth via the Bradley Method, I wrote down everything I ate every day from the time we started classes, ate 90-100+ grams of protein every day, and exercised almost every day (walking, squatting, kegels, and pelvic tilts).

I never had any morning sickness (some queasiness but that's it!) or other problems until 30 weeks when I was diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension. My doctor was on the lookout for preeclampsia, but I knew I would never get it because my diet had been flawless (read Dr. Brewer’s books on eating during pregnancy – it’s a lifesaver, literally). I never took any medicine for my blood pressure. I just took it easy and agreed with my doctor that we wouldn’t go much past my due date. She also explained to me that because of my pelvic dimensions, she thought I was likely to have shoulder dystocia (when the baby’s shoulder gets stuck after the head is delivered).

Getting Labor Started

At my 39 week appointment, the doctor did an exam and found me a fingertip dilated on the outside, closed on the inside and at -3 station (still high). We knew that the clock was ticking on going past the due date, so my husband and I agreed that we would try to get labor going naturally using a variety of methods. That weekend I tried taking an herbal labor tincture alternating with nipple stimulation from an electric breast pump. I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions regularly for several weeks, getting stronger all along, and this caused them to come every 5 minutes while I was on the breast pump, but stopped when I quit. I decided to wait and try closer to my due date, but I kept having stronger contractions for several days.

The day before I was due, the doctor told us I was 1 cm dilated, and 20% effaced, still at -3 station. More than anything I didn’t want to be induced with pitocin, so I asked her to strip the membranes because it was the least drastic intervention we could think of. It really didn’t hurt (I’d been told it was terrible). She said she would give us until Friday morning to go into labor before inducing, and also wanted us to get a non-stress test the next day, which turned out fine. On Wednesday (my due date), I tried castor oil first thing in the morning which succeeded in giving my diarrhea, but didn’t do much else. We went to the mall that evening and walked for 2 hours. I had contractions the whole time, 3-5 minutes apart, lasting 45 seconds and strong enough to catch my attention. I loved telling people who asked my when I was due that I was actually in labor. The look on their faces was priceless. I also lost my mucus plug that day (everyone was right, it’s unmistakable what it is when you see it).

The contractions stopped that evening while I slept, but started up again when I woke up. The doctor called to see how we were doing and we decided to go in to see what was happening. She found that I was 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and at -1 station. There was a large, bulging bag of forewaters, but the doctor knew the baby was ROA (a great, head down position she had been in for many months). The doctor sent us home and wished us luck. We went out to breakfast first, and the contractions were still coming steady. I took a nap at home around 1 pm and when I woke up around 3 pm, the contractions had stopped. I was really mad and rolled over quickly; I had a quick, hard contractions and with a nice POP, my waters broke. My husband ran in from the living room in response to my shout, and I told him to look and see if the water was clear (it was) and I was afraid to move. After a few minutes I finally got up to see how I felt. I guess I thought labor would come on with a bang now. But it took an hour for the contractions to really pick up strength. I managed to eat a light meal before they got too strong. They finally got to the point that I didn’t want to talk through them so we took that as the sign to go to the hospital. It was 6 pm.

The Labor and Birth

I should say that after having read every birth story I could get my hands on (well over 250), I knew that I had to have a birth plan. The hospital we went to was not well-known for its assistance with natural childbirth, but we made sure to have a copy of the birth plan, signed by the doctor, attached to my chart in advance. The doctor also called the hospital before we got there to direct them as to who my nurse should be (so that we didn’t get a nurse who wasn’t supportive of natural childbirth -- it would have been a nightmare for her!).

At the hospital we were joined by both of our mothers (Brianna is the first grandchild for both of them), and two good friends (one who did videotaping and one who took still photos). When we got there, Justin and I went through the normal Q&A they put you through on arrival, and then turned us over to the nurse who was just coming on duty at 7 pm. She was actually trained as a midwife and was wonderfully calm and supportive throughout. She checked me and found that I was 4cm dilated and 100% effaced. I was thrilled! Justin and I walked the halls for an hour or so, sat and rocked in chairs, and basically relaxed. The contractions were strong, but very tolerable. We spent most of the time laboring alone together, while our friends and family stayed in the waiting room (we didn’t want to be distracted by too much chit chat). The most amazing occurrence of the birth happened next.

To our surprise.

It was 10 pm and the nurse was about to check my dilation, when my doctor walked in the room. She didn’t even know if I had dilated beyond 4cm, but she came anyway. I asked what she was doing there so early, and she said she thought she’s come and spend the night with me. Wow! The nurse checked and I was 7cm, still at -1 station. I should say that the contractions had been coming every 3-4 minutes, lasting around 50-55 seconds.

While I was talking to the Doctor I was laying on my right side on the bed and several VERY strong contractions hit in a row with almost no break between them. The baby’s heart rate went down, and she was concerned about my handling them in that position, so she suggested I go back to the rocking chair where I was handling them so well. From 11 pm to 2 am we sat there, and the contractions were very bearable. We asked the nurse to check us and she said I was still at 7cm. I knew from Bradley that many women experience a natural alignment plateau where they don’t progress for awhile so I wasn’t worried. We tried sitting in bed with Justin behind me and we also went into the shower for awhile. At around 3:30 am the doctor checked me and I still hadn’t dilated anymore. She said she was concerned and that we might have to pick up the pace with some pitocin if I didn’t dilate more soon. Justin and I decided to try lying on my side (the left side this time which allowed the baby’s heart rate to be unaffected). I knew that this position might be difficult, but I would do anything to avoid pitocin.

As soon as I got on my left side, the contractions started to soar. They were coming every 2-3 minutes and built up to lasting 75-90 seconds. Justin laid on the bed behind me, stroking my back and whispering encouragement to me. I don’t remember what he said but I’ll never forget the sound of his voice or the touch of his hands. >From the time I laid down, transition hit fairly full force. I got up once to go the bathroom and told Justin I didn’t think I could do it. He looked me in the eyes and told me that he knew I could do it, that I WAS doing it. Going back to the bed, I looked at him, trying to get out of going back to bed, where I knew it would be like a freight train again. But really, once I knew that it wasn’t getting worse, I put my faith in the fact that if I had survived the last one, then this one would be ok, too. I gripped Justin’s hand tight and said "OHHHH" over and over again, in what I imagined was a very loud voice. This helped me ride through the contractions.

Towards the end, I felt a different sensation at the end of the contraction a gripping sort of faint pushing feel. I called out to the nurse for her to check me. I was almost completely dilated, with just a small anterior lip of the cervix left. I went to the bathroom again and when I had only two more contractions, the doctor checked me and found me fully dilated. Transition had lasted about 90 minutes.

At that point, we had everyone come into the room (moms, friends), and got up and moved around, trying to find a good position to push in. I had a good 30 minute break where I had very few contractions and none of them were very strong. I didn’t feel that overwhelming urge to push I had heard of, so I found it difficult to push anyway. I was afraid to try. Finally the doctor suggested that we try the beloved left side-lying position again to push in. She had solid success with this position in the past. Wouldn’t you know that it did the trick?

I was laying on the bed with Justin half-sitting behind me, with one leg on the floor for leverage. He was putting his shoulder and weight into my back with his right arm curled around my lower thigh above the knee pulling it back and up (NOTE-we didn't practice THIS in advance, it just sort of came naturally to my husband). When I would bear down and push, curving my back into a "C", with the assistance of my husband pulling my top leg back and up (thus, opening the pelvis), it really allowed me to get into a "pushing groove". My friend Maria was by my legs, and would put my right foot in her hand so I could push against it when my right leg was lifted during a contraction. It was a really easy position to push in. My legs were way too tired to sit up or squat.

This was a very easy position to relax in between contractions. It was hard to push in the beginning, but it helped me to focus when the doctor put her fingers against the baby’s head and told to push against her fingers. Once I got into it I found that there are three pushes inside me: 1) the push I did when I really tried to push; 2) the push I did that is harder than I thought I could do and 3) this roaring sensation of a push that came out of me when I was pushing as hard as I could AND the urge to push also kicks in with it. Needless to say, I was groaning and grunting VERY loudly with each push that really made progress. I know some people say that the sound you make is wasting energy you could be pushing with, but it really helped me.

Several times I was encouraged to put my hand between my legs and feel the baby’s head as she crowned. This helped me a lot because I could never really feel the sensation of the head moving lower. I also found that the grunting was giving me a really sore throat (I wish I had asked for ice chips then instead of just gatoraid and water). I pushed her head out very slowly and yes, it did burn, but it wasn’t anything that kept me from pushing. Once her head was out, the doctor said there wasn’t a cord around her neck so I should push the rest of her out. But as was expected, her top shoulder was stuck on the pelvic arch. The doctor asked me push as hard as I could and believe me, I did. I have timed the videotape and it took her and I 90 seconds to get the shoulder out with the body following. What a feeling! I was REALLY pushing -- I even burst a few small blood vessels in my eyes, but I have read this is fairly common. I was amazed to discover that I hadn't torn at all and only needed four stitches on the inside where the doctor reached her hand in to turn the shoulder.

As she was coming out I felt a "pop" and told the doctor I thought her clavicle might have broken (a common occurrence in these situations). Sure enough, it had been fractured. Luckily, there’s nothing they do to fix it – it set on its own in 2 weeks and was totally healed in 6 weeks. Otherwise, she was perfect. 8 pounds, 8 ounces, 20 ¾ inches, blue eyes, and lots of dark blonde hair. She was never out of either Justin or my sight from the moment she was born, including weighing, x-rays for her shoulder, etc.

Brianna's birth was the greatest moment of my life. Our training in the Bradley method saw us through with outstanding results. In addition to a fantastic birth, the whole experience made our already wonderful marriage even better. Brianna nursed beautifully after about 12 hours of being sleepy (and after she spit up a wad of mucus). She has been exclusively breastfeeding for four months now and is almost 16 pounds. She sleeps in bed with us and we both love having her there. It makes nighttime nursing a breeze. Neither of us fully wakes up when she is hungry - I just latch her on and fall asleep while she nurses. It's great. We can't wait to give her a little brother or sister!