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Sascha Fox

This is the birth story of my second child-Sascha Fox.

My first child, my daughter, was a typical 12 hour length, and she was a perfectly healthy 6lb 4 oz, born at a wonderful hospital in Boston. I’d had a fabulous experience with her birth, and was eager for the next one!

My OB was chosen because he was located in the same city I lived in. I was with an HMO that had many locations and birth hospitals to choose from, so having my OB just down the road, as well as the hospital being close to home, was convenient. I found much to my dismay, that my OB, although a really nice guy, was wrong on every guess he made on my condition. He insisted that I had swollen ankles (in fact, my ankles are the least attractive part of me! Ha ha), claimed he knew I was having a girl ("in this business as long as I’ve been, you learn!") which an ultrasound proved otherwise, didn't remember me from one appointment to the next, and so on, nothing health threatening, but enough to make me wonder about his credibility. My pregnancy progressed, and I laughed at how much bigger I was this time, and at how much familiarity I had with being pregnant now-and I looked toward my due date (September 19, 1995) with excitement.

I left work a week early, as I wanted to spend some quality time with my daughter in her last time of being an only child (she was 23 months old). The Monday before I was due, I went in for my prenatal, all along my doctor having insisted that I would "go late" even though this was my second child, and my first child was right on time (went into labor the day after her due date). He began to feel my belly for the fluid amounts, pronounced my son head down, with good fluid, but then began to look worried as he felt baby’s head- "this is a small baby-very small-lets get you into ultrasound". Now I’m scared-my pregnancy was so smooth-I worried that the price to pay would be something wrong with my baby! I walked down the hall to ultrasound (he had his own in his practice) and the technician gave me a questioning look. "Do you know what we’re looking for?" (the request from my OB was pretty vague!) In tears I said "the size of the baby-is he small?" She told me that although give or take a pound the ultrasound could be off-she was guessing the baby’s weight at 6 ½ pounds! Boy was I relieved-even taking away a pound would be small, but not dangerously so, and I’m only 5’2" on a good hair day, so a ‘small’ baby is normal for my build. I went back into his office, where he did my internal, and then got shocked! "You’re three centimeters dilated!" and I was floored too-I hadn’t any contractions other than some generic braxton-hicks over the past month or two. "This baby will be born by the end of the week!" (this was a Monday).

He got called to hospital, so I went home. I had a towel underneath me everywhere I went as I was afraid my water would break (although it was AROM with my daughter!). The OB called me later that same afternoon saying although he expected the baby to be born "by Thursday" that if I preferred, he could schedule me for an induction the next morning. !?!?!? My thoughts were-I’d already gotten to 3cm without a pain in the world, so why encourage pain? I also knew that being induced meant potentially no painkillers-and if I needed them, I wanted the option (although I’d had an epidural inserted with my daughter, it wasn’t turned on until the last minute-by the time I was ready to push-so I’d already ‘survived’ a natural birth!). I said ‘no thanks’ and he said he’d be sure to see me soon!

The week goes by-I’m gradually losing my mucus plug, feeling great, just heavily pregnant, enjoying the time with my family, hubby asking me if I thought each day would be the day! I took a beach towel wherever I went just in case!

My due date arrives-I wake up at about 5am with sickness from both ends. No cramping pains as if I were suffering from a stomach bug, but quite ill. I went back to sleep for about an hour, woke up around 6:30am, feeling very very restless. I was convinced that I was giving myself anxiety attacks since it was my due date, and not being able to sleep I sat up. It was now just after 7:00am. Oh-hello-a contraction-nothing major-very tolerable, NOT a braxton for sure, and then another and another-I watched time crawl for nearly 40 minutes before waking my hubby up, telling him he wouldn’t be going into work, and that he should call his mom (to watch our daughter) and my friend (who was to attend the birth) and tell them it was time!

I got up from the bed-and oof-what a whopper-not painful-but all encompassing-however, I was determined to take a shower before we left (remember-I had a 12 hour labor last time). So, thinking I wouldn’t be able to last more than a space between contractions (we hadn’t timed them-none were regular yet) I waited for one to pass, then had hubby quickly help me into the shower. WOW-what a difference! That was the best shower-each time I felt a contraction approach, I stuck my belly in the water flow-and it felt like the contraction was gone. In between I kept the water on my lower back (not having back labor, but tend to have a weak back). I felt like time had stopped-figured I’d been in for 20 minutes-turns out it was over an hour-hubby checked on me once-and saw I was fine. I got out, figuring I should get a move on, and it felt like gravity hit-WOW-the contractions were now powerful, and I had to concentrate on relaxation, and was very impatient, with quite the sense of urgency. Hubby quickly phoned the doctor’s office, they said he was at hospital, and we should head in, and he’d meet us there. Into the car we went at 9:45am.

Halfway to the hospital (not even a 10 minute drive from our apartment) we stopped at a convenience store so hubby could grab a drink-last time he didn’t bring anything for himself to eat or drink-and we figured we might be in for another long labor-so we stopped. I was now in a world of my own, not hearing much, wishing the car would go faster (even though hubby was flooring it!). We got to the hospital in no time flat, and we walked up to L&D, as there wasn’t anyone in the emergency door to check us in (we certainly didn’t wait for someone to show up!).

My contractions were very close together, and I had to stop moving as they came. I couldn’t even talk during them, and when we got to an intersection of hallway, hubby and my friend said "which way" and as I was in the middle of a contraction, I grunted and swung my head to the right! :) On we went-I started feeling queasy. I got to the labor room, was given a gown, I shuffled to the bathroom and promptly threw up. I pushed the barrel away (couldn’t make the toilet) took off my shoes and threw up again (happily I was making the barrel all the time!). It took me what seemed like forever to get the gown on, as each movement was punctuated by throwing up nasty bile. I got into bed, asked for a bedpan and threw up.

The labor nurse then flattened out the bed, and began to insert my admitting (standard procedure) IV. I howled ‘get me UP’ at the contractions hit-one after another-I recall seeing one nurse (the room was busy!) look me in the face and say "remember your breathing" to which I replied "get ME UP". The bed was raised just in time for me to say "bucket!" and I was brought a new bedpan to throw up in. Hubby could now be at my side, as a few nurses left, and he held my hand-what a relief for me, but painful for him, as I would squeeze the hell out of his hand with each contraction!

My doctor came in, said he was happy to see me, was glad he got to be here, and said he’d be just outside, as I seemed close. I was interesting-I would grrrrrrr or something similar with the contractions, then throw up in between. I then threw up in his presence. So he asked (!!!) if I was nauseous. I answered by throwing up. He said "Great-a sign of active labor!" I threw up again. "VERY active labor!" he added-and said "I don’t think I’ll leave the room". I threw up again. "do you need something for the pain?" I said "YES!" Then I gagged but didn’t need a bedpan. "In fact," he started rolling up his sleeves "I don’t think I’ll leave the bed". He sat down on my bed. Did a quick exam, and broke my waters right at the peak of a contraction. This felt wonderful-like the contraction had been deflated. I heard a mumble from the nurse, then a mumble from my doctor as he checked my progress, something about a lip, and he said "won’t be a problem-I can hold it back" he asked if I wanted to push. I thought about it for half a second, realized I’d been fighting pushing contractions off for what seemed eternity, and said "YES!" and on I went. I pushed like I was possessed. The contractions would repeat and I would push with each one-my doctor coaching me on in a steady tone but with very encouraging words, he put my foot on his own thigh to brace against (he really did sit on my bed!) I made lots of wonderful grunting noise-I pushed so hard that my husband asked a nurse ‘what about the blood in the IV’ and she thought at first I’d wiggled the needle, until she looked and saw that I was pushing so hard, that I was forcing my own blood INTO the needle and up the IV line!! The next thing I knew I felt wiggle floop, and here was this baby on my belly-a weird blue purple color. Eyes open-looking right at me! The time was 10:16am!!!

My OB while I was pushing had my husband come over and deliver the head!!! I was a bit too busy pushing to notice! This is funny because my hubby finds the whole birth process way too gory for him! :)

So doctor rubbed baby with a soft cloth to get his circulation going (I think his cord was clamped too soon) and he turned a healthy pink in no time. Sascha Fox was born at 10:16 am on his DUE DATE at 7 pounds 3 ounces 20 inches long!! My little son! A hearty nurser, and very peaceful baby! He’s nearing his second birthday now-and is a big brother already. The best part was, we called my mother in law, and she had barely gotten in her house with our daughter when the phone rang-she thought we were calling to say we’d settled in-not that we were "done"! I recovered in a foggy state of amazement that I had given birth completely naturally and so FAST-I almost missed it! I’d gotten a bit nervous at the end of this pregnancy, hoping that the epidural hadn’t fogged a lot of feeling from my first birth-I knew I felt a lot-thought I’d felt everything-but worried that it was softened with the epidural even though it wasn’t turned on until it was too late!

This led me to a few ideas about my next labor and birth experience...... Corwin’s story (4/3/97) coming soon!

-Lisa
(Momma to Natasha Leigh 10/27/93, Sascha Fox 09/19/95, and Corwin Ivan-Blue 04/03/97)