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Natasha Leigh's Birth

A tad long-but a 12 hour labor all totaled!

Having had a miscarriage at 9 weeks just a few months before my daughter was conceived, I was elated to find that my pregnancy with my daughter was quite uneventful! All around pleasant-no morning sickness, no bloating, no 'mask of pregnancy', I just got bigger around the middle! This would be the first child for us, and feeling that you really only get one true surprise in life, we didn't want to know the sex-although my husband was crossing his fingers for a daughter! So, I enjoyed listening to the debates of how one could 'tell' what I was having- "carrying all in front" " carrying low" "carrying high" "all your extra weight is in your tush" well-everyone except for one woman I worked with was convinced I was having a boy!

As I'd said, an uneventful 9 months-just excitement and anticipation. I opted not to join a Lamaze class, as I'd heard I'd be better off saving my money, and instead we spent a couple afternoons with a doctor at the medical office learning breathing exercises. I did have a few panic pangs in my 9th month thinking I wouldn't be able to handle the pain of labor-that although I wanted to go as drug free as possible, I tend to be a wimp and I couldn't see that happening, so I occasionally thought "I've changed my mind-I really don't want to have a baby now!" and would send myself into fits of laughter when I realized how funny that thought was!

I was due on October 25, a date according to an ultrasound I'd had at 16 weeks, and my doctors expected I would go late. I had a great medical plan-I worked for a large university at the time, and they have a full-time full-service medical center of their own, with associates at Brigham & Women's hospital in Boston, and although my primary pre-natal 'supervisor' was a Nurse-Midwife, I didn't have any particular preference as to doctor or Midwife, because everyone I'd met in the practice was wonderful.

October 25 I met with my Midwife, and a regular doctor at the medical, where they pronounced our baby head down, and I was one fingertip dilated-but no other signs of being ready at all. This being my due date, they scheduled Non-stress test appointments for the following week just in case I went that late. October 26, no signs either, and I was relaxing at home, clipping coupons to go food shopping that night. My husband Eric and I went to the mall, ate hamburgers for dinner, and feeling too tired to go food shopping, headed home-intending to do the food shopping the next day. Well, that wasn't to remain the plan! I awoke at just before 3:00am, with an ache in my belly-similar to sleeping on one side the entire night and then switching sides-and I proceeded to the bathroom for bladder relief. I became quite ill-vomiting and diarrhea-nothing extreme, no cramping at either end, so I figured it was my dinner that somehow bothered me. Stomach feeling settled for the most part-feeling what initially felt like hunger pangs, I returned to the toilet one last time from freshening up, this time really just to pee, and it was then that I became wide awake- one of the ugliest yet most exciting things I'd ever seen-on the tissue was the mucus plug-and how well named it is!! There was no doubt as to what just (ick) came out of me-but I didn't think anything was happening-my water hadn't broken, I didn't feel any contractions-so I went into the living room to sit for a while.

I began writing in the journal I'd started to my baby in the womb-when I was possessed by the sudden need to look at the clock-and realized what those hunger pangs were-contractions-they were barely noticeable before I'd gotten ill, but now were clearly present. Not bad-mild and smooth-enough to take a deep breath with them, but quite comfortable. I sat in the living room, until I could sit no more, and began to slightly pace the apartment, my contractions getting slightly stronger as minutes passed-but I didn't feel I should wake Eric yet. He woke up on his own-spotted me pacing and asked as my first 'real' contraction came on "are you OK?" I sat on the bed, began to feel antsy, like I just wanted to lift out of my body and get away from the contraction-not painful-just all encompassing-and told him to get the things ready to go. I felt fine once the contraction passed, and called medical. The doctor on call talked to Eric for a minute, and when I was contracting, she had him pass the phone to me. Keeping me talking through another contraction, she said although I was 3 minutes apart (we finally timed them) I still had a long way to go, and although she would call the hospital so they'd be ready for me, I could stay home as long as I wanted at this point, and just head in once morning came. The thought of my water breaking on my bed bothered me-and I felt like I'd be 'safer' in doctor's care, so I paced with contractions while Eric took a shower (I insisted, because I knew he would need to be comfortable too!) and we headed off into the night. Boston-4:00am-not a soul around-sky pitch black blue-a beautiful chilly night-but not too cold. We had the new Pearl Jam CD on-the last song my child was to hear in the womb was "Daughter"-how fitting!

Arriving at Brigham & Women's hospital just after 4, I was quickly signed in, given my bracelet, and led to a check-in bed of sorts. I put on the required hospital gown, and lay on the bed for a short external fetal monitoring. This didn't phase me, as I was still quite comfortable with the contractions, and I was given my admitting IV. (Standard procedure). I was asked if I needed anything for the pain, and at this point, I was just tired, and wished I could sleep-so I was given a shot-of what I'm not sure-but I told the nurse I wanted this to be as natural a birth as possible. The edge came off each contraction just enough that I was indeed able to get some sleep, once they moved me to my labor/delivery room. Poor Eric squished up in an uncomfortable chair-and tried to sleep also-the nurses remarked in amazement that the shot I'd been given usually only 'buys' a woman an hour or two tops-but it bought me 5!! I woke up at 10:00am, quite uncomfortable now. Contractions regular, evenly spaced, definitely stronger now-I'm getting more and more uncomfortable, wanting to get as far away from my body as possible. I recall thinking that this wasn't really painful-I'd heard nothing but horror stories "worst pain you'll ever experience in your life" and yet so far-I was fine! I had my first internal at around 11:00am, and pronounced 7 cm, water still intact. With labor progressing nicely, and birth seeming not too far in the future, my water was broken. I remember just this warm wonderfulness-like peeing without the effort! J The nurse said there was a little meconium in the water-not much, but enough to keep an eye on things when the baby was born. I'd had an external monitor around my belly most of the day, and baby seemed fine-no distress-and I was allowed to proceed at my own pace.

I was content to hang around in bed-nurses in attendance-always making me comfortable, very caring. My doctor 'on call' came in-said hello, asked how I was feeling, and trusted the nurse's assessment of my condition (not another internal thank goodness). I just relaxed, tensing at times when I could see the approach of a contraction on the monitor just before I could feel it, and then curse each time as the tension would make that contraction worse!

Time marched on, with nurses continually checking on me, informing me of my pain relief options in a friendly way-warning me too-that if I wanted an epidural that I'd need to warn them in advance! I was content until about 2:30 in the afternoon, when I got up to go to the bathroom-ugh-gravity works! All of a sudden I felt like I had a bowling ball in my gut, and the contractions were strong enough to make me stop mid pace on route to the toilet. As I sat on the toilet, I cried without any tears-a silent sob of exhaustion-I was now in 'pain'-but mostly from fatigue-I was wiped out, and there wasn't time to relax between contractions anymore. I returned to bed (it was in an upright position all day-quite comfy) and requested the epidural. After inserting the IV, (there are few things in life like being told to NOT MOVE during a contraction-that was the worst contraction of them all!), I was content to wait for the medication a little longer-now prepped and IV at the ready, I felt better knowing that pain relief was a knob turn away!!

Well-content for about an hour until-OOO-what was that?! I made a grunt with this contraction-and the nurse looked at me-I asked "I don't think it's time to push yet-but DAMN do I want to-" and she performed my final internal saying "not quite-so be sure to breathe through those ones!" I felt like my body was now possessed-I was pushing my legs in the bed against an imaginary wall to keep from pushing-breathing didn't help either-but not being ready-I asked for the medication to start-which they did-just enough that I no longer was possessed to push (I always wondered about those women on TV saying they had to push and the doctor saying she wasn't ready yet-I never understood that until now!). My final nurse shift came in-a male nurse named Jim (he was wonderful!), and a resident in her last year, and they started getting the room ready-moving in the baby things-the examining table and gear. They told me that I couldn't hold the baby right away until they could make sure no meconium was in the baby's airway, and began to prop me up- Jim said "let's try a practice push and see what happens-the baby seems ready but you might not be-if this works we'll continue-but if not we'll wait a few more minutes" so the other nurse got one leg, Eric got my other leg to brace me, and I did a set of three pushes, and Jim's eyes bugged-telling one of the 'room' nurses to get my doctor! My baby was ready- and so was I- it seemed an agonizing few minutes until Jim said to just keep going-so on I pushed-one glance into a mirror just before crowning gave me a glimpse of scalp!! For some reason I think I'd forgotten why I was in the hospital until that point!!! That did it! I pushed with everything I had-making wonderful progress each time-but it was that tiny bit of sliding back the baby did each time that encouraged me even more-my doctor arrived in head to toe splash gear (the only thing impersonal about my entire experience)-just in time to deliver the head-I couldn't look to see because my glasses were fogged from sweating-and she told me to NOT PUSH so they could suction -I thought I'd have to be committed-those seconds lasted an eternity-but then PUSH and FLOOP I could feel this BODY come out of my own!! "It's a GIRL" and my sweaty eyes had tears in them, and so did Eric's-they rushed her over to the warming tray-I don't remember her apgar-but she was perfect-hadn't gotten any meconium in the airway-and they presented me with this wonderful bundle-she barely cried when born-I think she was annoyed that she was woken up or something! She peered out from her blankets-looking right at her daddy's voice-Natasha Leigh her name. After 33 minutes of pushing she was 6lbs 4oz, 19" born at 4:13pm. The placenta was delivered shortly after a contraction or two with a half push (completely grossing out my hubby!) and I was stitched to repair a minor tear. My daughter was this teensy beautiful perfect creature- my anesthesiologist (who appeared to be nearly my age) visited us in the hospital room the next morning, and commented (as everyone else did) that "this is not the head of a vaginally delivered child!" so round!! (Small daughter, BIG hips on Momma!)

I nursed my daughter exclusively until she was weaned at 14 months of age-breastfeeding is an experience that is unmatched-much like birth! Getting started is indeed hard work-especially if you don't have any support (I thank God for my husband being fully behind me-he was the only one!) but once you and your baby learn together-it's a blissful experience nearly indescribable unless to another nursing mother!! If your medical group doesn't have a Lactation consultant of some sort, be sure to find one before your baby is born-she can be the lifeline that ensures your successful breastfeeding experience! Lisa (Momma to Natasha Leigh 10/27/93, Sascha Fox 9/19/95-his story coming soon-, and Baby Boy due in April 97)