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Wesley's Birth

Friday November 13, 1987 was my due date. Though my cervix had decided to take longer--I was only 2cm, 80% effaced and a lost mucous plug, but no contractions. My mother-in-law had given me two teaspoons of castor oil the day before to try to kick start things.

A week later, November 19, my mother-in-law was even more impatient and so was I. We doubled the dosage of castor oil--this time I almost lost my lunch (breakfast, snack, dinner, etc....) but I held it down...YUK!!! I went to bed hoping to be awaken with contractions, but received a very restful nights sleep.

November 20, I woke up about 8am and decided to eat breakfast and go on with life---no more castor oil! At about 9am I started feeling achy in my back and sides. I wasn't sure at first, but I asked my (ex) husband to start timing them just to make me feel better. Sure enough, about noonish I was lying in bed trying to relax with each contraction. I was excited and scared! I was seventeen, my first child, hated doctor, NEEDLES ( my first reason for natural childbirth) and away from home for the first time.

My mother-in-law called the doctor's office to let them know I was in labor. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart (its been along time). The doctor suggested I stay home as long as I could for my own comfort and see if the continued. My appointment with him that day was at 2:15pm and said to come in still at that time.

At 2:15pm, I was shown to an exam room and I kept trying to tell the nurse I was in labor. She treated me as a seventeen year old girl with no knowledge, not even of her own body. I was left on an exam table, for 20 to 30 minutes, like a regular exam! The doctor walked in did a pelvic exam and said "You're in labor!" HELLO??? I was immediatly walked across to the hospital.

By 3:20pm, I was strapped with a fetal monitor in a birthing room. A little til 4pm, I was able to get up and walk. I was stopped in the waiting area to have my IV put in my wrist. At this point I hurt so bad I gladly gave him my wrist. I knew I needed the glucose for pep. By 5:30pm I was told I had been stuck between 5 and 6cm for a longer than they'd like. They broke my water to help speed the dilation. I stayed in bed from this time til birth. The breaking of my water helped the dilation, but the contractions were even more intense. My breathing helped alot up until this point so they decided to give me some Demerol in my IV. It took the edge off the pain and helped me sleep between contractions ( after a good vomit!)

9:45pm, I was 8cm and wanted to push so bad! They told me to wait so I wouldn't rip my cervix. I panted and cried and panted--then they gave me a small dosage of Demerol at 10pm. Forty five minutes later, I was at 10cm and given the go ahead! I started pushing a few times until the baby's head crowned. I was then given an episotomy without a shot (I was numb now). I gave a few more pushes and they brought in the forceps to help. Though every time the would start to use them I would yell "PUSH" and give a try. Finally without the forceps, at 11:18pm the baby was born! "Its a BOY!" All I could say was "Wesley James"! I was stitched up without medication until the last two stitches because the numbness wore off.

They took Wesley to the warming bed to clean and wrap. He was also born asleep from the last shot of Demerol given to me at 8cm. Wesley was fine though. They handed him to me and ran across the hall to another delivery in the works. We took pictures and I was soon left alone with Wesley. He was beautiful! It was a wonderful experience, but I felt it could have been done without the medication with more encouragment from the staff. We went home the next day around 8pm--less than 24hrs also. I decided to look into midwifery for my next child----Skylar Christian Terry Harris!

Shannon Harris
Skylar's Birth