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Main Page Site Index Getting Pregnant Pregnancy Parenting Pregnancy and Parenting Journals Fertility Nutrition Pregnant Moms Morning Sickness Women's Health Child Health	birth of my Gina By Susan I found out I was pregnant on friday March 9, 2001. We saw our baby for the #1 time on thursday April 24, at 11 weeks gestation. The 22-week ultrasound on saturday June 30 showed us that we were having a girl. Seven weeks later, on wednesday August 22, we looked at our 29-week-old. I had a textbook pregnancy, no worries, no complications, baby and I were doing fine. My due date of November 5 came and went, my midwife sent me to the hospital for non-stress-test, ultrasound and an OB-check-up. My blood pressure was low, my baby was sky high, I wasnt dilated, my cervix wasnt ripe, there were no signs of labor. For the next 12 days I went back and forth to the hospital for tests, my mandatory induction date was set on November 19, when 42 weeks were over. I didnt want to get induced. It was hard to wait, those were the longest 2 weeks of my life. I really wanted to have the baby, I tried every natural inducer in the book, had my membranes stripped on 4 different occasions (all after 40 weeks), but nothing worked. Friday November 16, 2001 at night, contractions started all by themselves. every 12 minutes, not very painful, but enough to not let me sleep all night. Saturday November 17, 2001 All morning and afternoon same story, every 12 minutes. Im getting tired, but my back hurts too much to lie down. 07.30 Pm every 8 minutes, active labor started, I have to stop doing other things and concentrate. this is not sooo bad, I can do this..... 10.00 PM every 5 minutes, pain is intense! But manageable. the best way for me to cope is to be standing up, and have 'daddy'rub my back, I have all back labor. 11.45 PM husband called the midwife; she was to come to our house to check dilation before going to the hospital, in order top avoid going there too soon, and maybe be sent back. Sunday November 18 00.10 AM midwife arrived at our house, checked me and Im 5 cm.!After 26 hours of labor! I could cry from pain, frustration, tiredness. Off to the hospital, those 5 miles felt like 500 miles. I walked into the labor and delivery room, she followed me with a wheelchair. 00.30 AM settled in in L&D room, she breaks my water; in minutes I go to 8cm. A true avalanche of contractions start: every 30 seconds a contraction lasting alsmot 2 minutes. Did I mention I had back labor!? The pain I felt till 5 cm was nothing, meaningless to the pain I felt now. I have to breathe through the contractions, one on top of the other, no rest, no breaks! I felt the baby move down the birth canal, and now that Im standing up again (I laid down for her to break my water) I feel alot of pressure and alot of pain. 01.00 AM I cannot take this anymore! General anestesia is looking good right now! Off to the shower; daddy held the shower head on my back, I breathe through the contractions, I lost all track of time, the only thing that mattered was doing this. I knew Id be so dissapointed with myself had I given in to painrelieve. So I didnt. Any painmeds would do nothing at this point and would drug the baby too much. So I didnt get anything. I was never hooked up to an IV, no fetal monitor, nothing, I was free to move about and drink. My midwife followed me about with a doppler to check baby's heartbeat. 02.45 AM contractions start to feel different, back to the bed: she checked me and Im 9.5 cm. 03.15 10 cm.! pushing started, after a transition that lasted almost 3 hours. Pushing felkt good, I pushed through the pain. After the #2 push, baby's heartbeat dropped fast all of a sudden, and didnt recuperate! Under 60 already and dropping....Im told to stop pushing and lie on my side. Thats nearly impossible to do. the OB got called in and checked the heartbeat, then said the baby had to be out now! He decided to use forceps, there wasnt any time! The foot-stirrups were put in place, I got a catheter (didnt hurt), a 4th-degree episiotomy (no anestetics,it hurt for a moment), he put in the forceps (no anestetics either, so yes, that hurt a lot!) and pulled our daughter into this world! 03.25 AM Gina Josefa was born! After a 42-week pregnancy and a 30-hour labor. She was fine! 9 lbs, 20", head circ.15", Apgars 8&9, blue eyes and a full head of dark hair. She came out screaming! Daddy cut the cord, I delivered the placenta, the OB explained it to us, on our request to do so. I got local anestetics for the stitches, which took about 45 minutes. then they left us alone with coffee, cake and a phone. 05.15 AM I took a shower. 05.45 settled in in my room, Gina went to the nursery, husband went home. Monday November 19 We all went home. Labor was hard and long, but it was all worth it. Id do it again in the exact same way if I had to. I felt very dissapointed about the forceps, but I knew there's nothing I could have done differently to avoid it. Search the Birth Stories Match All Terms Any Term and show results in Standard Form in Compact Form Hint! Enclose phrases in quotes. For example "home birth" Return to Section 78 Birth Stories