Azriel's birth story.

So now that I am all 'preggers' again, it has me dreaming.dreading.thinking.twitching about going through a second labour.  In lieu of this mama's mindset, I thought I would share a brief synopsis of how my labour went with our first baby - Azriel.  [What's that you say?  The swooshing sound of any guy that still reads my blog running for the hills]...  I know, this isn't a post everyone would be stoked to read.  But considering I've never posted about it before.. I think I am due (no pun intended).

***

Azi was supposed to be coming at us live sometime around October 17th, 2009.  However, she - being like her mama - opted to stay lazily in her comfort zone until further notice.  Notice was served October 29th when I was big as a barn and ready to go in and drag her out myself!  Now we all have the dream of how we'll go through labour.... out in a sunny field of flowers... a sweet natural labour... with no icky medical intervention needed, right?  Well, from the get go this was a forced. intervention. kind of gauntlet.  In the morning they attempted to break my water... with no success.  They cranked me up on Oxytocin - the crack cocaine for contractions.  Then they waited, and watched.. whilst I breathed. focused. walked. bounced. moaned for a few hours.  Family would poke their heads in and chat (side note: don't ever ask questions of someone while they're contracting... rage can ensue).

My wonderful midwife Care and dear husband Ben stayed by my side through it all.  Supplying with me with all the lime popsicles I craved.. even after bringing them back up again!  By around 3:30 in the afternoon trouble hit.  With every contraction I couldn't help but impulsively start pushing.  I was only 5 cm, and this pushing was dropping the babe's heart rate.  Turns out Azriel was facing up - so we were spine on spine... and for whatever reason it was making my body want to crank her out too soon.

Enter Mr. No-Bedside Manner... who barked at me to stop moving... bend way over... and allow him to shove the epidural needle into the small of my back.  I managed to make myself numb to his lack of charm.... and he managed to make my lower half numb to the pain.. oh joy.

Now I got to rest from 7:30pm - 8:30 roughly... trying to encourage Azi to roll over and place nice.    By 9pm I was fully dilated and the craziness started afresh.  I was pushing 'blind' now that I couldn't feel anything... and my midwife was encouraging me that the baby was descending.  Then her heart rate started dropping.. the cord had coiled around her neck during descent.  The Dr. showed up and attempted a vacuum - but due to Azi's positioning - it popped right off.  He then warned that if the forceps didn't grab her.. we'd have to get a C-section!  Just grab the jaws of life already!  I looked at Ben and said "pray".  I gave the biggest.most desperate.don't want a c-section. push I could muster...  out came the head!!  I was so excited I kept pushing and would have shot her across the room if the Doc hadn't said 'stop pushing now'!  

The poor wee thing had mucus trapped in her lungs, so that made for some extra care and concern required.  And poor me... got all tore up thanks to the snip.rip.flip action of labour.  Tragic comedy moment: the Doc saying to my midwife "I don't usually make the stitches this small, but I'm running out of sutures" (I even offered him my shoe laces!).

But, praise God, we all made it through in the end!  Sure it felt like I sat on a weed-wacker for a few days (weeks), but the joy and love that keeps growing for this daughter far eclipses any pain.
.

I really hope that this next labour plays out a bit more nicely... (so does my husband who looked like a returned war veteran afterwards).  I'm still eager to do it again, and glad to have my midwife back too!

Thanks for hearing our story.

Mel :o)