I thought I'd take a bit of time to write about the story of Micah's birth while it's still somewhat fresh in my memory.
I wanted a completely natural birth with no medical interventions; however, this did not happen, but even though it didn't, I am very happy with my labor and delivery story.
My parents were up visiting on Easter weekend. I had been told a bunch of times by my mom how nice it would be for me to have an Easter baby (and convenient since they were already visiting!) Josh had been telling me for most of my pregnancy that he was expecting an Easter baby too.
As I was walking down the stairs to get ready to go to church at 8:30 Easter morning, my water broke. I told everybody that it looked like they'd be getting their Easter baby after all!
My dad did not want to go to church because I was obviously in labor. I said there was no need to stay home and that it could be hours yet, so we went to church and proceeded to have a nice day.
It was about time to go to bed on Sunday night and I had still not started active labor yet. I had an OBGYN already scheduled for the following Monday at 12:45, so I decided to go to bed. Josh was just sure that I'd have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night.
After having not started active labor by the time I got up in the morning, I called my OBGYN and asked if he wanted me to go ahead and come in early or wait until my 12:45 appointment. He wanted to see me first thing in the morning. While I was there he confirmed that my water had, in fact, broke. (Good! Because by this time Josh and my dad had stopped believing me!!) He told me that I needed to go to the hospital right away because I had been ruptured for more than 24 hours.
I didn't want to go in yet. I still had to go back home and get my hospital bags. I wanted the yard mowed, and a few last minute things done around the house. My parents and I took a walk while Josh mowed to try to start labor naturally. They then left for their appointment that they had come to Saint Louis for in the first place. Josh and I finished our things up at the house and headed to the hospital.
We checked into the hospital at around 1:30 pm on Monday, April 25. When I was checked at 2:00 pm I was 3 cm dilated. At 3:00 pm they put me on the antibiotics because I had been ruptured for 29 hours. At 4:30 pm I was 4 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced. I started having my own natural contractions at around 5:00 pm.
At 8:45 after talking with my doctor I agreed to start taking pitocine because I had been ruptured for 36 hours and had not progressed very far naturally.
I labored without pain medication until they told me that I was at least 8 cm dilated and at a 0 station. This was at 12:45 am. I continued progressing without pain medication until my doctor showed up at 2:30 am. He gave the bad news that I was only 6 cm dilated.
I was very discouraged when I heard this news. I was also in a lot of pain. I thought I had been feeling the urge to push, and here the doctor was telling me I was only a little over half way dilated.
I told the doctor to just "hack the kid out of me" The contractions were very strong and there was not hardly any time between them. They had been like that for almost three hours. (Thinking back, I wish I had made them take me OFF of the pitocin at this point- or sooner, but I wasn't thinking of it at that time.)
The doctor kept telling me that he would not do a Cesarean section, and that it was not necessary. (I had made it very clear in earlier conversations with him that I did NOT want one.) He suggested giving me an epidural to see if it would help me relax so that I could have the baby naturally. If I couldn't relax, then I would need the epidural for the c-section anyway. I was all for the epidural at this point.
They administered the epidural at 2:45 am. By 3:00 am I was 9.5 cm dilated.
At 4:15 am I began pushing.
At 5:03 am, Micah Edward Gerrels was born. 7 lbs, 10 oz. 20 1/2 inches long.
I gave birth 68 1/2 hours after my water ruptured. I was in active labor for approximately 12 of those hours, and I had an epidural for the last 2 hours of my labor/delivery.
It was not what I thought it was going to be like, but I had a great doctor who never made me feel pressured to make a decision that I didn't want to make. I was so happy that he chose to stay at the hospital and wait for me to progress "naturally" so that I could have a vaginal delivery as opposed to jumping at the opportunity to perform a C-section when I was asking him to perform one at 2:30 in the morning.
After all that, and after being around my little son, I am already asking Josh if we can have us a little girl next. I'm ready for another one now!
