My First Pregnancy: Labour and Delivery

My labour lasted 15 hours in total.  I was 7 days overdue and that morning I was supposed to go in for induction.  However, at 4 A.M. I woke up and went to the washroom.  I noticed bloody show on my panties, not much though.  It looked like a beginning of a menstrual cycle.  I called the hospital immediately and nurse told me that is nothing to worry about, since my water hasn’t broken and my contractions haven’t started.  I went back to bed and soon enough I started feeling contractions.

I always wondered how contractions were going to feel like.  I mean, everybody always said I will “know” when contractions begin.  Most women describe them as a menstrual-like pain.  Even my very good girlfriend described contractions as the worst menstrual pain ever, and actual natural labour felt like somebody was ripping out a piece of her body.  Even so, it was pretty hard for me to imagine what it will feel like as I am so used to big menstrual cramps that I thought that actual contractions wouldn’t be such a big deal for me.

It started out slowly, like a dull menstrual pain.  It would start of easy, and it would peak after 30 – 45 seconds.  Peak of the pain felt like huge cramp all over my lower abdomen, with dull menstrual pain included.  As soon as contraction would be over, I would be able to resume whatever I was doing, like nothing was happening.  At the beginning I was timing my contractions and since they were approximately 10 minutes apart, I decided to take a shower before I go to the hospital.  My contractions intensified in the shower, so I had to cut it short and soon enough we were rushing to the hospital.  I hardly survived car ride to the hospital, which was half an hour away from my home. 

When we came to the hospital, nurse didn’t even ask me to go to check-up room, but she sent me right away to labour & delivery room.  It seems she could tell right away that I was in labour.  I wasn’t really talking much, but rather saving my energy for whatever was coming next.

Prior to labour,  I had some doubts about getting an epidural.  I was afraid of possible negative side effects, such as becoming paralyzed or what not, but then I watched a video about epidural where it was explained how it is almost impossible to become paralyzed from epidural.  Furthermore, epidural is not only used for labour, but for all kinds of surgeries which require that kind of anesthesia.

Anyway, I thought to see for myself how bad contractions will be before I decide whether or not I will take an epidural.  By the time we reached a maternity ward, my mind was already made up.  There was no way I would ever go for natural labour, if epidural is available to make my pain go away. 

We had private room for labour and delivery. I was rushed to bed, screaming in pain, and then anesthesia doctor came in.  I haven’t even felt him inserting a needle into my back.  Pretty soon epidural started working – it was entering my body through an IV – intravenously.  My contractions magically disappeared. I was only 4 cm dilated, my water was still there and nurse told me they had to wait until I dilate to full 10 cm, which could take a whole day.  So, all we had to do was relax and wait.  I wasn’t hungry, but they allowed me to eat some Popsicle and drink juice throughout the day.  I could even have a piece of toast, but I had no appetite.

During a day a doctor came to break my water with a big needle that was inserted through my vaginal opening into my uterus.  I haven’t felt anything because of the epidural which was set on 12 (whatever kind of measurement that was).  I felt like big gush of water coming out of me, nurse cleaned me afterward and that was it. 

I must mention that my epidural didn’t take away feeling in my legs or anything.  I could feel everything, but it was totally numb.  When nurse would tell me to lift my behind so she could do something, I had no trouble doing it on my own. I could move my feet and toes with no problem.  Only area that was numb was practically around my pelvic area, hips and thighs.  Since I couldn’t go to the washroom on my own, nurse came with catheter to empty my bladder.  I could actually feel nurse inserting catheter through my urethra and it was quite painful.  I complained but nurse told me that pain is normal.  She was not really gentle and that made me a bit stressed out, like I haven’t had enough for that day.

Anyway, we were waiting until 5 P.M. and then doctor came in and said I was fully dilated and we should start labour.  They told me to push, but I couldn’t push hard enough so they decided to ease on my epidural by 2.  That didn’t help, as I had no urge to push whatsoever.  My epidural was lowered to 6 and I could quite feel my contractions at that time.  Nurse told me to push every time I would feel a contraction coming.  Pushing can best be described as if you had to go to the washroom for bowel movement.  That’s all I had to focus on – pushing.  However, that wasn’t easy as I had to hold my breath while pushing, and soon enough my diaphragm started hurting me, and I couldn’t focus on two different pains at once.  Sometimes I would have to cut my pushing short due to pain in diaphragm.

Somewhere during labour I got fever, around 38 C.  Doctors were not concerned much but they were checking up on me all the time.  However, during my pushing, only my husband and nurse were in the room, one on each side, holding a leg and nurse talking to me to push. I was in half seated position at all times. 

I was very hot and sweaty so my husband would frequently apply wet cloth on my forehead and remove sweat.  That was really helpful. 

Two and a half hours later nurse said she could see a head, and she left the room to look for a doctor.  My husband and I were left alone in the room with me still pushing as I couldn’t stop anymore.  I was in pain, the worst pain ever and all I could think was I needed this pain to be over.  I couldn’t do it anymore.  Nurse was back in the room along with 2 doctors and 2 other nurses.  They surrounded me and told me to start pushing as hard as I could, guiding me to stop frequently.  I didn’t realize at that time that not stopping to push when they told me to could cause tears in my perineum.  So, few times when they told me to stop pushing, I would stop, but not right away.  Finally, baby’s head was out.  They told me to push again and with a single strong push my baby was out.  I could actually feel whole baby coming out of me like in a single shot.  Then doctor pressed my uterus and told me to push again. Within minutes, my placenta was delivered too.  My husband had the honour to cut an umbilical cord.

Nurses took my baby right away to wipe her and within seconds I heard my baby crying.  I remember feeling an instant sense of relief knowing my baby is well.  Soon enough they brought baby and put her down on my breasts. I remember looking into my swaddled baby with a small white hat on and two swollen dark gray eyes were staring at me.  I couldn’t believe I actually gave birth to this little baby, my little baby…

Once labour and delivery were completed, doctor had to put stitches on my perineum which was quite torn – they told me it was torn 3-way (approximately 2 cm).  They were putting stitches on me for half an hour and with my epidural on low, I could actually feel everything and it wasn’t comfortable at all.

At the end nurse came with a wheelchair and asked me if I wanted to take a shower.  However, I couldn’t stand on my feet at all, let alone walk, and I wanted was to go to bed and sleep, hoping that pain will go away. 

I was in the hospital for 6 days as I developed UTI – urinary tract infection.  As they didn’t know what kind of infection I had, doctors put me on intravenous antibiotic.  Meanwhile, pain down bellow in my perineum was terrible.  I was putting ice sticks non-stop, along with Tylenol and Ibuprofen.  I had my first stool within 3 days and that was very painful, but with help of stool softeners I managed that obstacle too.

Worst pain I had following my delivery was pain caused by hemorrhoids.  I had few 2 - 3 cm big ones and I couldn’t sit or stand for days.  Doctor prescribed some hemorrhoid ointment / cream, but didn’t help me at all.  Then my girlfriend suggested some cold wipes, but they didn’t help me either.  Finally my family doctor suggested Preparation H gel and suppositories.  That was the only thing that actually helped me and took away painful hemorrhoids. 

Anyway, right after giving birth I wondered how women decide to have another baby at all.  Then I thought, there’s always Caesarian in case I don’t want vaginal delivery.  I was in such pain following my delivery that I can’t describe it as pleasant experience at all.

But, it seems that time heals everything and within less than 2 weeks I got rid of my hemorrhoids and pain in perineum.  Three months later, I still don’t feel like my old self, but I’m getting there.

I heard that it is easier to have second baby than first, and I am already considering possibility of another vaginal delivery.  My little baby girl is the most beautiful thing that could ever happen to me, and few hours of pain are nothing when you compare it to a lifetime of happiness. 

I can’t believe I am finally a Mom too…  I joined the best club ever!