Sunday, January 28, 2007

A little history...

When I was four months pregnant with Porgie, John and I moved from Kentucky to New Jersey. After the move, we discovered that I had pregnancy induced hypertension. I was on bed rest for the majority of the pregnancy. I developed no major complications from the high blood pressure, and the rest of my pregnancy was fairly uneventful.

Two days after my due date, my water broke. I had tested positive for Group B Strep, so I had to go to the hospital immediately. Once I arrived they reported that I was 3 cm dilated. So, they stuck me in a bed and hooked me up to a fetal monitor. The problem was that I wasn't having regular or strong contractions. In an attempt to get my labor started, my nurse began administering pitocin. That shit is strong! I began having horrible contractions. I felt like my spine was going to shatter into a million little pieces.

After being at the hospital for a good 10 hours, they checked me again. I was only 5 cm dilated. I wanted to die. How can 10 hours of pain result in 2 little cm? Of course, I was weak and asked for the epidural. That shit is good! All of my pain faded to the background. The world was rainbows and unicorns again.

After about 4 more hours, they checked me again. I was still 5 cm dilated. The doctor explained that after a woman reaches 5 cm, she typically dilates 1 cm per hour. My labor had stalled. She let me know that a c-section was likely. I did not want a c-section. I really wanted to experience a vaginal birth.

After 4 more hours, she checked me again. Guess what? I was still 5 cm dilated. They scheduled me for the c-section. The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Before I knew what happened, I was laying on the operating table, all drugged up. However, I do remember Porgie's first cry. I looked over at John and smiled. I couldn't believe we had a baby. Porgie was born at 10:21pm. She was perfect in every way.

I stayed in the hospital for 4 days, where I suffered from the baby blues. I cried at the drop of a hat. This leads to a discussion about breastfeeding, which is a story for another day.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to hear what happened wrt breastfeeding. I have my own bfing horror story.

My baby was born at 10:39 PM by c-section too! I also remember well her first cry. It was wonderful after all the scary stuff leading up to hearing it.

I had PIH which turned into preeclampsia. You didn't have magnesium sulfate, did you? That shit will mess you up.

I'm sorry you ended up with a c-section. They suck.

Christy said...

Fortunately, my PIH did not turn into preeclampsia. My blood pressure was high during the majority of my pregnancy. I also experienced several fainting episodes. However, I never developed any major complications. I have heard that the magnesium sulfate is rough.