Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Brenda's Birth Story



Here is the birth story of our sweet baby boy…
We had a traumatic emergency c-section with our 2nd baby, so when we found out we were expecting again I knew I wanted to use a doula this time around to increase my chances of a VBAC. I met Tina at a Doula Network meeting and asked her to be our Doula shortly after finding out I was pregnant.
On August 17th I woke up with contractions that seemed stronger than the Braxton hicks I had been having. I had some bloody show and the contractions continued about 5-10 minutes apart the whole day…they slowly got stronger. Around 10:30 p.m. We decided to call Tina. When she arrived the contractions slowed way down. We thought it would be good to try and rest so she went home and I went to bed around midnight. At 2am I woke up with a decent
contraction. I stayed in bed till 5:30am. I was able to rest in between the contractions but needed Clint to rub my back each time I had one. They were getting stronger but still staying about 5 minutes apart and staying about 60 seconds in duration.
We called Tina and she came over around 8am. We walked a couple of blocks around the
neighborhood…stopping with each contraction. They were getting more intense and I was starting to feel really exhausted and somewhat nauseated. I continued to labor at home…pretty much just wondering around…and eventually feeling most comfortable in my bedroom. I decided I wanted to take a shower to help relax…right before I got in I started throwing up. I felt much better after that and was able to be in the shower alone. Clint stayed in the bathroom in case I needed anything but the hot water really helped me relax. Around 11:30 or 12pm Clint and I decided we wanted to go to the hospital.
We got our things together and headed over…Tina would meet us there. Things seemed to calm down on the ride over. I still contracted about 5 minutes apart, but they seemed much more manageable. We parked and walked up to labor and delivery. After we got up and into Triage, Clint had to go back down to admitting. Tina was there so she stayed with me while the nurse got me on the monitors to watch the contractions/baby’s heart rate. After Clint came back up and the nurse got all the info she needed, she checked my cervix. I as an 8! I started crying out
of relief! Relief that it was close to the end and relief that we had stayed home long enough...I was so worried I would get there and only be 3cm!
We got into our room and got settled. My Dr. was out of town so the on-call Dr. came in to see how I was doing. I was very thankful to see that it was the same Dr. we saw for our OB care with our first son. He offered to break my water and we decided we would since I was progressed so far.
Immediately after he broke my water, the contractions got INTENSE. I did need to be on the monitors but was able to labor out of bed. I would squat or lean my elbows on the side of the bed
with each contraction. Shortly after my water breaking I felt pressure, the nurse checked and I was still an 8. I remember thinking…”I can’t do this much longer!” I had a few more contractions and this time I felt PRESSURE! I think I even was pushing a little because I just “needed” to. This time I was at 10cm and ready to push. They called the Dr. and I ended up having to wait a little bit before he got there. That was really hard! The nurse and Tina were really helpful in helping me breath through the contractions…In retrospect I think I would have just started pushing. Finally, the Dr arrived and I started to push. I needed help with my breathing
and had some oxygen…It was so intense and I was ready for it to be over! It felt like I was pushing for a really long time but I guess it was less than 5 pushes and our baby boy was here! I looked down and saw his sweet face…The feeling of seeing him and the relief of delivery being over was unlike anything I have ever experienced.
My body had been laboring for over 24 hours and was finally done. They put sweet Griffin to my chest and he was so beautiful and alert…He nursed right away and it was so amazing to have my
baby with me and not taken away. I had no tearing and really no trauma anywhere…my recovery was amazing. My back muscles were a tad sore but other than that I felt great.
Overall my birth experience was an amazing experience. Was everything we had wanted and more. God blessed me beyond words and I am so thankful for our beautiful baby
boy and such an incredible birth. I got to experience birth how God created it to be.
My body did what it was supposed to do and I was able to enjoy the experience vs. fear it. Having Tina serve as my Doula was so beneficial and I couldn’t have done it without her. She was such a blessing to us during this time and we will always hold a special place for her in our hearts!
~Brenda

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I am a labor and delivery RN and have had the pleasure of having Tina attend the births of a few of my many patients. I have to say that she fosters a calm environment and is very helpful to the family and to me. Tina's observations are very helpful and her patients love her. Thank you Tina and I hope to see you more often. Pam RN