All mommies have battle scars. They are called children. And don't we, as laboring soldiers, have the right to tell our stories? Ummm...you bet we do. Especially if we have our own blog.
With all of my children I have had epidurals. I have absolutely no desire to feel my child ripping his way out of my body. Nope, I am perfectly fine with being numb from the belly button down, watching a movie and intepreting for my husband. That is the way I have babies.
Or maybe I should say that is the way I used to have babies. That was before Briggy.
My contractions started in the morning and continued throughout the day. By evening, some of the contractions brought me to my knees...literally. But then they would go away. We had my brother and sister-in-law come over and she and I took a walk. That did it. Less than 3 minutes apart.
So we headed to the hospital. I was sure they were going to send me home because all the way there the contractions were 7-10 minutes apart. We get there and I go into triage to get checked. I asked her if they were going to send me home.
"Nope. You are at an 8. You are not going anywhere." An 8? Seriously?
So my next question was, "When can I get an epidural?"
"You can't. The anesthesiologist is in a C-section and you will be done by the time they get out."
To which I replied, "You don't understand. I don't have babies without epidurals."
To which she replied, "Blah blah- blahdidity blah...." I stopped hearing what she was saying. And everyone else, for that matter.
No epidural!! How was I going to make it through this? Seriously. I simply couldn't wrap my mind around it. Are you serious? How? How? No, really, how??? Look at a spot and concentrate really hard. Are you kidding me?!?
Hubs was trying to be supportive. "You can do it. You've never tried natural. It will be a good experience."
Good experience? Let's take your hand and hit it with a hammer. I wouldn't call that a good experience. Would you?? I would much rather have my hand completely numb, wouldn't you? Yeah, that's what I thought. But I didn't say that. I just said nothing. Speechless...for the first time in my life.
If they could promise it would be over in 30 minutes, (which it was) I think I could have handled it. But there were no promises, no timetables. Luckily, the midwife who was to deliver my baby was able to get the epidural man to squeeze me in. Whew, I thought. Let's roll.
Only, he should be fired. I felt it all. ALL OF IT. Lucky for me it was fast. I whined and cried and then cryned (whinned and cried...in case you didn't know that word.). Then out he came. And he was and is beautiful.
I didn't die. I made it through.
And have the cute little 20 month old scar to prove it!
Thanks, Mama Kat, for letting me re-live the pain.
25 comments:
I did mine the easy way....they cut them both out! =)
But just think, this is your experience and no one can take it away from you now!
OMG I would have tuned out after no epidural as well. I had one with both my boys, but I actually do want to attempt my next one med-free. Keyword being attempt.
♥ SailorWifey
I had 3 c-sections so haven't tried any epidural. It must have been a really scary experience for you.
Stopping by from Mama Kat's!
Have 6 kids myself. Number 2 was 10 pounds even and popped out- literally- 90 minutes after the pain started. The one long pain that never ended for 90 minutes. No prep, no meds and NO DOC! SmartGirl arrived in the hospital about 15 minutes after I did... with a nurse barely catching her as I insisted that YES THE BABY REALLY IS COMING NOW!
OMG! It must have been a really scary experience for you.
Thanks for sharing!
http://dwivedi2326.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-love-being-teacher.html
OOps!! I missed to mention that you have a lovely blog!
I am your newest follower :)
Oh what we go through for our children. ;)
Ok so me telling you I had each of my kids natural really doesn't do much for ya huh. I was a woos about having an epidural because I have major issues with needles and my spine.. Sooo for me natural was my only option. But I can imagine you felt much like I did on the first one , cause like me you had never done it natural. My first left me with 32 stitches. I figured if I could live through that anything after him would be easy lol.
Thanks for visiting my blog! WOW... I would have gone into a freakin' panic attack if they had told me no too. With my first, my epidural was so good that I literally didn't even feel that pressure when it was time to push. I felt nothing and it was several hours after he was born that I got the feeling back in my legs enough to stumble to the bathroom. With my second, they gave me a "walking epidural" which already sounded suspicious to me, but started out fine... I could feel my legs and toes but not the pain.. then after 20 minutes it simply wore off. They were busy and no one checked on my for quite awhile and when my husband noticed me white-knuckling the bedrail and crying hysterically, he went to get a nurse. They called the anesthesiologist and he came back and tried again. It totally didn't work and then it was time to push. So... I felt it too.. and not by choice... I wanted to fire that guy.
Stopping by from Mama Kats Workshop..
Wow. I am seriously terrified of childbirth. I have talked to woman that have had all kinds of experiences so it sounds like you really cannot predict anything about your labor.
Thanks for sharing this story. It's truly a sign that our bodies are capable of anything. : )
I was all natural until number 5. . .then I became a big baby and David convinced me to have and epidural. . .oh man, was it easy!!
I thought it was supposed to get easier with each one, right??? I think it's because you know way to much about everything by number 5 and you just want it over and done with!
They told me 'not enough time for an epidural' with my 2nd and 3rd and I must have had a mental lapse of thought during my 4th when I declined the epidural. I got smart again though by my 5th and it was much more pleasant!
Although...I had to laugh when I began reading because I thought of your husband's advantage of being deaf during an epidural-free labor. My husband had the audacity during one of my painful labors to quietly say to me, "You're being kind of loud."
Great post! May have to relive one of mine...
Only you could make this funny. :) Although I bet it wasn't to you.
I had epidurals both times. I didn't even think twice about it. I did it because my mom was too fast like you and she had to do a natural birth and I have heard her painful story over and over and over!
They sent me home 3x with my oldest because I wanted to make sure I was there and got all drugged up early enough. However I too was in drop to my knees pain with her for 3 days before they let me in the hospital.
I am thankful for vasectomies. I have 2 girls and I don't thi k I could do it again. My littlest girl was an ordeal as well.
I had three of my kids without any drugs at all, and two with. When I was at nine centimeters with the epidural I thought, "Wow! This is how to have a baby!"
Your comment about your husband saying it would be a good experience made me laugh so hard!
As a woman we have THE RIGHT to tell our birthing stories!! Ha Ha
Glad you made it through!!
I only had one epidural (it's a long story!) but I LOVED IT!!! Greatest invention ever!!!!
I live where epidurals are not given. Not enough anesthesiologists. My sisters tell me about their experience, warm towels, watching TV and playing cards. Sounds like a spa not a birth. Can you tell I'm a little bitter?
Dana
Found you through Mama Kat. Yup, I had the epi, but it wasn't nearly enough. They had to call the guy back twice to give me a megadose since I was begging for a C-section.
22 hours later the little big headed 8 pounder was born.
Yeah, the next time I went for the c-section.
Soooooo much easier!
I love your writing style. I stopped by for Alphabet Day, and became a follower. I felt so lucky that all of my kids were epidural babies, and I wouldn't change it. Good job. And great proof that I really could have made it through if I had tried. :-)
Thanks for sharing your story! fun to read, if not for you to experience. I had both my kids the "natural" way. Were there to be a third child, I would have said to "just knock me out till it's over."
Sounds like quite an experience!
I had all four of mine natural (that's what we did in the 70s and early 80s), but that's what I was expecting.
I think it would be hard to suddenly be going natural when you were planning to have an epidural. Kind of a shock to the system to have to change mid-stream like that.
Glad you ended up with a healthy baby!
=)
I have 4 children ( 19-25) number 1 was natural as it was number one the midwife asked if I was ready to push I replied I don't know I have never had a baby before.
Number 2 was an epidural bliss
number 3 was epidural and a general anesthetic followe dby c section
number 4 an elective pre planned c section. number one was the best
Glad you lived through it. Modern medicine certainly does have its advantages!
Teresa
The pain of natural birth! I know exactly how you felt because mine was pretty much all natural (my own stupid choice) and at the end, I was begging for an epidural even though by then it wouldn't have mattered. Poor you! Well, at least it is one experience you will never forget right? You can share it with your kids when they grow up :)
Yikes! This brought back some memories of childbirth...and none of them good! GULP!
Things were quite different back in the 70's and 80's. While I won't tell you that we squeezed out the baby and went back to plowing back then, it kinda/sorta felt close to that!
I'm glad this ended up good for you...and you have the cute scar to prove it!
Thanks for linking to Alphabe-Thursday. This was a fun and different stop this week.
A
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