For those of you who know me, you know that I post the stories of my birth for anyone who is interested. They can be graphic. I am pretty descriptive. I spend a lot of time researching labor, birth, breastfeeding, etc. even when I am not expecting. It is something I am passionate about. What may be disturbing to some, may be helpful or encouraging for others. So here goes…
My due date of September 5th came and went. If you have never passed your due date then you have no idea how disappointing this can be. I assumed the whole pregnancy that I would go to my due date because my 2nd child was born on her due date after going into labor spontaneously. I had a scheduled appointment with my OB-GYN on Tuesday, September 6th. I had been having contractions for about 2 weeks that would start and stop. I never dilated past 1 cm, though.
I spent Labor Day (Sept. 5th) walking many laps around the pasture, a few trips down the road, and reviewing Mom’s labor partner book with her. I woke up September 6th to some contractions, not unlike the ones I had been having. I thought nothing of them. Archer and I went and sat on the porch and enjoyed some one-on-one time while Momma and Adalia made a run to Brookhaven. As soon as the girls came home I started working on lunch. While I was making the kid’s plates I told Mom that I felt like I had a very small gush of something. I had no intentions of checking it out. I believed that this pregnancy would never end, so I ignored all signs of impending labor. After I put the kids up to the table to eat I went to the bathroom and, sure enough, I was bleeding. Not bleeding much, but bleeding. I had a scheduled appointment at 3:15 so I was going to go on to that as planned. Momma had other ideas, haha. She insisted that I call the Dr. office and tell them. I called them at 11:57, right before they closed for lunch. The receptionist spoke with Dr. Rushing and told me that he wanted me to go to the hospital “right now”. I didn’t see the need to go and was in no hurry. Momma took a shower and we got the kid’s some activity stuff together. I called my Daddy and asked him to come on because having a 4-year-old and 19 month old at the hospital isn’t ideal.
We arrived and checked in the hospital at 1:30. I was dilated to 2 cm, still having the bloody show, and no regular contractions. I gave a urine specimen and was strapped down to the awful, dreaded, uncomfortable external fetal heart monitor. It showed that I was contracting, but not regularly. The nurse said she would keep me on the monitor until my urine results came back, then she would call the doctor and see what he wanted us to do. I did not expect to be admitted. I just figured it was a wasted trip (and bill).
Dr. Rushing showed up at 3. He checked my cervix and said I had dilated to 3 cm, but I still was only having irregular contractions. He said since I wasn’t having regular contractions he would let me choose what I wanted to do next. His two suggestions were: 1) Go home and just come back if active labor began, or 2) stay overnight and be induced in the morning. He said he believed I was in the early phases of labor, which can take hours or days to progress into active labor. He didn’t seem comfortable sending me home since I have a history of very quick progressing labors and a 30 minute drive to the hospital from home. I told him that induction was not something I was willing to do at this point. The medical community, in general, will not let you remain pregnant for more than 41 weeks. My 41 week mark was still 6 days away so I did not want to induce at all, but especially when there was no medical necessity. So I asked him if he would be open to me getting the monitor discontinued, going walking for an hour or so, then get rechecked. He said that would be fine. He joked about how I was complete opposite of the usual patient, who begs to be induced asap.
Momma, Daddy, Archer, Adalia, and I headed out. We walked the stairs and several laps around the hospital outside. The good Lord blessed us with beautiful and comfortable weather. It was a great experience to spend that time with them. After an hour of walking we went back to the room, where I was put back on the monitor. I was contracting more regularly now but they slacked up slightly when I got back in the bed. The nurse checked me and I was 3-4 cm dilated. That was no significant change, but a change nonetheless. Daddy went and got us some fast food. I told the nurse that after I ate I would be going walking for another hour and I would decide after that walk whether I wanted to be admitted or sent home. The nurse initially said she thought I should stay but once she realized I had no intentions of induction she was talking about me going home.
All the while, I was still bleeding. My parents and babies stayed in the room while I went out for another hour-long walk. I told the nurse I would return around 6:15 so she could put me on the monitor for 15 minutes and check my cervix again before shift change. I did not really want that many cervical checks but it was necessary for me to know my progression so I could make my decision to stay or go. I walked a pretty fast pace and made several trips up and down the stairs. I stopped off at the chapel and prayed. I wanted to make the right decision and not inconvenience my family, either. I prayed for either absolutely no cervical change or significant change. My contractions picked up in frequency, regularity, and intensity. They were every 4 minutes. They were tolerable. I did not have to focus to breathe through them. They continued after being placed back onto the fetal heart monitor. I was 4 cm at 7:30 and decided to stay.
Daddy left with Archer. My step-dad, Rick, came and got Adalia. After everyone left and my new night shift nurse completed her assessment, Momma and I headed out for yet another walk! We walked from 8 to 9. During our walk my contractions were every 1-3 minutes apart. They were definitely gaining intensity. I had a few that I had to stop walking, breathe, and rock through. We stopped at the chapel, read a little scripture, and said a prayer. We went back to the room where I was admitted. I was 5 cm and contracting every 2-3 minutes. Mom and I both took a shower and started getting my birthing stuff together.
Mom had prepared to be my birth partner and help with relaxation. We turned on my Stephen Halpern station on Pandora. Mom used an array of relaxation techniques- light tough massage, lavender massage oil, pressure to my lower back during contractions, affirmations, etc. I layed on my left side (with no fetal monitor) and focused on my breathing and deepening my relaxation while she used her massages. The contractions quickly gained intensity. The nurse had to place me on the fetal heart monitor every hour for 15 minutes. She would not check me anymore unless I requested.
Mom reminded me to get up and empty my bladder. When I was in the bathroom I had contractions every 1 to 2 minutes with very little recovery time. There was now bright red blood and I remembered this part of labor all too well from 19 months before when Adalia was born. I informed Mom that my labor was about to kick into high gear and it was going to happen quickly. I believe this was about 10:30-11:00. While in the bathroom, the pressure in my bottom increased and the contractions were difficult to breathe through. I was having difficulty getting out of the bathroom to the bed because the contractions were coming to frequently. The only way I could get through these contractions was to bend my knees, squat slightly, and bounce up and down through them. Breathing in long deep breaths and then letting out equally as long breaths made a big difference in the pain. It felt like my uterus was lifted off my pelvis and helped with the pressure. I had stripped down to completely naked. Mom went and got the nurse. She arrived by the time I was about to try to get into the bed. She checked me while I was leaning on the bed with one leg in and one leg on the floor. I was 7 cm with a bulging bag of water. She hooked me to the monitor again for my 15 minute strip. She informed me that contractions were only every 4 minutes. I KNEW that was wrong wrong wrong! I moved the monitor around and- BAM- every minute.
The rest is quite a blur because it happened so quickly. I tried the birthing ball but, nuh-uh not happening. I tried standing up and leaning on Mom while swaying my hips. Once again, not happening. Back to the bed I went. I got back on my left side and breathed through the contractions as Mom worked hard to help me relax. Breathing alone wasn’t getting me through them anymore and I began a low moan through the contractions.
Within the next 30 minutes, birth was definitely imminent. The low moan got louder and was continuous. I began getting very hot. This was another thing that mimicked Adalia’s birth. Mom wet several rags and placed them on my body. I had a few sips of water, also. The nurse came in and said she felt the need to put me on the monitor continuously now since I was so close to birthing. She said that baby’s heart rate would drop slightly when it was time to push and she could see that from the desk. I didn’t care what she said or what she did now. I told her I felt a lot of pressure. She immediately checked and I was 9 cm with my water still intact. After about 5 minutes I began asking (begging, demanding, whatever) pain medication. Somehow through the pain, though, I was discussing what type of medications they were going to offer and the dosages. ;o) I wanted the lowest dosage available and I did not want the Phenergan. I asked for the Dr to come break my water so that baby would go ahead and be born. The pain medication conversation was going nowhere it seemed. I really didn’t want it but, man, that transition phase is a killer! I started saying those typical things- ”I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. I NEED that pain medicine. Get him out of me NOOOWWWW!”
The Dr broke my water and left. It had to have been less than 5 minutes later that I was telling them I had to push. The nursery nurse was in the room setting her stuff up. My nurse and another nurse were still talking about pain medicine (because I’m pretty sure I was still begging for it). The other nurse was trying to tell me that the Dr said if I got the medicine at this point in my labor that the baby would get full effects from it. Blah blah blah… then I told them I was pushing.
Pure panic arose in that room then. My nurse demanded that the nursery nurse call the Dr several times. No answer. The extra L&D nurse was trying to get stirrups on the bed. My nurse was at the end of my bed, looking at babies head, and hollering from that spot, “Dr. Sessums! Come right now!!” I got my legs in the stirrup and pushed, involuntarily- for the most part. I could feel the burning and I knew baby was crowning. The nurse was prompting me to stop pushing. Momma was trying to help me to breathe and not push. If you have ever given birth naturally (with no epidural) then you know that pushing isn’t an option. There is no need for “coached pushing” and counting numbers and all that jazz. Your body says push and then your body pushes. I remember telling my nurse at one point to stop pushing my baby back in! I could feel her trying to prevent him from being born.
Out came his head with push #3. Out came his shoulders with push #4. In came the Dr, out came the remainder of the baby right into Dr. Sessum’s arms. Fulson Russell Lofton entered the world on September 7, 2011 at 0005. He was pink and crying. He was placed directly onto my abdomen. His umbilical cord was not cut until it stopped pulsating, per my request. I had no tears or cuts, just small abrasions. Fulson weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs, 15.9 oz and was 20.5 inches long.
He did not show interest in nursing for about 20 minutes or so. When he did show interest, he nursed with ease. He and I were both still naked, just covered by blankets.
Fulson, Momma, and I made a great team for that labor and delivery process. I consider this another successful unmedicated delivery! Thank you God for my precious gift you have given me!!
/ I bought a couple things for super cheap to make Christmas gifts for my Momma, Daddy, and MIL from the kids. We came home and made the gifts. They turned out pretty cute and I’m excited about giving them. While we were making our crafts we watched Mickey Mouse Christmas and ate more pizza. Then bath. Then clean up the playroom. 
