It's Monday, July 23rd. at 5am and I have started feeling some contractions. They are somewhere between 15 to 5 minutes apart. I can still talk, walk and pretty much do everything around the house. As the day goes by, Jon and I start getting anxious. The pain and intensity is a 4 out of 10. So we just wait.
Jon goes to work, I get the house ready in case we have to leave to the hospital.
It's 4pm of Monday 23rd, our cousins Bryan and Samantha arrive. She is my duola. We start talking about what to expect and the birth plan. {Birth plan was about being all natural, no drugs, no inductions of any kind, including braking the water. Also leaving as soon as possible and keeping the baby with us at all times}
So the night came and we are still at home. Contractions are getting a little stronger (a 5 out of 10 maybe) and a little closer together. Approximately every 10 minutes.
It's Tuesday, July 24th at 5am again. Contractions are kicking in with a pain rate of 6 out of 10. They came anywhere from 10 to 5 minutes apart. We all are getting more and more excited. I try to keep moving, however at about 11am we realize that they are stronger when I am laying down. So I proceed to stay that way to get things going.
It is about noon of the 24th and we call the hospital to ask when it would be best for us to come. We are told that once contractions are 5 apart and I am unable to speak because of the pain. So we wait and withing an hour my contractions get between 5 to 3 minutes apart and I can hardly speak...but we wait an extra hour to be sure.
2pm of Tuesday the 24th and we head over the hospital with contractions every 3 minutes with a pain rate of 7 out of 10. To all this, it was back labor as opposed to front labor.
We get to the hospital around 2:30 and we get situated in the delivery room. The nurse comes to check on me and check how far along I am with dialation...
...to our dissapointment I am only 2cm dialated...
...They give us a couple of hours to see if I will progress.
It is around 6pm of the 24th and the Dr. on call, Dr. Chadd (they only have two doctors, so I new Him too) arrives and checks to see if I have progressed at all.
...Nothing...dissapointing. Now what?
The doctor gives the options: "we break your water and hope that speeds things up (although I know in your plan you said you did not want that), or you go home and wait some more. It's up to you."
"I have been having contractions for two days already, break my water -I don't want to go home, I want to meet my baby" So they do so around 6:30pm of the 24th.
Around 7 family starts arriving. Jon's parents and his sister and brother in law. I have my family on skype watching the whole process.
The night falls and everyone starts getting comfortable for a long night...but no baby yet. The nurses come and check me...I have only progressed to 4cm after four hours of increased contractions. They come every 2 minutes and the pain has gone up to an 8 out of 10.
It is the early morning of Wednesday, July 25th and everyone is falling asleep. Jon and I are awake dealing with pain and no dialating as I should. We go for a walk, I use the birth ball, my duola encourages me and guides me through contractions to continue breathing deep. It is for sure the longest night of my life.
The pain is now a 10 out of 10 with back labor and contractions every 2 minutes.
It is around 6am of the 25th and my father in law has to go back to work.
My doctor comes in around 7 and I am only 6cm dialated. We start talking about our options since I am having a "dry labor" and I am not progressing as desired. The main thing we want to avoid is a C-section. So baby needs to be out before we reach the 24th hour after breaking the water. My options are to continue all natural, walking, using the birthball and waiting - with increased risk of C-section as time goes by. Or I could get pitocin and get things going without epidural, but with a lot more pain, or finally, get both pictocin and epidural and forget about going all natural but getting the baby out on time and get this over with.
Jon and I decided we would wait a few more hours and see if I can get things going on my own. By this time, I have not slept at all in more than 24 hours being in active labor, with, towards the early morning, pain of 11 out of 10.
It is around 10am, my contractions are slowing down, getting farther apart and my sister in law and her husband need to head out. She works at 1pm and they need to drive for almost 2 hours.
My doctor comes in around 11 and we talked about our options again. Same thing, pitocin (and epidural if I want it). At this point I can hardly talk, I am too tired and while talking, contractions kick in again for a little bit. We are approaching critical hours, and the night before while in the tub, some meconium had shown in the water. Also the doctor had found out the baby was facing up and was not coming out and we would need to use either a vacuum or the forceps. That is why I am not dialating as expected. Baby is not putting any pressure on my cervix. The head is not in the right position. Despite all the efforts to help baby change positions on its own, nothing is going as desired.
Now it is not about playing "strong woman" or "mama natural". It is about what is best for both my baby and I. So my amazing husband encourages me to take the pitocin. The doctor offered to start with 1mlg of pitocin alone (2milg is the usually the minimun amount they give) and see if I can get it going on my own with that. So we go ahead with that and wait an hour.
It is 11 am and nothing yet. But Oh boy! that 1milg really has made a difference in pain!! it is a 12 out of 10 now!
So Jon and I talk about our options again. My wonderful husband is very loving and encouraging. He tells me "noone will think any less of you for getting the drugs. You are very strong and have gone over 30 hours of natural labor. Now you need to be able to rest to get this baby out. I love you" Or something among those lines :) So I decide to get it all.
It is around noon and our cousins (my duola) have to leave. They live in St. Louis and have to work the next day. AND NO BABY YET! :( and I am only 7cm along. VERY dissapointing for the amount of pain I am feeling. However, pitocin is in now and the nurse anesthetist is coming. I wish he was coming faster though! that pitocin really kicks in quickly!! I don't know if I can take it any longer. It really hurts and contractions are back every 1 to 2 minutes with a pain 15 out of 10! maybe less than that, but I am just too tired :P
So 12:30 is the magic time. The epidural is in and I don't feel a thing. It is as if I had not been in labor at all. I can finally laugh, talk, eat and sleep! and so can my poor husband!
I take a 3 to 4 hour nap. When I wake up my nurse comes in and we are finally at 10cm!!!! woo hoo! So pushing time arrives around 5pm. My mother in law is recording and taking pictures. My mom, siblings and rest of the family is watching everything through skype. They make fun of me because I am not screaming or complaning (in Peru is not usual to use epidurals unless it is a C-section). So My nurse, Jon and I play a joke on them. She brings a baby doll and we pretend that I am finally giving birth. My family bought it! they thought my screams were real and that the doll was the real baby! :P. Sounds mean, but they deserved it for bugging me about not showing pain! after that, they were only expectators and encouragers! :)
Anyways, it if around 7 my doc comes in and starts setting things up for us. I had already been pushing for two hours. He usually only allows two hours of pushing before going C-section, but he knew we did not want that and allowed me to go for an extra hour. Forceps in place, baby's heart rate looks great, mommy's looks fine. Lets get the baby out! and PUSH!!! PUSH!! PUSH!! Oh my! it is time!! ...head is out!! surprise! surprise! cord is around baby's neck, not once but twice!! Praise the Lord that baby was in a bad position and not coming out on its own, otherwise the tention would have cause distress and led to a sectioning, risking my baby's life. Baby was in the birth canal only for a few minutes (if that!) thanks to the use of forceps and the decisions made by all of us, including the doctor.
A few seconds later (8:15pm) baby is all out and is a SHE!! Oh my heart is filled with joy and I am just bawling!! God new our hearts' desire and gave us a little girl! We could't be happier!
Amazingly enough, as soon as I saw her, I forgot all about the pain. I am ready to have more of these wonderful little people!! She was SO worth it!! all the 9months of my body changing, uncomfortable nights of sleep, painful labor, and even now that she is almost a month old, all the sleepless nights and the recovery process. It is all worth it!! Every time I look at her, I am reminded of God's love and favor! She is truly a reward from the Lord. One I do not deserve, but gladly accept!!
And mommy is happy to say that she has already lost 30lbs!! 15 more to go but it's looking good!!!! :)
Thanks to everyone who prayed for us!! we really felt the prayers!! :D
Jon goes to work, I get the house ready in case we have to leave to the hospital.
It's 4pm of Monday 23rd, our cousins Bryan and Samantha arrive. She is my duola. We start talking about what to expect and the birth plan. {Birth plan was about being all natural, no drugs, no inductions of any kind, including braking the water. Also leaving as soon as possible and keeping the baby with us at all times}
So the night came and we are still at home. Contractions are getting a little stronger (a 5 out of 10 maybe) and a little closer together. Approximately every 10 minutes.
It's Tuesday, July 24th at 5am again. Contractions are kicking in with a pain rate of 6 out of 10. They came anywhere from 10 to 5 minutes apart. We all are getting more and more excited. I try to keep moving, however at about 11am we realize that they are stronger when I am laying down. So I proceed to stay that way to get things going.
It is about noon of the 24th and we call the hospital to ask when it would be best for us to come. We are told that once contractions are 5 apart and I am unable to speak because of the pain. So we wait and withing an hour my contractions get between 5 to 3 minutes apart and I can hardly speak...but we wait an extra hour to be sure.
2pm of Tuesday the 24th and we head over the hospital with contractions every 3 minutes with a pain rate of 7 out of 10. To all this, it was back labor as opposed to front labor.
We get to the hospital around 2:30 and we get situated in the delivery room. The nurse comes to check on me and check how far along I am with dialation...
...to our dissapointment I am only 2cm dialated...
...They give us a couple of hours to see if I will progress.
It is around 6pm of the 24th and the Dr. on call, Dr. Chadd (they only have two doctors, so I new Him too) arrives and checks to see if I have progressed at all.
...Nothing...dissapointing. Now what?
The doctor gives the options: "we break your water and hope that speeds things up (although I know in your plan you said you did not want that), or you go home and wait some more. It's up to you."
"I have been having contractions for two days already, break my water -I don't want to go home, I want to meet my baby" So they do so around 6:30pm of the 24th.
Around 7 family starts arriving. Jon's parents and his sister and brother in law. I have my family on skype watching the whole process.The night falls and everyone starts getting comfortable for a long night...but no baby yet. The nurses come and check me...I have only progressed to 4cm after four hours of increased contractions. They come every 2 minutes and the pain has gone up to an 8 out of 10.
It is the early morning of Wednesday, July 25th and everyone is falling asleep. Jon and I are awake dealing with pain and no dialating as I should. We go for a walk, I use the birth ball, my duola encourages me and guides me through contractions to continue breathing deep. It is for sure the longest night of my life. The pain is now a 10 out of 10 with back labor and contractions every 2 minutes.
It is around 6am of the 25th and my father in law has to go back to work.
My doctor comes in around 7 and I am only 6cm dialated. We start talking about our options since I am having a "dry labor" and I am not progressing as desired. The main thing we want to avoid is a C-section. So baby needs to be out before we reach the 24th hour after breaking the water. My options are to continue all natural, walking, using the birthball and waiting - with increased risk of C-section as time goes by. Or I could get pitocin and get things going without epidural, but with a lot more pain, or finally, get both pictocin and epidural and forget about going all natural but getting the baby out on time and get this over with.
Jon and I decided we would wait a few more hours and see if I can get things going on my own. By this time, I have not slept at all in more than 24 hours being in active labor, with, towards the early morning, pain of 11 out of 10.
It is around 10am, my contractions are slowing down, getting farther apart and my sister in law and her husband need to head out. She works at 1pm and they need to drive for almost 2 hours.
My doctor comes in around 11 and we talked about our options again. Same thing, pitocin (and epidural if I want it). At this point I can hardly talk, I am too tired and while talking, contractions kick in again for a little bit. We are approaching critical hours, and the night before while in the tub, some meconium had shown in the water. Also the doctor had found out the baby was facing up and was not coming out and we would need to use either a vacuum or the forceps. That is why I am not dialating as expected. Baby is not putting any pressure on my cervix. The head is not in the right position. Despite all the efforts to help baby change positions on its own, nothing is going as desired. Now it is not about playing "strong woman" or "mama natural". It is about what is best for both my baby and I. So my amazing husband encourages me to take the pitocin. The doctor offered to start with 1mlg of pitocin alone (2milg is the usually the minimun amount they give) and see if I can get it going on my own with that. So we go ahead with that and wait an hour.
It is 11 am and nothing yet. But Oh boy! that 1milg really has made a difference in pain!! it is a 12 out of 10 now!
So Jon and I talk about our options again. My wonderful husband is very loving and encouraging. He tells me "noone will think any less of you for getting the drugs. You are very strong and have gone over 30 hours of natural labor. Now you need to be able to rest to get this baby out. I love you" Or something among those lines :) So I decide to get it all.
It is around noon and our cousins (my duola) have to leave. They live in St. Louis and have to work the next day. AND NO BABY YET! :( and I am only 7cm along. VERY dissapointing for the amount of pain I am feeling. However, pitocin is in now and the nurse anesthetist is coming. I wish he was coming faster though! that pitocin really kicks in quickly!! I don't know if I can take it any longer. It really hurts and contractions are back every 1 to 2 minutes with a pain 15 out of 10! maybe less than that, but I am just too tired :P
So 12:30 is the magic time. The epidural is in and I don't feel a thing. It is as if I had not been in labor at all. I can finally laugh, talk, eat and sleep! and so can my poor husband!
I take a 3 to 4 hour nap. When I wake up my nurse comes in and we are finally at 10cm!!!! woo hoo! So pushing time arrives around 5pm. My mother in law is recording and taking pictures. My mom, siblings and rest of the family is watching everything through skype. They make fun of me because I am not screaming or complaning (in Peru is not usual to use epidurals unless it is a C-section). So My nurse, Jon and I play a joke on them. She brings a baby doll and we pretend that I am finally giving birth. My family bought it! they thought my screams were real and that the doll was the real baby! :P. Sounds mean, but they deserved it for bugging me about not showing pain! after that, they were only expectators and encouragers! :)
Anyways, it if around 7 my doc comes in and starts setting things up for us. I had already been pushing for two hours. He usually only allows two hours of pushing before going C-section, but he knew we did not want that and allowed me to go for an extra hour. Forceps in place, baby's heart rate looks great, mommy's looks fine. Lets get the baby out! and PUSH!!! PUSH!! PUSH!! Oh my! it is time!! ...head is out!! surprise! surprise! cord is around baby's neck, not once but twice!! Praise the Lord that baby was in a bad position and not coming out on its own, otherwise the tention would have cause distress and led to a sectioning, risking my baby's life. Baby was in the birth canal only for a few minutes (if that!) thanks to the use of forceps and the decisions made by all of us, including the doctor.
A few seconds later (8:15pm) baby is all out and is a SHE!! Oh my heart is filled with joy and I am just bawling!! God new our hearts' desire and gave us a little girl! We could't be happier!Amazingly enough, as soon as I saw her, I forgot all about the pain. I am ready to have more of these wonderful little people!! She was SO worth it!! all the 9months of my body changing, uncomfortable nights of sleep, painful labor, and even now that she is almost a month old, all the sleepless nights and the recovery process. It is all worth it!! Every time I look at her, I am reminded of God's love and favor! She is truly a reward from the Lord. One I do not deserve, but gladly accept!!
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| Amelia Marie Slezak |
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| a week old. |
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| Very strong at 2 weeks!! |
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| She loves daddy! |
And mommy is happy to say that she has already lost 30lbs!! 15 more to go but it's looking good!!!! :)
Thanks to everyone who prayed for us!! we really felt the prayers!! :D
She's beautiful! It is wonderful that everyone was ok even with the complications.
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