Cameron's Birth Story

After 1 1/2 years of trying to conceive, who knew that I ovulate 4 days before my period? It's hard to calculate when you get a period every 2 1/2 weeks!!! I broke down and bought an ovulation kit. Just for giggles, I took the test one day, expecting my period later that week. The result window indicatied that I would ovulate in the next 24 to 48 hours. Two weeks later I just didn't feel like myself, so I bought a home test and BINGO!!! We were pregnant!!! Four days later I started spotting!!! It turned out to be nothing, and had the usual morning sickness. Everything was great until my AFP test came up elevated, but that all turned out great too. Healthy active baby BOY!!! Then at 31 weeks I get up to get ready for work and I notice that I am bleeding and clotting. I freak out and call the doctor who advises me to go to the hospital immediately. I got there and was put on the monitors and kept overnight for observation. They told me it was possibly a partial placental abruption, but the ultrasound could not confirm that and since our son was very happy where he was, to stay on bedrest until 34 weeks.

Everything is great!!! I notice on the morning of one of my weekly appointments that I might have lost my mucous plug. The doctor said that he didn't think that was the case. Two weeks later, on my way to another weekly appointment, I have some more spotting. The doctor did an internal and told me that I was 2 cms dilated. He then wanted to ensure that the baby was in the correct position and informed me that he couldn't feel the baby because I was in the middle of a contraction!!! This was on a Wednesday. Come to find out, I had been having contractions since Monday night and all along I thought it was the baby shifting around to get comfortable in his cramped living space!!! I made an appointment for the following week and the doctor said that I wouldn't make it to the weekend. I went to work after that, and worked the whole day, having contractions 7 mintues apart all day. By 11:30 that night, just as my poor tired husband went to bed, I decided that I should call the doctor because I was very uncomfortable. We got to the hospital and got up to Labor and Delivery around 12:30 p.m. I was barely 3 cms. So I stayed on the monitor for awhile, and then we roamed the deserted hospital corridors for awhile. We watched the sun come up and by 5:30 to 6:00 a.m. I was exhausted and VERY uncomfortable!!! The nurses, whom I told that I wanted an epidural from the get go, gave me a shot of Stadol to take the edge off of my contractions. At this point I was about 4 cms. The next thing I know, I can't even keep my eyes from crossing!!! I awake 3 HOURS later, at 9 a.m. to the doctor doing an internal and telling me that I was 7 cms and completely effaced and then he broke my water. I was so confused!!! They got me up and I walked into the delivery room and got hooked back up to the monitors and then about an hour after my water was broke, labor all of a sudden got almost unbearable. So, I ask politely for that epidural. The nurse, who I feel is an angel from Heaven, told me that my window of opportunity had passed and that it was too late. I had no intentions of playing the hero, but it wasn't meant to be!!! Finally, two hours after my water was broke, I was told that I could start to push!!! I pushed very well I must say for just over an hour, and after a quick episiotomy, our son Cameron was born on June 25, 1998 at 12:18 p.m.

Don't get me wrong--it wasn't a glamorous birth. I was put on exygen because I almost passed out during and after the delivery, and I had to have 2 I.V. bags because I was clotting so badly. They were monitoring me for a transfusion it was so bad. But it was all worth it and my son is a beautiful, happy, healthy 9 month old!!! I hope that the next time we have a baby that I can withstand the pain and choose not to have the epidural.