Mable's Birth Story

My due date was undecided. If calculated by my last cycle, it was Feb 27, 2003; by my 18-week ultrasound, it was March 13 to 14. That was disappointing because I felt like I'd gone two weeks backwards. Oh well, what can you do?

My pregnancy went smoothly, with no major problems. I’m a healthy person; I can't even fake being sick! Except I've always been a tired person. By the six-month mark, I slept all day and night; I barely got up for anything. I've also had back injury in the summer of 2000, which caused immense lower back pain from about seven weeks into my pregnancy, right up through the labor and then the pain disappeared. YAY!

As I got closer to my due date I had my weekly appointments, and at 37 weeks I was 1 cm. (no big deal). Same at 38 weeks. My mom was two weeks early, or a little less with all five of her kids so I was getting ready. I hoped. On Sunday, March 2nd, I thought I was having contractions during lunch. I went to the hospital with my mom and hubby just in case, but got sent home after a non-stress test revealed that the contractions were nothing, and an exam showed I was still only 1 cm. That night I thought things were different. Some time in the early evening I went back to hospital but was told the same story by the same nurse, who was very rude, and told me not to come back until I was really in labor. Like I would know! Oh well, her shift was 7 a.m.-7 p.m. so she had seen me twice.

The next night the stupid fire alarm went off, and after finding out it was the real thing, we went outside where all the paramedics wanted to bring me to the hospital but I didn't want to bug them again. I hadn't inhaled that much smoke. After that, things were fine. We went back inside and off to bed, there hadn't been a serious fire, just a lot of smoke. What a waste of an hour of sleep time!

Wednesday, March 5th came. Accustomed as I was to my husband's shift, I always woke up around 5 a.m., and this day was no different. I sat up and all I can say is EWWW. Warm and wet, my waters had just broken! Good thing I was on the floor on a blanket. I hadn't been able to sleep on the bed, it was too uncomfortable.

I got up and went to the washroom, saw that the water was brown and called the hospital. I told the nurse that my water had broken, there was meconium in it, but that I had no contractions. She said to come in just in case it was my water and just in case it was meconium. Well, I'm not that much of an idiot, but I let it go. I guess they don't want to "promise" anything over the phone.

So I hung up the phone, woke up Chris, and then it started! Holy crow, now I knew why they'd sent me home on Sunday… that was nothing! We called my mom who lived two minutes away and told her we would be by to pick her up, got my bag and got into the car after about a half hour. We picked up my mom and she wanted to stop for coffee! That is kind of funny and I said sure, an extra two minutes of car time wouldn't kill me. You have to know her and her lack of functioning without her coffee in the morning.

We got to the hospital around 6 a.m., and about half an hour later I got checked and was 2-3 cm. My doctor was on holiday, but I got his partner who wasn't that bad. They asked if I didn't mind a student doctor, he was close to graduating. Actually I would be his last delivery before graduation. So I said sure.

The first thing I asked is when can I have drugs, he said not until I was at 4 cm. or so. At 9 a.m., he checked me and after he was done my mom asked what I was and he said he had stretched me to 4 cm. It didn't hurt at all. He said I could have something so I got a shot of Demerol in my butt. That was nice. I don't remember much about the next three hours, just that every time a nurse asked me on a scale of 1-10 how much it hurt I answered with -50 compared to what it will and I told them not to worry about me too much. I didn't want to be a whiny, annoying 18-year-old teen in labor, married or not. But I sure let my mom and hubby have it. Poor them. It wasn't so bad for them, but they ham it up a lot with stories of me throwing the birthing ball around the room in a fit of rage (that's only partially true- it was annoying me and I only threw it off the bed)!

At noon, the medication had worn off, and they said I could only have it every four hours. Darn! At some time they checked me and I was 7-8 cm. That was nice to know. Progressing smoothly. At 1 p.m., I got an IV just in case because of the meconium and they put something that starts with "F" in it (pain killer). They said it kicks in fast and wears off fast. Yep, 1:05 p.m. it was working, 1:30 p.m. it stopped. I wanted more so they checked me. 10cms.!

I started to push, and they said I was doing really well for a first-timer.

At 2:08 p.m., a little girl came out, weighing seven pounds, seven ounces, and measuring twenty one and a quarter inches long. We named her Mable Elizabeth. Only nine hours, eight minutes and two internal stitches to close up what little tearing I had. No episiotomy, no problems with her breathing (they checked her for a little while anyway because of the meconium), and then I got to hold her. I couldn't really because I was crying for no reason other than all the hard work and you know, baby stuff, but my husband held her to me while I trembled with I don't know what emotion... a mix of tons, I guess.

Less than 12 weeks to go and we'll have our second. We hope it's a boy, one of each will be perfect. Nice and close together.

As a note to women who feel that childbirth is best natural and medication-free, I don't agree. But this is only my opinion and everybody is entitled to one. People don't go to the dentist to get drilling done and say they want to do it medication free, so why is it noble or better to have a baby pain-med free? It's the same result in the long run: a baby. Just my point of view, think about it.