Jacob's Birth Story

In anticipation of the upcoming birth of my baby, I have decided that I want to revisit the past births of my children. I have had 3 different kinds of births and the experiences have kept me wondering what is in store for me next. I plan to go into labor on my own! No induction! No repeat c/sections either! I plan that my labor will be fast and easy! and hopefully I can do most of my laboring at home and not in the hospital attached to monitors! Wishful thinking huh? Well, my first birth wasn't easy. It was long. It was painful. It was exhausting!

I was 23 years old, in nursing school. I had just finished my OB rotation and thought "I am going to get an epidural for sure!!!" That was my only plan. I didn't have an elaborate birth plan. Just a plan to get an epidural! A few days before I delivered I swore I was leaking water. I went to the doctor and he reassured me that I was not ruptured and that I should just go home and relax. I evidently had been peeing on myself! He checked my cervix and said I was 2 cm dilated and he scheduled me for an induction just 2 days later. I was only 38 weeks! Hey, I was all about it! I was tired of being pregnant and I wanted the baby out! I was so over clinicals and nursing school. I just wanted to be done. The next day, I still felt the leaking...but I ignored it thinking I was still just peeing on myself....but that night I started feeling crampy and started seeing some bloody show. I called my doctor and he was not impressed. He says..."I checked your cervix yesterday so you will have a little bloody show, that is normal." The pain seemed to get worse and I just didn't feel good. We decided to head to the hospital. I was going to be induced in the morning anyway....why not go in a little early.

Here I am a few days before delivering, sometime in March 2002.

So, we get to the hospital after being pulled over by the police! Ervin was a little nervous and was driving a little erratically. The police let us go without a problem after he found out we were headed to the hospital to have a baby! Once we got there and signed in, they placed me on the monitors. The baby's heart beat was really high, they said.....and I had a fever. I didn't even know I was sick! I was just having some pain. I was still only 2 cm! They started me on antibiotics and pitocin. The pain became unbearable and the nurse insisted I should get some IV pain medication. I definitely didn't put up a fight....but I have to say that the nubain did nothing for my pain, and my husband.....he was sound asleep on the couch! SNORING!

This is how I spent my whole labor, on oxygen and stuck in bed.

I eventually got an epidural! Thank God for EPIDURALS! It was the best thing! My pain was gone! and so was the feeling from my tummy down to my toes! I felt nothing....just NUMB! When it was time to push, I felt nothing! I pushed for hours and I swear, I must have been a horrible pusher. I couldn't feel anything! The doctor finally comes in and puts the vacuum on the baby's head to help me out....and even then it took forever. I probably pushed for 20 more minutes even with the help of the vacuum.

Jacob finally came out with apgars of 3 at 1 minute and 8 at 5 minutes. When Jacob was born he looked dead. He was totally blue and limp. No crying, no coughing. That's when I knew that motherhood was not going to be easy. I wanted to jump out of the bed myself and help resuscitate the poor little guy! But, he came around and finally started crying.

Born March 15, 2002 at 1:59 pm, 8 lb. 6 oz. 20 1/4 in. long.

Jacob's birth was and still is one of the happiest times in my life.
Becoming a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

When I look back at that story I wish I knew then what I know now.

Allie and Maddie's birth stories to follow!