GD Birth Story! FTM Baby is Here!
I can't believe it is time to share my story! I am a first time mother who is also petite, normal weight, and healthy, but otherwise diagnosed with gestational diabetes during my third trimester. My GD is diet and exercise controlled. Baby girl was due on May 3rd but she came on April 30th, 3 days early! I know that many FTMs especially moms with GD worry about the health of their babies, so I thought I will share my story! A little background info, I was already dilated at 2cm and 50% effaced earlier in the week and the baby was fully engaged at station 0 by the time this birth story happened!
4/29:
- Woke up around 7pm
- Baby very active - went to restroom bloody show begins with red discharge
- Called hospital, they said change into pad and monitor quantity
- Ate dinner at 8pm with contractions around 5-7 mins apart for around 40 second duration. Contractions feel like bad period cramps but are still bearable and not painful enough.
- After dinner, I went to bathroom and saw no blood on pad but there was blood when I wiped down there. I called the hospital again and they said to wait until there is more blood or when the contractions are faster and stronger.
- Hubby took the dog for a walk and I counted baby's kicks (which I do every night).
- Hubby gave me soup to drink around 10pm and I went to bathroom again and pad has a good amount of bloody discharge - seems like enough to be 1 teaspoon. The doctor previously instructed me that if there is more than a teaspoon of blood, I should go to the hospital to get it checked out, in case there were issues with the placenta or something.
- I decided to take a shower; hubby also took one after me. We then got the house ready and headed off to mail a payment for our dentist then headed to the hospital. It is around 11:30pm. Contractions slowed to around every 7 minutes and felt like moderate period cramps, which still by itself was not painful enough.
4/30:
- We got to the ER and checked in around midnight. Sylvia the nurse checked me in a smaller labor and delivery room and I was at around 3-4cm dilated and 80% effaced! She called Dr. Yu, who instructed that I'm getting checked in. I guess it is baby time!
- They moved me to a new room. The nurse had trouble with getting an IV in me because I'm slightly dehydrated (apparently they told me drinking 8-10 glasses of water is not enough for pregnant women). It took them two tries with the left arm and the third try with the right arm to get it in. They then took a blood sugar level reading (90 = good). Hubby announced to the world via social media that we are checking in to the hospital and brought up our luggage.
- They started a small amount of pitocin around 1:20am. The contractions are stronger and are every five minutes now. They said that I can get epidural anytime upon request. I decided to wait until I cannot stand the pain (which I was still able to do at this point).
- 1:56am, I was going to try to rest a little now.
- 2:40am, contractions started getting very painful, I felt like throwing up and was almost screaming. I asked for the epidural. I was around 6cm dilated at this time. The hubby left the room when anaesthesiologist Dr. Park came in to put in epidural, which was not a bad experience at all but I was shivering afterwards, which is a short term common side effect.
- 3:20am, epidural was done, Hubby came back in the room. In between this time Dr. Park said I have a shallow epidural space (3cm) need to tell next anaesthesiologist should I ever decide to get an epidural in the future.
-3:20am, the Foley catheter inserted, which was uncomfortable but bearable (and kind of awesome since I do not have to physically get up to pee anymore), I'm 6.5 almost 7 dilated! Pitocin was only at level 6 because I was dilating myself. They turned me to the right side because my right side is less numb than my left. Contractions are so much better with the epidural in place.
-4:55am, I start riding on the peanut ball and was laying on my left side.
-6:40am, I was still laying on right side, the baby is now at station +1, dilated at 9cm, 100% effaced and baby went from posterior to anterior. Dr Yu asked the anesthesiologist to give me a little more epidural to take the edge off from the pelvic pressure. They gave me apple juice and sugar free jello. Yay! GD diet is at an end!
- 7:37am I was fully dilated and start pushing.
- 8:07am baby is born! I had a second degree tear and minor episiotomy in areas that was already naturally torn to direct the tears away from rectum (you don't want tears there). Baby's Apgar score was 9.9. She was born at full term 39 weeks and 4 days at 6 pounds 7 ounces, 19.75 inches long!! The entire process from checking in to the hospital to giving birth lasted a short 8 hours for a first time mom!!
All FTMs out there and GD moms out there, you can all do it too! I seriously doubted myself before but am pleased to report that it is very possible!! :)
Comment
Add Comment
Let's Glow!
Achieve your health goals from period to parenting.
