Precipitous Birth đł
I had no idea what to expect and I didnât have any expectations for my labour. My husband and I hadnât even packed our bags because we live 5 minutes away from the hospital so we figured we would have a lot of hours in between contractions to pack.
It was Easter Sunday and we had supper and I started to get a stomach ache. We went home and watched some movies, but I kept feeling like I had to go to the bathroom.
We went to bed and I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking I had to go to the bathroom. I just figured I was constipated.
At about 5 in the morning, I was like âman these poo cramps are getting pretty frequentâ so I started timing them. They were about 7 minutes apart, so I figured âif these are contractions, I still have tons of time before we even think of going to the hospitalâ. They were more uncomfortable, than painful. My Braxton Hicks hurt more, so I figured I wasnât in labour. My husband said âletâs just go, and if they send us home, whateverâ. In the time it took us to pack our bags they had gotten to 4 minutes apart. In the 5 minute drive to the hospital, I had 3 contractions.
We got to the hospital and we walked over and checked in and then went upstairs to delivery to get a cervical check. We laughed and said it would be hilarious if the doctors said it was time to push
So we get upstairs and the nurse checks me and she goes âI canât reach your cervix, so it must be really high. You might be at 1 or 2 cm.â Which is what we figured. She called another nurse to check and she couldnât feel it either, so a THIRD nurse came and said that she couldnât find it either. Then she joked âyou are either not dilated at all, or you are fully dilated. But you arenât in enough pain, and the cervical checks arenât uncomfortable for you, so I would prepare for a long dayâ. Which is what we were expecting as itâs our first baby.
They wanted us to wait 45 minutes for the doctor to come and check me out, just in case.
The contractions started getting really intense, so I was thinking âif this is early labour, I need some pain medsâ but they wouldnât give me any until after the doctor checked me out. Then she showed up later. Supposed to be there at 8, showed up at 8:20. She checks me and goes âdid your water break?â And I told her no and she goes âokay. Are you able to walk over to a delivery room or do you need a wheelchair?â And I go âoh I can walk in between contractionsâ and she goes âgreat. I can feel the head. We need you to start pushing. Youâre going to have this baby in an hourâ. We were both really shocked! Especially for a first baby! We went to all the classes and they didnât mention anything about that. They said it would take longer than expected. I was expecting at least 30 hours because my mom was in labour for 46 hours with me.
We get over there and she breaks my water.
We got to the hospital at 7:06, and our daughter was born at 8:59. It only took a half hour of pushing.
I didnât even have time to take my shirt and bra off for skin to skin. The nurses were great and pulled my shirt up for me.
After she was born, they couldnât get my bleeding under control. They said it was because she was born so quickly. She also swallowed meconium because it was a stressful birth for her because it was too quick for her to adjust. The placenta wouldnât detach so they had to get an gynaecologist in there too to try and stop the bleeding and have me birth the placenta. It took me longer to deliver the placenta than the baby!
I was pleased with the end result. No pain meds, didnât get induced, a happy healthy baby girl.
I found going in with no expectations, or limitations was helpful. If you need pain meds, get them. If you need a c section, get one. It doesnât matter how your baby gets here.
Moral of the story: doesnât matter if itâs your first baby, you can still have a quick labour!!
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