Precipitous Birth (aka rapid labor)

Samantha

I’m still a little traumatized from my second son’s birth, but I wanted to share in case others experienced the same thing and are looking for solidarity or are simply curious.

I was scheduled for induction at 7:00 am on Sunday 7/7. Little man had other plans....woke up around 1:20 am on Sunday 7/7 and thought I peed myself, went back to sleep. Woke up again at 3:15, “peed” myself again but this time I clearly lost my mucus plug.

Woke husband up about 3:20, we called labor and delivery and they said yeah, come on in. No contractions at this point.

Woke up my parents, husband made a sandwich, got our bags in the car. Ride to hospital was about 20 min. In that time contractions started, and were about 5 min apart almost immediately. Got to hospital by 4:15.

I was starting to struggle walking/talking through contractions. The nurse who admitted us didn’t seem to have any sense of urgency and I started to get nervous we wouldn’t make to labor and delivery, but I decided to trust in the process.

She did a pap to confirm water broke and the checked for dialation. It’s approaching 5 am at this point. I clearly stated I wanted the epidural ASAP, but she said I’d have to wait until I was in labor and delivery (we were still in triage at this point).

Now I’m really starting to struggle, eyes closed lots of moaning and breathing through contractions at this point. Super painful. I then vomited all the water is been drinking at this point and husband was quick enough to grab a trash can. I then reaffirmed I wanted the epidural, she said I was next on list and that it would be about 15 minutes. We were still in Triage at this point (think semi upgraded hospital room, but no where near as nice as labor and delivery). I got the distinct impression somewhere in my mind that it wasn’t going to happen. It was about 5:30 at this point. Still no sense of real urgency from the nurse.

I’m like reaaaalllly struggling at this point and basically through gritted teeth ask where the Efff was the anesthesiologist because I want the epidural nooooooooow. This part starts to get fuzzy for me. Husband recounts it as such:

I’m basically screaming through every contraction at this point, and it was confirmed that it was too late for the epidural. I may have sworn at the nurse...multiple times. I was super angry with her. Between, well during contractions really, they draw some blood and attempt to put in my IV. I’m gripping the bed so hard that I basically get blood everywhere bc it comes out of the IV before they can hook it up to anything. Not pretty.

It’s 5:50 at this point and I screamed I needed to push. The on call doctor RUNS into our room bc she can hear me and confirms he’s crowning. Then about 6 more people rush in with a ton of equipment bc again, still in triage, there are no supplies in that room.

I pushed for about 4 minutes (this I weirdly remember pretty clearly—absolute weirdest sensation) and at 5:54 am he was out. The insane relief that followed was other worldly. I just kept repeating, it’s over it’s over it’s over. Husband also tells me that I gripped his arm with my fingernails and almost drew blood.

So yeah! That’s basically what happened. OH and my doctor promptly showed up after everything was over I wanted to scream at her lol but they’d pumped me full of fentenol at that point to numb me for stitching me up so I didn’t outwardly care as much as I wanted too. :)