My original due date was January 16th, but after the preterm labor scare at just 28 weeks, we all knew I would most likely not make it that far. When I was discharged at 29 weeks on strict bed rest, I was already dilated to 2cm so I did my best to keep up with the doctor's orders so that our son would stay put longer. With that and taking procardia twice a day, we made it until 35 weeks with no change. At 35 weeks, I was told to stop the procardia which landed me at labor and delivery with contractions. The on call doctor was not too happy about that and gave me procardia for one more week and to go home on bed rest again. At 36 weeks, if I went into labor, they would not stop that time.
As the days went by, I kept having contractions -although they didn't really stop since I first had them at 28 weeks. At 36 weeks, I went back to work for two more weeks, during which I kept having contractions; some really painful, sometimes consistent and sometimes exhausting. We made it through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and even the New Year's celebration. However, on New Year's I was almost 38 weeks and was feeling more and more contractions. By that time, I was at 3cm when checked. When I went for my 38 weeks chekup on Thursday, January 3rd, the doctor told me I was already at 4cm and almost 100% effaced so she would give me the papers to go to the hospital the next day. As this was my second and I kept contracting at home, she and I agreed that it would be best to be at the hospital than have an unplanned home/car birth.
The next morning, my husband and I were up bright and early and got to the hospital at 6:30 a.m. I was put on the monitor and the doctor came around 9:00 a.m. to check up on me and broke my water to try and get labor going and contractions close together. However, since that didn't do the trick, around 1:00 p.m., I was started on pitocin. I really wanted to avoid the pitocin since with our daughter, it took a long time for it to start working even though I was also at 4cm when started and ended up with the most awful back labor. This time, I really wanted to try it all natural, without an epidural.
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| Relaxing with my mom while the intense labor started. |
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| As it was 2 days before Three Kings Day (Día de Reyes), hospital personnel brought parrandas and the three Kings to patients, along with gifts for the mommas to be and the little ones! |
After the pitocin started, everything that happened afterwards went by so fast, I barely remember timing or how fast they were coming. All I know is that after the first contraction post-pitocin, they kept coming strong -very strong- and close together. I remember trying to breathe through them with the help of my mom and my husband, but they kept getting stronger. Also I remember that it was different from my daughter's labor; this time, it felt like really strong and long menstrual cramps that made me cringe and hold my breath. Then it got to the point where I felt the need to push during one contraction, after which my mom rushed out to get the doctor. It was about 2:30-2:40 p.m. and I was already at 8cm. At that point I knew I just had to hold on a little longer and I would have our son in my arms without the need for an epidural. The doctor said that she would come back in half an hour as I was progressing so fast or sooner if I felt the need to push again.
With every contraction, I would feel them getting stronger and more painful, with pain radiating down my legs making it harder for me to breathe through them. Around 15 minutes later, I had 2 really painful contractions in which I felt the baby coming down and the very intense need to push. My mom called the doctor again and when she checked me, said I was ready to start pushing. They started prepping everything up but I screamed that I had to push. At 3:00 p.m. the pushing starting and it was the most intense pain I have ever felt. Now I know why they say that crowning feels like a burning sensation!! During pushing I did not full blown scream, but grunted with each push and when I felt the head. The pain and the sensation to push was so strong that I knew I just had to get through it and focused on pushing. Six minutes later, at 3:06 p.m., our son came into the world! It was the best feeling in the world and I was so proud of having made it without an epidural.
Our son is 17 days old today! And to think that my due date was on January 16th!
