Birth Date: January 25, 2008
Weight: Seven pounds, 13 ounces
Height: 20 inches
Duncannon, PA
We also set out on the task of writing our birth plan. Everyone said, be prepared to cha nge it along the way. We wanted an all natural birth with no pain medication. I was determined that I could do it.”
“I was almost a week overdue with our first baby. Each day kept coming with me waking asking the question: Will today be the day? Finally on Thursday morning I woke earlier than normal since we had an early appointment for an ultrasound to check on our girl since I was overdue. The ultrasound looked normal, except for one thing. The baby looked great, but my fluid was a little low. The doctor checked me and as had been for the previous several weeks I was still only 60 percent effaced and maybe two centimeters dilated. My doctor’s office was a little concerned and so we scheduled another ultrasound before my next appointment which was scheduled for the following Tuesday.”
“My husban d and I went home and put a roast in the crock-pot for dinner that evening. About 45 minutes later I had a contraction, nothing new as I had been having mild ones on and off for over a month. But this time I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom, so I ran upstairs to the bathroom and went and after I finished I felt a sploosh. I told my husband, ‘I think my water broke. I’m going to call the doctor’s office.’ So I did and they asked me to come back into the office to be checked. The doctor confirmed that my water had broken and sent us to Harrisburg Hospital. On the way we called our doula, who said she would meet us.”
“When we arrived they got us into a room and set up on the monitors. After the initial monitoring, we were told I could get up and do whatever I needed/wanted to do to get contractions started and regular. I showered until I felt like I was a prune, I walked, then showered some more. Finally regular contractions set in. By 2:30 in the morning I was in transition. Our night nurse, Lexi, was great additional support to our doula. Between them we were very encouraged.”
“I remember saying at moments, I cannot do this anymore, but my husband, our doula and our nurses all assured me that I could. At around seven a.m. we had a nurse change and the two Jen’s came on as our nurses. They brought the same level of encouragement that Lexi had offered as well as their enthusiasm that I was at nine centimeters and had had no epidural or any pain medication. Lexi left with a smile and a hug for me and one for my husband.”
“Finally around nine a.m. the doctor said I could start pushing. This re-centering of my focus on a new task helped as I no longer focused on the pressure of the contractions. I was working with them to help my baby girl out into the world. After two hours our doctor switched and the new doctor didn’t like that I wasn’t making progress with the pushing. I’d push and get her down, but after the contraction subsided she would slide back up. Finally between the doctor, basically threatening a c-section, which made me mad, and a really good contraction that shifted everything into go-mode we started making progress. About 40 minutes after the threat of a c-section, one of the Jen’s was calling the doctor in to deliver. A few pushes later and out came Carolyn, hand in her face. They placed her on my belly for immediate skin-to-skin contact and there she stayed for 30-45 minutes when they took her to weigh and measure her. They immediately placed her back on my belly. Our beautiful girl was awake and alert for over three hours bonding with me and her daddy until they transferred us upstairs. From there she never left us as we asked for non-separation.”
“We attribute the non-progression of pushing to Carolyn’s hand being in her face. We attribute everything going by plan to the wonderful support of our doula and our nurses. Without April, Lexi, and the two Jen’s, a natural birth would have been out the window. We made plans, knew what we wanted and were capable of doing, and with the right kind of support which we were blessed to have received, we accomplished a beautiful labor, delivery and birth. The nurses upstairs, especially Julie and our night nurse whose name I can’t remember, were awesome as well. They helped us as we recovered and transitioned to be a family of three. Thanks so much to the staff at Harrisburg Hospital for their part in this wonderful miracle entering our life.”