The Birth of Gemma Lorraine

The day started like the rest of the days had recently. I was nine months pregnant and getting awfully uncomfortable as the weeks passed. I had been sleeping on the couch to curb the heartburn but nothing was helping the joint pain in my hands and feet or the backache. I was snoring and peeing almost every hour. Mike had been making me breakfast every morning before he got ready for work. I was sitting at the peninsula when I noticed I was having cramps. They were like menstrual cramps and very irregular. Mike went to work and I spent the day laying around as I had to work my last shift the next day and the cramps were still there but unchanged from before. I took a hot bath and Max laid outside the tub the entire time.  I was watching TV and getting ready to go to bed early when I decided to time my cramps. They were 6 minutes apart and I was assuming they were Braxton hicks contractions. I had a feeling though and packed my hospital bag before going to bed with a heating pad on my lower back. I had been laying down not five minutes when I had a contraction and I heard or felt a small pop. I knew what it was and I ran to the bathroom just in time.

I called Mike immediately and told him my water had broken. He was floored and drove 90 on the highway to get home. I called the midwife who told me to try to relax and that she didn't expect to hear from me for several hours. I called my mom, who was at our family cabin in southwest Michigan and told her to get ready to come. The contractions picked up immediately and by the time Mike got home they were 2-3 minutes apart and about 30 seconds long. Mike decided we were going to the hospital then. I re-paged the midwife and although I didn't hear back, we headed to the hospital.  The contractions were still bearable but I didn't trust that they'd remain that way. I got to the hospital entrance and got out and leaned across the valet desk during a contraction. Two security guards arrived, put me in a wheelchair and took me up to L&D.

I arrived upstairs and was immediately put in a room. Since the midwife never actually got re-paged, the nurses upstairs didn't know I was coming, but could tell things were moving. I was checked and was 4 cm dilated, fully effaced and at 0 station. When the midwife arrived I had already decided I wanted an epidural. I was 6 centimeters, the back labor was terrible and I didn't feel I had any support from the midwife with pain relief. The anesthesiologist arrived and had the epidural in in between contractions, within three minutes. While waiting for the epidural to take full effect I tried to relax although my legs shook from the adrenaline for another 40 minutes. The midwife left and went to sleep until I was ready to push. I was really disappointed with how checked out she seemed although I didn't really realize until much later.

The midwife knew nothing about me and when my heart rate spiked while pushing, she just stepped back and I was forced to accept the medicalized OB birth I didn't want. Pushing wasn't bad, but the OB was concerned about my heart rate and after a short trial of pushing, they suggested I "labor down". This meant I got an epidural bolus and let my body bring my baby farther down to decrease the amount of time pushing and thus prevent my heart rate from spiking. I remember laying in the bed trying to sleep while the sun started to come up and filter through the windows. I started pushing after some time and after about 30 minutes, the table was broken down and I was ready to deliver. Although I'm not sure what happened, at some point the OB became worried about the baby, as evident by the terse whispers between her and the midwife. Her heart rate dropped (a late deceleration) a few times in response to my rapid heart rate which had decreased blood flow to the placenta. Neonatology was brought in,  and I consented to forceps to get her out quickly. Right as her head was about to be delivered, the OB put a vacuum extractor on the baby's head. I gave another big push and she removed the vacuum, as it was unnecessary. I felt her head and shoulders come out, an amazing feeling, and she came out the rest of the way. The OB cut the cord and she was immediately given to the neonatologist. The placenta was pulled out and I was stitched up due to an episiotomy that was something I didn't want or consent to and something I probably didn't need. Her Apgars were beautiful, 8 and 9, Mike held her and she was finally given to me.

It's hard for me not to dwell on the negatives. The midwife that I saw 95% of the time was actually supposed to work that weekend but switched with the other midwife. Things would have gone much differently had she been there. She was aware of the issues with my heart rate and although I had an epidural, I could have had intermittent monitoring, no vacuum or episiotomy, Mike getting to cut her cord, her being placed right on me after birth. The midwife would've coached me instead of sleeping during my labor and standing next to the doctor during delivery. I'm glad however that I was able to have a vaginal birth without contraction inducing pitocin. I was able to push her out myself with my Mom and my husband helping me through.