January 29, 2009

My "Natural" Story

Thanks for your comments everyone!! I feel so loved!!

Sorry I'm a bit slow at the blog these days. I had forgotten, well, not forgotten, but I had forgotten just how rough the first couple weeks can be! The night before last I got a grand total of mmm, about one hour of sleep. At some point, all four of the kids had decided to get up but Jacob and Alayna were the worst. Luke and I were up most of the night with them.



Anyway, now to answer your questions.



Many of you want to know if I went all natural by choice or if there just wasn't any time. Okay, here it goes, I did indeed CHOOSE to go all natural. I know, I know, about half of you guys just fainted on me.

All you friends who know me know how much I LOVE my epidurals. So let me explain as best I can. Oh, and some of you wanted details so here they are. If you don't want details, just skip the following.
With the boys, who were both posterior (head facing up toward the ceiling instead of down towards the floor) I went into the hospital in tears all scrunched in a ball from intense back labor. (Hey, I'm not afraid to admit I cry and don't like pain) It wasn't even a question whether I wanted an epidural or not.

While my contractions this time hurt like the dickens, it was still quite bearable so I figured she must be positioned right. So, we go into the hospital and they check me, I was already dilated to a seven! So, at first I thought they would tell me it was too late since I was so far along. But the contractions were still coming fairly slow, about every five minutes, so they gave me a choice.

Okay, I don't know if this is sad or not, but my first thought was, well, if I go natural, it would save on our hospital bill! Then Luke started encouraging me, telling me I could do it, blah blah (which is where the "I hate you" comment comes in later). I probably never would have said yes if he hadn't been so encouraging.

Then those little white lies people tell you like, oh this is your fourth so the way has been paved and it will be so easy, started to find their way into my brain. I also think that every women has been implanted, no matter how small, because believe me, mine was very small, with a slight desire to try it or see if they could do it naturally.

So, with the combination of all of the above, I finally decided to "give it a shot". So when the doctor came to break my water, I thought I was ready! Boy was I ever so very very wrong.

First, the doctor had a hard time breaking my water and had the hook shoved up me for a good two minutes then he finally said, "oh there, I THINK I got it but that's not a lot of fluid." I should have seen that as a bad omen.

Still, I will say that when I stood up and suddenly a bunch of fluid just came out between my legs without warning, it felt embarrassingly like I had just peed on the floor. I started laughing it was so awkward. Which only caused more fluid to pour out.

Anyway, contractions start picking up, but still bearable. After about a hour or so, the nurse come in to check me and finds out that I still had a sac of fluid between the baby and my cervix. So, she's got her hand up there trying to break it with her fingers!! Okay, now that hurt. After she managed to give me a strange desire to strangle her, the contractions really started to pick up and I suddenly started to question my totally irrational decision to go drug free. Pretty soon I was doing that silly breathing to see them do in the movies and using language such as, "I can't do this!" and "I want an epidural!"

But it was too late.

Then came pushing time. Oh my, it was like.... let's see, how can I possibly describe it... like pushing a bowling ball that is covered in spikes while on fire. Eh, that's pretty close.

I remember sweating like crazy and yelling, "get her out!!" That's all you want is to just get that dang spikey bowling ball out!

And when she finally did come out, I expected the immediate relief that everyone claims comes right after the baby is out. Oh, there was still plenty of pain, thank you very much, and getting that placenta out was no picnic!



Now, don't let my story discourage you from trying it out if that is your desire. Many of you reading this went all natural. And again I say, my hat is off to you, and better you than me!!



I love this picture! She is so cute! I do good work! Not that I'm boasting or anything... okay, maybe just a little  =)

16 super cool people speak:

ldsjaneite said...

She is so pretty. Like her mother! You can boast all you want! Good job with everything. And you haven't scared me away from wanting to go natural. I was wondering, what did you mean by "getting that uterus out?" Doesn't it usually stay in?

Michelle said...

She really is a pretty little girl. Liz says "She is sooooo cuuuuuute!" Can't wait to see her Sunday!

Mona said...

Serene,
Hurray!!!! You did it!!!! I'm especially impressed because you didn't have the benefit of weeks of mental and physical prep for the "natural" approach. I went "all natural" with all four of my kids - not a drop of anesthesia, but psyched myself into it over several months. My first delivery in 1980 was in Olympia, Wash. which is hippie-ville USA (some call that segment of the population "greeners")...well, a "greener" was my mid-wife and did a good job of brain-washing me about natural childbirth. AND I'm so glad she did - even though my third labor and delivery lasted 38 hours! My fourth delivery was in Sandy, Utah, the epidural capital of the world, and the pediatrician in attendance towards the end was close to kowtowing with awe and admiration. As a Utah physician, he said he had NEVER seen a natural birth before!!!!

Congrats on your courage - and more importantly - on your CUTIE!
Two girls and two boys are the BEST (no bias).

Mona
http://monasgospelmusings.blogspot.com/

Serene is my name, not my life! said...

LOL! Thanks for pointing that out Heidi! I meant the placenta, not the uterus.

Marcie said...

Was there a reason they wanted to break your water? Did they WANT to make it more painful than neccesary? I think they think that is their job sometimes. :) That picture of her sleep is esquisite! Way to go!

petersons said...

Hey Serene, this is Radha Peterson I used to be in your ward just before you left Wymount. I really like your pictures, they're so cute! I read that your two boys were facing head up when you went into labor. Did you have a c-section? I had my boy the same way and I had a c-section. I was wondering if they will do a normal birth when the baby is head up.
Thanks for all of your posts, it's so interesting to read your blog.

Serene is my name, not my life! said...

LOL! Well, the water has to break sometime and if they do it first it just speeds things along.

Hey Radha! I remember you guys!
No, I've never had a c-section. When I said my boys were facing up I don't mean breech.
Is that what you meant?
Babies are suppose to come out as if they were looking at the floor. Posterior is just when they come out looking at the ceiling.
Let me know if I'm not making any sense and I'll explain more.

editor said...

I think she's the cutest newborn I've ever seen--and I can say that guilt free because I don't have any of my own yet. Great job!

petersons said...

oh yeah! that makes alot of sense. Thanks for the info. My baby was breech. Your kids are so adorable. You such a wonderful mom.

Katie said...

Serene, I love checking your blog. Your kids are so adorable/funny and I love the way you talk about everything.

justine said...

I agree you do wonderful work- I still can't believe the hair your kids are born with.

I love how you described the day, so funny....well, not for you, but you know what I mean :)

Charlynn said...

I admire you for being able to do that.

I have to admit that I am one of those who thought about having a baby naturally until I started having complications with my pregnancies. After that I decided that an epidural was fantastic! But since I'm not having anymore, I don't have to worry about it.

Congratulations! She is beautiful.

Brittney said...

Oh my goodness, you had me feeling queasy reading about your experience with no epidural. Pretty sure I'm going to use those epidurals and have no guilt about it. Seriously.

That last picture is SO cute. Hope you get more sleep soon.

Christina Huling said...

Serene, she is so beautiful!Your natural labor story is a lot like mi ne. sounds like we have a lot in common! I went natural for the fourth also! How did she get such black hair? Savannah was so blonde!?So good to see you. I'm adding you to my reader. hope that's ok. Sorry I didn't clue in b4 when you were commenting on my blog. that was lame of me! Congrats on all the hard work! I definitely understand!

Jenny said...

Hey i remember saying "i can't do this" but that was all I said. It only comes from 1 hour of pushing that the epidural wore off on.

E said...

I am so relived that you feel the same way I do. I chose to go naturally with Isaac..penny had told be how wonderful it was and how I would heal so much better! I have now informed her NUMEROUS times what a liar she is and I NEVER intend to go naturally again! Natural child birth is for some people, but I am NOT one of those and I am glad that there is another in my midst:) I can say I did it and with confidence that I don't want to do it again. Yea for the epidural!

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