Life Unscripted: September 2010

We have been exclusively breast feeding since day 1 and Em is a champ! She had some issues in the very beginning. We tried different positions, and I think she just needed some time to adjust as did I. After about 2 days, she took to it perfectly!
Breast feeding is all mind over matter. As "natural" as it's supposed to be it is truly a difficult task. I have found that the difficulty comes from the complicated minds that humans innately possess. Once we relax our minds and just convince ourselves that we can do it, it will be achieved naturally.
I of course was nervous she may not be getting enough and that she may not be latching properly because I was experiencing tenderness, but I asked my fellow mommies and read a great breast feeding book, and learned that tenderness is normal, and that the only way to measure intake is by output. She certainly has enough output, and with breast feeding, it is the pee pee diapers we need to look for!
My best advice to first time soon to be momma's is, TRY to breast feed. It is best for your baby, regardless of what anyone tells you, and the bond is like no other! Also, take people's parenting advice with a grain of salt. Everyone thinks they are the expert, but the truth of the matter is, every baby is different and every family unit is different and what works for you may not work for others. So go with your gut, try to breast feed, and do the best you can!

This is the moment Brian and I saw it was a little girl! We looked at each other and were both just filled with emotion!

This is our birth story in letter form to our childbirth educator. Without her, as well as our wonderful midwife Melanie, we would not have been able to mentally prepare for what we were about to face in labor and delivery...Thank you Celeste!

Dear Celeste,
Well, we had our baby GIRL Aug. 29th at 10:54pm. She weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 19 1/2" long! Our labor and delivery was intense and if it wasn't for you and your class, I do not know how we would have gotten through.

I went into labor on Aug. 27th, a day before my due date. I was having minor contractions which were irregular, so we just went about our business as you had instructed us to do. I showered, we went for a walk, did a little shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond, and then just relaxed at home. By 1am on my due date the contractions started getting more intense and more regular, but they were about 7-10 minutes apart. Every so often I'd have one that was 20 minutes apart. So I guess my real intense labor started on my due date the 28th at 1am, and continued well into the night into the morning of August 29th. For about 20 hours I was having very strong unbearable contractions that were 5-7 minutes apart. I called Melanie around 9pm, she asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, and I declined. I was very comfortable in my living room rocking on the ball, leaning over my kitchen counter, sitting on the toilet, eating, and of course continuing to go to the bathroom regularly. Melanie advised me to call her when they are about 3 minutes apart. At about 1am Aug. 29th, they were 3 min. apart and so painful I couldn't talk during or even in between them (I remember you saying this was true active labor). Brian had to call Melanie since I couldn't talk, and we headed to the hospital. She had me go straight into a labor and delivery room, skipped triage thank goodness, and she examined me. At this point Melanie thought for sure, as did I, that I'd be at least 6cm dilated. Well, I was barely 3cm!!! At this point I labored in the shower, which felt fantastic, I would alternate from shower to birth ball, and Brian would sit behind me as I rocked and he would rub my lower back (That is where I felt most of my contractions). I also slow danced with him at each contraction when we decided to walk around a bit. By about 5am, she re-examined me and I was still barely 3cm. Melanie suggested breaking my water to speed things up. We spoke about it, and I felt if I was to have any intervention at all, breaking my water wasn't so bad, especially since there was NO progress at all. So she did, the contractions got more and more intense, I never thought about the epi once, and one nurse kept suggesting it, and Brian made sure she NEVER asked me again. By 9am, still 3 cm, and the head was stuck and not descending at all! Luckily, that little babe had such a strong heartbeat and it never dipped once, so there was never any talk of this "distress" crap! Melanie said we need to have a conversation now, because hospital protocol would have made me have a c-section by now, but Melanie felt there was no need. So, our next conversation was me being given pitocin and an epidural just to let me sleep a bit since my body was exhausted from already 33 hrs of labor. I cried hysterically, and I asked the most important question, "What if we do nothing?" She said, she is worried my already exhausted body won't be able to relax and allow the contractions to do their job, thus not being able to push the baby out, which could result in an emergency c-section. So, I agreed. I was given the lowest possible dose of pit, and the epidural was administered and worked on only half my body!!! My left leg was numb and that was it! I felt everything else, and every contraction as well. I was so upset because now I couldn't get out of bed, so I sat in bed, closed my eyes, hummed through each contraction and forced my body to relax. By about 4 or 5 pm, I progressed to 5cm! By 7pm still 5cm. Now Melanie was talking c-section. She decided to call one of the Dr's that would perform the c-section, knowing that she is not one to jump to surgery if mom and baby are doing fine, so calling this doctor was giving me my best shot at a vaginal delivery. The doctor came in at about 8pm, Melanie examined me and now I was at 6cm, and the baby's head was slowly descending..THANK GOD! The doctor said to give me another 2 hours, which I was shocked to hear, so within about a half hour of that examination I felt the most wonderful feeling ever...THE URGE TO PUSH! I also started throwing up uncontrollably which I also know is a good sign. So Melanie came in, checked me again and sure enough, FULLY DILATED! I pushed in the position you suggested, with my back at 90 degrees and my hands under my knees and pulling to my chest. Melanie said I was pushing perfectly, her nor the nurses had to correct me, I was relaxed and determined to meet my munchkin! I pushed for about an hour and a half and out SHE came with huge eyes staring at me! My husband and I had to untangle her legs to see what the sex was, and we both looked at each other with tears in our eyes and said, "It's a little girl!" Melanie is strongly against episiotomys, so she massaged me the whole time while I was pushing, so I didn't need one. My little angel scratched me coming out so I had a few stitches put in for that.

After a whopping 40 hours of labor, Emerson Grace Webber was born!

We loved every hard minute of the labor and delivery. All the ups and downs were well worth it. Melanie told me I should be so proud, because we took all the right steps in this process. Like you said celeste, we asked questions, and made the epi our last possible choice! As hard as it was, I wouldn't change anything about my experience, because I was mentally prepared and the extra hard work to get her here was so rewarding!

Thank you so much Celeste! I hope you can share this story with your next series. There isn't one thing I would change about your class!
You will be happy to know that I'm exclusively breastfeeding and LOVE it! She was fussy to begin with, but I remained calm and relaxed so she would pick up on my energy and she was just fine! I love the bond, and the sleepless nights are well worth it!