A Challenging Start

First Baby
2008 Women and Infants Hospital, OBGYN Associates Midwifery

Dear Allison,

J and I had a most interesting birth experience. In summary...One doctor at the practice decided to induce me on Friday, Feb. 29th (exactly at 38 weeks) even though my blood pressure was normal and I was feeling great. I had some protein in my urine, and to him that's all that mattered. J and I tried to resist and requested repeating the urine testing, but we were denied and told it would be against medical advice if we did not comply with induction. I had cervical ripening on Friday night with no results, and Saturday morning, another doctor decided to manually dilate my cervix with a fingertip. I remained a fingertip dilated all day after 8 hours of pitocin, and mercifully the midwives shut it off at 5:00 pm, and I underwent another evening of cervical ripening Saturday night. Sunday morning, still a fingertip dilated (even after a foley catheter was forcefully pulled from my cervix, fully inflated with 30ml, because I was refusing pain medication-longer story), the pitocin was started again. I had no results after 4 hours, and we were worried a c-section was on its way. My blood pressures had been normal all weekend, and I had no protein in my urine on repeated dips all weekend, and most of the nurses were sympathetic to our displeasure at being induced for such minor PIH. At 12:30 and no progression the midwife called the doctor on call who decided to send me home stating, 'I would not have induced her in the first place so I will not perform a c-section on a healthy mom and baby'.

We came home on Sunday praising our hypnobirthing techniques for getting me through a really tough and at times painful weekend. On Monday, I woke up only to go to another doctors appointment for a blood pressure check. Unfortunately, after the weekend of pitocin, IV fluids and stress my blood pressure was high. We had to go back to the hospital Monday evening to start all over again. The cervical ripening was repeated this time with some success. I was 3 cm dilated after correct usage of the foley catheter in my cervix. The pitocin was started again Tuesday morning with little results until my water was broken at 11:30 and full-blown labor began.

I tell you all of this to stress how unnatural my labor experience was. Almost everything we didn't want to happen was happening, and we were powerless to stop it. Through it all, we listened to our CDs of music and guided imagery, we practiced our techniques that we had prepared and we continued to try to think positively allowing the law of attraction to show itself. Amazingly, though very different than how we could have imagined, most of what was important to us came true. We got the best labor nurse at women and infants hospital that morning. She allowed us to experience as close to the ABC as possible. She put me on waterproof, portable monitors allowing me to labor in numerous positions with the many toys she had provided in the largest labor room available. She got J and I in the shower for a time period, and only tortured me with occasional blood pressures. My true labor was fast, starting around 11:30am(3cm) and ending at 5:26pm. Although, I will not go as far as to say it was comfortable, it was manageable and controlled through my hypnobirthing and yoga methods. MG was born after 6 minutes of 'pushing' without drugs or drama. The midwife that I had connected with was the one to deliver him and she and the labor nurse stayed with us all day. They were so proud and impressed with my labor both asking me where I did my training, etc. So hopefully you will get a few referrals from them. Dida, a labor nurse for 25 years, told me she had not witnessed a labor like that maybe in all her career, and Maureen, the midwife, said she would be talking about me for years. I was so proud of my super woman ability and my baby was so alert and calm just like you showed us on the videos. We did the delayed cord clamping, and he was put on my bare chest immediately after delivery. They left him with me undisturbed for over an hour, and he nursed beautifully on both sides after about 30-45 minutes post delivery. Hypnobirthing was vital to our beautiful birthing, and we will always be thankful to you and Marie Mongan for giving us the knowledge and confidence to birth our son safely, calmly and peacefully even against all odds. Thank you for everything.

Most Sincerely,

A, J and MG