S's Story

S's (2006)

Nine days overdue with my second child, I had run out of patience and was scheduled to be induced the following day. When I woke up in the morning, however, I had three contractions in the half-hour I spent in bed, waiting for my husband to get out of the shower. The contractions continued with suprising regularity, every 15 minutes or so, as we went through our usual morning routines, so I figured that a) I was in labour, and b) unlike what I was expecting/hoping about a second delivery, it wasn't likely to be over by lunchtime. So I took my husband to work & my daughter to daycare, stopped by the library for some reading material, and came back home. By late morning, the contractions were getting increasingly intense, and a little more frequent, so my husband came home to wait with me.

By early afternoon, we figured it was time to go to the hospital, helped on by a phone call to my father-in-law, an obstetrician, who said "Don't wait too long...", and a brief conversation with the doctor on call (Dr. ___). The hospital was quite busy when we arrived, and we spent a long time waiting, first to fill out the forms, and then to get into the assessment room. There were three women and their partners/families sitting in the waiting room, periodically closing our eyes and breathing deeply as contractions hit, for the better part of an hour, until beds opened up in the assessment room.

In the assessment room, the nurse pronounced me 2 cm dilated and, after hooking me up to a monitor for awhile, noted that the contractions were still further than 5 minutes apart. This was dispiriting, as I assumed that it meant I had many hours of labour ahead of me, but each contraction was VERY intense, so although they were far apart they seemed to do their job fairly quickly. By the time Dr. ___ arrived, a couple of hours later, I was 6 cm dilated and progressing well. I had stayed on the bed, either reclining, or lying on my side, up until that point, partly because the baby monitor had been on for most of the time. Dr. ___ suggested that I get off the bed and try the medicine ball. As soon as I got up, the contractions got much more intense, and I heard Dr. ___ making hasty arrangements to get me into a delivery room, which up to that point had been impossible due to a shortage of nurses. I also asked for, and got, the nitrous oxide gas that had worked well for me with my last delivery.

After a couple more contractions on the ball, I started to push, and I was hastily transferred to a wheelchair and rolled into the nearest delivery room. Getting out of the wheelchair back onto the ball brought on a huge contraction, and I could feel my water break. The doctor and nurses helped me onto the bed, lying on my side, with me holding on to the bars on the bed for dear life.

Apparently I pushed for about 11 minutes - it felt like about 3 contractions total - before the baby crowned. The pain was unbelievable, though blessedly shortlived, as my perineum stretched quickly to accommodate the baby's head and BOTH his shoulders at once. Then before I knew it, I was lying back on the bed, being handed my slippery son.

O's Story

O's Story (2003)

I went into labour with my daughter four days after my due date. I noticed a bit of "show" when I went to the bathroom first thing in the morning, which is also when the contractions started. I didn't leap to any conclusions right away, since they were pretty irregular and I'd had several hours of false labour a few days previously. But as the day wore on, the contractions got a little more regular and more intense, my husband started pacing, and we started planning to go to the hospital. Still, things took a long time to develop: by late afternoon the contractions were still manageable, and more than 5 minutes apart. I called the doctor (Dr. ___) and she asked me a few questions, and then told me to call back when they hit the 5-minute mark. BC Women's was doing a study on early labour support at home, so I called the number to speak to a nurse and got "randomly assigned" to get a home visit from the nurse. She arrived in the early evening and did an internal exam, telling me (to my intense disappointment, after almost 12 hours of "early labour") that I was about 2 centimetres dilated. That exam seemed to get things going, though, because shortly after she left, my water broke, and the contractions immediately got more painful. We decided that it was time to head for the hospital - an excruciating process, as walking to and from the car brought on intense contractions.

Once at the hospital, my husband and I were put in an assessment room, where I was examined again, and eventually moved to a labour/delivery room. I was wheeled there in my bed, having refused to set off more contractions by getting out of the bed and into a wheelchair for the journey. By that time, my arms were shaking from trying to lift myself off the bed during each contraction. I had asked for some pain relief, and the doctor (Dr. ___) advised starting with the nitrous oxide gas, which I did once we got to the labour/delivery room. It did seem to take the edge off the contractions, and although it made me lightheaded and a little out of it during and immediately after each contraction, clarity seeped back in between contractions so I didn't feel completely drugged out. At some point, though, it stopped being enough, and I remember saying something like: "I can't take this, I need something more." That was probably after I hit the transition stage and had a double contraction that seemed to go on forever! The labour nurse was great - she narrated the whole thing for me, so I knew roughly where I was in the process, and what was coming next. When I asked for more pain relief, the nurse checked with Dr. ____, who was on her way back to the hospital. She recommended a narcotic, saying that I was far enough along that it was probably too late for an epidural. At some point, I was remember feeling blissfully pain-free and thanking the nurse for the extra drugs, only to be told that they hadn't given me anything yet. It must have just been the contrast between the ovewhelming pain of the contractions and the calm period in between.Soon afterwards, the nature of the contractions changed and I began to get an irresistable urge to start pushing. At that point, in fact, I would have had to expend a huge effort NOT to push - my body just took over. I was initially told that I should wait, that I wasn't dilated enough, but I was positive that I was, and an internal exam proved me right. For the pushing, Dr. ____ brought the top of the bed up to resemble a chair and recommended getting up on my knees, turning around, and hanging on to the top of the "chair" to support myself. My husband also helped hold me up, in between passing me ice-water to gulp - I was sweltering and desperately thirsty by then. My mom, who had driven down from Kamloops that evening for the big event, was sponging my face with cool water and assuring me that I was doing spectacularly well, keep it up. Once the pushing started, the pain seemed more manageable and I stopped using the gas. I guess I ended up pushing for about an hour and a half, but it seemed to go quicker than that. When the baby crowned, Dr. ___ told me to stop pushing for a minute, and then the next thing I knew she was out, and looking up at me from the bed with big, round eyes.

A Love Story

First letter

Dear Dr. ____

A week has gone by already and my little tike has been such a pleasure. Thank you for your support, caring and innovation (birth by campfire light) during my delivery. Thanks also for keeping (my husband) so involved. He was holding me up as (our son) made his way into the world. Obviously an experience we shall always remember. All the best and I am so grateful!! -B.A.

Note: B.A.'s baby was born as she was sitting on her husband's lap. Her husband was sitting on the floor, the nurse and doctor kneeling in front, using a flashlight ("the campfire") to light the scene.


Second letter

Dear Dr. ____

Thank you for the opportunity to share my wonderful (if painful) experience with future moms and dads. Keep up the good work! - B.A. and family

P.S. My second delivery went much faster; I was only at the hospital approximately two hours before "M" was born. Another healthy and safe delivery with caring staff.