I love to share your birth stories so let me know if you want yours shared.
Hey mama, I am Trish— AKA Labor Nurse Mama. I am a labor and delivery nurse with over 15 years of high-risk OB experience. I am also a mama to 7 kids and have given birth to 6. This means I am quite familiar with the postpartum period and how to navigate it. I am the online birth class educator for Calm Labor Confident Birth and The VBAC Lab birth classes and the mama expert inside our Calm Mama Society a pregnancy & postpartum membership community! I am passionate about your birth and motherhood journey! You can find me over on IG teaching over 230k mamas daily. I am passionate about your birth and motherhood journey!
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From Tori:
Okay so! Friday 5/15 I went into L&D for some observation due to decreased fetal movement. (ALWAYS HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT!-TRISH) (Here is important info to read about Fetal Movement!)
After 2 hours on the monitor, my doctor decided it would be best to induce, the little guy wasn’t moving around much, and I had three instances of decreased movement in 2 days, so 39+4 she decided out was better than in I guess!
After 12 hrs of Cervidil and then Pitocin, it took me like 10 hours to even get into active labor.
I labored on the yoga ball and asked to be monitored intermittently in which they compromised with me and used a wireless monitor so I could be in positions I desired and to be comfortable.
Around 6cm’s I asked for the epidural (which was part of my plan) but honestly I don’t think I would’ve made it that far without all the knowledge and techniques from you (Trish) and Heather.
I am shocked at myself and proud of myself for staying super calm and remembering to breathe through them and Heather’s amazing words “you can do anything for a minute!”
After the epidural, I progressed SUPER slowly, but I was able to sleep, so I’m thankful for that. All of a sudden, I woke up and was feeling EVERYTHING. I was almost screaming in pain. Once I calmed down, I asked the nurse to check my epidural because I was feeling a lot more than the explained “pressure.”
Everything was apparently in working order, but even my doctor wasn’t convinced. I focused and labored with the amazing help of my husband applying counter pressure to my back (omg so unbelievably helpful!!!) and finally got to 9cm, and nurses came rushing in repositioning me because apparently baby wasn’t tolerating the last couple contractions very well, but they were growing concerned.
My doctor told me she would give me one more hour to get to 10 cm, but she didn’t think the baby could take much more of labor with his head halfway stuck under my pelvic bone. The next two contractions were scary because I was being moved every which way, and now I was told the baby was in distress.
The word I was dreading every time we talked about him during contractions.
I asked to be checked if I was finally at a ten so, my doctor checked, and my cervix was swelling, and she could barely measure me at a 9. which I had been for 2 hours now. We inevitably went to a c section.
Read now:
A Simple Guide to Understanding Cesarean Sections
How to Have a Family Centered Cesarean
She asked if I wanted to try pushing, but I was so exhausted and now scared for my baby that I had them prep me for the cesarean. I do feel a little bit like I “gave up,” but as soon as they said it could turn into an emergency, I just wanted him here safely!
So, this is Brady! & I’m glad I had amazing prep for his arrival even if it didn’t go as planned.
I felt knowledgeable and comfortable sticking up for myself when I needed to. I loved all my nurses, and L&D nurses are freaking superheroes with incredible powers, and I’m just SO THANKFUL!!!!
Tori, thank you for sharing your birth story.
