Rohan's arrival [Richa's perspective]
I was able to cope allright until around 9 pm, which is when we decided that it was probably a good idea to call the hospital and go in. My contractions were were 2-3 minutes apart and mom and dad were insisting that it was time to go in. I was almost certain than we will be sent back, but we decided to take the hike to the hospital. The hardest part at this juncture was to decide whether I was in enough pain or not. Such a subjective thing isn't it? I was not trying to be brave, but I had been able to deal with it. Probably because I was so excited about what was to come.
Upon reaching the hospital, the nurse (Amelia) who checked me in remarked, "You look too happy to be in labor!" Jeez! I should have practiced some whining and screaming beforehand I guess. She got me hooked to all the monitors and checked the baby's heart-rate. Everything A-OK. The intersting thing here was to watch the baby's heart-rate go up to almost 150-160 beats per minute with every contraction. The heart-rate would go up before the contraction started -- a good clue for me to begin the level 1 breathing Ravi and I learned in Lamaze class.
Nurse Amelia did an internal checkup and told us that I was 3cm dilated and around 70% effaced. I was told to walk for an hour and see if things progress. So, I walked. The contractions had definitely gotten stronger by now. But an hour later when we went back to get me checked again, there was no change. I was given a pill to helpme relax and was told to go home. It seemed like it would be a while before we would have to come back again. Perhaps as many as another 10-12 hours. I was hoping multiple hospital trips could be avoided, but that was not to be. Good, no? Makes for a good story to tell.
After coming home, almost everyone crashed. I was able to sleep between between 1:30 - 2am, after which some severe pains woke me up. From here onwards, it was a session of trying to find comfort using various measures. I took hot showers, which were great! Also gave myself a nice back rub, which was also good. Somewhere in between I walked down to the family room and watched hindi songs on TV, sitting on my glider and talking to Rishi, who was half asleep. Around 3 I came back up, took another hot shower, and tried to sleep again. This was the most uncomfortable part - I was not able to doze off at all and that's rare for me. Around 3:50 or so, Ravi woke up and heard me whining. I told him we had to call back and go in. I called the hospital and for the first time was not able to talk through my contraction. I also realized that I was really having the urge to push! This was a first for me, and I remembered that it was an absolute no-no from what we had been told in our Lamaze classes.
The ride to the hospital was difficult as well - several red lights. Ravi was tring to help me with my breathing. We reached the hospital around 4:35. They took us in, checked me up and the nurse said I was ready to deliver. Since I had the strongest urge to push, they told me to hold till the doctor got in. I tried and Ravi really helped me with my breathing - but actually to no avail. Before I could realize and the doctor could suit up, Rohan's head had crowned and they asked Ravi to take a peek. The doctor positioned herself , the next contraction happened, and there he was!! He came out all at once, the doc cut the cord, showed him to me and took him away.
I don't even remember pushing the placenta -- I think it just came out. There was a tear so the doc stitched me up and that was that! I later looked to see the timing - they checked us in at 4:38 am (that was the time on our bands) and Rohan was born at 4:45 am...in less that 10 minutes. Our friends were laughing and termed this a Fedex delivery...
I am really thankful that I didnt have to take any medication or go through a C section - I was worried about those two things.Rohan passed his screenings with an Apgar of 8.9! I thought he would be bulkier and taller, but he was tiny and made my job easier during labor.
9 months of prep time and such a fabulous outcome. Going through labor is for sure one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever gone through. Ravi and I later recounted the entire episode as I did not want to miss even a single moment.
Upon reaching the hospital, the nurse (Amelia) who checked me in remarked, "You look too happy to be in labor!" Jeez! I should have practiced some whining and screaming beforehand I guess. She got me hooked to all the monitors and checked the baby's heart-rate. Everything A-OK. The intersting thing here was to watch the baby's heart-rate go up to almost 150-160 beats per minute with every contraction. The heart-rate would go up before the contraction started -- a good clue for me to begin the level 1 breathing Ravi and I learned in Lamaze class.
Nurse Amelia did an internal checkup and told us that I was 3cm dilated and around 70% effaced. I was told to walk for an hour and see if things progress. So, I walked. The contractions had definitely gotten stronger by now. But an hour later when we went back to get me checked again, there was no change. I was given a pill to helpme relax and was told to go home. It seemed like it would be a while before we would have to come back again. Perhaps as many as another 10-12 hours. I was hoping multiple hospital trips could be avoided, but that was not to be. Good, no? Makes for a good story to tell.
After coming home, almost everyone crashed. I was able to sleep between between 1:30 - 2am, after which some severe pains woke me up. From here onwards, it was a session of trying to find comfort using various measures. I took hot showers, which were great! Also gave myself a nice back rub, which was also good. Somewhere in between I walked down to the family room and watched hindi songs on TV, sitting on my glider and talking to Rishi, who was half asleep. Around 3 I came back up, took another hot shower, and tried to sleep again. This was the most uncomfortable part - I was not able to doze off at all and that's rare for me. Around 3:50 or so, Ravi woke up and heard me whining. I told him we had to call back and go in. I called the hospital and for the first time was not able to talk through my contraction. I also realized that I was really having the urge to push! This was a first for me, and I remembered that it was an absolute no-no from what we had been told in our Lamaze classes.
The ride to the hospital was difficult as well - several red lights. Ravi was tring to help me with my breathing. We reached the hospital around 4:35. They took us in, checked me up and the nurse said I was ready to deliver. Since I had the strongest urge to push, they told me to hold till the doctor got in. I tried and Ravi really helped me with my breathing - but actually to no avail. Before I could realize and the doctor could suit up, Rohan's head had crowned and they asked Ravi to take a peek. The doctor positioned herself , the next contraction happened, and there he was!! He came out all at once, the doc cut the cord, showed him to me and took him away.
I don't even remember pushing the placenta -- I think it just came out. There was a tear so the doc stitched me up and that was that! I later looked to see the timing - they checked us in at 4:38 am (that was the time on our bands) and Rohan was born at 4:45 am...in less that 10 minutes. Our friends were laughing and termed this a Fedex delivery...
I am really thankful that I didnt have to take any medication or go through a C section - I was worried about those two things.Rohan passed his screenings with an Apgar of 8.9! I thought he would be bulkier and taller, but he was tiny and made my job easier during labor.
9 months of prep time and such a fabulous outcome. Going through labor is for sure one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever gone through. Ravi and I later recounted the entire episode as I did not want to miss even a single moment.
posted by Richa at 5:53:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home