It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 3 weeks since I gave birth to my daughter! Now that we’ve had some time to settle into things at home and I’m slowly getting back to work, I wanted to share her birth story.
Madina Tanishka Awasthi was born on 12/24 at 11:21 am, weighing 7 lbs 11.5 ounces.
As I mentioned in my last pregnancy update, I experienced really intense lower back and pelvic pain throughout the pregnancy. It got so bad during the last couple weeks of the pregnancy that I asked my doctor if there was anything I could do to move labor along quicker than waiting it out naturally. She offered to give me an induction a week before my official due date, and after going back and forth about it for a couple of weeks, I couldn’t stand the pain and discomfort any longer and decided to take her up on the offer.
I was scheduled to check into the hospital on the evening of 12/23 for the induction, but I started having contractions on Thursday 12/21. They were intense at first, then almost nonexistent the next day, but my mucus plug came out the morning of 12/23, so I was excited for the induction since I was technically already in labor. (Aside from experiencing signs of labor though, I was also suffering through my 4th sinus infection I’d had since being pregnant, along with a terrible cough).
I checked into the hospital Saturday night as planned, with Dave and my mom. Upon checking in, getting hooked up to all the monitors and having an initial exam, I was told I was 60% effaced, dilated 1 centimeter and having small contractions.
My doctor has the decision to give me Cervidil to help with dilation, and a few hours later I was dilated 3 centimeters, having intense contractions and begging for an epidural. Fortunately it took the edge off (unlike the epidural I got with Narayan that had to be done twice, but only worked one one side!), so I was comfortable for a while, until I woke up to nurses and doctors in a panic trying to get an oxygen mask on me. Everything was fuzzy, but I saw Dave and my mom who reassured me all was fine. I remember asking if the baby was okay and they said she was, but my contractions were 30 seconds apart and very intense, so she was in distress.
After mine and baby’s heart rates had stabilized and I was given more pain relief since the epidural had wore off, the nurse said she was going to check and see if I was dilated any further. She barely lifted up the blanket and said “you’re 9 centimeters!” I laughed because I thought she was joking! Minutes later the room was prepped for delivery and my doctor was asking me if I had the urge to push. I said I was unsure because I was numb, but I asked for a mirror so I could see what all the fuss was about, since the nurses were talking about how much hair the baby had, since her head was visible.
No one was prepared for what happened next, especially me. I mentioned that I had developed a horrible cough a couple days prior to my scheduled induction… just as the nurse placed the mirror at an angle I could see the baby’s head, I sat up slightly, coughed, and her head popped right out! Everyone started laughing hysterically, and my doctor said “well if you can’t push, then cough again!” So I coughed twice more and out came the rest of her.
The room was filled with laughter and smiles as I looked in my daughter’s eyes for the first time. It was one of the happiest (and funniest!!) moments of my life.
TAGS: motherhood