We have a daughter. Her name is Shanna Francesca. She was born at 9:54 May 24th after a 49 hour labor. We didn’t have the home birth of my dreams because after 40 hours of difficult labor and no sleep I was only 4 cm dilated. At the rate I was going I wouldn’t have had the strength to push when I got to that point. I transfered to Valley Med where we had the best hospital experience I can imagine having. I was presented with options and gently encouraged in the direction that the given nurse/doctor felt was best but at no time did I feel actual pressure. When I turned down their suggestions they would very cautiously and respectfully ask if I was sure then accepted my decision without judgment. I am thrilled by how accommodating the staff was. Multiple people were very pro-home birth and understood that I was not gung-ho about the hospital procedures and made every effort to bend or break rules so that my wishes could be accommodated. Really–it was great. Our delivering doctor made the extra effort to find us a private room so that Noah and the baby and I could stay together all night. If she hadn’t then the baby would have been taken to the nursery and Noah would have been kicked out at 10. Really, I’m grateful to the staff.
I find it funny that I was discussing “compassionate epidurals” with someone a couple of days ago and I was less than thrilled with the idea. At this point I’ve changed my opinion. I needed sleep. There were big chunks of labor that weren’t really painful. The actual pushing (I did almost three hours of it) wasn’t terrible–and the epidural was basically worn off. (They had finished my first bottle of medicine and never bothered to get me a second, I was effectively unmedicated for the final hour.) Labor got hard when I was too tired to be coherent and when I became terrified that it would go on for three or four days at the intensity it had. That was a reasonable fear considering how slowly I was progressing.
At this point I am grateful for modern medicine. I needed to use it and everything went breathtakingly well for me. The hospital was good to us and for us. I’m going to try for a homebirth again next time. I hear that once the cervix has opened once it usually is more willing to do so the second time. 🙂
I have no regrets or anger or upset over how things went. I made it through 40 hours on my own. That’s a very long time and I’m quite proud of myself. I pushed for freakin ever and I got my 8 pound baby out. (She’s also 20″ long.) She’s gorgeous. I have been with Noah and Shanna almost constantly since her birth and I may well have missed as much time as I did at home. 🙂 I’m so joyful. This is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. We signed out of the hospital this morning AMA and now we are home.
I am so very lucky. I’ll get pictures up very soon, I promise.
You did good! It didn’t go quite as you’d hoped for, but it sounds like overall it went well. I’m glad the other options were available to you as you needed them. Yay for having a plan, and yay for having options when the primary plan didn’t go according to… plan!
::doing the happy new baby dance::
Congratulations! I am glad things went fairly well for you. I look forward to seeing the pictures when you have a chance to put some up.
🙂 A
I’m thrilled that you & Shanna Francesca are both well. And that your experience was positive – even if not as planned. Mostly, I’m just damned happy for all 3 of you.
And, seeing the name you chose makes me tearful too. With sadness for the Francesa we lost, and happiness for the Francesca we gained.
*hugs* I understand. I miss her too. This would make her so happy. It makes me smile to think about how happy she would be.
Congratulations!
Best wishes to you and Noah and Shanna, and very glad to hear that you’re all in good health and good spirits.
Hugs to you all.
Yay! Happy Happy! Glad all three of you are well. (“Pictures, pictures, pictures…”)
Congratulations! I’m glad things went as well as they did.
I’m so very happy for you. I’m *SO* proud of you. It sounds like you did a really great job, and did what you needed to. I can’t wait to see pictures and meet your beautiful daughter. *HUGS!!!!!*
PS “AMA” my ass. 😀 We were home less than 10 hours after Frogling was born. Y’all were MORE than accomodating to have stayed overnight…I’m confident you’re quite safe at home. 😉
🙂 I’m not sure I would have been up for a car ride 10 hours later. I don’t know that I actually got as much sleep in the hospital as I would have gotten at home, but I was too tired to argue with anyone. I was so freakin out of it.
10 hours later was a good window for my 10 minute car ride….much longer and I would have reached the point where my hindquarters were starting to realize what they’d been through and sitting became an unpopular position. Basically we stayed long enough to sleep….once the adrenaline wore off, we catnapped for about 8 hours on and off, and ate.
Congratulations!!!
BEAUTIFUL magnificent mama!!! Good job, lady. I’m so proud of you, and happy for all three of you. I’ve been checking practically every hour for photos and even went and found Noah’s journal in case they turned up there!
(no pressure – of course. It’s our job to wait as long as it takes you.)
LOVES LOVES LOVES – you’ve all been on my mind since the good news.
Congratulations! Mazel tov!
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to pictures :).
BAYBEE!
BAYBEE!
BAYBEE!
BAYBEE!
Congratulations! That’s wonderful news, I’m so glad you and your daughter are both safe and well.
Congrats!
*hugs* that’s amazing! Congratulations to all three of you!
I am so amazingly happy for the three of you! I can barely wait to arrange a visit after I get back from Chicago.
Congratulations!!
Yeah!
Congratulations.
congratu-frickin-lations, honeys! so happy to hear it!
Best wishes for a warm sleeping-in and trouble-free babyfeeding, and no colic, and.. and… and…!
Mazel tov, my dears!
Congratulations, my dear. You did it! I am beside myself with happiness for all three of you. Her name is lovely. Am looking forward to pictures and getting the chance to meet Shanna in person, when you’re ready for visitors.
Big hugs!
Congratulations!
congratulations!
Best wishes to the new family! What a lucky little girl!
YAY! Congratulations! 😀 And WOW what a labor! I thought mine was bad at 19 1/2. You made it through 40 all on your own. GO YOU for real! Lovely name for a lovely daughter. Best of luck to you and Noah!!
The funny thing is, Noah asked if I thought I would be able to go through this again–you know, to have more kids. I told him that seeing as the common wisdom is there is no way it will take as long the second time because my cervix has already figured out how to open, sure no problem.
At this point a 24 hour labor would seem pretty easy. heh Perspective is such a funny thing. 🙂
Isn’t it, though? 🙂
You and I had somewhat similar experiences in that I didn’t have any pain meds at the end at all. Plus, I had pitocin, so the contractions were longer and harder. I remember telling people, “Forget the pain? Hell no, I didn’t FORGET how much it hurt, but once it was gone, it just didn’t matter anymore.” I wouldn’t be scared of the pain of labor again, but if I ever have another child, I’ll have to have a c-section just to prevent complications like I had in my first.
It’s something else when you can look at a 24-hour labor as a blessing!! LOL
Especially because in my family labors this long are unheard of. 20 hour labors are freakishly long and rare. My mom’s labors ranged from 45 minutes to 6 hours. At this point I kind of hate her. 🙂
I had pitocin at the end because my contractions were starting to slow down again and we really really needed to get her out. Pitocin is owie.
I don’t actually remember that much pain. I have a sort of vague foggy memory, but I just remember it being intense and being overtired. I was convinced I would fail just from sheer exhaustion.
Exactly! I didn’t remember that much, either. Just that I was almost too tired to push anymore by the end. What a trooper you are! My pushing time wasn’t nearly so long! Of course, they let me push too hard, too. Bleh.
LOL – my active labor was 7 hours….3 of which was pushing. It took me a while to get the hang of it. 🙂
As for pain, yeah….I remember it, but it’s all deeply pressed into my memory, and dreamlike.
Congratulations!!! Yay for making it home safely 🙂
I’m so very happy for you!
(Baby blanket is still being generated, although it’s better than halfway done now. I’m trying to beat my usual tradition of presenting it to the child on her first birthday. I might go for half-year anniversary this time.)
*hug*
Congrats! Yay for baby girls, there have been a lot of them lately… 🙂
Both my mom and my adopted Dad were convinced we were having a girl from early on. I actually thought she was going to be a girl too, so it’s really neat that those with strong opinions were right. 🙂
I’m just going to go ahead and friend you. Cause at this point I’m pretty certain that both of us are curious about being friendly we just haven’t figured out entirely how to do it yet. 🙂
Nicolle is a good egg. I wouldn’t have introduced her to that boy if she wasn’t.
I blogged about your baby, too – hope that’s all right…
Well I was there for the first introduction years ago and I liked her then. 🙂 I like her even more now that I see how happy she makes Tom. I’m easy to please like that.
I saw the mention. I thought that was incredibly sweet. Thank you so much. I’m pretty giddy about people noticing that I’ve had a baby. 🙂
And I love me some baby, hence Tom has been keeping me updated on how you’ve been doing. I don’t have any trouble adding you as a friend/being friendly… just as long as you don’t make us wait too long for baby photos! 😉
Congratulations! I was in Santa Fe, visiting family when I heard, but didn’t have a chance to respond then. Anyway, my family is very excited and happy for you (as am I) and we all wish you and Noah and Shanna the best.
Nick and I both send our love. 🙂
hurray!!
Go you! 40 hours all by yourself, that’s incredible. Glad that even if your best laid plans didn’t work out, it still worked out well for you. 😀