Katie Carpenter Instagram – Birth story, part 5.
They switched over from night to the day shift and we met our new nursing staff and midwife.
They worried that mine and baby’s fluids were low.. did you know that you can only have ice chips after an epidural? 🫣 Also, my pee bag from the catheter was a disgusting brown color. They gave me more fluids.
Around 10am, I was fully dilated! I was feeling contractions and pressure (not quite as painful as the night before but still intense) and we hoped pushing would be soon, but baby remained too high. I put on affirmations and focused on breathing her down.
Near lunch time, they noticed baby’s heart rate was accelerating and I had a fever. My water had been broken for over 24 hours now. I was given Tylenol, and luckily it brought both of us back to normal.
Another check. Baby lower, but still high. They thought my bladder was in the way of her descent – they tried several different catheters, all of which I felt, but I guess baby’s head and my bladder were fighting for space. They said they’d empty my bladder after birth.
I was hurting. I didn’t push the epidural button. I wanted the hurt to help move her. I felt like she would never descend. Why wouldn’t she move down? We’d learn why after her birth.
Then, around 3pm, I was told she was low enough to start pushing. I couldn’t believe it was finally time. After experiencing some level of contractions for over 24 hours, I couldn’t believe we were finally reaching the end.
I didn’t remember what life was like before the pain. I almost forgot why we were all here. There’s a baby coming. | Posted on 09/Nov/2023 07:16:37
