Quinns weight: 3540 g (gained 320 g since birth)
My weight: 54,3 kg (-0,5 kg from last week)
Lochia: Still there, not a lot though.
Quinn loves this week:
Mom loves:
So here it is, my first baby’s birth story. I delivered at 41+2. The birth wasn’t dramatic, it was fast, it was with a totally unplanned way, it was totally different than I expected, it was the best decision, it was painless and I had our Baby-Boy in my arms three hours after entering the delivery room.
Let’s just say, I never expected to have my baby-boy in my arms only three hours after we got to the delivery room. And let’s just say – you can not plan a birth, not one minute of it. You can have your ideal birth in mind but it can develop totally different than you expected. Just like with Quinn.
In my case, I was scheduled for an inducement, seeing Quinn didn’t even think about leaving his one-room apartment and entering the big world. I had no labor signs at all so, in my case, inducing was the only way to go.
On April 1st 2015 my bubby and I left home at around 06:15 in the morning, we grabbed some breakfast (white coffee and a pretzel) and headed to the hospital. We went to the delivery room but left all my bags in the car. I was of the mind that the induction will take at least 6-12 hours until it kicks in (if I’m lucky, if not I would have to wait one whole day), so there’d be lots of time to still get my bags.
My bubby and I were feeling good, he was a bit nervous but which soon-to-be-daddy wouldn’t be. I was totally calm and mentally ready for a 30-hour birth, I just felt good and ready.
So, we headed to the delivery room and arrived at around 07:30. Luckily it was very quite that day, not a lot of births going on and the midwives were in a good mood 🙂 We went through my documents and then I was put on the CTG at around 07:45. A few minutes later one midwife checked me and decided we need to induce vaginal with a pill. The same diagnosis like the days before.
My attending OB came in right after 08:00 and explained to us the procedure of this induction way. That it can kick in quite fast or that it also can take a day and that I have to come back to the delivery room for a CTG check every 1,5 hours. I would get one pill in the morning and one six hours later, and if no contractions occur we’d pause during the night and go on the next day.
My boyfriend and I prepared ourselves for long walks, waiting and sudden contractions.
My OB left the delivery room and said he’d be back soon so that we can start with the induction. At around 08:45, the CTG machine made some noise. I told my boyfriend that the midwives will come in and change the paper, that same thing happened to me a few days before. Yet, the noise this time was a bit louder but I didn’t think of anything bad. The midwife came and checked the sensors and asked me to hold them and push them against my belly so that you can really hear the heartbeat of the baby.
I did so but a few minutes later the machine made that same noise. My boyfriend thought that it’s not recording the baby’s heartbeat but only mine, seeing it was down to around 60.
Now it hit me that it’s probably not the paper which needs to be changed but that’s something going on with the baby, me or the machine. The midwife came back into the room and so did the gynecologist of the hospital, seeing my OB was on ward rounds. She introduced herself, I looked at the paper of the CTG and was happy because I saw a contraction. I asked her if I just had a contraction and she said yes, a very light one which I didn’t even feel and which is not even close to a birth contraction.
Then she explained to us why the machine made that signal, that it was a warning signal because our baby boy’s heartbeat sank not only during the peak of the contraction but also after. She defined the fetal distress as a late deceleration.
She also said that doctors and midwives are not fond of seeing something like that on the CTG and she will make an ultrasound of the baby to see if everything is ok.
She left the room and I mentioned to my bubby, that just a few days earlier I read an article of why the c-section rate is so high in Germany and it’s because of the CTG and what it tells us about the baby.
And that’s the first time it hit me – I might be getting a c-section! I said to my boyfriend “I think I might be getting a c-section…. and I’m ok with it…”
At around 09:00 the hospital OB came back and did an ultrasound of Quinn, my placenta, the amniotic fluid and the blood circulation of the umbilical cord. All was fine, yet the placenta was quite calcified and the amniotic fluid was quite less, but still enough. You could tell that it’s time for the baby to come out.
The OB talked with my attending OB about the results and told us that neither the doctors nor the midwives will induce a woman with a CTG result as mine. Once you induce, there’s no way of stopping and if such a little contraction already results in such a bad heartbeat of the baby, then there’s no way they will force me getting harder contractions and risking the baby’s life.
I did ask the doctor if we could wait for another contraction to see if it just was false alarm but she said she’d really rather not. Of course, as the mother, you can always say no to the birth method the doctors prefer but really, the only thing you think of in a situation like that is the life of your baby.
So, at 09:10, after I got informed about all the risks of a c-section and how it works, I signed all the documents for the cesarean, the doctor said we’ll make it within the next hour and I will see my baby very soon (which made me happy). I had to change into a sexy hospital gown, a midwife came in to shave my private area and then I hopped onto a big bed with big tires. Everybody in the delivery room explained to my boyfriend that he could stay by my side the whole time and what he has to expect.
While my boyfriend and I waited to get rolled to the operation room, one little tear dropped out of my eye due to the fact that I would not have a vaginal birth. Yet I was so ready for this operation and I was calm and even put my boyfriend’s mind at ease, telling him that the most scary things about operations are all the machines and the sterile clothes.
I got sprayed with something which seemed like ice-spray, once on my arm and once on my belly to see when the anesthesia started to work and at 10:22 my attending OB made the cut. I felt them push and pull and do things in my belly, I heard them suck away the amniotic fluid (and I thought this sounds like at the dentist) and at 10:25 our son Quinn was born and I heard him cry – the best feeling ever and my happy tears came.
I heard my OB saying he’s got the umbilical cord around his neck twice and it was cut right away.
The nurses showed me our baby and then my boyfriend went with Quinn and the nurses to do all the checks and after a few less minutes, I got our baby put on my chest. I actually thought that would be the moment I’ll burst into tears but nothing – I held him on my chest and just was happy to have him close to me.
My OB removed the placenta and scraped out my uterus. He performed the c-section using the Misgav Ladach method, meaning ripping – not cutting. After the doctors were done, Quinn and I were rolled into the anesthetic recovery room where we had to stay for two hours. My boyfriend was there too.
And that’s the first time Quinn wanted his food and I started nursing 🙂 It was a great feeling and nursing Quinn works just great. Right from the first moment on, and I was really really happy mommy! I also got my first painkillers and continued taking painkillers three to four days, every five hours 600mg. No problem at all as long as you feed the baby the colostrum and also after.
So, I actually did have a painless birth, just the two days after the c-section were quite painful but thanks to painkillers and thanks to my body for recovering so fast.
I stayed in the hospital for five nights and left one day after Easter.
I am very happy I got the c-section and that Quinn is healthy and happy, especially because my biggest fear of giving birth was the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck!
Quinns weight: 3250 g (reached his birth weight of 3220 g already)
My weight: 54,8 kg (-7,4 kg)
Quinn loves:
He’s our content little baby-boy who’s making life for his mom and dad quite easy.
The weather here is getting warmer and warmer so we’re going to take him out for his first walk soon.
Having my boyfriend around is great, he can change or hold Quinn while I drink my coffee or write e-mails or take a shower. It’s a shame he has to go back to work in 1,5 weeks. Being a parent is amazing, the feeling of your baby falling asleep on your chest is beyond words.
He’s such a content baby who hardly cries and is happy when mommy’s boobs feed him or when he’s having lots of physical contact. We are so happy to have such an amazing boy and feel very blessed.
The conflict with my brain:
For me, my earliest “might be” due-date was Monday, March 23rd 2015 (with a 27 day cycle and the first day of my last period being June 17th 2014) and for me, my real due-date was somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday, March 24th to 26st (with a 28 day cycle and the first day of my last period being June 19th 2014), that’s where the 40+6, +7, +8 comes from.
The early ultrasound in my 11th week spit out March 23rd as my due-date (that’s where the 40+9 comes from), my “might be” earliest due-date.
One thing I have very much learned in this pregnancy is:
next time I will give my OB the LP (last period) date, of which I know it was the first day, and not be influenced by what the doctor’s assistance tells me when my first day was. Especially because I’m such an organisation-nerd and keep an exact account of my period, I know my body and I know best.
I made the mistake of saying June 15th 2014 was my LP and my cycle is the average of 27 (There have been months where I’ve had a 30-day cycle). That gives us a calculated due-date of March 21st. And that calculated due-date now hunted me down, now that the induction talk comes up. Because, a doctor is always on the safe side and will want to induce at 40+7, latest at 40+10. And the only thing the doctor can rely on is that calculated due-date which was figured out 40 weeks ago. Unless the OB changed the date to what the early ultrasound figured out (which mine didn’t do because she said plus/minus a few days doesn’t matter). Well, it does matter if it comes to the induction talk.
Anyway, at first I thought it’s ok to get induced at ultrasound due-date +7 but the whole weekend before I didn’t feel comfortable at getting induced on March 30th. My inner conflict with my brain. Also because my mom carried most of her kids longer than 40 weeks (she got induced with my oldest sister at 40+10) and maybe we just carry a bit longer (who knows). My midwife came by on Sunday and we talked a long time and it made me feel a lot better.
So on March 30th my bubby and I drove to the hospital early in the morning and I told the doctor and midwives that I’d only like to get induced if it’s medically necessary (which, medically speaking, nothing was wrong this whole time). They checked me, checked the baby, called my attending OB who was on the way to the hospital already. All was good, enough amniotic fluid, the placenta still looks really good, the heartbeat on the CTG was good, the baby is moving lots, I feel good and have no symptoms like high blood pressure or water in my body.
So the only reason why they would have induced is because I was one week overtime and I asked if we could postpone it a few days. My attending OB wouldn’t let me go too long which I’m fine with, I don’t mind getting induced and I’m not a woman who absolutely wants that everything goes natural. The safety for my baby still is the most important.
My attending OB talked to me about the risks again but said everything looks very good, so he’ll give me two days, which is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1st 2015. I felt a lot better and I just felt like I need to listen to my instinct and body and baby. Of course it can be that I’m getting induced tomorrow, it will take 30+ hours and I need a c-section but then I won’t have a crisis of conscience thinking “did my baby still need some time in my belly”. I hope. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a crisis thinking “should I have induced on Monday?!”.
I am happy I waited though and I’m totally ready for tomorrow (I’m nervous, that’s clear). I only slept four hours from Sunday to Monday (due to the time change here I really wasn’t tired) and hope (ha, we’ll see) that I can sleep better tonight because I’m ready and I want to get induced.
Fact is, going over your due date kind of sucks (when you don’t really know when your real due date is). You (well, I) worry about inducing too early, you worry about inducing too late, you just want to do everything right for your baby.
How far along: 40 weeks + days
How much do I weigh: 62,2 kg, which means I gained around 13,5 kg (30 pounds) this pregnancy. 
Sleep: Very good, most of the time. If I get up it’s only once. Lucky me! But sometimes after I got up I can’t go back to sleep for hours.
Food (non) cravings: Nothing special, not that hungry.
Symptoms: For being high pregnant and about to pop anytime I have very less symptoms, hardly any. A little heartburn, my knees sound terrible when I do yoga.
Labor Signs: Hardly any, some pelvis pressure, some cramps. Nothing worth mentioning I guess. On Tuesday my attending OB checked me and noticed some blood, which might be my mucus plug. It was very less though and probably doesn’t mean anything.
I’ve been taking a bath every day and making hayflower steam baths a few days. I still drink three cups of raspberry leave tea daily. I do yoga daily, sit on my exercise ball at the dining table, walk stairs, go for walks. I also took a few Caulophyllum thalictroides D 4 pills, what the midwives gave me. Those are homeopathic pills which might cause contractions. Who knows, but no contractions at 41 weeks. I’m not forcing my bubby on having sex with me (although I’m bossy like that and would like to give it a try) because my true believe is that you cannot force labor. If I don’t have contractions I just don’t have them, why should they come from taking a walk or a bath.
I do things that are comfortable but don’t take my strength.
Maternity clothes: Ready to say goodbye to too tight pants. Can’t wait to buy new summer clothes in a few months.
Stretch marks: None
Miss anything: Nothing
Looking forward to: Meeting our baby-boy!!
Best happenings this week: Seeing that our baby-boy is doing just fine. The CTG on Sunday in the hospital was good, had another OB appointment on Tuesday and Thursday (the first male OB to examine me btw) and all was looking good. He checked me and the baby
On Tuesday my attending OB said that the hospital is quite busy this week and that he therefore made an appointment for my induction on Thursday, March 26st.
That would be 40+5 from the calculated due-date and 40+3 from the ultrasound (and my) due-date. He explained why they prefer to induce latest one week after the due-date, which I understand, but I asked him if we could induce on Monday, March 30th, instead, seeing the calculated due-date (March 21st) was always wrong in my mind, due to my irregular cycle and seeing that, in my opinion, my period didn’t start on June 15th (like I told my OB) but the 17th or even more the 19th (which would come out with a calculated & ultrasound due-date of Monday, March 23rd to March 25th).
He understood, said that’s no problem (seeing he’s only my attending OB he doesn’t know the details about my “history”). He looked at the ultrasound image from my 11th week where they figured out the due-date and said ok, Monday is ok 🙂 And seeing everything is fine with our baby, I’d like to give our baby-boy the chance to find his way into life by himself one more week.
My CTG on Saturday in the hospital was good, one contraction in 45 minutes – ha! The midwife also made another prenatal acupuncture for free 😀 I have two more nights where I can go into labor before getting induced. I’m quite nervous now…
And again, a big thank you to my Baby-Boy for this awesome pregnancy 😀 This time it’s final 🙂
Movement: So so much! I can feel him moving around like crazy. That’s such a weird thought – knowing to have a human baby in the belly who’s all “done”, it’s unbelievable. He’s turning his back from left to right to left to right since Thursday evening (over a week now). He’s never done that. You’d think he’s ready to leave the nest (or he’s just feeling way too comfortable now).
Gender: Baby-Boy Bruno
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and very excited and nosy! I did have some thoughts about how the pain of inducing will kick in and how I will handle it. Will it go from 0 to 100, will it take hours or days, will it not kick in at all? It’s a fear of the uncertain, a totally new experience – how will the pain feel and will I be able to handle it?!
Sports: Walks, daily Yoga 
