Personal Birth Experience

I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Riley Tarrant Wilson, on October 22, 2005.  I was working in the office of an OBGYN group, so I received top notch medical care and could have ultrasounds whenever I wanted.  The doctors and nurses were very supportive and I had a wonderful pregnancy. 

I remember the day I gave birth like it was yesterday.  It was a Saturday morning and I was a little over 38 weeks pregnant.  I had a bad cough left over from a cold I had just gotten over.  We decided to clean up the garage and run some errands.  We were in line for the drive up window at the bank and I had a cough attack.  All of the sudden I stopped and said, "I am not sure, but I think my water may have just broke".  We headed home and by the time we got there I was sure!  We called my doctor and he said he would meet us at the hospital.  When we arrived it was about 11am.  The staff prepped me for labor and my doctor saw me around 1pm.  He said I was only dialated to one and my water broke early because of my deep cough.  He stated it would most likely be a very long labor, between 24 and 36 hours.  He was known for his amazing c-section deliveries and asked me if I wanted to go that route.  He said I could have my baby by 5:30pm later that day, or be in labor until most likely Monday.  My ex-husband said, "Let's do it now my football game starts at 6:00pm and I want to watch it!".  Now you can see why he is my ex!  Anyway, I decided to go ahead and do the c-section because I could not bear the thought of having to wait so long in agony.

The nurses prepared me for the transfer and I was taken into the surgical room.  I had never had any type of surgeries before that point, so I was very nervous.  The surgical room was very white, cool and sterile.  Everyone had masks and scrubs on including my son's father.  They had me on the table and hung a barrier sheet between at just past my neck.  I was looking around and joking with them, saying I felt like I was on the TV show ER.  When I am nervous I tend to seek comic relief!  The had to insert an IV in my spine for the anesthesia and that was very scary.  They say if an error is made at this point it can cause serious damamge.  I felt it going in all the way up my spine and down my leg.  It felt like someone was tugging on my nerves.  Then I went totally numb from the chest down.  I was awake and totally aware and could only feel a bit of pressure whey they were making the incision.  They pulled my son out and I heard him cry, it was a crazy, amazing sound.  I was filled with so much emotion at that point.  The brought him to me and I looked at him.  His father held him and then they took him to clean him off.  Then, they had to finish everything up.  I was a bit scared at this point because I felt a ton of pressure on my chest and was having a hard time breathing has they moved things back into place and sewed me up.  Once that was over they took me into the recovery room.

I remember wanting something to drink so badly but they said I couldn't have anything for a while  After a while in recovery they took me back to my room where about 6 family members were waiting.  I felt horrible and the room was stuffy.  I really just wanted everyone to go away.  I was totally out of it.  Everyone was happy around me, and they all got to take part in washing the baby, taking his hand and foot prints, putting on his first diaper and dressing him.  I couldn't do any of it because I was drugged up.  After begging for something the drink the nurse was apprehensive but finally gave me an ice cube to suck on.  I immediately started vomitting. It was then I understood why I couldn't have anything.  Anyway, that night was horible.  I was having some sort of allergic reaction to the morphine.  I was scratching myself all night, all over my arms.  They asked me if I wanted my son to sleep in my room but I refused hoping to get some rest.  I figured they would take better care of him in the infant room since I was feeling bad.  The next day they switched my pain medication and I felt better.  They brought me my son and I had him with me the rest of the time.  I was in the hospital for three days and then it was off to motherhood!  My son was a wonderful baby - I was very fortunate!

If I had it to do over again I would probably do the same thing.  I will always wonder what it is like to deliver a baby naturally and it is a bit sad I missed out on that opportunity, but at the same time.  I only felt about one or two of my contractions where they started to get big enough and boy did they hurt!  Right when they started to come on it was time for my surgery.  The only thing I question is sometimes I hear people say that certain hormones are released when the baby is born that strengthen the mother's bond with the baby.  Not sure if that is true because I love my son very much, but it was always a concern when I heard it.

I did some research on how births take place in Ireland.  My decendants are from there so I thought it would be interesting.  I found a website, http://www.irishhealth.com/ and read an article about home births.  It does say that hospital births only became the norm a few decades ago, and an increasing number of women are returnign to the system of labor at home with a midwife as previous generations have done.  They claim that it is more comfortable, safer and less stressful for the newborn.  Home births take place in a bed or birthing pool.  The birthing pool is preferred by some because they feel water is a more natrual transition from the amniotic fluid.

I feel that births in Ireland are similiar to those of the United States, because many women in the US also choose home births.  I agree that it is best to be comfortable and natural.  I don't think I would have been as comfortable with having a c-section if I did not work for my OBGYN, see many patients and hear comments about how wonderful my doctor was with c-sections, and know, trust and love him the way I did.  It will be interesting to learn more about births and how they affect children.