Growing Up Gupta

MY BIRTH PLAN BLEW UP IN MY FACE

I figured I was a tough woman and that the labor and delivery process couldn’t be that bad. I had heard the horror stories and those about how it could be as easy as passing gas.  My husband and I also went to each and every class recommended by my doctor and I watched countless videos about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Hence what could go wrong when I/we were more than prepared and I was going to have a natural birth? Everything!

WHAT PARENTING BOOKS DON’T TELL YOU

After 10 hours of pacing the hallway of the labor and delivery floor there was still no baby cradled in my arms. My water had already broke on its own and I was still only a meager 2cm dilated.  I did everything the nurses and doctor advised and the pain grew all the more unbearable. Agony succeeded, and then rage, and my/our natural  birthing plan flew out the door.  I cried give me the epidural now!  After it was administered the doctor said to me everything will be better now.  But it wasn’t and the contractions and adominal pressure pain grew worse.   Another doctor came into our room an hour later and asked me how I was doing.   I screamed not well and that the pain is not getting any better.  Surprised the doctor checked my epidural to find that it had been put in incorrectly.  After the epidural was redone I felt an ease of pain and pressure on my right side but my left still ached.  I began to shake violently, grew cold, and threw up. The doctor looked at me and said ” the epidural has to take because  I just gave you enough to take down two horses.”

Nonethess the pain continued on my left side and my labor and delivery doctor came into the room. “Everything all right, he remarked?”  No”, my husband and I wailed in tandem “there is still extreme and unbearable pain on my left side”, I grieved.   As he went to check me he screeched indisbelief that “the catheter  has been put in incorrectly and this is the pain you must feel–you are peeing blood.’ “No wonder this baby hasn’t been able to make her way here by now!”  Crying and calling out for my Mom who lives over 800 miles away my husband tightly grasped my hand.  His  face filled with frustration, agony, and panic we began to pray.  And the doctor then chimed in “you will deliver this baby and all will be fine.” With the pain now completely gone my husband and I got some sleep. However it was sorely interrupted by the words “you and the baby’s heart rate are slowing down.”  ‘We have to do something now to speed it back up” and a nurse quickly inserted something into my arm and said “that should do it.” Ready, to be parents and after 28 hours of a birthing nightmare our bundle of joy was finally here.  Our daughter, a true fighter, had survived the designated “safe” 24 hour period in my womb.  And now we couldn’t think to sleep, nor did we want to with her finally safe and sound in our arms.