The Magi in AttendanceI was treated to the buffet of medical options during my labor. I had intended on laboring naturally without drugs or an epidural, however I'd heard that pitocin (the drug used to jumpstart labor) induced very strong and powerful contractions. I wanted to feel those contractions before I decided whether or not to labor without medical intervention.
My water broke on Thursday, January
28th, late in the evening and by early Friday morning Dave and I were at labor and delivery. Immediately I was hooked up to an IV (inhibiting my ability to move around), given fluids and strapped to fetal and uterine monitors. Soon after I was given an injection of pitocin. Pitocin is a synthetic version of oxytocin given to women in labor to stimulate contractions. The prevailing concern was that because my water had broken and I was not in active labor, that there was a risk of infection.
At midday, as my contractions grew stronger and closer together I decided on some pain management and completely abandoned my original plan to labor naturally. I felt that, having experienced regular contractions, and having the ability to mitigate my pain, I could chose the managed option. I opted for fentanyl, a narcotic which would not harm the fetus this early in labor and would give me a little relief from the relentless oceanic pain of the contractions. Fentanyl was fun. It allowed me to focus a bit on things other than the immense pain of the contractions and to drink a little water and talk with Dave and the medical staff.
At this point I had been laboring on pitocin for 14 hours. I kept rolling back and forth in the bed to mitigate the pain of the contractions and the monitors strapped to my belly would intermittently cease working as they shifted off of pulse points.
The medical staff (the second, day shift had joined us at this point) decided to place an internal fetal and uterine monitor inside me. Very
painful. Enough said.
As the fentanyl wore off I asked for an epidural. The labor was long, I was tired and hungry and wanted to move things forward. I still had not reached transitional labor (the stage of labor right before you should start pushing).
The epidural was heaven! Such sweet relief. Unfortunately, the combination of the pitocin and the epidural impacted my blood pressure negatively. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low, Will's heart rate dropped dangerously low and all things combined enough to alarm the medical staff enough to prompt prep for an emergency cesarean section kit. I was too sleepy to fully understand what was happening, Dave was somewhat concerned, however. All of a sudden he focused completely on me sitting no further than three feet away for several hours and being totally, fully present.
The medical staff turned down the pitocin, turned up the fluids and turned off the delicious epidural and my body was better able to regulate itself. As soon as all pain relief was turned off, I started to go into earnest, intense transitional labor (almost 24 hours after I was admitted to the hospital). So I was treated to a somewhat mitigated somewhat natural labor and I avoided the c-section and Will was born healthy.
I do wonder what would have happened had I been allowed to labor naturally, to eat and drink during my labor and to have contractions without the aid of pitocin. There was, in my medical profile, no reason for me to have a c-section and I am glad I avoided such an invasive medical procedure. Every step along the way to the emergency c-section I almost had was one that was determined by a prior medical decision (the decision for pitocin, the decision for an epidural). Of course there were risks associated with laboring naturally and laboring for so long with a ruptured bag of waters. And of course I realize that the medical professionals who were attending me were doing absolutely the correct things according to the situation and to their training. I am grateful for the medical intervention I did receive and grateful that pain management was available to me. I do wonder, though.
My water broke on Thursday, January
28th, late in the evening and by early Friday morning Dave and I were at labor and delivery. Immediately I was hooked up to an IV (inhibiting my ability to move around), given fluids and strapped to fetal and uterine monitors. Soon after I was given an injection of pitocin. Pitocin is a synthetic version of oxytocin given to women in labor to stimulate contractions. The prevailing concern was that because my water had broken and I was not in active labor, that there was a risk of infection.At midday, as my contractions grew stronger and closer together I decided on some pain management and completely abandoned my original plan to labor naturally. I felt that, having experienced regular contractions, and having the ability to mitigate my pain, I could chose the managed option. I opted for fentanyl, a narcotic which would not harm the fetus this early in labor and would give me a little relief from the relentless oceanic pain of the contractions. Fentanyl was fun. It allowed me to focus a bit on things other than the immense pain of the contractions and to drink a little water and talk with Dave and the medical staff.
At this point I had been laboring on pitocin for 14 hours. I kept rolling back and forth in the bed to mitigate the pain of the contractions and the monitors strapped to my belly would intermittently cease working as they shifted off of pulse points.
The medical staff (the second, day shift had joined us at this point) decided to place an internal fetal and uterine monitor inside me. Very
painful. Enough said.As the fentanyl wore off I asked for an epidural. The labor was long, I was tired and hungry and wanted to move things forward. I still had not reached transitional labor (the stage of labor right before you should start pushing).
The epidural was heaven! Such sweet relief. Unfortunately, the combination of the pitocin and the epidural impacted my blood pressure negatively. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low, Will's heart rate dropped dangerously low and all things combined enough to alarm the medical staff enough to prompt prep for an emergency cesarean section kit. I was too sleepy to fully understand what was happening, Dave was somewhat concerned, however. All of a sudden he focused completely on me sitting no further than three feet away for several hours and being totally, fully present.
The medical staff turned down the pitocin, turned up the fluids and turned off the delicious epidural and my body was better able to regulate itself. As soon as all pain relief was turned off, I started to go into earnest, intense transitional labor (almost 24 hours after I was admitted to the hospital). So I was treated to a somewhat mitigated somewhat natural labor and I avoided the c-section and Will was born healthy.
I do wonder what would have happened had I been allowed to labor naturally, to eat and drink during my labor and to have contractions without the aid of pitocin. There was, in my medical profile, no reason for me to have a c-section and I am glad I avoided such an invasive medical procedure. Every step along the way to the emergency c-section I almost had was one that was determined by a prior medical decision (the decision for pitocin, the decision for an epidural). Of course there were risks associated with laboring naturally and laboring for so long with a ruptured bag of waters. And of course I realize that the medical professionals who were attending me were doing absolutely the correct things according to the situation and to their training. I am grateful for the medical intervention I did receive and grateful that pain management was available to me. I do wonder, though.
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