My no medication birth plan

I had good intensions.
I was determined to have unmedicated birth. Not that I had anything against drugs in particular, no, I just wanted to try and do it the way my mother and her mother before her did it back in the day. After all, if they could do it, why couldn’t I, right?

Well, wrong. And let me tell why my plan simply did not pan out for me.

On Thursday, May 8th, I woke up in the morning feeling slight cramping in my belly. Although, barely noticeable, it continued on in the afternoon. My mother was with me during the day while V was working and I kept telling her that it is probably the Braxton Hicks and the body is getting ready for the due date, May 12 or later and it’s no big deal.

So we spent the day like nothing was happening, went for a walk, shopping, cooking and were planning to visit the swimming pool. To my surprise, the pain became stronger and more frequent but still very bearable.

I have to say, it was such a weird day. I had a feeling that maybe something grand is about to happen but yet was dealing with daily routine: calling places, emailing people, house work, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. The pain was so minimal and irregular that I was sure I was experiencing practice contractions:)

But weird or not, that day went by pretty quickly and at about 10 pm I got an answer. I wasn’t experiencing BH, I was in real Early stage of labour. At this point I’ve already jotted down timing for several contractions and decided to call the hospital to let them know that I might be on the way soon.

At around 4 am on Friday, May 9, the contractions were at the point that I had to sit on the fitness ball (my savior) to rock my body and really concentrate on breathing. Once contractions became five minutes apart, me, V and my mom were driving through the sleeping neighbourhoods of the west side of Ottawa to the nearest hospital.

By that point I had problem walking (or sitting in the car) through each contraction, so when we couldn’t find an open entrance at the hospital at that late hour (we should have done a test drive), I thought I would give birth right in the foyer of the hospital entrance.

Fortunately, I did not. I was admitted and the waiting game had started.

I have to say a few words about the hospital I didn't give birth in.
From where I come from, women give birth in birthing homes instead of hospitals. There are doctors, midwifes and nurses there, so it is like a little hospital in a way but its only goal is childbirth. There is one in my hometown back in Russia. All my friends and relatives had given birth there, including my mother. It was built in early 50s: It’s a beautiful but very old building that needs repairs desperately.
I can’t say much about the quality of care there since I hadn't experienced it first hand, but I’ve heard stories from friends and relatives about the place. For a long time, visitors were not allowed in the building and the only way to see a mother and the baby was by showing through the sealed windows. The staff is also very strict and new mothers have to obey the set feeding times, as well as rules on how to handle babies. It’s also known for high rates on C-sections.

I feel tremendous gratitude I was able to give birth and experience such wonderful after care at the hospital here in Canada instead. The nurses were amazing and very knowledgeable. In only two days of staying there, I’ve gained more information and got out knowing about newborn care more than I thought I could handle with my fuzzy brain.

But back to labour.

Once admitted, I thought I’d have a quick delivery. Yep, every woman’s dream! To speed things up but ease the pain down, I relaxed in the tub couple of times, walked in the hallway with V by my side, rocked on the fitness ball (yes, I brought it with me) and tried breathing in the laughing gas but to my surprise, things weren’t progressing fast enough. In fact, I was at 8.5 cm at about lunch time on May 9th. Nurses got changed, doctors got switched, but I was still stuck in pain with nowhere near the desired 10cm.
By the time I passed 30 hours of labour, I was still stuck at 9cm. Exhausted, hungry and helpless I’ve asked my nurse if this can be helped a little. She offered epidural again. Throughout all my sufferings, she was proposing it to me to ease the pain and get some rest but my stubborn nature kept declining. And I would have kept on rejecting it, had I known that 10 cm will happen soon. But since I had no clue, in fact, time had totally stopped on me in that delivery room and so did my cervix. It wasn’t dilating and I couldn’t take another contraction.

I accepted it.
What a relief a felt right after it! I was able to nap for a bit and got some rest. Even though I couldn’t feel my legs, I was very comfortable. Doctor came in shortly and did a check. Guess what? I was at 10cm and it was time for pushing.With no natural urge to be felt, I tried my best to push G out for about an hour. But to my surprise, he wasn’t coming out. At that point I knew I needed help. The doctor read my mind – a bit of vacuum assistance and my very best push and baby G was out! I was beyond relived and happy once his strong cry broke in the silence.
It was the best sound I’ve ever heard and certainly the best/worst day in my entire life.