Pregnancy and Birth

            When I found out that I was pregnant, I was dead set on going to a certified nurse midwife [CNM] and having a natural birth. To my disappointment my first ultrasound revealed that i had a condition called placenta previa. Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta covers the cervix, this can cause massive blood loss and maternal and fetal death if the mother is allowed to deliver naturally. The only safe way to deliver, with this condition, is by a scheduled c-section. I was heartbroken and terrified. Needless to say i was forced to go to an OB. As my pregnancy continued the placenta previa resolved itself so i was yet again set on my natural birth plan. I wanted no pitocin, no pain meds, and i wanted to be able to get up and move around during labor.
             After 42 weeks of pregnancy I finally went into labor. My contractions started waking me up at 3AM but i had experience false labor so many times that i wasnt convinced that i was actually in labor. At 9AM our family went to the zoo. I walked around at the zoo until about 2pm, Christian told me that we had to leave. I was still not convinced that i was in labor. We got into the car and he asked me if we were going to the hospital and i said no they are just going to send me home again, so we went to his brothers house. At 5pm Christians brother informed me that weather i like it or not i was in labor and i was not allowed to have a baby on his couch. Off we went to the hospital, i was horrified. The last place in the world i wanted to go to have my baby was a hospital.

              We arrived at the hospital and they immediatly admitted me. I changed into a gown and they forced me to lay in bed. Laying down caused my babys head to push down on my sciatic cause searing pain shooting down my right leg. I had said i wanted a heplock but not an IV but they told me i didnt have an option. I asked if i could stand up and they said no that it would mess with the moniters. Everytime i would try to move the moniters would slip and alarms would go off. I was forced to lay on my back and perfectly still. This not only made the same pain, that i was able to walk around the zoo in and play with my 9 month old niece, unbearable but also research has proven that laying flat on your back is the WORST position to labor and give birth in. I was finally in so much pain that i was forced to get an epidural and my daughter was born several hours later

             Skylar Elizabeth Marsh, 7lbs. 6oz. 21inches long, born at one forty two AM. Do not get me wrong my birth experience with my daughter will always be one of the happiest days of my life but i truly wish that i had not been pushed along the birth assembly line of a hospital. My desire was to EXPERIENCE my birth. Not ignore what was going on. After my medicated hospital birth experience and the regret i feel for it this was what led me to look into my home birth option

I will be linking with the pistachio project.