We're moving!!!

I decided to start a new blog. The new one will feature more informative posts (such as why the C-section rate is so high). I hope that you will read that blog.

http://www.talesfromafutureobgyn.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Spring Break Must Reads

Here are some great OB books to read over Spring Break (if you have one).

Non-Fiction

1) Pushed by Jennifer Block

2) Born in the U.S.A. by Marsden Wagner

Humor

1) Knocked Up by Rebecca Eckler

2) I'll Never Have Sex with You Again

Personal

1) Diary of a Midwife by Julianna Van-Ophlen-Fehr

2) Baby Catcher

Hope you enjoy these. Please let me know if you have any other books that are like the above. I'm always looking for new OB books!

My good news!

Faithful Code Blue Readers:

I just wanted to take a minute to:

A) Let everyone know I was still alive and well, despite the lack of recent posts

B) Thank everyone for the recent hits

C) Announce that I have a story being considered by a leading pregnancy magazine! Yeah! I'll let you know what happens!

Also, please take a minute to vote in the poll to the right of this post. I've noticed more negative votes than usual, so I hope that those voters would leave me comments as to why they do not like this blog. Thanks again everyone!

Complicated Delivery (Yes, this IS a new post!)

t all started on Thursday, December 9, 2004, when I went to the hospital for my overdue appointment. I ended up being admitted at about 3:30 p.m. because my blood pressure had risen to 130/90 (normally 120/70).

I had two CTG scans done, both with very good results. At about 6 p.m. my blood pressure had risen to 140/90 and an hour later it was 150/90. Doctors kept an eye on it till the morning.

On Friday morning my blood pressure was 150/95 so the doctor who admitted me came to speak to me about inducing me. At about 10 a.m. I had the first lot of prostaglandin gels put in, had a CTG scan, then was sent back to the maternity ward. I had a few niggling pains, but nothing major.

At 4 p.m. I had the second lot of gels put in and another CTG scan. Bubs seemed to be doing really well. I started getting mild contractions around 5 p.m., tried to sleep, but couldn't. My blood pressure was checked again. It had risen to 158/96 but bubs was still well. My waters broke at about 11 p.m. They kept leaking forever (or so it felt!). It felt like I had a swimming pool in there!

I fell asleep on a chair for a few hours after taking some sleeping tablets because lying down was way too uncomfortable and making the pains worse. I woke up at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning. I had breakfast at about 7 a.m. and at 9 a.m. I was taken to the delivery suite and given the Syntocin drip (which hurt like hell!).

Real contractions started around 10 a.m. They were getting a bit intense so I had a hot shower with the hot water directed under my belly (that's where ALL the pain was), which felt so great!

At about 1 p.m. the contractions were about one minute apart. They were getting a bit too much for me, so I had the gas. That took the edge off a bit, but was making me sick so I stopped for a bit.

Contractions were getting way too intense, so while sucking on the gas I had a shot of Pethedine, not that it made a difference at all! I think I actually fainted while sucking on the gas because there's a part that's just blank. In about 45 minutes I dilated from 5 to 6 centimeters to 10 centimeters. I was ready to push.

I was pushing for a good one and a half hours, but I just couldn't get her out. Her head was stuck under my pubic bone. So the doctor was called in and gave me three options: try the vacuum extraction, forceps or Cesarean section.

I opted for vacuum extraction. Her head had partly come out, but then her shoulders got stuck, so the doctor had to put his hands up there and grab her arms to pull her out. That was the worst pain I had ever felt, but now I can't really remember what it felt like.

She was put onto my stomach and I remember asking why she wasn't crying. The midwife said she was in shock, so they took her and gave her a bit of oxygen and then she started crying. I felt so happy then. I then got to give her a cuddle. DP gave her a kiss. Then she was taken to the special care unit so both of us could have a rest.

There was no time for an episiotomy so I had second degree tears, which all up gave me 20 stitches.

At about 7 p.m. I got to see her. I tried breastfeeding, numerous times, but she never took. So I ended up giving her formula, because when I tried to express, nothing came out! I would have preferred to breastfeed but in the end I'd rather have a feeding bub.

She weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces (and boy did I feel it!), was 50 centimeters long and had a head circumference of 35 centimeters. Her Apgars were 3, 8 and 9

Unassisted Hospital Birth

Saturday, August 25, I started having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions but they weren't very strong or consistent and then they just stopped. The same thing happened on Sunday night and all day Monday.

I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday. He checked me and I was 4 centimeters dilated, 80 percent effaced and the baby was almost at 0 station. He went ahead and stripped my membranes and sent me home.

After I got home I walked and walked and walked some more. At about 8 o'clock my contractions were coming pretty steady but they still weren't intensifying and were only lasting about 30 seconds. At midnight they started getting a little stronger, so I started debating on calling my mom to come watch the kids. I waited about an hour and then they started slowing down and I fell asleep.

I woke up at 6:15 a.m. to get the kids ready for school. I was still contracting but again nothing strong and nothing consistent. I told Scott not to go to work because I was afraid of my labor hitting hard and fast and him not making it home in time. At 11 a.m. I decided to call my doctor to see what he thought. He told me to come into the office so he could check me and see what if anything was going on.

I went straight over and found that I was now 5 centimeters and the baby was at 0 station, so he sent me over to the hospital to be monitored. I had to go back by the house to get my bags; then we got checked in at 12:30 p.m.

My doctor came in at 12:45 and said he didn't think it would be wise to let me go home so he suggested we break my water to get things moving along. I agreed. Scott and I then started walking around the hospital.

At 1:45 p.m. my doctor checked me and I was 6 centimeters. My contractions still weren't painful at all so we walked some more. At 3 p.m. my contractions started getting more uncomfortable. We called to make sure the kids got off of the bus OK, then headed back to the room.

At 3:15 p.m. I got in the whirlpool. I was half afraid not walking would slow my labor down but I really wanted the opportunity to use the bath this time. With Jacob and Summer I didn't have time.

Before I go on I want to tell a little about my birth plan. I went natural with Jacob and Summer so I knew I would with this baby. But their births were so alike I really wanted a unique experience this time. I decided I wanted to catch my own baby. My doctor was very supportive of this, which I thought was amazing in itself and everyone at the hospital was completely on board.

Now back to the story. While in the tub it got to where I couldn't talk or listen though a contraction. Then at about 4 p.m. I had two really painful ones. I started to feel a little nauseous and told Scott to call for my nurse. I had two more before I could get to the bed. I could handle them OK while I was standing but when I had one lying down when she was getting ready to check me I thought I was going to die! I was thinking I was probably just now hitting transition and I was going to be about 8 centimeters. I was complete with a little anterior lip.

The nurses all rushed out to call my doctor. When the next contraction hit I told Scott to tell them I was pushing and I couldn't stop! He hesitated for a second, not wanting to leave me, then ran out, told them and ran back. As he came back in the baby started to crown. I had rolled over onto my left side and was birthing my baby all by myself. I reached down with the next contraction and supported him as I pushed. The nurses came in when the head was about half out. Once I delivered the head one of the nurses reached in to do something – I'm not quite sure what – but then the next contraction came and she backed off as I pushed him the rest of the way out.

As soon as I started pushing that time we noticed the cord was wrapped loosely around his neck so as he came out I held his head and shoulders in my left hand, let his body slip onto the bed and removed the cord with my right.

Ronan Elliot Fertig was born on August 29 at 4:18 p.m. into his mommy's loving hands. How awesome is that! He was three weeks and two days early, weighed 5 pounds, 14.5 ounces and was 19 inches long!

The nurses just handed me blankets to dry and stimulate him with. He cried right away. They offered for me to suction him but I was afraid of being too timid to get him cleared out good and he sounded a little gooky. So the nurse did it while I held him. We waited a good five minutes or so for the cord to stop pulsing before they clamped it and Scott cut it.

My doctor arrived at a little after 4:30.

Baby- Dad at War

I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant, just a couple weeks after my husband, Jeret, was sent off to Iraq to go to war. He had been in the Navy for years, and this was his first actual time at war.

We had only been married a year and a half, and this was our first baby. I didn't know what to expect. With Jeret gone, not knowing when he was going to get home, it was terrible!

I was so excited, and Jeret got the news as soon as possible, and he was overjoyed. His biggest fear, though, was if he would make it home in time to be there when I had the baby. And, unfortunately, he wasn't. He had been home when I was 6 months pregnant, got to see ultrasound pictures and went to a doctor's visit with me, but wasn't home for long!

I went into labor on July 31, which started out as mild abdominal pains, and led to horrific back pains, which led to my water breaking. I quickly called my doula and my parents.

My doula (Marcie) arrived 15 minutes after my call, and my parents arrived about half an hour after my call. I wanted a shower, so Marcie said it was OK. Then we were off to the hospital, since my water had already broken and I seemed to be moving along quite well. I didn't know how Jeret would find out yet, and I felt so bad for him and I actually felt bad for myself.

When we got to the hospital, I got so emotional and thought a lot about my baby being born without her daddy there. I was checked and already dilated to 5 centimeters. I received an ultrasound, fetal monitoring and an epidural. And at 12:23on August 1, I gave birth to our first daughter.

She weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was very healthy! Jeret and I had decided months ago that if it was a boy, it was going to be Mitchell Jay, and if it was a girl, it was going to be Malorie Ava. So that was her name!

Six days after I had Malorie, I was able to get a chance to talk to Jeret. It was the first time I heard him cry like that. Ever! He was so happy to be a dad!

Malorie is my little princess, and Jeret met her for the first time when she was 5 months old. It was an emotional time for him, and they had such a bond from the first moment they laid eyes on each other.

Jeret has been home three times since then, and he's actually to be expected in the next two to four months to be home again. That's something to look forward to. Maybe once he gets home, we'll try for our second baby and have a little brother or sister for Malorie to play with.

Malorie knows where her daddy is and what he's doing (as she says, he's helping our country), but it's still very difficult watching her grow up on my own, and it's extremely difficult for Jeret, to miss her first word, her first steps, her first evreythings. But, with that said, Malorie will definitely always be Daddy's Little Girl!

Merry Christmas Pregnancy

I was 19, my boyfriend was 23. We lived together in a small one-bedroom apartment, and we were doing all right.

Well I skipped a period, which wasn't unusual for me to skip periods for up to five months. When I skipped my period the sixth month, I took a pregnancy test and I was pregnant. I didn't know what the weird sensation was coming from inside of me. I didn't know much of anything.

My belly started to round out a little, and by the middle of the 7th month it was popping out pretty far. I went to the doctor, and Joel was ecstatic.

I was due on Christmas, so we didn't tell any of our family. We wanted it to be a surprise for all of them. We had Thanksgiving at my parents' house, and Joel stood up to make a toast (everyone had wine except me – that upset me). Apparently he had been planning this for a while. He looked at me and got down on one knee, and said, Jodie, you are what I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Will you make me a thankful man every year from now until we die and be my wife? I started crying, got up and gave him a hug and kiss and said yes.

My grandma knew there was something going on because I was wearing baggy clothes and odd stuff like that, but she didn't say anything. Joel and I moved into a bigger place, had done some secret baby shopping ourselves and had the nursery all done.

One day my mom dropped by (three days before Christmas). I quickly threw a sweater on and shut the nursery door, and she came in. We talked for a while and she left. Two hours after she left is when the pain started. I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for two weeks now, but this was intense. I remember at my last appointment I was 2 centimeters dilated, but still not very soft.

I timed my contractions, and called Joel's cell phone and told him to come home right away. My contractions were 15 minutes apart, and I still had plenty of time. My doctor told me not to come in until they were about five minutes apart.

My contractions were getting more and more intense, but still were very far apart. About five hours later they stopped altogether, so we went to bed. At about 3:15 a.m. I started getting really intense contractions, about 10 minutes apart, so I quietly got up, went to the bathroom and started to deal with the contractions.

I went to the kitchen to get some water and halfway there, I had to go to the bathroom. I turned around and something warm started running down my leg. I thought my bladder was leaking, so I ran (waddled) to the bathroom. I sat down, and released my bladder, but I felt something else dripping. I took toilet paper and wiped. I had finally lost my mucous plug, so I figured it was my waters leaking.

I stood up, and felt a big pop and a gush, followed by an intense round of three contractions that lasted one minute and were right on top of each other. I yelled for Joel, but of course he sleeps like a rock. So in between contractions, I was trying to wake him up.

I finally got him awake enough for him to hear me tell him, Hospital now! We got in the car. Luckily the hospital was only 10 minutes away.

We got to the registration desk, and I was taken into my room. I got into my gown in between contractions, which were coming every two minutes or so now. I climbed up on the bed on my hands and knees, and began to push. The nurse told me not to push and I told her it was easy for her to say. Finally they got me to stop pushing so they could check me. I was 8 centimeters already. By now it is 6:30 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m. I was at 9 centimeters, and had to use the bathroom, but they wouldn't let me. I know now why. Five minutes after they said no I got the urge to push. I was at 10, but the only way I was comfortable was on all fours. So they adjusted all the IVs and I started pushing on all fours.

The doctor came in and told me to push, push, push so I did. I wasn't screaming at this point, but I was moaning pretty loudly, until I got a contraction and I felt the baby's head start to come out. Then I let out a scream.

Joel was sitting at the head of the bed with me, telling me I was doing well. I was screaming because it was burning. The doctor said, OK, stop pushing, so I did. And the doctor said, Dad, would you like to see your baby be born? Joel ran for the opportunity.

I gave out a loud moan and pushed. The shoulders came out, the abdomen and finally the legs. It's a girl! (that was Joel). I started to cry and readjusted back to my back. I held my baby and I just cried. Joel cut the cord.

Ashlynn Joelle was born December 24, 2002, at 10:52 a.m. (20 minutes of pushing). She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long.

At 12:30 p.m. after I had rested up some, Joel called my mom and told her that she needed to come down to the hospital right away. He didn't tell her why, just told her the room number. Fifteen minutes later my mom burst through the door, yelling, Is everything OK, is everything alright? And then she realized what floor she was on, and looked at me, looked at Ashlynn and she began to cry. All I said was, Merry Christmas, Grandma.

My mom called everyone between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. I had over 40 visitors in and out of my room. My mom and dad loved the surprise, and came back with clothes and toys and everything. We took her home two days later.

She will be 2 this year, her brother is 10 months and I am 8 months pregnant right now. Joel and I are happily married, and just moved into a new two-story, four-bedroom home that we bought and paid for in full. (How we did that with two kids I don't really know.)

I'll be writing about the birth of my second and third child later. Right now, I am tired and need to go to bed.

God bless you all, and Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

A Beautiful Homebirth

I took a pregnancy test at the end of April 2002, when I had menstrual-like cramps but no period, and realized that I'd been cranky for weeks, which is uncharacteristic of me. I was expecting to wait the 90 agonizing seconds for the results, but it turned positive almost immediately. I brought my husband into the bathroom to show him the double pink lines. He laughed and I cried, happy and scared all at once, since I was only 21, and it was unplanned.
The idea of being a mommy grew on me very quickly, and I remembered the night that our baby must have been conceived – an overwhelming moment of complete union with each other and everything and a feeling that the power of our love had expanded well beyond the two of us. The most fun part of telling everyone was calling one of my best friends (who was six weeks more pregnant than me) and telling her that we would get to do it all together!

The months flew by without a hitch, and for the most part, I really enjoyed pregnancy, especially feeling the baby move around inside me. The constant bathroom visits and heartburn I could've done without, but I survived.

We knew from the start that we wanted to have a homebirth with midwives. We worked with two midwives, and they are amazing women – compassionate, knowledgeable and experienced. We felt empowered to participate fully in the whole pregnancy and birth.

My friend gave birth at home with the same midwives six weeks before me to a healthy 7-pound, 12-ounce boy. Her labor was 27 hours long, so I mentally prepared myself for a long labor as well.

My due date of December 11 came and went. I'd been having false (preparation) labor on and off for weeks, so I was getting pretty frustrated by this time, taking herb tinctures, doing acupressure, taking walks and everything else I could think of to put myself into labor, and nothing worked!

At my 41-week visit, my midwife (who's been attending births for 27 years) told me that my baby was waiting for the full moon in two days. Sure enough, on the day of the full moon, I began to feel crampy and had a heightened awareness. By bedtime, I still didn't feel like I was in labor, but I had a bloody show right before I crawled in. I'd been waking up every morning at about 2 a.m. and unable to sleep again for a few hours since the beginning of my third trimester, so I was pretty sure it would be the same this time, only I would be in labor.

I woke up at 2 a.m. not just in labor, but also in full-on, mind-blowing, hard labor. I called my midwife right away, but she didn't really believe I was in active labor, because I was laughing. Well, I was just so excited to finally be in labor, but I agreed to call her back in an hour or if things started to pick up.

My contractions stayed at five minutes apart and a minute long for about 15 minutes and then went to two minutes apart to a minute-and-a-half long. Before I knew it, I was just kneeling on the floor with my face buried in the sofa groaning and yelling through my contractions. My husband called the midwife again and told her to get on her way. We then called my doula and my friend, who would be attending.

We had planned a water birth and rented a big heated tub. So he was running around trying to get the thing set up, and I was yelling for him to hurry up, but there was a problem. Our hose had been outside buried in the snow the day before and still hadn't thawed out. He used most of the hot water trying to thaw it while I rocked and rocked and yelled and hollered.

My massage therapist showed up first and started pressing on my sacrum immediately, which was a big help. Then the first midwife showed up to check me. Lying on my back even for that long was agony! But I was already 6 centimeters dilated! Huge relief, because I didn't think I could take many more hours of this kind of pain. I was totally immersed in just coping with it.

I resumed my position of face in the couch. The midwife immediately called the other midwife, who lived about 75 miles away, and told her she'd better get over if she wanted to see the birth! Meanwhile, my friend and her baby had shown up, and I'd gotten her and my hubby running back and forth with buckets trying to fill the tub. They were just doing it to appease me, since I was yelling at them to Fill that tub now! But the water heater had pooped out long ago. Finally, I acknowledged the fact that the water birth wasn't going to happen.

I was on the toilet when my water broke, and I remember thinking that I would never have to be embarrassed again in my life, because there I was, huge as a whale, naked as a jaybird, on the toilet, yelling, grunting and sweating in front of four other people!

When I started pushing, we moved back to the favorite face-in-sofa position, but this time, my husband was on the couch holding me, and I just buried my face in his lap and gave it *&%@! This is when I found my cavewoman. With every push came a holler so loud I was sure the police would show up. I think I genuinely frightened everyone in the room, but it's the only way I made it through it.

I was a firm advocate of drug-free childbirth during my pregnancy and still am as far as the health of the baby is concerned, but I can definitely sympathize with women who use pain medications during labor. It hurts! I didn't have the option, since we were at home, but I kept wondering when those endorphins everyone kept talking about were going to kick in!

I pushed for about 35 minutes, and the second midwife made it just in time to help our baby boy out. He was born at 6:30 a.m., just four and a half hours after I woke up in labor! He was a healthy 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and I had no stitches, thanks to the competency of my midwives, I'm sure.

The sun came up shortly after to a beautiful blue-skied, snowy, sunny morning. We crawled into bed and slept and slept after the midwives helped us clean everything up. Solomon's daddy kept looking in on us every few minutes, shaking his head in wonder at our beautiful new life

Fast Labor and Delivery

My first child, Dylan Scott, was a difficult 12.5-hour delivery. So, with my second child, I assumed that birthing her would be much of the same. How wrong was I!

I worked from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day, but before leaving work I told my co-worker who had recently delivered her fourth child in an ambulance, that I thought I was having contractions and that they had been going on all day. However, the contractions were not very close together, nor were they very strong.

My friend tried to convince me to allow her to drive me to the hospital at that exact moment. But I refused. I wanted to go home and shower before I went into the hospital for another 12-hour delivery.

By 6:45 p.m. I reached labor and delivery and they examined me. The nurse said that I was dilated to 3 1/2 centimeters and that I had the option of being taken into the hospital at that point or I could walk around and be checked again in two hours. I chose to walk around.

So my mother, my mother-in-law and I went to pick my husband up from work. We arrived back at the hospital around 7:45 p.m., and my mothers wanted me to walk the stairs to get my labor moving.

At this point my discomfort level had greatly increased; however, it was not unbearable. And I felt as though I needed to use the restroom; however, all I could do was tinkle a little.

I decided at that point that it was time to return to labor and delivery. Upon arrival at 8 p.m., the nurse said that I was dilated to 7 centimeters. The nurse was walking out of the room, and said that she would be back with the instruments she need to insert the standard IV.

Meanwhile, I was standing next to the bed, and began having a very strong contraction. I called to the nurse attempting to leave the room, and she rushed over to push me back onto the bed. They immediately rushed me down the hall to the delivery room.

My husband had carted off to update the grandmothers and almost missed our daughter being born. My bed barely reached the delivery room when my daughter arrived into this world at 8:13 p.m.

All of the nurses were gasping, and I thought that something was wrong with Brianna Nicole. So I was hitting my husband in the arm, exclaiming, What is wrong with my baby? There was absolutely nothing wrong with Brianna.

The gasping was caused by the scene that the nurses/doctors had just observed. No one in the delivery room had ever seen it happen. Apparently, I had what is called a veiled birth, meaning that my water had never been broken and that my daughter was born in the sac (just like a kitten is born). Apparently, this is very rare, and they say that my daughter will be a very special child. And obviously she is very special to me!

Sorry!

A kind reader brought to my attention a story that I had posted earlier, The (Home)Birth of Sextuplets. I now realize that that story is fictional. I have been trying to delete it from my blog, but as a new blogger, I do not know how to yet. Until I find out how, please ignore that story. Thanks for reading!

Stillborn Twins

A NOTE FROM ME: I noticed that I had some visitors! I just wanted to thank you for visitng and for reading! Please come back soon!


I found out I was pregnant when I went to the doctor with the stomach flu that I just couldn't get rid of. Three weeks later I had an appointment for my first ultrasound. We found out that we were 13 weeks pregnant and with twins. We were so excited.
We did a lot of research because we knew that it is common for twins or multiple children to be born early, and we wanted to be ready. But nothing could make us ready for what was in store for us.

We went to the doctor with some minor bleeding and the doctor listened for the heartbeats and there was only one, so we got another ultrasound done, and our baby was dead. We got that baby removed with a vacuum extraction. It would have been a boy. We named him Jaidin Nathen Kade. He only weighed 7 ounces.

It was hard to go on after the death of him, but we knew that we had to. We had another baby to care for.

Things were going fine until our 23rd week when I started feeling really sick, with high temperatures and vomiting. We went in for a checkup and discovered that I was really low on amniotic fluid. A week later our baby passed.

I had a vaginal delivery. It was real smooth and simple because the baby was so small. It was another little boy, what we have always dreamed of having. Aaidin William Kade weighed 1 pound, 5 ounces.

We are still trying to get over our losses. It is so hard. I am only 17 years old, and I know that I am young, and still in school. But these were my children. My angels in heaven!

Restroom Delivery

After experiencing several complications and bed rest with my pregnancy, I never would have dreamed my baby Jalee would enter the world in this manner.
On May 5, 2004, I arrived at the hospital having some contractions. I knew they were a little different than the ones I had experienced the three months prior to giving birth.

My doctor checked me and told me this was just the beginning of labor. I was not in a good labor pattern yet and my cervix was only 2 to 3 centimeters dilated. "Go home, have a bath and eat something. Let me know if you have any change."

I did; I also took a walk and went to bed. I woke up at 12:30 a.m. (May 6) and knew it was time to go to the hospital. While waiting for my husband to get dressed, I was planting my face into the pillows with my bottom up.

We hit construction on the freeway, made a wrong turn at the hospital campus, and couldn't find parking at the emergency entrance.

After finding a wheelchair, we went up the elevator to Labor and Delivery. The nurse told me to go into room 11, undress and give her a urine sample.

I sat down on the toilet and yelled, "Jesse, her head is out." He said, "Bullsh**, let me see." I stood up, and my baby girl fell into the toilet just two minuets after arriving. My husband was so scared that he picked her up with one hand and started to run. I said, "Stop, she's still attached."

At this point the nurse had pushed the panic button; there were about 30 nurses and doctors trying to get into the tiny restroom.

Jalee was a trooper. She came out screaming and is as healthy as can be. While they were delivering the placenta, I looked at my husband and said, "So much for the epidural."

I left the hospital without even an IV.

Big Baby for 13-year-old, Small Mum

I found out that I was pregnant on January 8, 2006, when I was 10 weeks gone. Even though I was only 12 at the time (I turned 13 a month later, in February), I decided there and then that I was going to keep the baby – I'd already grown to love it.

I didn't tell my parents, because I knew how mad they would be, and I really couldn't face that. I hid my pregnancy by wearing baggy clothes and spending the majority of my time in my bedroom. As the months passed, I grew more and more excited about meeting my little baby. Just because I hadn't told anyone that I was pregnant, it didn't mean I didn't care. I bought a pregnancy book with my allowance and over the months, it became my bible. It told me everything, from what I should be eating, to a week-by-week pregnancy guide.

When Mia was born, I was on my own. My mum and dad had gone into town to do some shopping. We live quite a way out in the countryside, so we haven't got neighbors nearby.

I'd been having contractions all night, and because no one even knew that I was pregnant, I didn't tell a soul. I just stayed in my room, out of the way. By 11 a.m., the contractions were becoming a lot stronger and harder to hide. It was so hard, trying not to scream with each one.

When my parents went out, I was so relieved. I knew they wouldn't be back for a few hours. About half an hour after they left, I had a massive contraction, along with an unbelievable urge to push down. I lay on my bed, propped up by the pillows, and pushed without thinking. It hurt so bad, and I screamed out as I pushed. I didn't think that it would hurt this much. I pushed and pushed and pushed. I could feel the baby moving down, but every time I stopped pushing, it felt like it had gone back up.

I was getting hysterical by this point, as I just wanted to get this baby out of me. I began pushing down without a contraction, and it hurt so bad, but I didn't stop. I pushed as hard as I could, again and again.

I'd been pushing for about an hour and a half when I reached down and felt the baby's head. I took a deep breath and pushed again. I felt a bad burning, stinging sensation as the head crowned. I yelled in pain and reached down to feel my baby's head. I waited for another contraction, and I pushed again, and again, and again. This baby did not want to come out!

I pulled myself up, so I was squatting, and began to push with all my might. The head slowly came out and I let out an almighty wail as the head was born.

I lay back against the pillows and waited for the next contraction. When it came, I didn't hold back. I pushed and strained and yelled and screamed for all I was worth. The shoulders slowly squeezed out, and with one last massive effort, I pushed my baby girl into the world. She was born after nearly two hours of pushing.

She started crying straight away, and I picked her up and held her close. I felt an amazing rush of love as I cradled her in my arms.

About 10 minutes later, I heard my parents' car pull up in our drive. My mum came upstairs, expecting me to be doing my homework. Instead, she found me half naked, cradling a newborn baby. At first, she looked like she was about to faint; then she went into autopilot. She bundled me and the baby into the car and drove us to the hospital, speeding through every red light in sight.

A few hours later, once everything had settled down a bit, my parents started asking me questions, like, why didn't I tell them and stuff.

I decided to call my baby Mia Dakota. Although I never had one checkup when I was pregnant, both Mia and I were fine. She was full term, 22 inches long, and she weighed 9 pounds, 11 ounces (a big baby, seeing as I'm only just 4 feet, 11 inches).

Once we were back at home, things became a whirlwind of feeds, nappies and no sleep. I had no idea that it would be so hard, looking after one baby. My parents helped me out a lot, though, and now, we're all doing great. Mia is getting really cheeky, and she's got this smile that can melt anyone's heart.

I attended school throughout my pregnancy, and I'm still at school now. My parents look after her during the week when I'm at school, and I look after her in the evenings and at weekends. It's not an ideal situation, but I have to finish my education if I'm ever going to get a good job and be able to provide for Mia. Everything I do in my life is for her.

Some people look down their noses at me, being a teen mum, but I love my daughter more than life itself, and at the end of the day, I think that's all that's important.

Twins and Didn't Know It

When I first discovered I was pregnant, my husband and I were so excited! We had been married for 2 years and were nervously awaiting the arrival of a child.

I decided to go through my pregnancy naturally. I've got to say, it wasn't easy! I couldn't go anywhere without a plastic bag at hand because my morning sickness was so bad! I bought maternity clothes in my 6th week because I was already showing.

I kept really fit throughout my whole pregnancy, walking through the park and eating healthy. Somehow I still gained about 35 pounds! Little did I know.

I first started feeling cramps at work, but I didn't think much about it because they only made me uncomfortable for a few seconds and nothing I couldn't handle. Going to sleep that night I told my husband what I was feeling, but he said just to wait until they got stronger before I worried about it.

The next morning I woke up to a peeing sensation down my leg. My waters had broken! I was thrilled to know that I would soon be rid of this enormous belly.

I found that it was easier to stand up through the contractions so we decided to go for a walk around outside. My contractions weren't that bad; I had to stop every once and a while to breathe through them, but it felt nice to be outside walking so we trooped on.

Things started to pick up unexpectedly and I starting groaning and drawing some attention, and my husband suggested that we turn around for home. I agreed by nodding my head because at this point I could barely talk. Looking back I think that maybe we should not have been in a public place.

My contractions were now two minutes apart and getting stronger. One was so painful that I fell over onto my hands and knees and started panting! How embarrassing! I couldn't get up; I just wouldn't.

My husband urged me to get up so we could go home to a safe spot, but I refused through gritted teeth. There I was, curled up in a ball, kneeling over on the grass, howling in pain in the middle of a park! But I couldn't help it! Everyone knew what was going on because of how huge my stomach was!

We decided that he should run home, grab some towels and we would have to give birth to it right then and there. All alone, I rolled around trying to find a comfy position. Suddenly, I had this giant urge to push that I could not withstand.

Sweating, I pulled down my pants (right now I did not care about my reputation) and gave birth to Joseph Alexander. My husband returned moments later to find him in my arms. We were in bliss.

Ummm, I said as I felt another movement down my vagina. I was having twins! I pushed for about one hour and Katrina Leslie emerged. I was exhausted and so we spent our first few minutes together in the grass.

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Teen Mom's Beautiful Birth at Home

Joshua David Born: September 30, 1999 at 2:27 p.m.
Weighing: 6 pounds, 12 ounces Standing: 19 inches

The decision to have a homebirth was not a hard one. When I first started thinking about being a mommy as a little girl, I wanted to be in control. I have never liked doctors or hospitals. So when I found out I was pregnant, there was no doubt in my mind that my baby was being born at my parent's house where I lived.
My boyfriend was happy with my decision because he was born at home and his mother was a midwife and she would soon become mine. My mom was a little concerned at first because I was only 16, but she knew that my boyfriend's mother (my midwife) wasn't going to let anything happen to her first grandchild. My dad leaves most decisions up to my mom, so he was fine with it. My younger brother and sister loved it because they were able to be present at the time of my son's birth and felt included. My boyfriend's parents were upset that I was so young when I became pregnant, but they both loved the idea of having a homebirth and that my boyfriend's mother could be my midwife. My boyfriend's younger brother and sister were happy to be there too.
I first started experiencing practice-labor about two weeks before Josh's birth. They felt a lot like menstrual cramps. After that, I stopped going to school because we knew it could be any time. I started home schooling with my mom. Over the next week and a half or so, the cramps began to worsen.
Finally, after going to bed the night of the 29th, I woke up when my water broke. I woke my boyfriend up and told him I had wet the bed. He just looked at me and I practically screamed at him that I was in labor. Well, that woke my mom and dad up and they called my boyfriend's parents to get them over ASAP. They arrived about 20 minutes later at about 3:15 a.m. My contractions were about seven to eight minutes apart and about 30 seconds in length. My midwife checked me and said I was about 2. She told me I could get up and move about if I wanted.
Our younger brothers and sisters were upstairs in the living room watching a movie, half-asleep, waiting for some news. So Gabe and I went up to see them. They all jumped up immediately hoping to see a baby. I just laughed and said, I only wish it was that easy! We then went into the kitchen and Gabe got me some O.J. (my favorite) and then I went downstairs to get into our Jacuzzi tub. The warm water and jets felt wonderful.
About 4:30 a.m., I got out and went into the family room where the pullout sofa had been prepared for me. My midwife checked me again and I was about 3-4 centimeters. The contractions had gotten a little longer and stronger. The sun was getting ready to come up and I wanted to go outside to watch, so Gabe and I went out and walked to the end of the driveway. It felt really good outside walking in the fresh air so I decided I wanted to take a walk around the block. I ended up deciding to take a stroll around the neighborhood. When we got back around 6 a.m. and my midwife checked me again, I was still at 4 centimeters.
I decided to rest a while and let Gabe get some more sleep. I called a few of my friends that were supposed to be there when I gave birth to let them in on what was going on. They said they would come over in a couple of hours unless I called first to tell them otherwise. I turned on Little House on the Prairie and watched about two hours of that and MTV with my mom. Gabe woke up then and wanted to know if I was any further along. So I told him to go find his mother and ask her to come check. I was finally to 6 centimeters and almost completely effaced.
My mom then called our grandparents to come over. They came over around 10:30 a.m. followed almost immediately by some of my friends. I wasn't any further dilated, but my midwife said that I was in active labor. FINALLY! I felt like I was getting somewhere at that point. A little later, my contractions were getting a lot worse, so I got back in the tub. WHAT A RELIEF! My friend Ticia sat with me, while Gabe and Heather lit some lavender candles and incense and pulled the curtains in my laboring rooms (basically the whole walkout basement). I had decided long before that I had wanted it to be peaceful when I gave birth and I hate bright light when I'm lying down.
My mom brought down a fruit and cheese tray for me around 12:15 p.m. I got out of the tub and dried off. I went upstairs to sit on the deck and look out at the lake for a little while. It didn't last too long. The sun was too bright for me, so I went back inside and downstairs to candlelight. It was almost 1 p.m. and I was exhausted and ready for my baby to come out. I lay down and my midwife checked me. I was at 8 centimeters and completely effaced.
Gabe and I began working on my breathing and relaxation exercises that we had practiced. I was having some trouble finding my inner strength until my grandma said, Just wait until you hold your son and all of this will be forgotten. That was all I needed to refocus on the fact that all that pain was going to bring my baby, my son, into this world.
Around 2 p.m., my midwife told me I was fully dilated and could push anytime I wanted. About 10 minutes later I was ready to push. Fifteen minutes later, after five small pushes and three really big ones, Gabe caught our firstborn son in his arms. It was 2:27 p.m. on the most beautiful day in my life. Gabe laid him on my stomach. I kissed both my son's and my boyfriend's heads and helped Joshua David latch onto my nipple and start his first meal provided by me - HIS MOMMA!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to my (new) blog! The new format features Birth Stories that I find funny, sad or touching. Please check frequently, as I will try to post often. Enjoy!

Sorry!

Hi, guys. I am sorry, it has been a crazy few weeks! I am sorry about the lack of updates, and even more sorry that I do not even have a sotry for you now! Please check back in a few days, and I promise I will make it up to YOU: my faithful readers!

A Heartbreaking Experience...

I have placed this story on my blog so people can understand that not all birth stories are happy. Some just don't turn out right, like this one.

Baby Jazmine Stillborn at 40 Weeks
By Darlene
I had a really great pregnancy. Very little morning sickness, none of the usual discomforts you read about pregnancy. I was due November 19, 2005.
Like I said, everything was great. Even my doctor commented on how well everything was going. I gained just the right weight, and the baby was keeping up with her growth weeks.
I went past my due date, but no problem. They always allow you to go at least a week over in your first pregnancy.
On Monday evening, I was concerned that I didn't feel the baby moving. My sister and my husband said that it's usual for the baby to slow down so close to its due date. So I didn't worry. Tuesday morning during my shower, I felt a kick. Well hello, I said, there you are.
I went to my weekly appointment that afternoon. The doctor could not find the baby's heartbeat. Convinced it was just hiding, he sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound. It was confirmed. My baby had died sometime in the last two days.
There is nothing worse than giving birth to a baby, and there's absolutely no sound, no baby crying, or taking its first breath. I wish nobody had to go through the pain I experienced during this time.
Jazmine Lucille was 6 pounds, 21 inches long, on November 25, 2005. The autopsy revealed that she had outgrown my placenta. My placenta was not able to support her after a certain size. Otherwise she was absolutely perfect.
The doctor said if they had known of the problem earlier, she would be alive today. At least I have the comfort of knowing our next baby will have a fighting chance, as I will be monitored closely especially after the 30th week. Thank you for reading my story.

Love in the Autopsy Room!

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Things have been crazy! Please, please leave a comment if you have visited this blog, as this is the only way I know that I have readers, and should keep posting to Code Blue! Here is a great story!

Once got hooked up on a date because of an autopsy. I'm a Pathologists' Assistant and post mortem examination is part of my job. I was assisting with a case that was of major interest to the cardiac surgery team. As such, several team members were present in the morgue including the Physician Assistant. I was helping the Pathologist with the evisceration and noticed that the PA kept staring at me. Our morgue was very small and cluttered, so at one point he was asked to move out of the way of the surgeon and because he was staring at me he tripped over the suction pump and almost knocked it down, bringing attention from the other members of the team who looked back and forth at us, smiled and shook their heads. I actually thought he was pretty cute as well, but was trying to be professional. Several days later an EKG tech poked her head into the gross room and caught my attention. She told me he had been asking about me and sent her down to "find out my situation". After she left, the same Pathologist who had been part of the autopsy asked what was going on and I told him. Dr. Vanderbilt is himself quite a fun character, and realizing that I was somewhat interested in the PA decided to take matters into his own hands. He stormed into his office, paged the poor PA at the CVU and demanded that he "ask this girl out- for this weekend! Not next weekend" as "this business is interrupting our lab!"

Mr. and Mrs. Potts

Here is a funny one!

70 year-old Mrs. Potts went to the doctor for her annual check up. He told her she needed more activity and recommended sex three times a week. She said to the doctor, "Please, tell my husband." The doctor went out to the waiting room and told Mr Potts that his wife needed to have sex three times a week. The eighty-year-old husband replied, "Which days?" "How about Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?" "I can bring her over here on Monday and Wednesday," the man said, "but on Fridays she'll have to take the bus."

Thank God for the Buyer of My House!

I am sorry, this is too good of a story to pass up. The funniest part is...IT IS TRUE!

Thank God for the Buyer of My House
By Monica
My name is Monica and I live in Los Angeles, Calif. I had planned on giving birth to my second child at home with a midwife. My first child was born in the hospital and I did not like the experience at all.
During my second pregnancy, I decided to move to a bigger house and put my home on the market in my 7th month of pregnancy. The home was on the market for six weeks and sold to a wonderful buyer who happened to be a single doctor moving to LA from New York.
The move-out date was set for six weeks after my due date and I was so excited to have it sold. I went to my midwife's two weeks before my due date and found out that I was 2 centimeters dilated and 80 percent effaced. I was excited but figured I would be late with this baby like my first. (With my first I was three days overdue.)
It just so happened that later that day, the buyer of my house asked to come by and measure some rooms. We talked a little and he asked me how I was feeling. I told him I had been at my midwife's and that I was 2 centimeters dilated but thought I would be late with this baby like the first. He told me that I looked very ready and he did not think I would go another two weeks. When leaving, he asked if he could come back the next day to have one more look at the home before heading back to his home state. I had no problem with that and looked forward to seeing him the next day.
I woke up on Saturday morning and noticed a dull ache in my back and was having some strong Braxton-Hicks contractions. I did not really pay any attention to it and went about my business as usual.
My older child (Ben) had spent the night at my sister's and I decided to take a walk to the market and get coffee. I noticed the dull backache on my walk and noticed the Braxton-Hicks but they were not that bad and I did not think much of them.
I got home at around 10 a.m. and decided to relax in the yard. Brian (the buyer of my home) was due to arrive around 11 a.m. and it gave me some time to relax. I puttered in the yard and, silly me, kept thinking to myself that I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions because I was not due for another two weeks.
My buyer arrived a few minutes early and I was glad to see him. He started to ask me questions and we walked around a little, talking about the house. He noticed that every few minutes I would stop to catch my breath and rub my stomach. Here I am, the one who has had a baby, and he politely asked me if I was having contractions. I laughed and said that I was having a few Braxton-Hicks and my body was getting ready.
We continued to chat and, little did I know, Brian had started timing these so-called Braxton-Hicks contractions. After about 20 minutes, he started to laugh, and said, "Monica, I think you might be in labor, and you are having contractions about every four minutes." I was stunned and a little mad and told him that if I were in true labor I would know it. These were not hurting enough for me to be in labor. (My last pregnancy I had an epidural – which made me sick and numb, and I did not feel anything.) So for me, labor should have been super painful.
He was so sweet and said, "Let's just time these and see what happens." And sure enough, they were coming every four to five minutes. After another half hour of this happening, I did start to notice they were building a little and I needed to breathe though them. He suggested I call my midwife, and I told him I would in a few minutes. I think this was around 12 p.m., and I told him to come out by the pool. I had lemonade and cookies I had bought at the market. He laughed and said, "OK, but if these get worse you are calling your midwife."
We went out by the pool and, sure enough, the contractions continued. Within 20 to 30 minutes I was having a harder time with them. It was right about then, as Brian was insisting I call, that all hell broke loose. As I stood to go get the phone to call my midwife, my water broke. First of all, I was so embarrassed I thought I would die! Second of all, within 20 seconds of my water breaking, I had the absolute worst contraction that took me to my knees, and all I could do was moan and I could not move. This contraction lasted for at least 90 seconds, and Brian was so sweet and looked at me when it was through and said, "You need to call her now."
He went to get the phone for me, but before he could even get back from the kitchen, I was having another one. He dialed the number for me, and I told my midwife my water had broken and I was in labor. She asked me if I was having contractions, and I just said, "Yes, get here now." She lives about 20 minutes from me and said she was on her way.
Brian suggested I get into the house and lie down, and he started to help me in. We got about five feet and – wham – another one. I just sank to my knees and he helped support me and told me to breathe. When the contraction was over we started in again and made it as far as the door when another one hit. These contractions were coming less than two minutes apart and I was in pain!
We made it in and I got to the couch and just wanted to sit for a second. I noticed I was shaking all over and Brian did too. He was even starting to get nervous and asked me how far away the midwife lived. I told him and he said she had better hurry. I, of course, thought I had hours before giving birth (my first labor was nine hours).
The next contraction hit while I was on the couch, and I started this deep moan that I could not help. All of a sudden had this overwhelming urge to bear down and push. (Yes, it's true what they say about this urge.) As soon as I started to push (I could not help it) Brian said, "We better get you into the bedroom." After the contraction, he got me up and we started into the bedroom but only made it halfway when another one hit. This time I just started yelling, "Baby, I feel the baby." Brian (who thank God is an ER doctor) told me to pant, and I tried my hardest to do that.
As soon as it was over, he literally carried me to the bed, and as soon as I was there, I reached down to pull my pants off, and the head of my baby was crowning. Brian grabbed towels from the bathroom, and with the next contraction, the baby started to come. Three pushes later, and my beautiful little girl was born into the hands of my home buyer. Thank God for him!
The midwife arrived just as he placed her on my stomach and helped with the rest of the birth. That was certainly not the day either of us expected, and he will have a funny story to tell all of his friends about his home purchase.

A story from me...

This is one of the stories that I wrote, about one of my experiences. All names and dates have been changed to protect privacy. I have submitted this story to Chicken Soup for the Soul, and over 8 magazines. Enjoy!

July 18, 2006 is a date that will always be special to me. Sure, it was my dog’s first birthday. But it was also the day that Jennifer entered the world. And, I was there for the delivery. I didn’t know her mom, Kim. The reason that I was present was because of the kind and generous heart of an OB nurse that wanted me to be there to witness my first live birth.
Earlier in the year I had been to a conference for girls who were interested in careers in math and science. I attended, and spoke to a lady from the local hospital. To make a long story short, we made some connections with her and were eventually were given the name of a Labor & Delivery nurse named Nancy.
I have wanted to be a doctor since I was 2, and an OB/GYN since I was 9. Clearly, healthcare has always been something very close to my heart. Each June, I attend a camp for people interested in working in the medical field. We dissect a pig, and listen to lectures from doctors and nurses. But by July, I ache to go back for more. Medicine is not something I like; it’s something I love. So when Nurse Nancy offered to have me shadow her for a few hours, I was all for it. Little did I know, this day would not just be an ordinary day; it would be the beginning of a new life.
My mom and I arrived at the hospital at around 3:00pm. We went up to Labor & Delivery, where we met Nancy. She surprised me by telling me that today, I would be watching a new human being enter the world. I was ectastic. After all, this is what I had hoped and dreamed of since I was nine. I went into the mom-to-be’s room, just after they had given her an epidural. I met her, and was so excited that finally, I was standing in Labor & Delivery, exactly where I wanted to be. Time passed quickly, and at 4:51pm, Jennifer was born, with me standing right in front of the bed. I was in awe. This was unlike anything I had seen before. Nurse Nancy took Jennifer over to the warmer, where she cleaned her up and checked to make sure she was healthy. She listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope, and then let me listen. She put her footprints on my arm.
Today, exactly six months have passed since I witnessed this extraordinary event. I’m sure that as I grow older and achieve my dreams, human birth will continue to astonish me everytime it happens. I know that none of this would have happened, if it hadn’t been for the truly, kind and gentle heart of a nurse.

The ER Doctor

Well, I know that this blog has no visitors yet, but I wanted to start off with a funny story. Not all stories will be funny. Some will be sad, heart warming or serious. So, without further ado, give it up for...The ER Doctor!

Mr. Jones rushed into the local emergency room shouting, "My wife's going to have her baby in the cab!" The ER physician grabbed his bag, rushed out to the cab, lifted the lady's dress, and began to take off her underwear. Suddenly he noticed that there were several cabs, and he'd gotten in the wrong one.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Code Blue: A Collection of Medical Stories. While this title seems as though it will be all about other doctors medical experiences, it will not. It also features some stories written by me, articles online or stories from other blogs. Please leave a comment if you have visited, so I know people are interested in this blog. I will be updating at least once a week, so please check back every so often. Thanks for visiting!