From 3 cm to fully dilated in 2-hours!

Our birth story begins Friday, May 24 2002 at about 7:30 AM. I awoke to a contraction that was different from my usual Braxton-Hicks. This one was actually painful. Not bad, but there was definitely pain. I got up and used the bathroom (thinking maybe my bladder was the problem) and moved around some to see if it would change. They felt like menstrual cramps and were anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes apart. A few hours later, I went to the bathroom and had some loose stools and bloody show. I proceeded with my day as well as I could, remembering at this point to just do what you would normally do anyway. My husband and I did decide not to go to work thinking we would be parents by evening.

As the day progressed, I ate, walked around outside, took a shower, and tried to keep busy. The contractions continued but didn’t regulate. I used the breast pump in an attempt to regulate them, but my body was stubborn. Sometime that evening, they seemed to just stop. I continued snacking and drinking water. About 11pm the contractions started again, but were still not regular. Finally, at around 2am, they seemed to regulate but were about 5 minutes apart. I had tried to nap earlier but was unable to sleep so at this point, we were tired and a little frustrated.

At 3am we decided to go to the hospital. It was about a 30-minute drive and the contractions seemed to be about 3-4 minutes apart. We got to the hospital, and went to triage to be checked. I was 2.5 centimeters and 80 % effaced. I was then told to walk for an hour and come back to triage. My parents and Chris’ mom were there at this time so we all walked. About 5:15am I went back to triage to be checked again. They hooked me up to the monitor again and left. At 5:30, there was this huge audible pop (water broke) and the contraction that followed jumped from the previous 5 on the pain scale to a big fat 10! I was immediately nauseated and got the shakes. I hit the Transition Wall but was still only about 3 centimeters but because my water had broken, I was admitted to the hospital. The nurse inserted an I.V. and I went ahead and took the fluids because I could not continue to drink water with the nausea. They wanted me to walk to my room, but the contractions were so painful at this point that I refused. The nurses were primarily looking at the fact that I was only 3 centimeters and this was my first baby instead of noticing that I was displaying a lot of symptoms of transition - this actually worked in our favor because once we got to our room, we were left alone.

From that point on it was just a matter of getting through each contraction one at a time. Chris’ coaching was paramount in this endeavor. He stressed relaxation (yeah, right – like I could!) and used the tennis ball on my lower back, which was very helpful. Somewhere around 7:30am Saturday morning, Chris noticed that I seemed to be pushing with my contractions and things were “bulging” when this happened. He asked me if I was pushing and I responded with a desperate “I don’t know!” He got the nurse and when she checked me, I was fully dilated!! The midwife came in and sat on the end of the bed. I had originally wanted to squat for pushing, but by this time I was so tired I actually slept between contractions. I tried to push on my side but the midwife told me she needed me to roll to the other side to help the baby get under my pubic bone. I pushed for about 30 minutes and gave birth to an 8lb. 10.5oz. baby girl at 8:27am.

The midwife helped my husband deliver her, and he immediately placed her on my stomach. She was already crying and very vigorous. I got an immediate burst of energy and was no longer completely exhausted. I was able to breastfeed right away and just enjoy our daughter. Also, if I had an epidural, I probably would have pushed longer (or worse!) as big as she was. But, having an unmedicated birth, I was able to feel when I pushed, and I also had the motivation of knowing that the harder and better I pushed, the sooner the pain would stop. Chris and I were happy with our birth experience and plan on doing it again, the Bradley^® way, in December this year with baby #2!!

Sharon and Chris W. of Dallas, GA

For more information on The Bradley Method^®, for an international listing of instructors, or to contact the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth^® directly, please contact: The Bradley Method^®, Box 5224, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-5224 - (800) 4-A-BIRTH or (818) 788-6662 - www.bradleybirth.com