My Life as an African Gypsy

June 25^th, 2013 – Mozambican Independence Day – Karasi’s birthday. I was 39wks and we had decided to induce for various reasons. My friend Lauren arrived at 7am to watch Anaya and Jovie and Jon and I headed out the door a few minutes later to arrive at the hospital at 8am.

When we got there, I got started with a little paperwork and a CTG to monitor Karasi’s heart, while Jon got all the admission and payment stuff worked out up front. The cervix softener (1/4 of a pill) was placed at about 8:30am – I was soft and favorable, but not at all dilated. I had to stay lying down for 30 minutes, so Jon grabbed us some croissants from the café and we chatted it up. After thirty minutes had passed, we headed home to await some action.

As with my other two inductions, I felt a little crampy, but nothing note worthy for a few hours. Around 1pm, I started having light consistent contractions. I started walking around the house as I chatted with Lauren and Jon and doing some squats and other little exercises, hoping to encourage the process. I had some worship music playing and all seemed very relaxed. I felt as though things were going slower than my other labors, which was a little frustrating. Jon fell asleep reading on the couch, so I told him to go lay down until 3, and we would reevaluate progress.

Around 2:30-2:40 I felt like I was having longer contraction closer together, so Lauren helped me time. Sure enough, they were 45 seconds or so about 2-3 minutes apart. They were not terribly strong, but that is how it happened with Jovie, so I told Jon we should go ahead and head to the hospital soon.

We casually got ready and drove to the hospital. I could tell my contractions had slowed down in the car from sitting, and I was feeling a little frustrated again. We got in around 3:30pm and got all set up in our room. The nurse did another CTG and then checked my cervix. I was 2-3cm. UGH! She said she’d call my doctor to give her an update, and I hit the hall walking up and down an incline, hoping to speed things up. Jon came along and we laughed and discussed the abstract art on the walls.

My nurse came out and said that my Dr. said I could take another ¼ of a pill, but this time under my tongue. I popped it in and kept walking some. I was starting to feel tired, so Jon and I headed back to the room to labor some in there with other small exercises. I was concerned about wearing myself before it was time to push.

My Dr. came by around 4:30 or 5 and checked me – I was 4cm. UGH! Jovie was born at around 5:30pm and Anaya around 6pm, and it seemed clear to me that Karasi would be arriving later; I did not want to have her in the middle of the night! Plus I was already feeling a bit tired. My Dr. said she could feel my water and asked if I wanted her to break it. Yes. If it would speed things up – yes! I had had my water broke with Jovie and it wasn’t too bad and definitely got things moving. So she broke it, and while uncomfortable, it was not horrible.

Even though it was a holiday, my Dr. said she wouldn’t leave because she knew me and if she left there would be a chance she wouldn’t make it in time for the delivery, and she didn’t want that. She is awesome. She also knew I liked laboring with an exercise ball, but noticed I didn’t have mine. I explained that it had gotten holes sometime and I hadn’t gotten a new one. The hospital had one, so she shouted for one of the nurses to get it for me. Ah! I love those things.

Within minutes I could tell my contractions were stronger. Jon and I kept chit chatting about random things like Myspace, keeping me nice and distracted. I put the ball on the bed and draped my arms over it. I could’ve fallen asleep! My Dr. stopped by and felt my tummy through a contraction and agreed they were good contractions. I kept laboring for awhile and then the doctor came by again to get my IV port placed for the delivery room and well as give me medicine called Buscopan typically used for stomach cramps; she thought it may help relax my cervix. She checked me again and I was 7cm. She offered that if I wanted to push with the next contraction, she could stretch my cervix a bit, but it’d be painful. I agreed as I just wanted to get things going and be done with it, since as time wore on, I was feeling more tired. It was painful but she said I was then an 8-9. Lots of fluid was coming out at the point, so I kept doing my swaying and squatting over a sheet on the floor.

My Dr. said to just keep it up and let her know when I had the urge to push. She stayed in the room and the three of us talked away, while I’d pause and get through a contraction. This part of labor is not the hard part for me. Around 6:15-6:20pm it was time to go to the delivery room.

We got in there, directed them about how I like the table, leaned up almost to a sitting position, and then I hopped on the table. Jon took my “About to push” smiling pic that is now a tradition. I remember swinging my legs off the end of the table and joking with the Dr. that I didn’t want stitch or hemorrhoids and that it was HER job. Everything seemed happy and relaxed, until she told me, “Okay, put you feet up.” Nope. I don’t know if I remembered pushing Jovie, which wasn’t long and I didn’t tear much, but something made me panic. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I was asking the Dr. if Karasi was right there, if I was definitely 10cm, telling her that I didn’t want to push long. She assured me everything was ready I just had to push her out. As she felt the head, I told her to get her fingers out of me that she was hurting me. She told me push with the next contraction.

Somewhere inside I summoned the will power and decided I wanted it over, so I pushed. And I pushed. And my Dr. told me I need to stop and take a breath, but I didn’t want to I just wanted to do the thing and get her out. After 5-10 minutes max, out she came – 6:40pm. Once the head was out, which burned like crazy, she told me to stop and she’d do the rest. Turns out Karasi had her arm across her chest and up by her head. (We weren’t sure until the next day, but thankfully her collarbone didn’t break.) Suddenly there she was, my little Karasi, all blue-ish and covered in vernix, but right there in my arms. It was over. They took her to clean her up and I looked right at my Dr. and said THAT was NOT fun. Ha!

I don’t know if it was the position of her arm, or how quick the end of labor was, or what, but not all of the fluid exited her lungs upon birth, resulting in lots of suctioning and oxygen over about an hour time, but she was fine and breastfed well as soon as we got to our room. 

Welcome Karasi Nitara! We love you!