Second labors tend to be shorter than firsts but as with everything birth, it’s unpredictable. Before they scheduled an induction at approximately 41 weeks, this mother had some prodromal labor and was 3 cm for three weeks.
They checked in to the hospital at 8 am and started Pitocin at 9:20 am. The doctor broke her water and casually mentioned that baby would be out in time for a “late lunch”. I had been preparing my belongings for weeks and was simply awaiting authorization to depart. She tells me that less than two hours later, she has ordered an epidural and that the contractions are spaced around 2-3 minutes apart.
I had no idea how dilated she was but I ran out the door. It was evident she was in transition when I got to the hospital at 11:34 a.m. The anesthesiologist wouldn’t be there for another 20 minutes, so the nurse advised them to prepare for the epidural. However, the labor ward was quite busy.
The anesthesiologist arrives and begins attempting to insert the epidural, but things quickly spiral out of control. Everyone in the room understands at 12:13 PM that this epidural won’t take place because this precious girl was coming. Fast. The nurse calls for a midwife because the OB wouldn’t make it in time and sweet Pilar was born within a minute. Here is what this Mama has to say about her birth:
“As the contractions intensified, my assurance that the sweet relief of an epidural was imminent quickly dissipated. The nurse and the anesthesiologist kept instructing me to “relax, hold still, stay put” all while my body was submerged in wave after wave of pain that I didn’t anticipate.
It’s kind of nuts to say that but I didn’t have the mental model and context of a spontaneous labor and “natural” contractions as my first daughter’s arrival was also induced and that epidural kicked in before things got too intense. Here I was, headed into the valley of darkness and my only thoughts were, “this is not part of the plan!” I remember saying, “I can’t do this, I can’t do this!” over and over.
Then suddenly, it felt like the baby was coming out and I’d be sitting on her! I recall screaming, “Something’s coming out!” I was terrified. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I just felt as if I was going to be torn apart.
And this is the woman who has just realized that she has accomplished something she never thought she could.
I had a baby without an epidural – I’m still wrapping my head around this. All the pain vanished as soon as Pilar emerged, and I was left with just feelings of happiness, comfort, and love. Even though I’ve already had one child, I never would have imagined that I was capable of this! I’m so grateful Lisa was there to document this incredible journey. I will treasure the revelation forever.”
Breaking your waters: Breaking the membrane that contains the fluid around your baby (your waters) is often enough to make contractions stronger and more regular. This is also known as artificial rupture of the membranes (ARM).
Cervical dilation: Your cervix needs to open about 10cm for your baby to pass through it. This is what’s called being fully dilated.
It typically takes 8 to 12 hours for a first labor to progress from the beginning of established labor to being fully dilated. In a second or third pregnancy, it frequently happens faster (in about 5 hours).
When you reach the end of the 1st stage of labour, you may feel an urge to push.
