One Birth Story. My 50 hours labor.
By: Ernesta Zlotkutė
Tags: Delivery, Labor, Forceps, Birth, Pregnancy

Show me a women who has ever thought she would carry the baby in womb over 40 weeks before falling pregnant for the first time? I am pretty sure, us, women, we are all optimistic. We believe that by 40 weeks + 2 days the baby will be here, for sure. I guess it is true especially for those fit mums who are active throughout all the pregnancy. Being active, in theory, helps the baby to descend down the birth canal.

Who has ever thought to have a complicated birth and be in labor for over 24 hours? I guess, we have all heard the stories of women in labor for 24 hours and we thought this would not happen to us and that “I just would not survive it”. Let alone, being prepared for vaginal birth and end up with c-section.

Before I got pregnant, I thought cesarian would be such an easy end that if someone gave me a choice at the very beginning of the pregnancy for the way of birth, I would have chosen cesarian. I would have even agreed to have my baby delivered to be arms right after I fell pregnancy. I had been never dreaming to stay pregnant for 9 months. And then to go through all the recovery process. I just wanted to have a baby. Since I was a kid I have been hearing stories that there are no bigger pain than the labor pain. Cesarians have been becoming increasingly popular all over the world.

I learned the news being 4 weeks pregnant. I felt different the last week, very tired, very sleepy and I knew that something was going on inside me. The pregnancy test confirmed it. I cried when I learned the news. I was happy and stressed at the same time. Even though I was planning to have a baby, but once it was inside me and I realised all the upcoming life and body changes, I was overwhelmed. I went to work on that day and in the afternoon I had to leave, because I just couldn’t stop crying. Even though I WANTED THE BABY.

The first trimester I was just getting used to the idea. When I hit three months I felt an ease. All the doubts and worries disappeared. I wanted to have a little girl. And it was a girl. I was already appreciating my changing body and smiling seeing how my belly is slowly growing.

I felt the first movements very early. At 16 weeks. My husband felt her at 17 weeks. And feeling the baby moving for me changed a lot. I started to enjoy being pregnant. I started to bond with the baby. I started to know the baby. And I realised the purpose of the pregnancy. You need those 9 months to prepare mentally for the baby. The last pregnancy month, she used to react often when I was touching my belly. I was feeling over the moon feeling her response. I was feeling a bond with her already. I couldn’t wait to see her.

All the pregnancy was easy for me. I could stay active. I was running 6 months of my pregnancy and practising yoga all my pregnancy. I was very fit and well prepared. All the tests were always good.

I turned 39 weeks of pregnancy and went to the appointment to the hospital where I was planning to deliver the baby. They did all the basic checks and I got the appointments at 40w + 7 and 40w+10. In case the baby does not arrive on time, they wait until 40w + 13 days before the labor is induced. 40w + 13 days? who would need this! I was also asked to sign the paper that I assume the methods and risks of the labor induction. I took a copy. Just to have a copy. I was even hesitating… do I really need one.

40w. Nothing. 40w + 2. Nothing. 40w + 5. Nothing. I started to get more and more messages from family, friends, colleagues asking about the big news. I started to feel horrible. I wasn’t capable of delivering my own baby. The labor was just not happening for me.

I used to walk a lot. I was squatting. I was doing yoga exercises that are supposed to induce the labor. I was drinking raspberry leaf tea. NOTHING HELPED. I was crying and I was desperate. I was tired being pregnant and I wanted to see my baby so bad. I received many advices “she will come once you stop stressing yourself for that” and I was like “let’s discuss it when you are 41 weeks pregnant”. After I turned 41 weeks I just got along with the idea. I did not want to be induced and I wanted my little girl to come naturally when she was ready, but I realised that it was just the way it was. I was just a little bit worried about her wellbeing and additional risks going past 41 weeks.

40w + 12. The big day was supposed to be tomorrow. Though, after they induce you, it still takes 1–3 days. On that day at 9 pm o’clock in the evening I was starting to feel contractions which were getting more and more intense. at 2 am my waters broke and the contractions were already quite intense coming every 7–8 minutes, but I was still able to sleep for a couple of hours, even though feeling the contractions throughout the sleep. at 6 am I called to the hospital and asked what shall I do. My appointment to induce the labor was at 8:15 am. They told that I should come for the appointment since I am already overdue they prefer to monitor the baby quite closely.

I came in at 8:15. they checked my cervix which was 1 cm dilated. Only. The policy of the hospital is to wait 24 hours after the waters brake to induce the labor. Since I was already overdue, they gave me 16 hours from the time the waters broke to see if the labor starts. At 20 o’clock I would be induced if the labor does not start on its own. I was transferred to pre-natal section of the hospital, where my husband was not allowed to stay with me due to covid-19 restrictions. I suffered alone all day from contractions which were getting more intense. Though, they were coming closer together and then getting farther apart. All contractions were coming all day with 5–10 minutes intervals. In the evening the midwife came in and told that I would be still induced as the labor does not start. I was in shock “how do they know?”. As First Time Mum, I did not know that labor contractions hit all the uterus from the top to the bottom and I my cramps from the belly-button down and the lower back. Around 8 o’clock the contractions became unbearable. Even if they were not coming more than every 5 minutes, I was screaming and crying with every single one now.

There was some delay to transfer me back to induce the labor as it turned out to be a very busy day for the delivery section. They checked again the dilation which was still 1 cm! I had been in pain for more than 24 hours and the things were not moving at all! AT ALL! I was induced and I asked for an epidural right away. 15 min later I had an epidural. I was warned that until I deliver the baby I will not be able to move around. I knew this might take 24 hours… But at that point I did not care anymore. For the last 40 hours, I had 2 hours of sleep and I had been in pain for 28 hours… I felt an ease 20 minutes after that. I could get a few hours of sleep that night. I was very relaxed and relieved. At the end, I could still walk with some assistance and I could move my legs.

They checked my cervix in the morning which was already 4–5 cm open. Most probably the baby is coming today. My eyes got wet. A few hours later I got another dose of oxytocin. And around 5 pm I was told that the cervix was dilated enough to transfer me to the delivery room.

Once I was transferred to the delivery room the midwife explained that the baby is not in a good position. “She is looking at the stars, rather than down. We have to try to turn her around. Otherwise, the pushing will be really hard”. Apparently, in such case, I would not start pushing the biggest part of baby’s head out which leads to baby moving backwards every time I stop pushing.

We tried a few poses to turn the baby, but none worked. Then the doctors came, they did the scan to verify the position of the baby and then they tried to turn her using hands. Even though, the success rate for this operation is quite high, it did not work for me…

I was told that we will try to push for an hour and if it does not work, c-section will follow… At this point, after all the pain and 48 hours in labor, c-section sounded to me like a complete failure. I could have just came for an agreed hour and have a c-section without experiencing any pain.

As it was expected, pushing was very tough. I was pushing so hard that when I was stopping it felt like my eyeballs and the entire head would explode. After 50 minutes we stopped. C-section. I was deeply hurt. I did not want this to end like that now. The doctors saw the pain in my eyes and they decided to try to pull her out using forceps. Two attempts. After this, we have no choice.

I was transferred to the operating theater. It felt surreal. I don’t even remember everything well. I just remember that I had to switch the beds. Everything was already prepared for the c-section. around 10 people in the room around my bed. I was told to push a couple more times. First attempt. No luck. Second attempt. I felt a bizarre feeling down there, like someone is pulling all my intestines out and right away I saw a baby on my belly. I couldn’t believe. She was finally there. On my last attempt to push. My baby girl was finally there after 50 hours in labor.

It came not without any cost. I had an episiotomy. And I have a long way to heal. But baby girl is right there with me.

We tried everything to make it happen as natural as possible for the baby.