Finally had my baby! Long post TW: intense labor/delivery

I finally had my baby girl Friday morning at 5:45 am. She is absolutely beautiful, healthy, and perfect in every single way imaginable. My labor was rough, so in writing this to remind everyone here to ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF. Don't let ANYBODY deminish your concerns for your body and health.

I went into the hospital one day (10/09) before my induction because i thought my water broke(it did not). They decided to induce me that day since I was scheduled for an induction on Thursday anyway (10/10). I was excited to be having a baby! I started pitocin around 9:30 pm, and felt it working almost immediately. The doctor came in around 4cm and broke my water for real and it was EVERYWHERE haha.

I had planned for an unmedicated birth so I was really prepared and trying to power through the pain. Unfortunately for me, the pitocin was so intense and I was still not dilating in a timely manner. I was stuck at 4cm with my water broken in ALOT of pain. The problem I0 was having came more from the duration between contractions then the pain itself. I was having them so frequently that I could barely catch my breath before another one came on. Eventually I submitted to an epidural after 9 hours of laboring without it. The epidural itself was not horrible, my anesthesiologist was amazing and very gentle with me💕

Once it started working the pain became much more manageable. I was able to relax and joke with my support people while slowly progressing. Now, when I say 'slowly', I mean SLOWLY. My contractions became about 5 mins apart and my dilation (however little progression i had made) became non existent. They went from occurring every 30-60 seconds to every 5 minutes. This of course led the doctors to up my pitocin levels time and time again. We are about 18 hours in at this point.

I continued to labor away. I could not eat solid foods and i was so hangry and was losing energy. Eventually,(10/10) they came in and told me my recent blood tests came back with an infection from my water being broken for so long and started me on an antibiotic. I was exhausted, hungry, and fighting an infection.

Finally after 28 hours of labor, it was time to start pushing! I was so ready but low and behold, my epidural ran out about an hour into pushing 😅 I felt EVERYTHING. It was horrible and i was in tears. After an hour of meeting and getting a new bag hooked up and pumping (also losing all progress of pushing for that last hour) it was time to push again. I pushed for 4 MORE HOURS!!! My daughters head was too big and they gave me an episiotomy.

At 5:45 am Friday morning after 32.5 hours of labor, I gave birth vaginally to my beautiful 8 lb 13 oz 21 inch long babe🥰

I developed pre-eclampsia after labor and had to remain on bed rest for 24 hours, recieve IVs (AND NOT EAT SOLID FOODS 😡), while dealing with an infection in my uterus, and caring for my newborn babe. It was almost unmanageable.

When it was time for me to move again, I realized something was wrong. I had an excruciating pain in my pelvis/pubic area that was different then normal post partum pain. I had been experiencing intense pelvic pain while pregnant and was told by every single provider that it was 'round ligament pain' and 'totally normal'. Yall... it was NOT round ligament pain.

Turns out after BEGGING for an xray from my postpartum care team, I have Pubic Symphysis Diastasis. The pubic symphysis is a joint at the very bottom of your pelvic floor that connects your two hip bones. It separates during labor, but normally returns back to its normal shape. Mine did not. And as it turns out, had been separating for MONTHS before going in to deliver. I'm currently writing this post from the hospital where I cannot use the bathroom, get out of bed, or lift my daughter out of her bassinet without the help of my partner and a walker.

I am 25 years old and fairly healthy. My daughter was too big for my birth canal. And had I been taken seriously at my prenatal appointments, I'm certain they would have recommended a C-section for her birth. I don't know what the next step is for us, but I do know it's going to be a rocky road, most likely involving PT and the assistance of a walker or wheelchair. It's been hard to accept that i can't do much for myself right now because part of me feels like I am already failing my daughter. I won't be able to shower without help, I won't be able to take her for walks without help, or stand up to change her diapers alone. We are managing and I am honestly relieved that she is healthy and happy more then anything. And if I had to do it again for her I would 💕

Please, make sure you are telling your support people when something is wrong. Please don't allow yourselves to be diminished. So often in women's health, we are dismissed and sent on our way with no solutions to our health concerns. I'm grateful my hospital nurses advocated for me because the doctors sure did not want to dig deeper into my cause of pain.

I wish all of you a healthy delivery/post partum experience and this was in no way meant to scare anybody. I just want you all to be aware of yourself and your bodies and make sure you are doing what is best for you! Cheers to happy and healthy moms and babies 🥂🥳