Labor Story

Westen Elliot Briggs
Labor was NUTS! I started having contractions 3 minutes apart two and a half weeks before I was due and then they would stop after an hour or so. I lost my plug two weeks befor I was due and was dilated to a two so my mom decided to fly up. Well everything STOPED. I went in for a check up and my DR. said I was not dilated anymore. What?! He thought that Westen's head could be really big so he wasn't ever coming down into the birth canal like he should and suggested that I be induced or have a c-section. Well I knew for sure I didn't want a c-section. So I tried everything. I mean EVERYTHING. Caster oil x 2, a whole bunch of oils, acupuncture (loved it), and went to a chiropractor that specialized in pregnant women. That was awesome. She aligned my hips and Westen was able to drop in a few days later. My induce date was for when he was due on the 25th of July. On the 22nd at night, I started feeling contractions that were really close apart. They got to be two minutes apart for about an hour and a half so we decided to go to the hospital. They checked me and I was dilated to a 3. They came in an hour later and I hadn't progressed but I was still having contractions 2 minutes apart. They decided to induce me.... This is where it gets ridiculous...
They had me on pitocin for twelve hours (still contractions every 2 minutes) and hadn't come in to check me. I didn't know any different so I thought it was normal but my mom realized that they were stringing me along. We asked the nurses why later and she said because they had tons of pregnant women and were understaffed... Lovely. My doctor was out of town so I was stuck with Dr. Tu. Well he came in and said that he would brake my water in an hour... this was after like 15 hours of labor. He didn't come in for a couple hours later and I would still be down at the hospital if my mom hadn't gone to find him. He of course was out in the lobby chatting with all the nurses and rolling around on his office chair. This guy was NUTS! He was quite over weight, asian, and c-section crazy! He kept telling me that I would probably end up going c-section. Thank goodness for an amazing nurse! Dr. Tu broke my water. Ouch and weird!... still having contractions 2 min apart but this time they are a lot harder. I get an epideral and... it doesn't work. Lame. only a portion of my stomach was numb. The anesthesiologist comes in a while later to give me morphine. Wonderful stuff! I can still feel contractions but not as strong. A couple hours later I feel like I have to push. I hadn't been checked in like 4 hours. Weird I know. Stupid doctor. Then my mom goes to find him again. (still chatting with the nurses). My mom tells him I feel like I need to push and he says he'll give me another hour. What on earth dude! So my nurse who was wonderful came in to check my and I was at a 9. She could feel the babies head. I began pushing and she said that she wouldn't call the doctor in until she could see the head because he would make me go c-section. I told her not to call him in at all! I pushed for an hour and a half and then the doctor came in. He of course was rolling around on his chair and wasn't really talking to me so I didn't know what I was doing. Like twenty minutes later after an apesiotomy and a LOT of pushing with contractions STILL 2 minutes a part, he says the baby is almost through. Then he starts coughing! Oh geez. I'm not a germ-a-phobe but really?! He said he was getting over bronchitis and the flu! Really?! so I say a prayer that Westen will be ok and finally the last push and he was out!
Elliot was such a trooper. He stayed by my bed the whole time. He didn't get sick or queezy with all of the blood. Westen had a pretty big cone head when he came out and the only thing Elliot would say was "what the freak!" Haha I love him. Westen was 8lbs 8oz and 21 and 1/2 inches long.