Monika's Birth Story
Hi Vittoria and Yoga Mommies,
I finally have a moment after a very exciting and tiring week to write you. Scott and I are happy to announce the birth of our baby boy (you guessed right!). Tor Henry was born Dec. 8th at 12:51am weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 oz. and 20 in. long. My birth story follows...
We called into the labor and delivery department Tuesday morning to be induced. We made the decision to be induced because I was a week overdue and my doctor was going out of town for the following four days. I had bonded with my doctor and really wanted her there.
OHSU admitted us at 11:30am. After settling in and having my cervix checked they gave me a dose of misoprostol at 2:30pm to dilate my cervix to at least 3-4 cm. At 6:30 they checked me again and decided that I was dilated enough to begin dosing me with pitocin to start my labor. After a couple of hours I went through transition and into active labor. When my contractions became too strong I opted for fentanyl to cut the edge off the pain. The fentanyl allowed me to relax between contractions. 
Things in my mind moved very quickly after they upped my pitocin for the second time. My instinct was to flip over on the bed, onto my knees and elbows and my head into the pillow. I concentrated on relaxing the lower half of my body while squeezing the heck out of my husband's hand. I also held a lot of pressure in my head which resulted in my bloodshot eyes. (I didn't know that could happen or I would have tried to relax my head as well.) Time did not phase me - it all seemed to happen super fast. By the time I thought it might be a good idea to get an epidural I could hear the nurses/doctors talking about braking my water. I remember one saying that if they broke my water the baby was soon to follow. They were having a hard time monitoring my baby's heartbeat and wanted to screw a monitor to his head. They decided to wait since my OB was still on her way to the hospital. She showed up minutes before I had the urge to push. Nineteen minutes later Tor was born.
While pushing I had my eyes closed. They immediately put him on my stomach and my eyes were still closed. No one was saying if it was a girl or boy. They told me to open my eyes and see what it was. It took me a second but I opened my puffy eyes and smiled, "It's a boy". Then I looked at his face and said, "And he's cute."
My labor was very fast. I tore both top and bottom. A second degree tear at the bottom. I felt the top tear happening, a stinging feeling. I didn't really feel the bottom tear. There was definitely a "ring of fire" sensation when he crowned. I was happy in the end that I had a successful vaginal birth without an epidural. I've been healing pretty quickly as far as I can tell. I started breastfeeding Tor within a couple of hours and we're still working out the kinks. I'm in a constant state of bliss and tiredness. Luckily my mother-in-law flew in from New York to help us out for a week while we get adjusted.
I want to thank you and all of the yoga mommies for all your support throughout my pregnancy. I felt strong. I was able to breathe deep and focus. I'm excited to continue with my yoga practice with Tor when I'm ready in a few weeks. Please pass along my personal email to anyone interested. I'm happy to share my story and offer any insight to interested future moms.