7/29/15- Wednesday night: I went to the OB and was 1.5cm and 60% effaced. He said a 50/50 chance to have the baby on my own by my appointment next week (Wednesday). If not, they would induce me. That evening, I started getting a lot of cramping and irregular contractions, enough that I figured I better take a shower and shave my legs, just in case. Once I went to sleep, I tossed and turned a lot but did get some sleep.
7/30/15- Thursday: I woke up with contractions. They were pretty painful but not regular. I went into work so I could at least get everything situated there in case it was my last day. While I was at work they became regular and closer together. I felt overall just sick.
I called my OB around lunch and they said to go to L&D. Obviously I would do what they said, but I just kept feeling nervous that they would say "Sorry- false alarm". I turned off all my emotions at this point til I could see what they said.
Once I got there and got strapped to the monitor, I could feel contractions but couldn't see them on the screen. You can see other people's screens, too, and I felt so jealous of their screens... until a nurse pointed out that I was looking at the wrong screen. I was one of the screens I was jealous of!
Over about 3 hours, the contractions went from every 5 minutes to every 3-4 minutes and they all lasted about a minute. Hill after hill showed up on the screen. But when it was time to check me, I was exactly the same as at the appointment! I was also told I had a "weird" cervix and it felt like maybe my bladder was pushing on it. Of course I know I have a "weird" bladder because during all my transfers I held an unusually large amount of pee, during ultrasounds I didn't even feel like I needed to pee and they said it was too full to see anything, and only in the past couple weeks have I had to get up to pee at night. So great- regular, painful contractions that aren't progressing me and a weird cervix to top it off.
They asked me my birth plan. I said my only plan is I want an epidural and I want to avoid a c-section if possible. The doctor gave me the option to start induction if I wanted. Since I wanted to minimize the chance of a c-section and since the L&D unit was extremely packed to the point there wasn't even a nurse to monitor the pitocin yet (hello full moon) I opted to head home to wait and see. No point in laying flat in a hospital bed unable to eat or drink when it's not even getting me anywhere.
As the evening progressed, the contractions slowed down. Probably a good choice to not induce.
7/31/15- Friday: I tossed and turned all night. My right rib felt like it was truly broken. I didn't go into work because I felt miserable. My thoughts that day- "Back at square one: It's a very depressing place to be. I'm fine with waiting til next week if that's what is best but the unknown, the build up then let down, the excitement swirling around me (like I've said before, this is one very loved baby)... it's all very draining. I could go into a cave til next week's appointment. I know that's not the healthiest thing, but it seems the easiest.
As I should well know by now, things happen the way they are supposed to. I can't control this. It's out of my hands. It breaks my spirit, which, in this instance, is probably a good lesson.
All the November babies from "my group" have been born (except mine of course). Two on Tuesday, one today. They are healthy and perfect. We sat together nervously in the hotel lobby in Knoxville with these tiny babies that were just blibs of cells in us, and now they are warm, squirmy, crying babies. It's so amazing".
8/3/15- Monday: All weekend was more of the same. Contractions. Rib pain. Malaise. I lost my mucus plug. I decided to go into the OB as soon as they opened on Monday morning. My blood pressure was up 20 points from what it had been running all third trimester, so the OB decided to induce me a day early- later that night (officially Tuesday morning). I straightened up the house and tried to rest. I got Thai with my family and didn't have much of an appetite. D and I went to bed early to try to get a couple of hours of sleep.
I woke up at 11 PM with sharp contractions. I got up and walked around the house and sat on the birthing ball. Nothing gave me relief. I ate a piece of peanut butter toast and some cheese cubes in case it would be the last thing I was able to eat for awhile.
8/4/15- Tuesday: A little after midnight, I woke D up. I couldn't wait until our 2 AM hospital arrive time. I wanted to go NOW. I knew it was the real deal when he sloooowly sat up, took a leisurely yawn, and I wanted to punch him. I told him to hurry up and get dressed!
The L&D entrance was closed since it was the middle of the night. We went through ER admitting. They wheeled me to L&D to room 3. It was the same room I was in a little over a week before when I was dehydrated and couldn't feel him moving. The nurse said I was still 1.5 (really?!?!) but my cervix was now "paper thin". She said now that it was so thin, I should start dilating soon.
They planned to go ahead and hook me up to the pitocin, so I requested my epidural. I wanted it working before the contractions REALLY got going because I was mentally exhausted from the last 5 days. There wasn't in-house so I had to wait for the on-call provider to come. The nurse gave me a shot of stadol in my IV to tide me over. It hit me like a ton of bricks and helped take of the edge.
Around 2 AM, the anesthesia provider walked in with a wrinkly scrub top, capri jeans, and, according to D (I didn't get that far), sparkly sandals. I got really nervous that she was going to stick a needle in my spine! A tech came in to help me lean over and stay still. She was so comforting and kind. I found out we have a mutual friend and that her mom works at the day care our baby will go to. Small world! I kept waiting for some major pain, but it never came. In the epidural went, and soon I felt numb in my core but could still somewhat move my legs. The provider who seemed so flighty did an excellent job! Thank goodness!!!
A few family members started to come around breakfast time. The doctor stopped by and broke my water. I was eager for shift change so I could be checked. Mentally, I had to hear I was making progress. The day shift nurse came and said I was fully effaced and now to a 3. For the next three hours, I tried to rest. I talked to family. I tried to listen to music, but nothing sounded good. I got checked again around 10 AM. I was hoping to be at least a 4-5. That was my goal. The nurse was down there for a lot longer. She said, "You're at a 9. You can start pushing soon".
OMG!!!!!
She sat the head of the bed up and had me put my legs in a frog position. She said to let her know when I was feeling consistent pressure down low, and she'd give the doctor a call. I waited for about the next hour. No consistent pressure. The only thing I kept feeling was that my right rib had to have indeed broken. I couldn't take it anymore. Was I the first person in the history of the world to have counter pressure in their rib telling them it's time to push??
My mom pushed the call light, and the nurse came in. Yep. At a 10. Ready to push. I asked if we were going to wait for the doctor. The nurse laughed and said he would be on his way (his office is near the hospital) but that it would take quite a bit of pushing since it was my first.
I didn't really read or put much thought into the pushing part of labor ahead of time, which turned out okay. The nurse guided everything. It was hard to tell that I was making progress but she assured me I was. There was his hair, she said. It was DARK. She could feel his ear now. I kept feeling queasy and ended up throwing up.
The doctor breezed in and gowned up. By now I couldn't push only when they told me. I had to push when I felt it. What a blessing- I had no pain at all. But I could feel baby's head and I knew I had to keep going. The doctor said I was going to tear and asked to do an episiotomy. I didn't care. "Whatever you have to do!"
50 minutes of pushing later, out came sweet baby boy. 12:05 PM. He let out a cry. I was in a trance. They put him on my chest. He lifted his head up and looked at me with dark eyes. I felt like I knew him already. He was so calm and perfect.
I don't really remember the next 10-15 minutes. Everyone who was there says I held baby boy. I don't remember that. I remember the doctor who is calm as a cucumber suddenly seeming distressed. I was bleeding a lot, and the placenta wasn't coming out. They took baby boy away and went ahead and did measuring, assessing, etc. He had aunties and grandmas with him, so I wasn't worried about him. I knew he was okay. I remember feeling scared and looking at D, but no words would come out. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but I could sense a thick tension in the air.
The doctor said he was going to have to get the placenta out manually. By this point my epidural was apparently turned off, so I had regained a lot of feeling. They gave me another stadol shot which made me loopier than I already was, but they didn't give it time to kick fully in. I had no idea this was a possibility, but the doctor had to stick his hand inside me and fish the placenta out. It was the worst pain of my life. I remember screaming and wishing it would end. The doctor was telling the nurse to get this medicine and that medicine. She jabbed a shot in each thigh.
Everything from this point was a blur. Everything felt heavy. People were trying to help me breastfeed. A few more family members came in. I had no sense of time. I think they took baby boy away to give him a bath. My legs were no longer numb so nurses helped me get up to use the bathroom. From there, I went to the recovery room.
I would say that, overall, I had a better birth experience than I anticipated. I really didn't labor too long. Pushing didn't hurt. He got here safely. I lost out on time with him right after he was born, but at least we were reunited within the hour.
He's curled up on my chest as I type this. Nothing else matters.
I woke up at 11 PM with sharp contractions. I got up and walked around the house and sat on the birthing ball. Nothing gave me relief. I ate a piece of peanut butter toast and some cheese cubes in case it would be the last thing I was able to eat for awhile.
8/4/15- Tuesday: A little after midnight, I woke D up. I couldn't wait until our 2 AM hospital arrive time. I wanted to go NOW. I knew it was the real deal when he sloooowly sat up, took a leisurely yawn, and I wanted to punch him. I told him to hurry up and get dressed!
The L&D entrance was closed since it was the middle of the night. We went through ER admitting. They wheeled me to L&D to room 3. It was the same room I was in a little over a week before when I was dehydrated and couldn't feel him moving. The nurse said I was still 1.5 (really?!?!) but my cervix was now "paper thin". She said now that it was so thin, I should start dilating soon.
They planned to go ahead and hook me up to the pitocin, so I requested my epidural. I wanted it working before the contractions REALLY got going because I was mentally exhausted from the last 5 days. There wasn't in-house so I had to wait for the on-call provider to come. The nurse gave me a shot of stadol in my IV to tide me over. It hit me like a ton of bricks and helped take of the edge.
Around 2 AM, the anesthesia provider walked in with a wrinkly scrub top, capri jeans, and, according to D (I didn't get that far), sparkly sandals. I got really nervous that she was going to stick a needle in my spine! A tech came in to help me lean over and stay still. She was so comforting and kind. I found out we have a mutual friend and that her mom works at the day care our baby will go to. Small world! I kept waiting for some major pain, but it never came. In the epidural went, and soon I felt numb in my core but could still somewhat move my legs. The provider who seemed so flighty did an excellent job! Thank goodness!!!
A few family members started to come around breakfast time. The doctor stopped by and broke my water. I was eager for shift change so I could be checked. Mentally, I had to hear I was making progress. The day shift nurse came and said I was fully effaced and now to a 3. For the next three hours, I tried to rest. I talked to family. I tried to listen to music, but nothing sounded good. I got checked again around 10 AM. I was hoping to be at least a 4-5. That was my goal. The nurse was down there for a lot longer. She said, "You're at a 9. You can start pushing soon".
OMG!!!!!
She sat the head of the bed up and had me put my legs in a frog position. She said to let her know when I was feeling consistent pressure down low, and she'd give the doctor a call. I waited for about the next hour. No consistent pressure. The only thing I kept feeling was that my right rib had to have indeed broken. I couldn't take it anymore. Was I the first person in the history of the world to have counter pressure in their rib telling them it's time to push??
My mom pushed the call light, and the nurse came in. Yep. At a 10. Ready to push. I asked if we were going to wait for the doctor. The nurse laughed and said he would be on his way (his office is near the hospital) but that it would take quite a bit of pushing since it was my first.
I didn't really read or put much thought into the pushing part of labor ahead of time, which turned out okay. The nurse guided everything. It was hard to tell that I was making progress but she assured me I was. There was his hair, she said. It was DARK. She could feel his ear now. I kept feeling queasy and ended up throwing up.
The doctor breezed in and gowned up. By now I couldn't push only when they told me. I had to push when I felt it. What a blessing- I had no pain at all. But I could feel baby's head and I knew I had to keep going. The doctor said I was going to tear and asked to do an episiotomy. I didn't care. "Whatever you have to do!"
50 minutes of pushing later, out came sweet baby boy. 12:05 PM. He let out a cry. I was in a trance. They put him on my chest. He lifted his head up and looked at me with dark eyes. I felt like I knew him already. He was so calm and perfect.
I don't really remember the next 10-15 minutes. Everyone who was there says I held baby boy. I don't remember that. I remember the doctor who is calm as a cucumber suddenly seeming distressed. I was bleeding a lot, and the placenta wasn't coming out. They took baby boy away and went ahead and did measuring, assessing, etc. He had aunties and grandmas with him, so I wasn't worried about him. I knew he was okay. I remember feeling scared and looking at D, but no words would come out. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but I could sense a thick tension in the air.
The doctor said he was going to have to get the placenta out manually. By this point my epidural was apparently turned off, so I had regained a lot of feeling. They gave me another stadol shot which made me loopier than I already was, but they didn't give it time to kick fully in. I had no idea this was a possibility, but the doctor had to stick his hand inside me and fish the placenta out. It was the worst pain of my life. I remember screaming and wishing it would end. The doctor was telling the nurse to get this medicine and that medicine. She jabbed a shot in each thigh.
Everything from this point was a blur. Everything felt heavy. People were trying to help me breastfeed. A few more family members came in. I had no sense of time. I think they took baby boy away to give him a bath. My legs were no longer numb so nurses helped me get up to use the bathroom. From there, I went to the recovery room.
I would say that, overall, I had a better birth experience than I anticipated. I really didn't labor too long. Pushing didn't hurt. He got here safely. I lost out on time with him right after he was born, but at least we were reunited within the hour.
He's curled up on my chest as I type this. Nothing else matters.
Goodness, that sounds scary!! Glad everything worked out ok. He's precious!
ReplyDeleteOh so glad he ended up here safely. Sounds like a few scary minutes there. Enjoy every second xxxx
ReplyDeleteSo happy you are both safe and healthy! (Jill B)
ReplyDelete