June 1st, 39 weeks 6 days
Around 12:15-I ate lunch with a friend at Burger King so our kiddos could play indoors because it was soooo hot. When we were leaving I felt like I was bleeding. I made the 5 minute drive home immediately and went to the restroom. I was not bleeding, but something was definitely going on. I laid Joseph down for his nap, checked my email, and texted a good friend to ask about what might be going on. I wondered if my water bag might be leaking. I decided to lay down for a nap and call the doctor’s office when I woke up if the leaking feeling continued. I prayed if my water was breaking, I would know it and there would be no question... I really didn’t want to head all the way to the dr’s office with two kids for no reason. I rolled over to get comfortable and felt a gush of water. I KNEW that my water had broken! YAYYY! I texted my friend again, called my husband, called Dr S, and then called my mom. Dr S wanted me to come in immediately. I jumped in the shower and afterwards packed everything we needed for the friend that was keeping my youngest son so we could head to the hospital. When Edward got home, we took Joseph to my friend’s house and headed to the hospital. Josiah planned to stay with us for the birth, but started feeling sick once we got there so we sent him home with my dad. I am glad we sent did because he ended up throwing up that night.
Around 4- I see Dr S and she tells me that my water has definitely broken, however, I am only 2-3cm/50% effaced and the baby’s head was still very high. Even though I had been having some uncomfortable contractions, I hadn’t changed very much in the past two weeks! She had to admit me though because my water had broken. I was very concerned that this would mean I was being put on a timeline as far as when the baby had to come, but she assured me I had nothing to worry about. I trust her completely and knew it would be okay.
5pm-I was admitted to the hospital and the waiting game began. I tried to get rest overnight, but didn’t really get much because I was thinking that labor would really kick up and get going any moment. THANKFULLY, Dr S let me eat dinner and a bedtime snack because it would prove to be A WHILE.
June 2, 2011-40 weeks
7:45a-Dr S came in to check on me and I hadn’t made a big change, but the baby’s head was pressed down against my cervix so that was good. She wanted me to try some nipple stimulation to see if we could get some things rolling with labor. She was originally going to let me try that for an hour, but ended up letting me do it longer. She was so great and perfectly okay with letting me go longer doing the nipple stimulation, but I could tell that the contractions I was having were not strong enough to do anything so I opted for the pitocin. This was a hard decision for me because I had such a hard labor with Josiah on pitocin and it ended in a c-section. I knew something had to get rolling and this is what I had a peace about so I did it!
11:40a-Pitocin is started at 1…the lowest # it can be started at and it’s increased every 15 min or so until it gets to 12. Once at 12, I started having good contractions and I could tell they were working to accomplish something. They were very uncomfortable, but still not unbearable. I stood up by the bed for a long time because I seemed to have the harder contractions when I was on my feet. Even though that was the most uncomfortable, I knew it would have to get uncomfortable to accomplish something! In fact, I tried sitting down on the birth ball once during this time and my contractions got much weaker and further apart. So…I went back on my feet.
4:10pm-I was getting super tired of standing up so I laid down in the bed to “rest”. I was thinking that I needed to try to get some rest/sleep before things really starting going since I didn’t sleep the night before. It seemed that laying down made my contractions space out and get weaker so the nurse bumped the pit up to 14 to help them be strong again even though I was laying down. 14 was the special # because things REALLY got super uncomfortable after she did that! I even thought about asking her to turn it back down a few times, but I knew something must be happening with all of this discomfort.
4:45p-I was VERY discouraged when I was checked and still only 3.5cm/50% effaced. Though I am pretty sure I never verbalized it, I really began to wonder if I had made a mistake in asking for the pit and if this was going to turn out in a c-section. I think the nurse must have seen the look of discouragement on my face because she assured me this was okay…we had only cranked the pit up 35 minutes earlier and active labor was just getting started. I am so thankful she was there to encourage me because I really needed it at that point.
6:30p-This was probably the most emotional time during my entire labor. I CRIED tears of relief when Dr S checked me and I was 5cm/90% effaced. At this point there was no doubt in my mind that this was going to happen! Things really started progressing quickly after this…MUCH more quickly than my birth with Joseph.
8p-6.5cm/100% effaced/0 I was really hurting by this point and doing different things to cope. I got into the shower. I stood up with the hot water hitting my back and I would squat down a little and press my hands hard against the shower wall during contractions…it made them WAYYY less painful. By far the most helpful way that I was able to cope with pain during labor this time was to have my wonderful nurse, Julie, talk me through relaxing each part of my body from my feet up to my head. As she mentioned a part of my body she, the nurse in training (Heather, I think), Edward, and my mom would each rub that part of my body. This really helped me focus on relaxing each part of my body. This was the BIG difference between this labor and my labor with Joseph. I felt that I had trouble really relaxing my body during my labor with Joseph, but I felt that I really was able to relax through contractions this time…until a certain point! At some point between now and transition, my dear friend Leisha came into the room to start taking pictures. I was soooo blessed to have her there to photograph during the labor and delivery. I remember hearing her come in, but I could not open my eyes to see her. I remember hearing the camera click and hearing her ask the nurse if she thought the camera was bothering me (it wasn’t), but I didn’t get to actually speak to her until after the birth.
9:05p-9cm/head very low (station wasn’t mentioned) Starting at this time is what is the most vivid in my mind probably because it was by far the hardest. I remember being so relieved mentally when I heard that I was 9cm because I knew I had finally made it to the shortest part of labor. I remember thinking of getting nubain, but I would tell myself through each contraction that by the time they brought to me I would be pushing so there was no need in asking for it. I remember saying several times “I can’t do this”. I laid down, stood up, put all of my weight on Edward, etc…anything to try to cope with the pain I was experiencing. At this point, the talk of relaxing each part of my body was not helping at all. I reached a point where I could not relax through the contractions. I did some things I did NOT do during my labor with Joseph. I squeezed Edward’s hand and my mom’s hand VERY hard…so hard, in fact, that my sweet mom’s hands were bruised afterwards. YIKES! I also remember turning to my mom and ALMOST biting her. I was definitely in A LOT more pain this go round than I was with Joseph. I think it’s because everything was happening so much more quickly than it did with Joseph though…and I was completely drug free this time! It really helped when Edward put pressure on my back and once when he was going to run to the bathroom or rest his hands, I remember telling him no because I didn’t feel like I could make it through a contraction without him putting pressure on my back. I remember feeling that I needed to start pushing and asking to be checked on 2 different occasions, but each time I wasn’t quite ready and could not start pushing yet. That was very hard to hear and it became EXTREMELY hard not to push. Julie assured me when my cervix was ready I would know it and HAVE to push. And…she was right!
10:52p-I started pushing. My body had started pushing on it’s own, but I took over at this point. Part of me wonders what it would have been like if I had just waited and let my body push the baby out. BUT…I HAD to get her out at this point! And that is just what happened. I pushed through 3 or 4 contractions and at 10:59pm my sweet Olivia Jael was born...on her due date!!! I remember looking down and seeing that she was a girl and being completely in shock! In fact, I think it took several days before it really began to sink in that I have a DAUGHTER. I fully expected this baby to be another boy.
Even though my water broke at a completely unexpected time causing labor to get going in a completely unplanned, unexpected way I am sooo happy that I was able to have another natural labor and delivery and achieve my personal goals for labor this time…no nubain and no episiotomy. And the BEST part was having the SURPRISE of a precious, perfect baby girl!!! God is so good to me and I feel so incredibly blessed to have another amazing, beautiful, healthy child!
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