I went to take a shower around 11am and figured I should shave my legs because "you never know" and maybe it would be the last time. I had a contraction in the shower but didn't think much. I got out of the shower and felt like something was coming out so I sat on the toilet, expecting my mucus plug which meant I had 1-3 days left to go. Instead, I peed and then each time I shifted, more came out. At first I figured I just hadn't emptied my bladder completely but then it kept going. You guessed it, my water had broken!
At first, I wasn't sure what to do. Everytime I moved more fluid came out. I had no idea how to contain it. I put a towel between my legs so I could grab some undies and then put in a pad, which I soaked through shortly. Then I called C and told him to head home (he was surprisingly calm) and called my brother & SIL to tell them they'd have to pick up Addy from daycare. Then I tried to figure out what to wear to the hospital that wouldn't be a problem to get ruined. I also tried to figure out what to do with my wet hair since I knew it would be a while before I saw a shower again.
I also called my dr's office and told them then they called the hospital to make sure there was a bed available and told me that we were good to go! I packed some extra things in our hospital bag and waited for C to get home. I also laid down for a bit because I hadn't felt the baby move for a while (or maybe I didn't register it because I was panicking).
We got to the hospital around 1pm and they put me in a room and started checking me in. I was GBS Positive so I knew I'd have an IV coming. The doctor came in around 1:30 and checked me and I was only dialated to 2 1/2 and still not really having contractions (just random ones that weren't even uncomfortable). She brought up pitocin, which I didn't really want, but said she'd let me go for a bit to see if my body kicked in. Then it was IV time.
C had left his wallet at school so he ran out to get it before things really started happening. While he was gone they put in the IV. The first needle hit something in my arm and bent (!) so they had to do it again. I started to get faint and feel nauseated so they reclined the bed and got cool wash cloths and of course, that was when C walked in the room. I yelled out immediately that I was ok.
After that we hung out for a bit. At 4:30 they started pitocin. I was worried because of all the stories I've heard but it wasn't so bad. They started me on a very low drip, hoping that the chemical would "remind" my body that it had a job to do. Contractions started slowly and C & I started doing laps around the maternity ward.
I started at 2 ml/something and they bumped me up to 4 after a while. At 4, the contractions weren't totally painful, but I never came completely down from them. I could handle the pain but I couldn't handle not having a break between them. So they bumped it back down but my contractions kept coming, which was good. It meant my body was taking over. I made it through most of the contractions by leaning over the bed which was raised and swaying my hips while C rubbed my back.
I had told them earlier that I would pretty much be demanding an epidural (I'm a wimp) so around 7:30 they told me that the doctor (I can't spell anesthesiologist) was up for another patient and did I want him to come see me? I told them to put me on the list, scared that if I said no, he'd leave the hospital and it would be forever before I had another chance. I still had to wait an hour before I saw him.
Once I got the epi, I laid in bed for the remainder. Apparently, I'm one of those people that has a blocker in my spine that doesn't allow the epi to fully get to my right side. I could still feel the contractions on the right, but they weren't as painful as they had been. I had a clicker to up the doseage but I ended up only using it once. The baby's heartrate also dropped after the epi so we had a scary 5 minutes while they rolled me from side to side and gave me oxygen. It was fine after that. Also, after the epi, I was dialated to a 7 but I had no idea how long it would take to get the rest of the way.
Around 10, the nurse checked me again and said that I was completely dialated but said she'd let me labor for a bit longer. The epi had fully kicked in and I couldn't feel a single contraction. I could just barely move my legs. Finally, at 10:30 she said we'd start pushing. She & C had to watch the monitor and tell me when to push because I literally couldn't tell if I was having contractions.
After about 35 minutes, she went to get the doctor because we were getting close. The doctor came in a after a few pushes told me she was going to give me an episiomoty. I had had one with Addy and she was worried about the degree of tearing since it was a "weak spot". It was very quick and then she told me we were just going to do some light pushes so we didn't strain anything. Then she looked down and said "never mind". She told me that basically, my body was taking over (again) and the baby was coming out!
I actually sat up and watched as my baby girl came into the world. I literally was not doing any pushing, it was amazing. They got her out and put her right on my bare chest (I requested skin to skin right away) and she wailed. We double-checked she was a girl and just reveled in our new daughter. She was born at 11:17pm on 5/21 (our first wedding anniversary!) and weighed in at 8lbs even. She was 20.5" long.
We're home now and doing pretty well. Knock on wood, she had been good to us over the past few nights, sleeping in 3 hour stretches and waking only to eat. We got some good awake time yesterday so I'm hoping that we won't have too many issues with the day & night confusion.
Theresa Lynn (both of our mothers' middle names) - but we are calling her Reese
Family picture
Beautiful family!! (Following from Hellobee!)
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteBTW, I've been following your blog for a while now, since you were pregnant. Noah is SO cute!
Aww, thank you!!!
DeleteI loved reading your birth story! You have a very beautiful family of four. Congratulations!! :-)
ReplyDelete