I apologize for the length of this post. Now you'll see why it took me so long to write it.
Early Sunday morning, around 2:15 a.m., I suddenly awoke from a deep sleep with the realization I was about to wet the bed. This “urge” had happened several times before, and I’d always made it to the toilet in time. I got out of bed as quickly as possible and made my way to the bathroom. By the time I reached the toilet, my undergarments were completely soaked through. As I looked at them, I was a little confused…there was a pink tint to the wetness, not yellow like urine. I attempted to get up from the toilet to get my cell phone, but as soon as I stood, more liquid came pouring out of me and onto the bathroom floor. Not good! I sat back down on the toilet and attempted to assess the situation. I mean, I had just had my baby shower and hit the 36-week mark the day before. I was already feeling way unprepared. There’s no way my water just broke!
I grabbed a towel, put it in between my legs, and went for my cell phone. I called Adam, who was working that night. I told him I thought my water broke and I had no idea what to do. For some reason I thought this didn’t mean I had to go to the hospital. I was shaking uncontrollably while talking to him. I don’t think he believed me at first. He told me I needed to call my dad and that he would talk to people in the store about what I should do. We live in his basement of my dad’s house. So I called him and told him the same thing and that I needed him to come downstairs and help me. It was impossible for me to get up and do anything with fluid leaking out of me. He came downstairs and helped me find the number for my OB-GYN’s office. He had to leave them a message. They soon called back and asked me a series of questions. The conclusion was I needed to put on a pad and go to the hospital. Of course my hospital bag wasn’t packed. And of course I didn’t have but two pads. My dad called Meredith for more pads and had to explain the situation to her. She then attempted to call my mom. My mom didn’t pick up, so Meredith called Catie (who happened to be in town for my baby shower.) Catie was able to get through to my mom, who then called me. Eventually Catie came downstairs, and Meredith made her way over to the house. All were helping me pack for the hospital. It was around 3:30 a.m. when dad and I finally made our way to the hospital. Adam would meet us there.
Once we made it to the hospital, I realized I had soaked through my pad. I was a bit embarrassed, but didn’t really care at the same time. Adam had already started to fill out paperwork for me. After finishing the paperwork at 4:05 a.m., I got checked out by one of the hospital staff. She weighed me, and according to that weight I had gained 25 pounds (woohoo!) She then checked my blood pressure, which was on the high side. My blood pressure was normal throughout my pregnancy, so this was a bit unusual. I figured it was high because I was nervous and tense. She also checked the baby’s heart rate, and it was good. Adam and I then turned in our insurance information. I was supposed to get preapproved by the insurance company to stay at the hospital, but that didn’t get done. I was hoping everything would still be ok. (I got a letter in the mail from the insurance company a few days later saying I had been approved….phew!) So, off to the examination room we went! I got to put on this lovely hospital gown and was hooked up to a couple of monitoring belts (one for me and my contractions and one for baby.) A nurse came in and did a test on my fluid to make sure it was amniotic fluid. Of course that test came back positive. Tanya, the midwife from my OB-GYN’s practice, was on-call that night, and she came in and checked my cervix at 4:45 a.m. I was dilated to 2 cm and 75% effaced. For some reason I was surprised. I had just had my weekly doctor’s visit on Wednesday. The doctor checked my cervix (didn’t say anything about dilation), and he said the baby was up pretty far. So did my cervix start dilating once my water broke? I think I was just in denial that this was happening right now. I started shaking uncontrollably again. This happened every time something “new” happened.
Anywho, after being checked, I decided I needed to go to the bathroom. Adam had to help me put on these mesh disposable underwear with a pad…lovely! We then had to unplug the monitoring devices, and I got to wear the cords as a necklace to the bathroom. Adam also had to help me while I was in the bathroom. He’s such a great husband! Afterwards, we went back to the room and plugged the devices back in. This happened every time I had to go to the bathroom. It was quite the adventure every time!
Now the fun started. I got to ride in a wheelchair to my labor and delivery room! The room was pretty big. There was a sofa that turned into a bed. There was even a bathtub in the bathroom. I decided it was time to call work and tell them the news. Boy were they going to be surprised! My manager wasn’t working that day, so I told Ron the news. He was definitely shocked. So much for cross training someone else to do my job while I was gone! Cheryl, the nurse, came in and introduced herself. She was very cool. Breakfast was brought in, but all I was allowed to eat were the grits. Adam enjoyed the bacon, eggs, and biscuit. Cheryl hooked me up to an IV (not the most fun thing in the world), and she checked my cervix at 10:55 a.m. It was still at 2 cm. I’d been having irregular contractions, none of them painful. Cheryl came in and checked my temperature and blood pressure periodically. The blood pressure wasn’t as high as it was when I was first admitted, but my temperature kept rising. Cheryl thought I might have preeclampsia. Some tests were done, but nothing ever came of them. Adam laid down on the sofa/bed and tried to get some rest. I was starting to get pretty bored at this point. So I called my mom to see if she could stop by my work to pick up a book I had left there and a package that arrived for me on Saturday.
The next OB-GYN doctor on call was Dr. Cousins. She wasn’t as nice as Tanya. Apparently she had been on call all weekend and wasn’t too happy about it. Cheryl talked to her about the plan of action: to start pitocin or start walking. She told the nurse to tell me to get up, walk around, and drink lots of fluids. Hopefully this would speed things along. So, we unplugged the monitors and walked around…with IV and water in tow. This is about the time I had my first painful contraction. I was already a wimp when it came to my menstrual cramps, and this was much worse. So this is what being in labor feels like! We walked around for awhile, having to stop back in my room twice to go to the bathroom. It was much more difficult now that I had an IV in my right wrist. We finished walking around at 12:15 p.m. Adam laid down on the sofa/couch and tried to catch some shut-eye. I continued to walk around the room, and my mom showed up with the book and some food for Adam. Cheryl then returned and helped me into my bed. Dr. Cousin’s came into the room to ask me some questions. She asked how far apart my contractions were and how painful they were…I had no clue. My cervix was checked at 1 p.m., and I was at 3 cm. Dr. Cousin’s said it was time for the pitocin in order for my labor to progress. I definitely wasn’t looking forward to that! The amount of pitocin administered increased every 30 minutes. The contractions weren’t painful at first, but that soon changed. Cheryl said I could take some pain relievers, but I heard they would affect the baby too much…so I stuck it out. My plan was to wait until I was 4 or 5 cm before I got the epidural. Dr. Cousins seemed surprised that I would wait that long. In the end, she was right.
I thought I was going to die I was in so much pain! I cried like a wimp. Everything I learned in my birth and baby class went out the window. Instead of trying to breathe and relax when a contraction came, I’d tense up and start shaking. This definitely wasn’t going to help speed up my labor. So Cheryl checked my cervix around 3 p.m., and I was 3 to 4 cms. I said that was good enough and asked for the epidural. I didn’t actually realize what an epidural was until my birth and baby class. I thought it was just a shot given to me with a really big needle. In actuality, it was a little tube that was inserted into my back via a really big needle. I got the epidural at 3:43 a.m. The anesthesiologist was this really tall lanky fellow. I can’t remember his name, but he was 6’8”. He had to raise my bed a whole lot to insert the epidural. He was fast at his job. Cheryl the nurse said if she ever had anymore kids and had to have them somewhere else, she’d come to Women’s Hospital just to get her epidural. She’s hilarious! The most painful part about getting the epidural was the numbing of the area. Adam said it looked pretty painful, too. It felt like the worst bee sting ever. The insertion of the epidural just felt like a bunch of pressure being pushed into my back. Once the medicine got flowing, I felt just a few more painful contractions…and then the pain was gone. All I could feel was the pressure of the contractions. It was fabulous! Cheryl then inserted a catheter, considering getting up to go to the bathroom wasn’t an option anymore. I was glad of that. This also meant the blood pressure cuff would go off more frequently. I hated that thing! The numbness of my legs felt so weird. I could finally relax…or so I thought. I still found myself tensing up and shaking from time-to-time. This mostly happened when I heard people talking to others about what was going on. I think the thought of the impending birth just freaked me out. I still felt so unprepared.
My cervix was checked again at 4:30 p.m. I was at 5.5 cms. It was hard to comprehend I’d been in labor for over 14 hours. It didn’t seem that long to me. I’m pretty sure I dozed off after that. Adam was sleeping on the sofa, and my mom was attempting to sleep in a chair. She said she was so cold, but I felt just fine. Eventually, she moved herself into the hall to work on a crossword puzzle.
My cervix was checked again at 6 p.m. I had dilated to 7 cms. Adam estimated I’d be at 9 cms at 9 p.m. All I knew is that I didn’t want to have this baby the next day. It would be October 13, and that would mean her birthday would eventually fall on Friday the 13th! Stupid, I know. Anywho, Cheryl said the baby was turned slightly, and that I needed to lie on my left side to see if we could get her to face my back. I needed a lot of help to do this, of course, considering I couldn’t feel my legs. It was quite the ordeal, but I eventually became comfortable again. I dozed off for awhile. Cheryl kept coming in to adjust the monitor belt for contractions. Then I discovered I was starting to feel pain in my right side. I had this button I could press for more epidural medication. It wasn’t quite doing the trick, so Adam helped me move back onto my back. By this time I had a new nurse. The shift change was at 7 p.m. Her name was Timika. She was also very nice. The next OB on call was Dr. Lavoie. She was the only doctor from the practice I hadn’t seen yet. She was incredibly nice! I wish I would’ve met her a long time ago. I would’ve totally chosen her as my OB.
I kept dozing off, and the blood pressure cuff kept going off. Around 9 p.m., Dr. Lavoie came in and checked my cervix again. She said it was time to push! For some reason I was surprised. I guess I thought I’d be getting more sleep. Adam held one leg, and my mom held the other. The nurse had to tell me when to push, because I couldn’t really tell when I was having a contraction. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing at first, but I soon got the hang of it. Every time a contraction came, I’d take a deep breath, hold it and push down for 10 seconds. I had to do this three times during each contraction. I couldn’t believe how much work it was! Then Dr. Lavoie said “She has dark hair!” Now I have never been the one to want to watch someone else or myself giving birth, but I decided I wanted to see what was going on. I asked for a mirror. I could always change my mind and tell them to move the mirror away. Dr. Lavoie left to check on other patients, and Timika coached me. At around 9:20 p.m. she said I’d probably have the baby at 10:30 p.m. I couldn’t help but think how far away that was. Timika was wrong, though. I pushed like a champ, and Timika was telling me how good I was doing. I was feeling pretty good about myself! Dr. Lavoie came back in and realized I was literally about to have this baby. She got into position. I pushed when I was told, kept looking down to see what was going on, and also thought about the dreaded “ring of fire” I’ve heard so much about. I heard you’d feel it regardless of the epidural. I was so not looking forward to that! Plus I was afraid of getting an episiotomy. Well I kept pushing, and her little head popped out. “Oh my gosh!” I pushed some more, and then her shoulders and rest of her came out at 9:41 p.m. “Oh my gosh!” It was amazing to see! Plus, no ring of fire and no episiotomy! I did get a small second degree tear and had to be stitched up, but at least it didn't hurt at the time. Our little girl cried and cried, and they plopped her down on my chest. She was quite the slimy little thing, but I didn’t care at all. I couldn’t believe I’d just given birth. Adam was given the scissors, and he cut the umbilical cord. What a proud daddy he was! I wanted to get in as much skin-to-skin as possible, but they took her away to clean her up, weigh her (5 lbs 10 oz), measure her (18.5 in), and put goop in her eyes. Then she was bundled up like a little burrito and given back to me. I couldn’t believe this beautiful little girl was mine. And even though she was early, she was healthy.
So my labor was 19.5 hours long. It didn’t seem that long to me. Giving birth wasn’t as horrific as I thought it would be, but that’s thanks to the epidural. I wouldn’t have survived without it.
The whole time during my labor, my mom kept asking us what her name was going to be. Adam and I wouldn’t tell her. I still wasn’t sure myself. I’d always been saying Eliza Lynne, but for some reason that just wasn’t sounding right. So Adam and I came up with a new name...something more unique. I asked Adam if she looked like the new name we picked out. He said she did. So, I told my mom her name is Arden Olivia. But to me, she’ll always be known as Baby Girl.
Now the real lack of sleep begins, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Posts
