I need to write this down before I forget. I'm sure I'll forget certain aspects of your birth story (which is why women do this again and again) but, I want to make sure it's written down.
3:45 pm November 21
Your dad and I showed up for our 39 week pre-natal appointment with Dr. Cox. We had been watching my blood pressure (it was a little high for the previous 2 weeks) for signs of preeclampsia. My blood pressure wasn't too bad, but the level of protein shot up to a 4 (I guess a 2 and higher is pretty bad) and I had gained 5 lbs that week. So, Dr. Cox came in and said, we're having a baby today. We did a 'check', I was still dilated to a 4, 70% effaced, -2 station (pretty much what I had been for the previous 2 weeks). We talked about possible scenario's once we arrived. The best case would be breaking my water would induce labor, but I'd have to be continuously monitored, well, YOU would have to monitored.
5:30 -ish
We had gone home and gathered all of our stuff. Which, was a lot, surprisingly. Your dad gave me a blessing and we arrived at the hospital. It was a busy night in the labor and delivery floor, and they didn't have a room or a nurse available, so they sent us to the cafeteria. Your dad ate dinner, and I had some jello.
6:30 -ish
When we finally got settled Dr. Cox came in and broke my water and the nurse started an IV and got us on the monitor. Which, proved to be quite difficult to continue to find throughout the night -you were pretty active. Our first nurse was Lynne. We didn't like her too much. First of all, we talked about our 'birth plan' because I didn't want an epidural (among other things), and her response was, "Well, in my experience, 95% of birth plans end of with a C-section". She was one of those, 'I've been doing this for 22 years' type of a nurse. For the first hour or so while she was our nurse she kept threatening to do an internal monitor because she couldn't get a good reading on you. At this point your dad started trying to move the monitors around, just so she wouldn't come in.
8:00 -or so
Contractions had started, but were fairly mild. I had dilated to a 5 (started as a 4) and we got a couple of new nurses, Libby and Stephanie. They had a lot more patience with you -trying to get a good reading on your heart rate. I kept getting up every hour, to go to the bathroom, and really just to switch the side I was laying on. My hips were killing me laying on my side. They started me on Pitocin at a 2. I'm not sure what the 2 meant, but it was the lowest dose. Contractions started to pick up a bit, but were still pretty manageable.
9:00
Grandma and Grandpa Hardcastle came by. We were all going to my cousin's play that night, and we ended up respectively declining the outing after our dr's appointment. I think they stayed about an hour. Contractions were still okay, I didn't talk a lot during them, but I was okay in between.
10:30 -ish
I think my parents left around this time. When the nurse came in and checked me I was a 6 and she increased the pitocin to a 4. I'm not sure why I didn't ask her why we were increasing it, or if we really needed to. I just said okay. I had told your dad to sleep for a bit because the contractions were manageable and I figured I'd need his help later on trying to relax myself. I definitely felt the increase from a 2 to a 4, but I still felt okay.
1:00 am November 22nd
I asked your dad to help me to the bathroom. The pain seemed to increase as soon as I got up. It was a pretty big struggle to get back in the bed and when the nurse checked me. She asked if I was thinking big numbers, and I responded that I didn't want to get my hopes up. She said I was a 7, and gave me her warning about feeling an urge to push. She said if I felt like I needed to push or go to the bathroom I needed to tell her, because she'd need to check me.
At the peak of the very next contraction I kind of felt like I needed to push. By the time the next contraction came (60 seconds later) I knew I felt like pushing. I made your dad stay for one more and then he went to get the nurse. I guess when he told her I needed to push she said "Well, did you tell her not to?"
She came in to check me and without saying anything she hurried out of the room. I was worried something was wrong, because there was no denying the fact that my body wanted me to push. I didn't realize it at the time, but the nurses changed and started prepping the room for a delivery. I guess a bunch of women were pretty much delivering at the same time so we were all hoping Dr. Cox arrived soon, since there were no spare doctors around.
In our birth class our instructor always told us when we were ready to push it would feel better to push than not to push. Oh, she was right. The nurses tried to get me to breathe through the contractions and not push -it was horrible! About every other contraction I could manage to not push, for the most part, but it was really hard and painful. I think it became pretty clear, pretty quickly, that I needed to push. They got me on my back and I had probably pushed during two contractions when Dr. Cox arrived.
1:30 am ish
Okay, it was really painful and difficult to NOT push, but I soon found out it REALLY hurt to push too. Most people describe crowning as a 'burning' feeling, and while I don't disagree, I think that description is used because there isn't a better way to say it. It really, really hurt! I had great cheerleaders -your dad and the nurses, which made it easier. The best part was that it was pretty short, by 2 am, I was done. Your dad thinks I pushed through about 10 contractions before you were here. I remember after your head came out thinking your body was taking forever to get out, and the shear relief once it had. I didn't even think to ask if you were a boy or a girl, I was just so glad it was over!
2:09 am
Your dad actually said "It's a boy" and they put you on my chest. Dr. Cox waited a few minutes before she had your dad cut the cord. I tried breastfeeding, and got you to at least latch on both sides for a bit. The nurses were really good about leaving you on me for quite a while before taking you to get you weighed and everything. I tore a bit and had 2 stitches, which didn't hurt a bit until the local wore off. I'm still feeling it, but the worst of it was over in about 10 days.
The rest of the story includes more pain that no one really talks about, from the nurses contracting my uterus, to the difficulty going to the bathroom and moving around later. I felt good, I think, considering everything I had gone through. And, as dumb as this might sound, because I'm saying this with FULL recollection of the event, I'll do it without an epidural again.
Actually, saying I'll repeat the last 10 months again at all seems a bit crazy, but somehow (and sometimes) it all seems worth it!
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