*As always with birth stories, probably a little TMI for some folks!*
I was a week and a half overdue. That pretty much sums up how I was feeling. It was Wednesday, and I had been to see my doctor on Tuesday and we had scheduled my induction for Thursday, two days before 42 weeks. I wasn't super excited about being induced, but I also really like and trust my doctor so I was okay with being started. I had been having some contractions throughout the day, but scattered and of varying intensity. I started to get hopeful that he would come on his own by halfway through the afternoon. Matt had an intramural softball game at 5, so I sent him to that and made sure he had his phone on him, and by about 5:45 I texted him and told him to come right home after the game.
We live like 45 minutes from the hospital, so while I wasn't sure my contractions were close enough I figured we had a good car ride to find out! We left right after he got home. I was of course wearing my trusty depends, which I had not yet needed. Matt hadn't eaten, so even though I was contracting at about 3-4 minutes we stopped at In-and-Out so he wouldn't starve, and he may or may not have talked me into a milkshake that I downed in the 2 minutes left for us to get to the hospital. My contractions were still pretty mellow, so we sat in the car while he finished his food and then made our way into labor and delivery. This was the first time my water hadn't broken, so they made me go to the 'so you think you're in labor?' room to make sure I was really in labor. That was new and fun. I was at a 4, but stretching to a 6, so I was happy! (the lady through the curtain to my left, not so much. I think she was being a little dramatic though because she got sent home). We got moved into our room, hooked up to monitors and then it was like 'okay, I'm bored'. By that time it was like 7:30-8:00 I think. I read some in my book and Matt took a nap while they monitored the baby some more.
I wanted to get up and move around, so as soon as they had the monitoring they needed the nurse came in to get me hooked up with an IV. I guess I have horrible luck with IV's, apparently I have huge veins, but they move around a lot? I have no idea, I never learned how to do IV's. Anyways, IV attempt one failed (like with Kate, except this time there was luckily no spurting blood). I'm cool with needles if I don't think about it, but when they are digging around my hand it makes me super light headed, so after I almost passed out the nurse was like 'I'm going to go get the nurse that I feel is the best at IV's' and that sounded good with me. Nurse #2 nailed it and I was free to roam the halls to my hearts content.
We walked for a bit - contractions are getting stronger, but nothing too bad. Labored in my room for a bit, got monitored some more, went to the bathroom frequently because if I feel like I have to pee at all I can't relax through the contractions quite as effectively. Nurse checked me again at about a 7, I kept moving around and doing my thing. This labor was really pretty quick and easy. When I was stretching to almost a 9 I told my nurse I was feeling maybe a little pushy so she called the doctor (we told her how they waited too long with Kate to call, so she actually listened to me). Doctor came in and checked me and broke my water, I was to about a 9. Doctor said if I wasn't progressing in about an hour or two they would give me something to help it along (this wasn't my doctor BTW, just the on-call guy from their practice) and I was thinking 'uhh, I've only been here for like three hours, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ready to push in like ten-fifteen minutes'. Apparently he couldn't read my thoughts though, because when the nurse came back in she said he had gone to take a nap... she said she wanted to tell him 'okay, but I'm going to be back to get you really soon'
Nurse wheeled in the covered and sterilized mystery cart to start prepping the room, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. I had been feeling pushy, but when she checked me she said I still had some cervix left to clear. She had me try laying some different ways, and 'bearing down' through some contractions but I guess I still wasn't getting to a ten. I was feeling like I was going to die there, and Matt kept asking if they should go get the doctor and I was so far past talking and reasoning I didn't really say anything. I think I was ready to be in the push position, but thinking that hey, if the nurse is still thinking I'm not there maybe I'm not and I wasn't really in much of a talking mood to voice my opinion in the matter so I just laid there moaning and waiting for someone to tell me what to do because like I said - I was a little past reasoning. All I know is, I read about some 'alternate delivery positions' and on my side just isn't for me, it was horrible.
Anyways, I'm just dying down there while the nurse is trying to help me get comfortable, and Matt is desperately trying to get me to ask for the doctor, because he could tell I was ready and he was trying to hint to the nurse to get him in there, when all of the sudden I get some crazy 'ring of fire'. I hadn't ever had that until I was actually pushing, and it was weird because once that came, some of the pain went away and I said 'uhh she(hey, I'm used to babies of the female variety)- I mean HE is coming now!' it seriously felt like his head was halfway out. My bed wasn't even taken apart yet, but I rolled onto my back and he was coming. The nurse yelled for some help, and I'm pretty sure she had to stop taking the bed apart to catch that little munchkin of mine because it was like he just came on his own. With my girls I pushed until I thought my brains were coming out my eyes, but with him it was the weirdest feeling, almost like I just had to relax him out. He came SO FAST. Matt and the nurse were the only ones in the room, the doctor and peds nurse weren't far behind, but the nurse was definitely the one that caught the baby. I guess I just trick them all, and never really get to a ten.
And that was that! I amazingly didn't tear (even though I did with both girls), and he was my biggest at 9 lbs 15 oz, 21.5 inches long! He came at 2 minutes to midnight and of course he was perfect.
We walked for a bit - contractions are getting stronger, but nothing too bad. Labored in my room for a bit, got monitored some more, went to the bathroom frequently because if I feel like I have to pee at all I can't relax through the contractions quite as effectively. Nurse checked me again at about a 7, I kept moving around and doing my thing. This labor was really pretty quick and easy. When I was stretching to almost a 9 I told my nurse I was feeling maybe a little pushy so she called the doctor (we told her how they waited too long with Kate to call, so she actually listened to me). Doctor came in and checked me and broke my water, I was to about a 9. Doctor said if I wasn't progressing in about an hour or two they would give me something to help it along (this wasn't my doctor BTW, just the on-call guy from their practice) and I was thinking 'uhh, I've only been here for like three hours, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ready to push in like ten-fifteen minutes'. Apparently he couldn't read my thoughts though, because when the nurse came back in she said he had gone to take a nap... she said she wanted to tell him 'okay, but I'm going to be back to get you really soon'
Nurse wheeled in the covered and sterilized mystery cart to start prepping the room, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. I had been feeling pushy, but when she checked me she said I still had some cervix left to clear. She had me try laying some different ways, and 'bearing down' through some contractions but I guess I still wasn't getting to a ten. I was feeling like I was going to die there, and Matt kept asking if they should go get the doctor and I was so far past talking and reasoning I didn't really say anything. I think I was ready to be in the push position, but thinking that hey, if the nurse is still thinking I'm not there maybe I'm not and I wasn't really in much of a talking mood to voice my opinion in the matter so I just laid there moaning and waiting for someone to tell me what to do because like I said - I was a little past reasoning. All I know is, I read about some 'alternate delivery positions' and on my side just isn't for me, it was horrible.
Anyways, I'm just dying down there while the nurse is trying to help me get comfortable, and Matt is desperately trying to get me to ask for the doctor, because he could tell I was ready and he was trying to hint to the nurse to get him in there, when all of the sudden I get some crazy 'ring of fire'. I hadn't ever had that until I was actually pushing, and it was weird because once that came, some of the pain went away and I said 'uhh she(hey, I'm used to babies of the female variety)- I mean HE is coming now!' it seriously felt like his head was halfway out. My bed wasn't even taken apart yet, but I rolled onto my back and he was coming. The nurse yelled for some help, and I'm pretty sure she had to stop taking the bed apart to catch that little munchkin of mine because it was like he just came on his own. With my girls I pushed until I thought my brains were coming out my eyes, but with him it was the weirdest feeling, almost like I just had to relax him out. He came SO FAST. Matt and the nurse were the only ones in the room, the doctor and peds nurse weren't far behind, but the nurse was definitely the one that caught the baby. I guess I just trick them all, and never really get to a ten.
And that was that! I amazingly didn't tear (even though I did with both girls), and he was my biggest at 9 lbs 15 oz, 21.5 inches long! He came at 2 minutes to midnight and of course he was perfect.
1 comment:
I love Natalie's face in the last picture. She looks ticked that she has to share her parents with one more person.
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