Keep in mind, my other 2 sons were born after their due dates. So, I naturally expected this little man to come after Dec. 6th. (In fact, my guess was Dec. 12th.)
I was also worried about what to do if I needed to get the hospital quickly in the middle of the night. We do not have local family and not really anyone to call and say, "Hey, can you come over here ... at 2am... and sit in our house while our kids are sleeping while we go to the hospital to have a baby?" So with the night time contractions, in the weeks prior to his due date, I was anxious with each contraction. Because they were real contractions, I was convinced they were "doing something" and progressing me towards having my sweet little baby.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Fast forward a week or so. Thanksgiving arrives. Thanksgiving was 8 days before my due date. We could not travel to see family, and being so pregnant, I was not wanting to host a meal at my home, either. So we opted to have an "easy" Thanksgiving and make reservations at a local restaurant, and have my family come up to spend the day with us. We had 2pm reservations, and as we were loading up the car to get to the restaurant, the contractions started back up. (I told my brother and family that I started having contractions, and my older brother's response was, "That's greeeaaaat. Tell me more about your vagina." Haha!) At this point, the contractions were uncomfortable and irritating. I had had enough of these false alarms. Contractions did not let up all day and into the evening. My family left to return home (they live about 1.5 hours away from us), and I said something to the effect of, "You guys might have to turn around and come back up if these contractions don't stop." (My mom and dad were planning on coming up to take care of the kids for a couple of days when it was hospital time.)
I texted my mom that evening that the contractions were every 5 minutes apart or so, and that maybe they should come up now, because "I think this is it." Friday, they had off work, so it turned out to be a good time to come up.
Friday, November 29, 2013
In the wee hours of Friday morning, I called the doctor (at the hospital) to see if I should come in, because contractions were definitely close together. They just weren't very hard yet. I felt as if things were progressing. I went into Labor and Delivery Friday at around 1am to get checked out. No dilation. Definitely regular contractions (between every 2-7 minutes), just no dilation. We were sent home to wait more.
Friday morning, I had a doctor's appointment at 11am. I was 1-2 cm dilated. I was again sent home to wait.
Contractions continued all day Friday...
Saturday, November 30, 2013
...And all day Saturday...
I was becoming very discouraged. My parents were able to still stay with us, seeing as how it was the weekend, but I was growing more and more anxious as the weekend was ticking away, and I knew if baby didn't come out soon, my parents would soon have to go back home.
We tried to carry on a nice visit. We settled in to watch a movie (Family Man) Saturday evening. We didn't get very far into it before I announced to the room, "MY WATER JUST BROKE!" as I was laying on the couch! My mom, dad, and husband all stood up out of their seats and just stared at me, frozen! Keith was freaking out a little bit... My water never broke before with my other 2 (the docs had to break my water with them at the hospital)... so we were all super shocked and excited.
I was so relieved to finally know that I had to go to the hospital. THIS WAS IT. Finally! They wouldn't make me go home and wait it out this time!
Keith and I arrived at the hospital somewhere around 10pm Saturday night. Just before 11pm, I was checked and I was only 3cm dilated and about 75% effaced. After all those days of labor, I was still only 3 cm dilated! I was very frustrated, but I knew I would have the baby and they wouldn't make me go home now that my water broke, so I was comforted in that.
They started my IV for fluids and for my antibiotics (I was GBS positive). Can I tell you that this was probably the most painful part of my labor and delivery?! They couldn't find a good vein to get my IV going in. They had to put it in the bony part of my wrist! It hurt so bad. But what was even worse? The penicillin going into my arm. She warned me it was going to "burn" and would be "uncomfortable" because they needed to give me a large bolus dose at first. But she didn't tell me it was going to feel like my arm was literally being burned off without anesthesia. I think I sort of yelled at the nurse to make it stop. I swear it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. She slowed down the IV a little bit and it helped a little bit, but man, it HURT. I had IV antibiotics with my 2nd son during labor, and it did NOT hurt!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
I can't remember the exact timeline of how things happened throughout the early morning hours.
I remember after a couple of hours of no progression, they wanted to start Pitocin, a low dose. I was okay with this, seeing as how I had been in labor for days already, and my water broke naturally, and I still wasn't progressing. My body had had quite a lot of time to get things moving on its own, and it was obvious to me that my body needed a little help.
And not long after I started Pitocin, I requested the epidural. My nurse said they may not let me have the epidural yet, seeing as how I was only 3 cm still. But I was persistent and told the nurse that I needed pain management of some sort. She suggested possibly trying some Stadol in the meantime. But when the doc came in to check on me, she said the epidural was fine. So I got the epidural, and I was very comfortable from that point forward. I am pretty sure I was practically hitting on the anesthesiologist, telling him how wonderful he was, and how awesome his job must be... to make women so happy.
After several hours of Pitocin, and slowly increasing the dosage, I remember the nurses coming in several times saying things like, "I'm not loving how baby is responding to the Pitocin," and "his heartrate is dropping a little with the contractions so we are going to hold off on increasing the Pitocin." Of course, throughout the early morning hours, I was trying to doze off a little bit so that I would have energy for pushing. So the timeline is a little foggy.
I remember after a couple of hours of no progression, they wanted to start Pitocin, a low dose. I was okay with this, seeing as how I had been in labor for days already, and my water broke naturally, and I still wasn't progressing. My body had had quite a lot of time to get things moving on its own, and it was obvious to me that my body needed a little help.
And not long after I started Pitocin, I requested the epidural. My nurse said they may not let me have the epidural yet, seeing as how I was only 3 cm still. But I was persistent and told the nurse that I needed pain management of some sort. She suggested possibly trying some Stadol in the meantime. But when the doc came in to check on me, she said the epidural was fine. So I got the epidural, and I was very comfortable from that point forward. I am pretty sure I was practically hitting on the anesthesiologist, telling him how wonderful he was, and how awesome his job must be... to make women so happy.
After several hours of Pitocin, and slowly increasing the dosage, I remember the nurses coming in several times saying things like, "I'm not loving how baby is responding to the Pitocin," and "his heartrate is dropping a little with the contractions so we are going to hold off on increasing the Pitocin." Of course, throughout the early morning hours, I was trying to doze off a little bit so that I would have energy for pushing. So the timeline is a little foggy.
The doc and nurses thought I would start pushing soon around 6:30am, because I was progressing with the Pitocin. Around 7:30am, I was still only 7cm dilated. They were still concerned about the baby's oxygen and heart rate level. They had me put on an oxygen mask and try different positions to get better oxygen flow to the baby.
Soon after this, I was progressing quickly and dilated fully. I felt the urge to push and Noah James arrived on this earth at 8:28am, after just 3 contractions of pushing!
He came out with the cord around his neck.
He didn't cry when he came out. I was immediately asking why he wasn't crying and if he was okay. And he was! He just chose not to wail when he came out! He was perfectly healthy and wide-eyed!
The doctor said it was a good thing he came out in just 3 contractions because he may not have tolerated a lot of pushing, with the cord around his neck. I was very thankful he came out quickly, too. The labor had been long enough!
Soon after this, I was progressing quickly and dilated fully. I felt the urge to push and Noah James arrived on this earth at 8:28am, after just 3 contractions of pushing!
He came out with the cord around his neck.
He didn't cry when he came out. I was immediately asking why he wasn't crying and if he was okay. And he was! He just chose not to wail when he came out! He was perfectly healthy and wide-eyed!
The doctor said it was a good thing he came out in just 3 contractions because he may not have tolerated a lot of pushing, with the cord around his neck. I was very thankful he came out quickly, too. The labor had been long enough!
Tears of JOY!
Noah James
Born Sunday, December 1, 2013
8:28am
7 lbs 9 oz.
He latched onto the breast right away, and has nursed beautifully since. He is an angel, and he is very loved by his 2 big brothers!
I am so blessed to have 3 healthy boys!
Aw, you look so pretty in your photo! Love it!
ReplyDeleteWeird feeling when your water breaks, isn't it? Especially when it never did before. My first was induced, so I had no idea how it would be naturally. It broke at home while I was alone with my 3yo, and WOW! What a rush of adrenaline that is!
So glad everything went well. Noah is beautiful, just like your whole family! Congrats, mama!
Wow--I'm sorry it was so long (and generally unpleasant, pain-wise), but you all look so healthy & happy in the end (you certainly don't look like you just spent days in labor!). Frame that picture of you holding your new baby--it's a really good picture. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteYour birth story is kinda the opposite of my last one (in October). My first baby had been a week early and I was in labor for 30+ hours, 24 of which were early labor and most of which I was in denial for. So I expected baby #2 to be early-ish, but like you, I had no near family to call on to come stay with kidlet, but my mom was arriving on Oct 25. I'd been waking up with contractions and having what I called dilation dreams (lots of visions of things, like flowers and apertures, opening) for the morning before my mom arrived. I'd stroke my belly & urge baby to wait for Grandma to get there. So she arrived Friday night, and around 7AM Saturday morning I felt the first contraction--hard and intense and surprisingly long. A shower didn't stop them, so I informed my husband that it was real this time, and draped myself over the exercise ball in the living room. He got my mom up, and she sat with my daughter on the couch and watched cartoons on the computer, nervously watching me. When my husband got out of the shower (I'd assured him he had time), she told him to get me to the hospital now, and later she said she'd thought I'd have the baby right there in the living room. Close. My water broke as we pulled out of the driveway, and when we got to the hospital five minutes later, I was ready to have the baby right there in the parking lot. I couldn't imagine getting out of the car, but the nurse from the ER insisted and pulled me out. I started pushing in the elevator (the nurse had grabbed an ER doc--the same guy who put 6 stitches in my toddler's knee last spring--on his way home to come up with us), and I don't think I was on my hands & knees on the bed in the delivery room for 5 minutes before my baby boy arrived (8 lb. 12 oz.), sometime in the minutes before 8:30AM. (Surprise! The ultrasound tech told us the "fetus appears to be female" at the 20 week ultrasound.)
Doesn't it just blow you away, how different one birth experience is from another?