The Birth Story

Some people find birth stories interesting.  Some people find them a little creepy.  If you are of the latter in your feelings, then please skip this post. :)  I always liked reading and watching other people's birth stories, but didn't think I'd be into writing my own to share.  Mostly I liked reading and watching as a way of learning.  Now, I feel like sharing mine.  One reason I want to share it is just to document it for my own sake. Hopefully some of you will enjoy it as well.  If you followed Michael's updates on facebook, some of this will be familiar.  Although, he wasn't allowed to put everything! :)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22nd

10:00-I checked in to the hospital and was taken to room 6 in labor and delivery.

I was assessed, asked a bazillion questions, given many papers to sign, hooked up to blood pressure monitor, and poked (numerous times on both arms) to get my IV in.

11:10- I was checked (still 2 cm and thick) and given a dose of cytotec.  I was hooked up to the baby monitor and the contraction monitor.   I also had to have five things of  blood drawn.

12:00- Things finally settled down and I was told to get some sleep.  The nurse said that if I wasn't asleep by 12:30 that she'd like to give me some ambien.  We tried to settle in the best we could.  My blood pressure cuff was going off every 15 minutes.  I couldn't get comfortable with the monitors.  Every time I moved the monitor would lose the heartbeat.

1:00- I decided to go ahead and call for the ambien.  I knew I needed to sleep and what I was doing was not working.  I made sure though, that it wasn't going to dope me up for too long and make me drowsy when I needed to be alert.  The nurse assured me that it only lasted about 4 hours and I would be fine.

Thankfully, we got a couple of hours of sleep.  The nurses did have to come in every now and then to adjust things, help hook things back up after bathroom use, and take vitals.  Every time a nurse came in they said how "happy" the baby was.  One nurse said her heart rate was textbook good.

6:00- We were up around 6.  Michael got breakfast and I got a popsicle.

7:20- I was checked by a nurse and was still between 2 and 3, but my cervix was thinning nicely.  I was to get pitocin started soon.

8:00- I got the pitocin and braced myself for the pain.  I had read, heard, and seen that pitocin usually brings on your contractions fast and strong.  I felt nothing.  I had another popsicle. :)  I was told I'd be checked again in another 2 to 4 hours, depending on how things go.  Michael messed around with his electronics and I read some magazines.

9:30- I got up to pee and decided to stand for a few contractions.  I figured I'd let gravity take its course.  I wasn't in pain that much, but I had heard different positions helped so I figured I'd give it a try.  Unfortunately, for the 15 to 20 minutes I stood I had two not so good blood pressure reads.  I was told that was the end of my standing.

11:10- My doctor came to check me and to break my water.  This was by far the most painful thing of the entire labor!  I think it's just my doctor.  I had been checked in her office by her nurse practitioner at one appointment.  While it wasn't pleasant, it wasn't unbearable.  I had also been checked by two different nurses while in the hospital.  It was pretty much the same.  My doctor checked me (for the first time) the morning I went in to the hospital and it was rough.  She checked me this time and it was AWFUL.  I ended up crying.  She also broke my water, but I felt nothing.  Someone asked me if I had a lot of fluid.  I honestly felt none.  I was so overtaken by the pain of the check.  My doctor asked if I was nervous (since I was crying) and I said no that it just HURT!  She said that would be the worst of it, but that I should probably call for the epidural.  I had been asked all day if I wanted it.  I didn't want to get it too early and at that point it had just been some cramping.  I decided to go ahead and get the epidural.

11:45- It didn't take long for the anesthesiologist to come.  I was starting to get a little more uncomfortable, but it wasn't terrible.  I knew that since my water had been broken that it could get worse though, so I was OK with getting it.  This was the second worse thing about labor.  Seriously.  I have seen a bajillion baby shows.  They always say, "You'll feel a bee sting and that's the worst". Lies.  I really am not a wimp.  I felt the bee sting and the burn.  Then the guy kept pricking me and I felt each prick twinge my nerves--if that makes sense.  He kept asking "Does this feel too much to the right?  Too much to the left?"  Ok, really?  I don't even know how many times he poked me, but each poke hurt.  Also, I didn't really enjoy him asking me if he was too far to the right while he was poking a giant needle into my spine!  My blood pressure jumped to 177/102. YIKES!

12:00- The epidural was in.  I was happy to have that behind me.  Michael ate lunch.  I ate a popsicle.  After that, I was able to rest some.

2:00- The nurse was having a hard time tracking my contractions with the monitor around my belly.  She decided to have one of the internal monitors placed.  The head nurse had to do it.  While she put it in, she checked me.  I was a solid 4 cm.  The nurse put me in the "move the baby fast" position, which consisted of laying on my side with one leg up in a stir up.  I laid on my left side for a half hour.

2:30- The nurse came in and switched sides.  Michael had to help move me.  I was pretty numb.

2:45- I started having pain in my hip.  I couldn't feel my right leg, but I could feel my left leg (up in the stir up) and my hip was getting more and more uncomfortable.  When the nurse came in I told her that I didn't think I could keep it up in the stir up much longer.  I was worried that the epidural was only working on one side.  She assured me this was not the case.  She flipped me back to the other side and told me to repeatedly hit the epidural button.  She said after a little while my left side would be numb again.

3:30- Apparently I had a two and a half minute contraction, but I didn't feel a thing.  The nurse came in and turned the pitocin down some.  (She had been slowly turning it up all day.)

5:00-The nurse came in to check me.  I asked what she thought I might be and she said she was hoping I was at least at 6 cm.  I was sort of thinking the same thing.  She checked and said, "You're complete".  Now, I've seen my fair share of baby shows.  In my head I knew what she meant, but I just didn't believe it.  I said, "What?  What do you mean?"  She said, "You're complete"  I said, "As in I'm ten centimeters?!" and she said yes!  Holy cow!  I went from 4 to a 10 in 3 hours.  Olivia was still pretty high though, so she said she was going to let me lay there for another hour and see if she dropped any.

6:00- She came back in to check.  I was still at a minus 3 station and needed to get to a plus 5!  She wanted me to practice pushing to see what would happen.  My legs were literally numb as numb could be.  I pushed a few times.  She said I was pushing her down to about a 0 station, but that she was going right back up.  She went ahead and starting getting things ready around the room.  Every so often she'd come back and have me push a few times and see what was happening.

6:30- I had tried to push a few times at this point.  Nothing major.  I was basically at 0 station now.  Half way through a push it went something like this, "3...4...5...6...Holy cow she has a lot of hair...7..."  I lost my breath after six when she said that.  We did a quick chuckle and then went back to pushing.  She also told us that she had a pretty good cone head going on.  I'm wondering if it was from her dropping so fast... or her not dropping and me pushing her out anyway. 
The nurse continued to do stuff on the computer, get things ready around the room, and go out to the nurses station to do whatever she was doing.

6:40- I made a comment about maybe having Olivia at the same time I was born (7:09pm).  The nurse said she didn't think I'd go that fast.  I was still at 0 station.

6:50- She had me push a few more times.  I wasn't really feeling anything, so I didn't mind.  7 o'clock was going to be a shift change, so the new nurses came in.  We all sort of chatted about what was going on.  They got up to speed and did their "nurse" thing.  Then they decided to have me push again.  The entire time I was doing my "practice" pushes, everyone kept saying over and over that I was a really good pusher.  It felt kind of weird.  Like I should say "thank you".  One or two times, alright... I had three different nurses saying it over and over and over.

We took another break. 

7:00- They let my doctor know it wouldn't be long.  My day nurse said she'd stay until 7:30 (even though she was off at 7). 

7:05- My doctor came in the room.  There was more chit chatting.  She even took a phone call about another patient (yeah, weird).  She got her thing in place.

7:15- I started pushing for real...only taking a break for the next contraction.  After one contraction my doctor asked "Do you want to feel the head?"  I said, "NO!"  Everyone laughed and one of the nurses said, "That was her only birth plan... that she didn't want to be asked to feel the head".  Oh well. 

7:21- She was born!!!!  I literally pushed for 4 contractions and she was out.  I didn't feel a thing... just a little pressure.  I felt her come out, but it didn't hurt at all.

That's all for now!  More birth pictures next time.