At my last doctor's appointment I was 1 week overdue with no dialation or effacement. I was feeling pretty discouraged since we left that appointment with an induction scheduled for Wednesday the 3rd. I just wasn't thinking that I would have a February baby.
Saturday evening I started having some mild cramping. It wasn't anything to take note of, and the pains weren't regular. I figured they were just braxton hicks because they went away after a while.
The next day Jeff and I went grocery shopping. I bought a bunch of food to make casseroles and dinners I could freeze since I was supposed to be having a baby on Wednesday. Being the procrastinator that I am, I put off actually cooking everything for Monday since Jeff would be at work and I would be home alone with nothing to do. I had some cramping on and off again, but it wasn't any worse than a menstrual cramp and I figured it was my visit to the grocery store that made things uncomfortable.
Around 6:00p.m. my back started hurting. There again, I didn't think anything of it because lower back pain is just another part of being 41 weeks pregnant. I went out to my parent's house and got in the hot tub for a while, hoping to ease my discomfort. On the way home I started cramping again, this time the pains were sharper, but every time I timed them they were 15-20 minutes apart so I figured they were just braxton hicks again.
The rest of the evening went by uneventfully. Jeff made me dinner and we watched some episodes of The Office on Netflix. I went to bed around 10:00 because the pains were still coming, but again, they weren't regular and they weren't enough to make me say 'ow'.
After an hour and a half of laying in bed up to get in the shower. The water seemed to bring me some relief, the only problem was that I would run out of hot water after about 20 minutes. I kept alternating between the shower and taking a bath, all the while I was cramping off and on.
Jeff finally went to bed around 1:00a.m. That's when I got on the computer and went to the contraction master website. I started timing my pains, but they were so sporadic that I thought for sure it couldn't be true labor, even though they were starting to get more intense.
A couple hours later I went to the bathroom and noticed that I was losing my plug. I think at this point I was in denial because I was still telling myself that I wasn't in labor and I would be pregnant until Wednesday! I decided to try to ignore the pains, which were getting so intense I was having a hard time walking through them.
I crawled into bed around 4:15a.m., and at 4:30 Jeff woke up to me curled in a ball whimpering. He asked me if I thought we should go to the hospital, and after another contraction hit, he decided it was time to go.
Jeff gathered our bags while I got dressed and phoned my mom to tell her it might be baby time. As we were driving the 4 minute drive to the hospital, I had another contraction. This one was so intense that the moment I got out of the car I leaned into the door and vomited in the parking lot. After that there was no doubt in my mind that I was in labor.
After we got some paperwork signed we went to Labor and Delivery. I changed into a gown and they hooked me up to the monitors. Lilah was doing fine and my contractions were coming every 4 minutes apart. They weren't registering very high in intensity. They were only peaking at a six or seven, and I've heard of women having contractions that are off the charts. The nurse mentioned that they may send me home depending on my progress, since they had another woman scheduled for an induction that day, and someone else was already in labor in the room next door. I did not want to go home! The last thing I wanted to do was leave that hospital without my baby.
The nurse checked me, and promptly announced that I wasn't going anywhere because I was dialted to a 5! I was so excited because that meant I was halfway there, and I had labored at home, which is what we wanted. I didn't want to be at the hospital longer than I needed to be. I also told myself I wanted to make it to a 5 before I asked for the epidural. So as soon as she told me how much I had progressed, I asked for the epi. I didn't actually get it until about an hour later because they had to call in the anesthesiologist, and get my IV going with a bag of something to keep me hydrated.
After Joel, the epidural man gave me my medicine, it was smooth sailing. Jeff and I spent our time visiting with our parents and keeping our siblings and friends updated by texting them. Around 10:00 my parents left to go get something to eat. My nurse came in to check me and I was at a 9. I couldn't believe how quickly it had gone by and it was almost time to push! That's when things slowed down. I was checked again around 12:00 and was still stuck at 9 centimeters. Our nurse called the Dr., and suggested Pitocen. I was okay with it since I'd had the epidural, and I didn't want to be stuck at 9 for hours on end. It only took an hour for the medicine to work and it was time to push so they called the Dr., who was next door delivering another baby.
Okay, so this is when I started to freak out. I've seen a baby story and watched women who've had epidurals have their babies without so much as a whimper. That was not the case with me. My epidural had started to wear off, and we were waiting on Joel to come and give me a little bit more to get me through the end. I remember I kept asking for Joel and at one point told Jeff that I didn't want to do it anymore. He offered to grab our bags and we could leave. Funny guy! I could feel the pressure and the contractions and I got to the point where I could feel the contraction coming and I would try to not push because it was so uncomfortable. The nurse was having me push to a count of 10 while she and Jeff held my legs and feet for me. I was able to push four times through each contraction. The first 2 pushes were the most painful, but the last two I couldn't feel and were the most effective. Our Dr. came in and soon after there was my epidural man! I've never been so happy to see someone in my entire life! He gave me a booster, but I could still feel the pressure and the burning when her head started to crown. I started to get a little loud, which I am still embarrassed about, and before I knew it her head was out. The Dr. told me to relax....which is just about impossible by the way..and he suctioned her mouth and nose. Jeff said that she started crying then. I pushed one more time and out she came. They plopped her on my belly and she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. People are right, the pain is forgotten as soon as you see your baby.
Now, almost a month later I still can't believe that our little girl is here and that I made it through childbirth. Jeff and I are so blessed and even though she makes us work harder than we ever thought we would, she's worth it.
