Birth Story - Part One

Hey!

This is a fun post to write. Especially now that I'm through those terribly painful contractions and can look back at it.  My new posting schedule is when Sage is asleep on my chest in the late hours of the night.  I really appreciate Siri doing most of the typing and I just have to dictate.  Onto how labor happened for me!

Nothing could've really prepared me for labor because it's such a unique experience.  I'm sure the timing of each progression is off as it's kind of all a blur timewise at this point, but I did my best to map it out.  I'm probably missing a bunch of details as well.  While my entire labor experience was a long 27 hours, there really was only a few hours that pushed me almost to the brink and tested my pain tolerance more than I could have imagined.

However, the gift at the end of it all is so beautiful that without a doubt I would do it all over again.

Saturday, August 9th - Above is the last picture taken of me pregnant.

I just felt different that day.  I felt off. Like I couldn't feel like that and be pregnant for much longer.  My belly felt really heavy and just walking took effort. My husband and I ran errands that day and went grocery shopping and I remember the whole time just being exhausted.  My appetite was off as well.

Sunday, August 10th 

3AM - I had gone to bed really early feeling nauseated.  I woke up suddenly at 3AM and went to the bathroom. On the way, I felt my water break.  It wasn't a big gush, but enough that I knew what was happening.  I walked back into the bedroom and called to my husband, waking him out of a sound sleep. I told him what had happened and he flew out of bed.  Together we took the next hour packing up last minute things for the hospital and I tried to eat some toast, but I really had no appetite.  We said goodbye to our pups and by 4AM we were on the road to the hospital.  

4:30AM - They took me into triage to confirm that my water had for sure broken.  While entering the hospital I proceeded to leak a lot more, so it really wasn't questionable.  We were at the hospital to stay.

I was asked if I was having any contractions and I got the vibe very quickly that because I wasn't, this was going to be a long process.  We were moved to our private room and around 6AM I called my parents to let them know what was happening.

My doctor informed me that he was going to give me the day to see if my body started laboring naturally, as in give me until 9PM that night to see what progressed.  And so began the leisurely day of slowly laboring.  I was told I could eat throughout the day since I wasn't really in active labor (thank goodness because I was starving by 10AM!) and that I should just get walking to see if I could get things moving.

We watched a lot of TV that day and I took a lot of walks around the hospital floor.  I would walk a few laps with my husband, and then a few laps with my mom, take a break, and then continue walking again.  By early afternoon I was feeling contractions, but nothing painful. They were actually very exciting.  Contractions = good!! 

6PM - By this time my contractions were getting closer and more painful. I was starting to question whether I could actually go without any medication.

7PM - The pain was horrible.  My contractions were coming about every three minutes and they were incredibly hard to handle. I also was beginning to lose it mentally.  My husband was my rock during the whole process.  During the earlier contractions he had rubbed my back to help with the pain, but at this point I couldn't even handle being touched.  I wanted an epidural.  I was checked and only 3 cm dilated at that point so I still had 1 cm to go before my doctor would let me get it. Ahh!  I didn't know how I was going to wait.  Someone suggested that I get into the tub as it may help and I jumped at the chance.  Being in the tub didn't necessarily help with the pain, but the change of environment was really good for me mentally.  My husband played relaxing music and I tried to relax.  The contractions were all consuming.  I felt them in my front and back.

8PM - After getting out of the tub I was checked again and this time I was 4 cm dilated. Woohoo! I was allowed to get the epidural.  

This is where things become a bit hazy in my memory because I was in so much pain that I could barely function.  I felt like I was losing my mind.  I was waiting for the epidural that was taking a while because the anesthesiologist was in a C-section.  I couldn't stand through the contractions and sitting felt just as horrendous.  I yelled through each contraction. This hour that it took before I actually got the epidural is the part of labor that I hope to forget.  I remember my dad was in the room at one point and he was holding one hand and my husband was holding the other while I cringed through each contraction.  The pain was just indescribable, and even now as I try to describe it, I am at a loss for words. 

9PM-10PM - I was so scared that I was going to move while they were giving me the epidural. The doctor had made it clear that if I moved at all I could risk getting a horrible migraine.  I thought there was no way I could sit still through a contraction and I was very concerned how I was going to manage.  The nurse was very stern with me and she told me "you can do it, I know you think you can't, but you will."  And she was right because somehow when I had to stay stil, I did.  The epidural took effect quite quickly and the pain faded away...

10PM - I slept. Wonderful, glorious, fantastic sleep.  My husband slept in a sleeper chair next to me.  I remember the nurse coming in and checking me every hour, and then I would quickly drift back into sleep.

Monday August 11th 3AM - When the doctor checked me this time I distinctly remember him saying "Ok, when I come back in an hour, it's going to be time to push." That woke me up! I laid there for the next hour thinking about what was to come...