I'm stealing a page from my sister-in-law's blog... She blogged about the labor/birth of my nephew Augie and I found it so interesting I decided to do the same!
Here is what I thought "going into labor" would be like...
Option 1) It seems like the majority of my friends these days don't even go into labor. There is usually a painful week of waiting around after your due date wondering if that "it's time" moment will ever come. I thought this would be the case with me as well....that Dessie never would decide to come on her own, I'd wait the typical week after the due date and would be induced Wednesday night (Jan 20th) and therefore Dessie, Daddy and I would all have "21st" birthdays. Oh, the things you think about when you're pregnant
Option 2) I would slowly start feeling contractions and realize that Dessie was on her way with in the next 15-30 hours. I had sweet visions of showering, packing, rocking back and forth in Daddy's arms all-the-while feeling contractions gain intensity. I'd have a pleasant time laboring at home with rhythmic contractions that eventually dwindled down from being several minutes apart to "it's time".
As it turns out, neither of these were "options".
What really happened...
Around 6a.m. New Years Day I woke up with what I had been calling "poo-tractions". (A painful cramp that was relieved by....welllll.... I'm sure you can guess) However, this one was pretty painful, but being the tough chick I am, I just blew it off. Just before 7a.m. another "poo-traction" woke me up. I found it rather strange because I had already....... After making another trip to the bathroom I realized "THAT was a CONTRACTION". But, I was still in disbelief and thought it might be mental. After all I still had 12 days before Dessie was due.
Here is what went down following the 2nd poo-traction.
Text to Daddy
6:55: Yeah, that....was a contraction. Woke me up, felt like a period cramp. Wasn't fun and that was the 2nd one. The 1st I thought was a poo-traction.
After that I got back in bed and laid there waiting to see if I would feel another or if they were just flukes. For some reason I just wasnt' 100% convinced that I was going into labor. They were probably Braxton Hicks, or just the early random contractions that people feel days or weeks before real labor begins.... right? Wrong...
7:10:#3?! Going to get up and move around to see if I still notice 'em. I feel like it might be mental b/c I'm just waiting for the next, but def painful.
7:24: Can you get off work??? I just don't think I can go through this all day alone. I can call my mama? I'm scared.
(from Daddy) 7:49 I love you! Hang in there, be strong babe. I'll be home soon enough.
Ha! He gets off work around 3!!!
7:50 The two I've timed have been about 30 seconds, 5 min apart
From here on out things get fuzzy...
Still wondering if these were real contractions, I tried to call my sister-in-law who had just had a baby November 29th. I'm not really sure what she could have done from Texas, but I just wanted someone to tell me "yes, those are contractions...you are in labor". But I had no luck, she didn't answer. So I tried my girlfriend Dana who had a baby December 22nd. Again, no answer. I called my mom and asked her if they would come over and sit with me through "whatever" this was and help me get some chores done (I had already done the dishes, started laundry, and wanted to get some vacuuming done). I had two on the phone with my mom and one while leaving Dana a message.
Yet something else I 'copied' off my sis-n-law was downloading a contraction app on my phone. According to Erin, "I'm SOOO glad I began timing them because I was perceiving them to be shorter than they actually were." Ditto.
8:15 Not including the three that I had while on the phone....my phone just said to leave for the hospital....
But having no self confidence in what I was doing... fearing the thought of going to the hospital just to be sent back home... I thought I was doing something wrong with my method of starting & stopping the contraction timer. I figured I wasn't timing the right 'feeling'. I remember thinking "This is all happening too quick it must be fake". I liked having the app though trying to run around the house getting chores done didn't make it all that convenient. I'd leave my phone in one room... or be talking on it... or texting. I missed timing a few, but became quite nervous after being told to leave for the hospital 4 times!!!
8:24 (from Daddy) I can leave if need be. Do you think it's time to go to the hospital?
8:25 I need you here. Don't know about the hospital??? Just feel clueless...
(that text makes me laugh today)
8:33 Going to get in the shower
8:38 Just puked. Only stomach vial...
(I think this is where it started to feel real)
At some point between these text we talked on the phone and decided he needed to come home...he was home by 8:50ish
Having intense contractions all throughout the shower, I still managed to shave my legs... but once I was out I couldn't muster up the strength to comb my hair, put on clothes or do anything but sit in my birthday suit and moan in pain on the bed. My mind raced through everything Erin blogged about that brought her relief, but nothing was working!!! I still wonder if any of my hung over neighbors wondered what the hell was going on... We had not packed for the hospital...mainly because everything I figured I would be taking with us I was planning on wearing up until my pleasant labor started and we'd have plenty of time to do it last minute. And now, everything was in the wash. While Daddy was packing up what he could, it seemed like he'd take these long breaks to look at me and have these "Hallmark Moments" where he'd stare in awe. I found this very frustrating and eventually barked at him "You need to MOVE, NOW". In reality he had only done this once, but it was not something I wanted to sit through again. I had also made sure to let him know "Don't even try and talk me out of any drugs". I had a goal to make it to at least 8cm before getting an epidural.
Around 930 my Dad called to say they were coming over to help me out.... to which I responded "We're gong to the hospital". Yup, I hadn't even had time to call my parents... Though the hospital is only 10 minutes away, it took us another 1/2 hour to actually arrive. My contractions made it unbearable to move. Luckily we had already registered online the Wednesday before, but for some reason they had a few more questions (ones I had already answered online)....then up to triage we went. I'm not sure if there is much hustle with all women checking into the hospital, but I was glad I felt the nurses sense of urgency. I ordered the epidural like a drunk ordering her next vodka tonic, but was reminded that I had to be checked first. "Six to seven, we're going to have a baby today"...Pam, our nurse, said. I couldn't believe it. It was FINALLY all very real. She noted my water broke at 10:27.
After a short time in triage I was moved into a room and was ecstatic to see an Asian man standing there with a medical cart. I knew this meant D-R-U-G-S, there was only one obstacle.... getting an I.V. started before Asian-drug-man could do his thing. They tried twice in my left hand and once in my right, but I was so ice cold they couldn't get any veins (I had been rolling down the window during contractions on the way to the hospital and the high was 23°) So they stuck it in my upper forearm... the typical spot where they draw blood from, but not ideal for a woman in labor or nursing mom. IV in, epidural started (yet to kick in), I could finally be checked again....9.5.... I couldn't believe it. She was going to be here within the next few hours. And...I technically made it past my goal of waiting till 8 for the drugs.
I had maybe a little over an hour of relief before a different kind of pain kicked in. I called Pam and she reminded me to use my pain pump, which soon became my best friend. She also called the Dr. (taking a page right out of Knocked Up, my Dr. was not on call that day or for the next two) It was 1230 and he wanted me to "labor down" for an hour. Which, in my own words..they wanted to make me wait until I felt the need to "poop" before he would come to the hospital. I never thought I'd make it the whole hour. I didn't know what the hell the epidural was doing for me at this point....why was I feeling so much pain. Finally feeling the rhythm to the contractions, it made the hour go by 'quick'. 5 min, then 10...15... 45 min down I called Pam back in finally feeling the pressure in my bottom. She had me push a few times to "see what I could do"....Then stated she'd call the Dr. I said "he's here right?!" Pam "Oh, no dear. I still have to get him on his way". Me "yeah, that's a good idea".
By 1:30 my labor down hour had come and gone and I was ready to be done. They called in the house doctor because Dr. Young had yet to arrive. They had me push a few times...but I think they were wanting to wait on Dr. Young so I was only allowed to push to relieve the pressure. By 1:45 he arrived. He asked if I wanted her on my tummy and had me push a few more times. Then I heard "reach down and grab her".... this took what felt like an eternity to sink it. He repeated himself with a little forcefulness in his tone. 1:53 I reached down and pulled my baby girl up to my chest....Nothing I thought I'd ever really wish to do, but I wouldn't change it (or anything about this WHOLE process) for the world. It was so special and according to Pam not something everyone gets to do.
I couldn't believe it... I had done it! She was here! In less than 8 hours start to finish and 12 days early, my baby girl Odessa Mae was in my arms.
I love feeding her. I love changing her butt. I love dressing her. And even though getting up in the middle of the night isn't the funnest, I can't help but kiss her multiple times the second I lift her out of her bassinet. I love when her doctors office calls and I hear "May I please speak with Odessa's Mom". I can't get enough of her... I love being a Mommy, dats fo sho.
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