SO, on with the show. I had a babydr's appt on Tuesday September 21st, where the doc "agitated" my membranes. Then the rinse cycle started. Oh wait, not a washing machine.
The nurse in the room said that I'd do well through labor because I did well while he was agitating around down there, so I took that as a good sign. It was uncomfortable, but I was expecting some kind of pain or something, so I did my deep breathing. And concentrated on the puppies on the ceiling, lol. I went into work after that, worked a full day, felt fine. I think I was 2cm and 80% at that time.
The next morning, about 130am, I felt uncomfortable, so I figured I just need to go to the bathroom. Went. Woke up again about 10min later, same feeling. It took me until 221am to figure out...wait, that might be a contraction!!! WTFOMG!!1!!!!1 So I told the hubs I was going to go lay down on the couch and time these babies. They were every 9 or so minutes until about 6am, and I slept every now and then. It just felt like a slight back pain, not too bad, so I expected at the time for this to last a long time and to either taper off, or maybe have the kid that week sometime.
After 6am they went away, but I wasn't in the mood to go to work and wouldn't be able to concentrate there to save my trucks, so (sorry, but as I'm writing this, the burrito is napping and his little foot is twitching, it's so damn cute, just had to note it for posterity) I called off work. I asked my friend to stop over to deliver some pads, as I conveniently forgot anything dealing with me leaking (this goes for breast pads too), and some coke, as I was in need of a caffeine fix. As of 1030am the contrax kicked back up again, and got a little bit worse. It was all in my back, I felt nothing in the front, where I thought they'd be. Karma.
So when friend came over, I was rocking away on my
Hubs was at a work meeting that day, so he was able to leave whenever (which I'm sure he could've done anyway, but it wasn't a day where he was at his typical "office"). I let him know my status and he said to let the babydr know. When I called in, they said to come in, that they'd check me there. Hubs got home and we went in about 1145. At this time, the contrax were worse, so that I'd have to concentrate on them, not talk, walk around, or something of the like in order to get through them.
When they checked me, I was 3cm (I think?), and they said that I could go on over to L&D. Whee! I remember having to stop every so often while walking in and out of the office for contractions. At that point, walking through them was ok.
Went home, got the stuff ready (or just got the last-minute items ready, as the bags were packed previously), and headed over to L&D, two minutes away at the local hospital. I was sitting on a towel in the car, so as not to gush all over hubs' truck, lol.
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| ready to go! |
We got up to L&D and checked in, and they took us to a room. I asked for a
After a while, I got changed into the gown, put a "puppy pad" on the ball, and started breathing through the contractions that way. It felt better to have someone rub my lower back (whee, all back labor), and to raise my knees up slightly. The fan helped with the nausea. From time to time a nurse would come in and see if I was ready for my IV yet - I kept saying, do I have to? I'm not ready yet, I'm still nauseated, don't want to throw up, etc. Hubs then said if I just kept saying no I wouldn't have to get one, I could refuse it. So I just kept putting it off. However, I made sure that I had liquid nearby - they gave me apple juice, which sucked...all I want when I'm nauseated is water, although that makes the nausea worse apparently. Pshaw.
Hubs told me that I might speed things up or feel better if I walked around during the contractions. I kept telling him, uh, if I get up I'll puke. I was fine sitting down. Then the nurse came in and said that they were afraid that burrito was sunny-side-up, and it might help if I would either walk around, stand up, or lean forward in order to encourage him to turn. So I stood up for one contraction, leaning on hubs, and promptly threw up all the lovely purple gatorade that I'd just drunk. Oh fun. I didn't want to talk much at that time or else I would've said "TOLD YOU SO."
The contractions continued, and I had someone rubbing my back during each one. Hubs wanted to go home and shower and get something to eat, so he called my mom in to take over Baby Watch 2010. At some point around 3-4pm, lady babydr came in and checked me again, and I was at 5cm I think. I did feel some gushing of fluids when I was on the bouncy ball (thank goodness for the puppy pads), and figured out later that that was my water "breaking." Around 5-6pm, hubs goes home to shower, but skips the food because he wasn't sure how long to be away, as my contractions were getting stronger. They were giving estimates at that point. Someone said 7, someone said 8, I said 7:54pm which is when I was born, and hubs said 7:30.
My contractions were getting stronger and the nurses were recommending I change positions, so sometime around 6 I put the ball on top of the bed and started leaning on it through my contractions. One of the nurses gave hubs a small bottle of lotion to use when rubbing my back, because apparently it was turning red. He said later he almost used the whole bottle. Ah the joy.
I don't know what time it was, but after I stood up, I started to feel like I had to poop. Lady babydr said to just go with what my body said, so I went to the bathroom to see if I had to. Not a whole lot happened, and going to the bathroom with back labor, it is now established, is the worst pain I have ever felt. I went a couple times while I was at the hospital, and it was all I could do not to scream when I had a contraction on the toilet. I think it's the closest I came to actually making noise while having a contraction!
During the last stages of my labor, before I felt like I had to push, I didn't really know what was going, didn't talk to anyone, just nodded my head yes or no. I didn't open my eyes a whole lot either. I knew people were there because of their voices, but I was resting between contractions, and concentrating on breathing during them.
When I finally felt like I had to push, which I didn't realize was actually an urge to push - it felt more like I had to poop - I was still in the standing up position. I kept asking hubs if I had pooped in my fancy mesh underpants. I was really expecting something to be there! And it really did feel like I had to "bear down," which should have been my first clue that the baby was actually coming.
I don't know how many contractions I had while feeling the bear down urge, but at some point, the dr said "ok, I think you may be actually pushing, why don't you get up on the bed?" Good thing too. Since my back labor was insane at that point, and I don't know how I had gotten up on the bed the previous two times that they checked me, she suggested raising the back of the bed so it was almost an L shape, and getting on my knees. Sounded good to me! So I crawled up, put my arms over the back of the bed, butt facing her, and pushed a couple of times. I felt something which I believe can only be described by the infamous "ring of fire" and the dr told me to hold on for a second, I guess she was checking things out. When she said go again, I continued to push - and pop! I felt nothing but the sweet bliss of a baby not in my birth canal anymore. Well, I guess it was more like squish instead of pop.
Anywho, the burrito came out with his left hand on his head, so I was on the receiving end of a 1st degree tear. When he came out, he was scooped up and taken over to the warmer tray to get him ready for dinner, lol. Hubs followed him over while I basked in the feeling (ohmigodnopainnopainnopain), and attempted futilely to push out the placenta. Dr said, "maybe you should flip over, that might help." So I got on my butt (gingerly) and another squish and the placenta was out. Thence proceeded the stitching. That was a bit painful. I did have a shot for the pain, which was also painful, but I don't remember it so it couldn't be as bad as my previous shot in that area - long story.
They asked me if I wanted to hold him, but I said I'd rather have him when the stitching was done and I was able to fully concentrate on him. Hubs watched him through the whole process, he got a 9 on his Apgars, they wrapped him up and handed him to Grandma (my mom) while hubs made some calls. Whee!
He was about the cutest thing ever.
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| the burrito, day one |
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| look at the hair! |
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