I thought I should document what happened during the labor and delivery on August 1, 2008. I think it's a good story...
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I was supposed to have my cervix ripened ( the process of making the cervix more favorable for delivery) on July 31, 2008. Chris and I got to the hospital with our bags around 4:45 p.m. on July 31. We learned right away that it was a busy night and there were no available labor and delivery rooms. In fact, someone delivered downstairs in the parking lot that day. My doctor was not on call, so his partner gave us the choice of waiting around to see if a room opened up or to go home, sleep in our own bed, and return bright and early the next morning. We opted to go home because there was a good chance that we would have waited for HOURS and had to go home in the end anyway. And I was STARVING! The doctor did an internal exam before we left and I had actually dilated on my own. I was 1.5 cm! That made me smile, because I had been waiting and waiting for dilation for WEEKS!
Chris and I went to Bizarros on the beach and went home to have our actual last night without a baby! We played some Rummy and I had a glass of wine.
We were due at the hospital at 7 am the next morning. We went to bed at 12 and at 3:30, I just couldn't sleep anymore. I played solitaire for awhile and then finally got up to take a shower and head to the hospital.
THE BIG DAY...
August 1, 2008
(Note: we recorded almost everything that happened in a notebook, this is not from memory!)
We got to the hospital at 6:30 a.m. Our neighbor works in labor and delivery and hooked us up with the second biggest room! I was admitted immediately to room 409. My wonderful nurse, Laara, put in my IV at 7:10. My doctor came in and 7:15 and told me I was dilated 2 cm and was 50% effaced! Great news. He broke my water at 7:25, luckily, there was no meconium in the fluid. He pointed out to us that I had a lot of fluid, which was something that was always noted at our ultrasounds. They started my pitocin drip at 7:35.
My blood pressure was high, which we attributed to nerves because I had never had issues with my blood pressure.
I was allowed to have water, ice chips, jello, broth, popsicles, apple juice and cranberry juice. I had some jello for a mid morning snack.
At 9:20 a.m., my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. My notes say "contractions do not feel too great!". Chris was able to monitor my contractions (before I knew they were coming) and told me some were off the chart. I believed him because they were BAD! (and, I thought this was the most painful thing! HAHA!)
At 9:45, they increased my pitocin again. The nurse had been doing this about every 15 minutes. My blood pressure came down a bit too. Another note that contractions HURT! They were lasting 60-70 seconds.
At 10:45, my pitocin was increased to 66 units. Laara told me they usually stop at 60 units, but Dr. B said it was okay to increase mine since he was in the hospital and waiting for me. Laara checked me and reports "I am 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced." For those of you who don't know, effacement refers to the thinning of the cervix, so 80% is good!
Going back to how much amniotic fluid I had, all day long, it flowed. Every time I moved in the bed, it poured out. When I had to get up to use the restroom, I had to have towels wrapped around me (I think I looked like a sumo wrestler). It was difficult to get up because of the towels, the fluid, the IV, the BP monitor, but when you gotta go, you gotta go!
Chris takes over my note taking at 11:45. The pain was so intense. Before this, I remember crying because the pain was so bad. I told Chris that I would probably get an epidural but that I first wanted to try Stadol. At 11:45, I was given Stadol, which is a narcotic that is supposed to help with pain relief. The relief nurse gave it to me at 11:45, and at 11:46, I reported feeling dizzy. It worked SO quickly! It was wonderful. It also made me so sleepy. I would fall asleep for what seemed like hours, but it would only be a few seconds or minutes. I would then try to have conversations with Chris, but I had no idea what I was talking about. :)
At 12:00 p.m, Dr. B visits to check me. I am 4 cm dilated and he says I am making excellent progress. Right as he was walking in, I was coming out of the bathroom (keep in mind, this is 15 minutes after my Stadol), and I told him "it feels like I drank 10 beers AGAIN." I was so embarrassed that I said that...I have never drank 10 beers let alone to say AGAIN! It was a great feeling though, I think everyone should try Stadol. :)
I asked for more Stadol about 1:45 or so. They usually like to wait three hours between doses, but Dr. B let me have some more. It was the same effects again! YEA!
At 2:30, Dr. B came in to check me and I was 7 cm dilated, which he called "FANTASTIC." Dr. B had guessed that the baby would arrive somewhere around 5 or 6 pm.
At 2:35, Chris shows me the pain scale (1-10). I tell him I am a 9. I kick everybody out of the room except for medical staff and Chris. I was in so much pain. Going back to the whole epidural thing, I did consider it, but I knew there was no way I would be able to sit still while they put that needle in my back. My contractions were coming so fast and I was so uncomfortable.
I am not sure of the time, but my nurse let me start pushing a little around 9 cm.
At 3:18, I was fully dilated to 10 cm. It's the time for the real pushing. I had a mirror so that I could see the baby's head, and the mirror was so helpful because I was a bad pusher originally. The nurses want you to push for ten seconds, take a short 2 second break, then push for 10 seconds again, break, then do it again. I was pretty good at the first two pushes, but was always so tired at the third push. However, I realized that the baby came down further into the birth canal on the third push, so I tried to do it the best I could. I did ask the doctor to just pull the baby out because I was so tired.
At 4;10 pm, the baby came out and I waited with baited (sp??) breath for the doctor to tell us if it was a boy or girl. When he said girl, I was just so happy. I have attached a picture here of our doctor holding her as she enters the world. Doesn't he look so happy? He was excited to find out boy or girl too!
They put her on my chest, Chris cut the umbilical cord. They took her to the other side of the room to clean her up and check her vitals. She scored 9 on the 1 min and 5 min APGAR. And, a few minutes later, they brought her back to me.
Meanwhile, our families were in the waiting room. They were able to look through a glass pane in the door to L&D and see my room, but they could only see the curtain. They were so anxious because they knew baby would be coming soon. They could see flashes and staff coming in and out. My mom called the desk and they told her "the baby has not yet been delivered." But, they knew when she was, because the hospital plays a lullaby throughout the halls in the entire hospital when a baby is born. Dr. B went out to the waiting room before Chris and they hounded him but all he would tell them is "IT is healthy and IT is beautiful." I just loved that.
Chris went out to the waiting room at about 4:35. He had the video camera on and was holding pink and blue mittens. He held them over his head and then dropped the blue mittens and held onto the pink. Everyone was so happy. And, then, everyone came back to the room at 4:40. It was a whirlwind of excitement. And, then, nutrition delivered my dinner and I have never been so happy to eat. :)
Our happy family
