We have bloody show! I was kind of crampy throughout the night, and then when I got up at 5 to go potty, there was a definite pinkness/redness to my mucus and there were pink "clots" in the toilet. When I wiped there was pink on the toilet paper too. Dh just happened to be awake, so I told him that he probably had to go to work today, but the chances are good that we'll have a baby this weekend. We snuggled and talked for the next hour and I had about 4 ctxns during that time. I got a strong urge to be up and doing, so I eventually did get up. I showered, shaved, washed my hair, and clipped my toenails.Friday, July 20th sometime between 10 pm and midnight
At this point the contractions have subsided, but I still have the wet AFish feeling
Well, I got pretty much everything done that I wanted to. I decided to throw [bb]'s dipes in the wash this evening. What timing! Jared fell asleep on my lap (about 8 pm - another no nap day[tu]) while watching Star Trek. After Star Trek was over, I went to put Jared to bed. While I was moving around in his room, I could feel fluid coming out of me. I wondered if it were my water. So, after he was in bed, I went to the bathroom. There was pink tinged fluid on my pad, so I was almost sure it was my water. I did some experiments with sitting and standing and there'd be some more leakage. I called to dh to let him know that my water had broken. [lol] sent him into a panic to get his shoes & socks on. I've told him again and again that there's plenty of time! I think he's finally believed me.I called into the midwives around 9 to let them know that my water had broken. Lois was the m/w on call, so when she called me back, she said I could either come in and get checked out or stay home for awhile. Since I wasn't contracting at that point, I told her I'd just hang out at home and let her know when things started happening. Dh took the initiative to keep a record of the contractions so we'd know how far apart they were. The first recorded one was at 9:37 pm. They were so intermittant and small at first that I didn't tell him when I'd had a few more, but here's the record as it stands:
I called Mom to let her know, and had I actually started contracting, she would have come spent the night here since Jared's asleep already. At this point, we'll see what happens. I'm still not really doing anything besides leaking and getting tired. I think I'm about ready to wrap up and go to bed and wait for my body to do something. I'm debating going to shower, but the idea of laying down with water leaking is so less than appealing. But, I feel nasty b/c it's so humid and I'm sweaty. I'll probably go ahead and take one now and then again before going in.
When I realized that my water had broken and that there's no going back, I went into a bit of a panic mode as well. I started running around in circles [lol]
9:37:46 pm
22:15:05
22:32:15
0:16:10
0:41:46
0:501:00
1:07:09
1:24:00
1:28:14
1:32:40
1:34:45
1:38:36
At that point we quit writing them down b/c we were in a hurry!
Over the course of the hour I was contracting, I debated whether we should go on in or not. I liked the idea of not having to move later on, and the 35 would close at 3 am. But, I didn't want to go in too soon either.
When the contractions started coming closer to 2 minutes apart (about 1:30), I called Mom & Dad to let them know we were going in to the hospital. I called in to let Lois know I was headed in as well. Jared woke up about then, too. He probably could have gone back to sleep but there was too much activity happening. We explained the situation to him, and he seemed ok with it until Gpa & Gma arrived and realized he couldn't go with us. We felt really bad when he asked if he could go too and he couldn't :(
By the time we got to the hospital (about 2:30 am), the contractions were closer to 5 minutes apart again. We had to go in through the Emergency Room b/c it was after 11 pm. I had to go potty, but I held it until I got checked in. Rose was my nurse that night and she met us at the ER and took us to our room.
It was 3 am when Lois visited us and checked me. I was 3 cm dilated - almost a 4, 80% effaced, and baby was at -1 station. She felt some intact membranes, so my water hadn't completely broken. My cervix was also still pretty firm. She commented that the baby was slightly posterior as well. Once all the initial check-in was done, we opted to try and get some rest.
At 6:30 am, the contractions were still not close, but they felt intense. I was starting to feel awake and ready to go. Dh was sleeping. He was so tired, but had refused to try and go to sleep while we were at home [8D]
Saturday, July 21st
8:30 am - shift change. Really it happened at 7, but it took a little bit before we met the new staff. Lois went home and Jan came on [tu] Belinda was the new nurse and informed us that she required monitoring every 30 minutes and while pushing [:] Jan put me on a liquid diet so I could stay hydrated, and opted not to do an internal so that my 24 hour clock wouldn't start [tu]
9:30 am - no contractions happening. I ordered broth b/c I was getting hungry. I was getting tired again, and dh was busy playing Axis & Allies on the computer.
10:30 am - food arrived [:)] Jan gave me the ok for 24 hours[tu] She said that if they needed to, they could rupture the rest of my membranes to augment labor.
1:30 pm - woke up from nap on rocking chair. I had 3 contractions on the monitor. I felt ready to get things moving again. Dh was taking a nap on the bed.
2:00 pm - Dh went home to get stuff (like the new Harry Potter book [8D])
3:40 pm - Dh gave me a blessing. The Lord is pleased with me and the sacrifices I've made to be obedient. Blessed with health (self & baby); clear mind; Pregnancy (labor) begin to progress a little bit more quickly.
4:00 ish - Mom, Dad, Mike and Jared came up to visit.
At some point in the afternoon, Jan came in and said they were considering sending me home. But after reviewing Lois' report (that I was almost a 4), the weather (raining), and the distance we lived from the hospital, they decided it would be better if I stayed.
By the evening, my body was really doing nothing - and had been that way for most of the day, so I asked Belinda to find out if I could get some real food. At 7:30 pm I got to eat dinner. YAY!! We ordered Chinese for dh and room service for me: grilled chicken, steamed carrots, salad, grapes, and a cheesecake [tu] We enjoyed our meal while reading Harry Potter [:)]
Shift change - Kathy is the new nurse
9:30 pm - Jan came in and talked to us about the situation, and they'd decided to start pitocin at 5 am [:(] I was pretty tired at that point, so we headed for bed. Or at least, I did - I think dh stayed up a bit and played on the computer.
Sunday, July 22nd
12:30 am - Woke up ready to work some more. I started contracting again.
1:45 am - I started timing the contractions at about 10 minutes apart. Dh laid down with me in the hospital bed. Oh it was so nice to be close [:)] The peace it gave must have helped my body work because the contractions intensified and shortened to 7 minutes apart. They felt intense enough that I decided to call Kathy. Of course, dh was sound asleep and totally unaware of what was happening [L] When Kathy came in to answer the page, dh jumped out of the bed like he had been caught doing something wrong[L] Kathy put me on the monitor and dh went back to sleep on the fold out chair bed.
I contracted really well while I was on the monitors. I practiced breathing through them, and with each contraction I'd think, "My baby is coming! Open up and let him descend." I remembered from Ida May's book that smiling helps to relax the muscles, so I'd put a smile on. I was impressed how the thought "my baby is coming soon" brought a smile to my face and actually did make me relax.
3:10 am - The monitors came off, and Jan & Kathy encouraged me to walk, etc. I started feeling shaky and cold. My contractions had been right after each other while I was on the monitor, and I felt Aaron move into place. I almost felt like pushing.
After Jan and Kathy left, I was pretty much on my own and the contractions slowed down again. I think Aaron liked the sound of the monitor because it was like as soon as it was off, he quit moving and my body shut down. I tried several different positions to help things move along again. I did some pelvic rocks, squats (ouch!), pacing the floor.... I wanted so much to be near dh, but he was so out of it. I got on the birth ball and put it next to his bed and just sat there and rocked while I had my hand on him. I decided to try some nipple stimulation on my own. A bit embarrassing, but it worked! [bl] I stayed on the birth ball next to dh for a little while before I moved on to the rocking chair.
4:20 am - I got up to move to the rocking chair from the birth ball, and I felt another gush. My water broke some more! YAY!
The rocking chair was great! I could rock myself and feel like I was moving without actually having to go anywhere. I contracted and just enjoyed the sensation. I could feel my body opening and working. It was incredible!
Jan came in and talked with me a bit and encouraged me. I let her know that my water broke again and that I could feel my body working. She asked me if I was apprehensive and feeling pressure about the pit starting at 5. I told her I was, and she told me not to worry about it. She'd come back and check me in a little bit and see if I'd made any progress.
6:20 am - Jan came to check me. When she told me I was at 5 cm, I complained. "That's it?!" Both her and Kathy were like, 'No! That's great! You're half way there!' I felt a bit discouraged b/c it didn't seem like my body was working very quickly/well considering I was almost 4 when I check in 24 hours previous. But, I took comfort in that I was 90% effaced. Jan decided that we wouldn't do the pit for now. She'd check me again about 8am. If I'd made any progress, they'd let me continue to go on my own. If there wasn't any change, then they'd start the pitocin.
The conractions had been 5 minutes apart, but peetered out again.
*shift change* - Belinda was back!
Throughout the morning, I realized that it wasn't the pitocin I was afraid of. It was the actual delivery that had me apprehensive. I was afraid of the pain and screaming that accompanied Jared's birth. I had a talk with myself and Heavenly Father. I finally decided that I was tired of waiting. I just wanted to get it over with.
8:30 am - no change [:] Jan sounded almost apologetic that we had to do the pit after all. I told her, it's fine. "Let's get this party started!"[L] I was tired of waiting. She assured me that probably my body just needed a tiny jumpstart.
9:05 am - Belinda let me choose where I wanted to labor. I could do the rocking chair, bed, or birth ball. I opted for the rocking chair. Dh parked himself in the chair next to me and held my hand. I got hooked up to the IV, and the pitocin started at 2. Almost immediately I started feeling nauseated along with a change in my contractions. I could feel them intensify. I thought it was the pit acting so quickly, but it turns out it wasn't b/c she hadn't actually started the drip. She thought she had, but right after she left the alarm on the machine went off and she had to come in and fix it. That was the sign to me, that my body really could work right and having made my mind up made the difference in how effective my body was going to work[:)] It didn't matter that I was on pit at this point, I *know* that I could have delivered on my own because I was free of that mental barrier.
9:30 am - Belinda told us she'd be back in 30 minutes to up the dosage. Well, thirty minutes had passed and I had to go pee so bad!! I deliberated with dh about what we should do. Finally we decided to unhook me and let me go. AHHHH relief! [L] When we got back, Belinda came to check on us. She realized what had happened. No big deal [tu] She raised the pit to 4. She offered some drugs for the nausea, but I passed on them. I knew it was just part of the package.
about 10 am - Jan came in and checked on me. Belinda had raised the pit to 6. The contractions were still about 3-5 minutes apart. Jan gave me a pep talk and said to let her know when I felt like pushing, otherwise we'd keep me at this level, contracting for a couple hours.
After awhile, Belinda came back in and raised the pit to 8. I almost asked her about it because Jan had said that they would keep the pit at the same level for a few hours. But, oh well.
My contractions were still 3-5 minutes apart. I thought about how with Jared they wanted my contractions to be 2 minutes apart, and I dreaded getting to that point. Despite the spacing in my contractions, they were getting more intense. It was incredible to feel the change in the contractions from back labor to actual uterus labor. It was actually a relief and much more "enjoyable". I groaned through them and tried to relax. I'd tell my body to open. I felt one that changed towards the end to almost pushy.
Jan checked on me, and I reported to her that I had one that felt kind of pushy. She encouraged me, told me I was doing great, then left.
I had a few more contractions without the pushy feel. Dh stayed by my side the whole time I labored and held my hand. He'd squeeze it when he'd hear me groan to support me through the contraction. We'd talk in between contractions. I told him I probably ought to move to the bed before it gets really hard to move. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it yet. Then the pushy feel came back. When my groan turned into a pushy groan, I groaned to dh to go get Jan. He ran out of the room.
He brought Jan back, and she patiently waited until I was ready. The nausea overtook me, and I told them I needed to throw up. I wasn't sure if it'd actually happen or not, but they brought the trash can over until the small bins could make it to me. They barely made it before I started heaving. I filled 3 bins I think [bl][:'(] I was grateful to only have water in my system so it didn't burn. I thought I was done, but I heaved one more time.
11:23 am - The phone rang right as we were getting ready to move to the bed and another contraction hit. It was Dad. Someone asked if I wanted to answer it. uh, NO! When it was over, I told Jan we'd better move while I still could. She agreed.
When Jan checked me, I still had a lip of cervix left. The next contraction hit, and I was ready to push. Jan told me not to push, but I couldn't help it! The urge was SO strong!
She/They positioned me on my back, and I cried out in protest because it hurt to be on my back. Dh asked if I wanted the squat bars, but Jan said there's no time. Things went pretty fast after that. Dh was right there on my left letting me squeeze his hand. I wanted a hand to squeeze on my right, so he directed me to side of the bed. Jan told me I needed to let go and use my hands to pull my legs up, but I couldn't move. I felt paralyzed. She made me open my eyes and look at her. "The baby is here. You need to pull your knees up to make room." Someone, probably Belinda, moved my hand to my knees, but I just couldn't force myself to move. Dh and Belinda did their best to do it for me.
Jan kept telling me to push with each contraction, but I never really felt a contraction to push with. I pushed anyway or something, because he worked his way out. I did try to give one good push at the end and realized I didn't know how. I was using the wrong muscle. I figured it out and he made his way out with that push. Oh relief!! When I felt his body slither out, Jan had me look down and see him.
Aaron's cord was short, so they kept him below for just a little bit before clamping it and moving him up to me. Jan had dh cut the cord. He was surprised how difficult it was. Once the cord was cut, I lifted him on up to me. Unfortunately I wasn't in a good position to nurse him, so I didn't.
Jan spent the next 30 minutes, as she later said, stitching me up. I'm confident she did a good job. I tore in the same spot as before (zipper effect). Aaron was with me through most of the stitching, but they took him to do vitals before she was done. I think he and I both appreciated that because I was so tense from the work being done on me. I realize now that the pricks I felt for Jared's stitching was the numbing needles, not the actual stitching b/c Jan talked me through the procedure and there did come a point where it was the stitching I felt[:@].
Aaron Michael's birth was called at 11:40 am. He was 18.1 in long, and weighed 6 lbs, 5.6 oz.
Once we were both taken care of, I got him back and tried nursing him. It took a few tries to figure it out, but he went right to it! [:)] It was probably about 12:30 at this point. Dh called his Mom, and at 12:38 he called Dad.
*********
Jan and Belinda were quite complimentary about my labor and delivery - very impressed [tu] Jan reassured me that that was my body doing the work - not the pit because it was such a tiny dosage. She said I followed my body signs well and had a good sense of what was going on (ie when I was ready to push). Belinda said she was impressed/surprised at how quiet my L&D was [tu] In the middle of the night I heard my next door neighbor deliver. She was a screamer like I was with Jared.
I was impressed and pleased with my L&D as well. I never did have contractions right on top of each other. They varied from 3-5 min apart all the way to the end. It's nice to know that my body does not require contractions to be right on top of each other to birth a baby. I actually enjoyed labor this time. I felt so much more in control of the experience because I think I was mentally better prepared. Reading Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth was a HUGE help. The delivery hurt, but I didn't have to scream like I did with Jared. Plus I had an awesome support team. Jan and Belinda were great, and so was dh. I don't feel like I have the trauma/baggage after this experience like I did with Jared's. I feel empowered and prepared for the next time [tu]
*******
On with the story.......
All the post partum rooms were full, so we were warned it would be close to shift change when we'd go upstairs. It ended up being almost 11 pm when we finally transferred [:p] We were scheduled to be the first ones to go since I was the first delivery of the day, but because we were allowed to give Aaron his first bath, Belinda requested the next patient in line go first. She didn't think we'd be done so quick, so she sent the next one too. Oh well.
5:30 pm - We were just getting ready to give Aaron his bath when Dad called to say they were there to see us. I should have told him to give us 15 minutes because dh really wanted that time to ourselves. But, Dad took pics and I appreciate that.
Jared was SO happy to meet Aaron. When he walked in and saw Aaron on the warming tray, he gasped and asked who that was. He smiled when he found out it was Aaron. He was so happy to hold him. He had the most contented look on his face. It was precious [}][:)]
Dh left a little bit later because he was going stir crazy. Mom, Dad, Mike, and Jared left about 7 or 7:30 pm. I called dh after they were gone to let him know they'd left, but he wasn't quite ready to return. It was after 10 when he made it back. I slept while I waited. AHHHHHH[:)] He had just walked in and unloaded when the nurse came in with the wheelchair to transfer me[:)]
