Ashten's birth was very unique from the rest of my labors and births. I want to document how the day went so I don't ever forget!! March 21, 2010......
4 am - I woke up because I could hear Brayden crying. I went downstairs to check on him and he said he was feeling sick. I told him to get up and get a drink of water and that seemed to make him feel better enough. While in their room, I thought I felt a little water leaking when I sneezed, but I figured I had probably just peed my pants since I hadn't gone to the bathroom yet. My water had never broken on its own with any of the boys either, so I didn't expect it at all. However, I was very tired and actually sleeping well for the first time in weeks, so I went back to bed.
7 am - I woke up to little Preston telling me "it's morning time" - a daily happening around here. I got up to change his diaper and I definitely felt more water leaking at that point. But again, that had never happened to me before, so I wasn't for sure. I kept going to the bathroom thinking I had just somehow lost all bladder control in the middle of the night. However, when it kept coming, I called the nurse and she sounded pretty for sure that it was my water and wanted me to come in.
7:30 am - I'm finally almost 100% sure it's my water breaking, so I wake Chris up. I also call my mom and tell her I think it's time. She was the one we had set up to watch the boys, so she said she'd shower and be on her way over. I apparently interrupted her during the very fun task of texturing and painting (sorry mom!). Chris also had to make a few phone calls and send a few emails since we would be missing church and he'd probably be missing work the next day. I showered and finished packing my bag.
8:30 am - We head to the hospital. It felt very weird to not be going to the hospital when I wasn't having contractions, I was worried they might send me home.
9 am - We check in at the hospital and the nurse confirms that it is in fact my water and I am admitted. We are taken up to a delivery room and the nurse tells us that if my labor hasn't started on it's own by hour 10 (which would be 2 pm), they would like to start Pitocin because of the risk of infection. I really didn't want to do Pitocin, so we opted to walk around for awhile to see if we could get labor going on it's own.
1 pm - After walking around the same halls for several hours, I still had hardly any contractions. I had a few here and there, but not enough to really constitute "real labor". I opt for the Pitocin at this point.
1:30 - The nurse starts Pitocin at a very small dose and then ups it two or three times before I start feeling any major contractions. I already had all the paperwork signed and an anesthesiologist on hold for an epidural, but contractions weren't close enough together to warrant one yet.
3:30 - I'm ready for the epidural!!! The anesthesiologist was quick and when it kicked in, relief was so sweet!!
4:00 pm - They check my cervix and I'm still at 1 cm (which I was at at my last doctor's appointment more than a week before). I was very discouraged - all that pain for nothing!! I laid in bed and Chris laid on the little couch in the room. We watched some TV. I was tired, so it was nice to just rest.
6:30 pm - They check my cervix again - 5 cm!! Making progress!! I'm starting to feel each contraction just a little bit in my bottom and cervix, but it's not too bad yet.
6:50 pm - Immense pressure and pain in areas stated above. I had to breathe through each contraction, they were very painful. My legs were numb, but apparently the pain was too great in those areas to be blocked by the epidural. The nurse checks my cervix again and I'm at 9 cm!! She says she can bring the anesthesiologist back in and redose the epidural, or I can wait for a few minutes and start pushing. I opt to just wait and then start delivering, so they start getting the room ready.
7:05 pm - After 15 long minutes of painful contractions and an overwhelming feeling of needing to push, I'm finally given the green light to go ahead and push. My doctor that I saw for all my prenatal care is the one on call and the one to deliver the baby (very rare for such a big network of doctors that I see) - yay!!
7:10 pm - OUCH!!!! I have never felt pain like that. Burning, pressure, you name it! But it was all totally worth it and (now that I look back on it) kind of neat to experience the feeling. I have a feeling that I wasn't even feeling 100% of the pain I would have without any epidural at all, I think some pain was blocked. I think I screamed out loud a few times, which is odd for me, Chris said that's how he knew I was in a lot of pain!
7:14 pm - Ashten Briar was born! I was so happy! She didn't cry at all if I remember right, but she was breathing. I remember asking a bunch of times if she was okay because all our boys screamed nice and loud as soon as they came out. They put her on my stomach and we just looked at each -- mother and daughter, face to face at last!!!
That sounds like what happened with my epidural with Nora! I thought that it wouldn't be much different this time if I didn't get one, and boy was I wrong. It is neat being able to feel and be in control though, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe looking back it is, not at the time!!
She is beautiful! Congrats!!!
I loved reading your story! So glad she is here, safe and secure in your arms.
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