Labor #3

The truth of the matter is I wasn't even in labor when I went to the hospital.  I snuck myself in to my own delivery.

Let's back up. 

Wednesday 2-13-13:  I had my 39 week check-up/ ultrasound. The ultrasound was to check fluids, since apparently gestational diabetes can affect fluid levels, and if they get too low it would be cause for induction. Doctor said fluids looked great, baby looked great, everything was great.  She cervix checked me and I was at "A good 4" and she said she, "Messed stuff up in there" in hopes that the baby would come that night.  Then she said, "So, my question is, do you want me to help this along?" and I said, "No." She said, "I didn't think so, but that being said, I'm going out of town in 2 days and won't be back for 5 days."  Dang it. This means we'll be 3 for 3 on not having my doctor deliver my baby. Of course induction sounds tempting, but then I remember that I'm against unmedically necessary inductions, and there's absolutely no reason for me to be induced considering my doctor JUST told me how good everything looked. But I was already at "A good 4", so all I needed was something to push me over the edge, right?

Thursday 2-14-13: I woke up in the morning sad that I hadn't gone into labor in the middle of the night. Kirsta called to see if I was still up for teaching Joy School and I was, because it was just a normal day, right? I just kept thinking that if I had that tiniest push over the edge, this baby would be here fast.  Remember my last labor?  As Jonathan was leaving for work around 10:30 he suggested I call my doctor and see what she thought. So I called her and she said, "You're a lunatic! I told you to go in this morning to be induced and you told me no.  So what we're going to do is we'll sneak you in to the hospital.  Go in, tell them you feel yucky, you're contracting, that you're at 4 cm, and that your doctor told you to come in and get monitored."  So I did. Here goes nothin'.

12pm: I cannot tell you how ridiculous I felt driving myself to the hospital, casually drinking my Diet Coke, getting ready to lie my way into a hospital bed.  The nurses were pretty confused as to why I was there too, but they got me all checked in, hooked up to the heartbeat and contraction monitors, and then as I was answering all those ridiculous questions like, "Do you feel safe at home?" I started contracting! It was meant to be! They weren't regular, but they were real and I was excited! In the midst of this, Kirsta arrived, Yay!

2pm: The nurse cervix checked me and I was at 5cm. Progress!  Just sitting there doing nothing I was progressing. How exciting.  She called my doctor to see what she wanted to do with me, and doctor said since I was progressing that she would come up (or send up someone in her practice) and break my water! We called Jonathan at work and told him to come at 4pm.

3pm: Dr. came up and broke my water. No turning back now!

Let me go ahead and tell you just HOW concerned I was that this time I get an epidural. If you'll remember with Addilyn I wasn't able to get one because things progressed so quickly, and call me crazy, but natural birth was not something I ever had on my top 10 list of things to do. This was about 95% of the reason I was up for going to the hospital before I was actually in labor..  Worst case scenario: They'd send me home. Best case scenario: I'd be there in time for an epidural!  Through this whole process I kept asking my nurse, "Ok, now how much longer until I get the epidural?"  After they broke my water she told me she'd check me in an hour and if I'd progressed a cm they'd get the epidural.

3-4pm: Contractions were coming harder and stronger and longer with every passing minute. Kirsta was faithfully rubbing my back and reminding me to breathe.

4:15pm: Cervix check- 6cm, epidural was ordered.

4:25pm:  Jonathan arrives.  Kirsta leaves to nurse Ethan, who was being watched by a friend, assures us she'll be back in 30 minutes.

Here comes the craziness.

4:40pm: Epidural arrives, and I already feel like I'm dying. Like, GET THIS THING IN ME RIGHT NOW! It took 25 minutes to get it in. That's a lot of epidural-less contractions.

5:05pm: Kirsta runs back in the room just as they're telling me to lay on my back in the bed or the epidural won't start working. I lay back on my back, nurse cervix checks me and says, "You're complete!" My response, "Shut up." (In that sarcastic valley girl kind of way)

Seriously, WHY does it only take me 25 minutes to progress from a 6 to a 10?  What happened to being at the hospital early enough to get an epidural and relax while my body progresses?

5:10pm: As soon as I was on my back I felt the urge to push and then it was CRAZY madness with nurses and people running around, yelling at me NOT to push, calling my doctor, yelling at me to breathe and pant and hold the baby in. One lady even came in and HELD THE BABY IN for 10 minutes while we waited for my doctor to arrive. I mean, I did want my doctor to deliver me, that was the other 5% of the reason we did this, but really, holding the baby inside me might have been a little extreme.

5:22pm: Doctor clocks in at hospital.

5:22pm: ONE push, baby is delivered.

What started off as the most relaxing waltz in, turned into as much madness as my last labor. My epidural was good for taking the edge off the last couple contractions and my one push.  What it mostly did was make my legs numb for the next 2 hours, give me the crazy shakes, and give me a back ache for the next 2 days.  You win some, you lose some I guess.

I think it's safe to say that we're done.

It's a good thing I'm head over heels in love with our sweet new baby

What a wonderful Valentine's present for us. Which, by the way, was 0% of the reason we did this on Thursday, but what a great bonus!