This is my birth story;
on April 15, 2010 at about 2:10pm I was sitting at the computer when I realized that my water was in the process of breaking. I quickly called my sister first, yes my sister because she knows everything (no really I think she does actually know everything) to ask her if it can break slowly. She told me to call my dr and see what he said to do. I was told to go up to the hospital and get everything checked out.
Bryce came home and we drove Olivia to my mom and dad's house to spend however long we were going to be gone.
We got to the hospital around 3pm where they confirmed that yes, my water was broken and they had to admit me and get me set up to be induced since I had not felt any contractions. The induction did not get started till about 7pm that night. At around 11pm, I was still not in active labour and the maternity ward was so busy that I was taken off the oxytocin drip because they could not spare a nurse to sit with me. BUMMER! I cried for a minute, I just wanted it to be over!
So, Bryce, my mom and I spent the night trying to sleep (and mostly failing). Until at 6am on April 16 when my new nurse came in to get everything started again! HURRAY! I was so happy! So at 6:30am the drip was restarted and it did not take long to start feeling contractions again. They were mild to start with and I was not in a great deal of pain. So, I was talking and laughing through contractions and I thought it was going to take a long time. Little did I know that around 9:30 that would change.
The anesthesiologist was scheduled to be present at a c-section from 9:30-10:00am, so my nurse (thinking there was time) made sure he knew to come straight to my room after the c-section to give me my epidural. At 9:00, it seemed that this would be timing would be perfect. Unfortunatly, by the time 9:30 came around I was in a heck of a lot of pain. To make it worse I didn't actually get my epidural until after 10am. My nurse decided that she was not going to check for dilation because if she told the anesthesiologist I was 8 or more, he would not do it and she figured with the amount of pain I showing, I was definately more than an 8.
So, he came in and did the "spinal block" which is a more effective, faster acting type of drug than an epidural. So, sitting there on the edge of the bed, I went from "holy crap I don't think I can do this" kind of pain to "oh wow, that's amazing, I could do this all night" kind of comfort in about 3 seconds flat. It was wonderful, but...
Kellylynn and I relaxed so quickly that both of our heart rates plumetted! I had just found my comfort so I really didn't know what was happening when like 10 people filtered into the room and my Dr. said "okay we need to get this baby out fast so I am going to give her a little help with the forceps". Turns out that her heart rate had dropped from 120 to 60 for about 8 minutes and Dr. Shannon was worried the cord was around her neck because when they checked me right after my epidural I was fully dilated but babys head was still up a little bit, then seconds later she was crowning.
Dr. Shannon gave her a little tug with the forceps and then had me push a lot during the next contraction. She was born at 10:53am and she wailed! The cord was not wrapped around her neck and her heartbeat started to rise again as she was being born.
She was still covered in vernix which is strange if she was actually late.
Anyway, she was 9lbs 3ozs, 21 1/2 inches long (same as Liv) and very red.
I am so glad that is over! It makes me respect those women who go without pain meds all the way. Because I went right up to delivery without meds and thought I was going to die! With my face buried my husbands chest trying to breath through words like "I can't do this", "make it stop" and "where the hell is my epidural" (okay I don't think I actually said that, but I thought it).
That's it I think. It was an experience I don't want to have again, but it was worth it.
