I suppose it all began at my 38 week check up (which was on Wednesday, 2 days before I gave birth to Emma, when I was technically 38.5 weeks along). At this appointment, I met with my OB, as opposed to the Physician Assistant (PA) that I'd see for more regular check ups, and we discussed my delivery options. Since I'd had been having issues with tachycardia, she felt that the only way to resolve that would be for me to deliver. So she asked me how interruptive those episodes had been to me, and thereby offered to induce me early (but no sooner than 39 weeks) if they were causing me a lot of problems. Our discussion led to my bigger concern with should dystocia and risk of having a c-section, and induction definitely increases the risk for both of those. She said my tachycardia had no risk for baby, so if I was fine with dealing with it longer I did not need to be induced. And that is what I agreed to...no induction...just let baby come on her own. However, she did offer to strip my membranes, which is somewhat of a natural way to bring about the onset of labor.
She checked me and said I was 2 cm dilated and 25% effaced. I was curious how I had gone backward in terms of effacement, as during my 36.5 week check up the PA had said I was 60% effaced. My OB said from the outside my cervix felt thinner, but it was actually still a bit thicker once she got deeper (during the membrane stripping...ouch!). She felt baby's head and said she was at a -3 station. And in the end, she said she only did a partial membrane strip, given our discussion about me not wanting to come too much before baby was ready to on her own.
38.5 week photo of my BIG baby bump!
Friday Sept 20: Labor day!
Sometime before 5am
I woke up with some cramping, but nothing that kept me awake long enough to pay attention to if it was coming in waves (i.e. contractions) or not.
5am (almost on the dot!)
I woke up to the cramping and this time noticed it came and went. I stayed awake and then felt the next one, noticing the time was then 5:05am. Five minutes apart! OMG! If I have contractions regularly at 5 minutes apart for an hour I was supposed to call the doctor! Could this be the real thing?
5:20am
I told myself that if the contractions had continued at 5 minute intervals until now, I was going to wake up John and tell him to start getting ready. Sure enough...they were still coming every 5 minutes on the dot!
5:40am
I decided to call the doctor a bit earlier than an hour, given we live at least 30 minutes away and still had to wake Evan up and sort out care for him. The on-call nurse said to come in and so she alerted the hospital's labor and delivery unit we would be there in about an hour. I texted our daycare provider to see if she would be okay with taking Evan early that day, which she did, and we started getting serious about packing the car with all of the things we needed for our hospital stay. It was really happening!
6:15am
Evan normally doesn't wake up until 7am-ish, but for some reason today he sensed what was going on and woke up early. Perfect timing if you ask me! I had started having some contractions that were just a few minutes apart, so I was feeling more rushed to hurry to the hospital. The on-call nurse had told me on the phone that if I felt the need to push on the way, to pull over and call 911. Yikes...I didn't want to be in that situation, so we grabbed Evan from his crib, left him in his pajamas, and loaded him in the car and were off for his daycare. After dropping him off, we headed to the hospital. By this time, my contractions were still about 2-4 minutes apart and were starting to get a bit more uncomfortable to the point that when I'd do my breathing through them, I started to make some audible sighs on the exhale ([breathe in], "haaaaa" in a long outward and higher-pitch sigh, etc). John joked with me saying "I remember those sounds", which made me laugh. Afterward I scolded him not to make me laugh, as it kind of hurt to have my stomach tighten up even more than it was already. But it was really a funny moment on our drive. One other note about our drive was that I had grabbed a few towels to sit on during the drive, as I wasn't about to have my water break on my new car seats! However, it also made the drive a bit more uncomfortable.
~7:00am
We arrived at the hospital and were immediately taken to a labor and delivery room where they told me to put on a gown and the nurse would be in shortly. Well, shortly was more like an hour or so later, and so during that time I was in the rocking chair laboring through the continuing regular contractions every 2-4 minutes. I should also note that the actual duration of each contraction was roughly 1 minute. Earlier on (at home) it had been more like 50 seconds plus or minus a few seconds each time. John set up the flameless candles, small water fountain, music and speakers, and aromatherapy we'd brought to make the delivery room more comfortable. The nurses kept commenting all day about how our room smelled the best of any of the others! Lavender vanilla for relaxation and citrus cilantro for energizing were the scents of the day.
The "in between"
The breathing through it part
8:30am
My contraction timer app recorded its last contraction at 8:31am, because by this time the nurse had gotten me hooked up to a monitor. It logged the duration and strength of each of my contractions, along with baby's heartbeat. All was looking great...baby's heart rate was a very steady 140-ish bpm, even during contractions. John had brought the rocking chair over by the bed so I continued to labor in that for awhile. My exhales were becoming louder sounds of discomfort, and my final exhales during the end of each contraction were becoming sighs of relief ("ahhhh") as the cramping pain diminished. John watched the monitor a lot, correlating my sounds with the strength and length of the contractions it recorded.
Around this time, they checked me and I was 4.5-5cm dilated already and 70% effaced! Woohoo...making great progress! The nurse told me she had checked with the on call OB and they wanted me to be over 5 cm to admit me. I was not pleased to hear this and told the nurse that I didn't want to go home because we lived 30 minutes away! The nurse reassured me they weren't sending me home given I was having very regular contractions.
So far during this time, I was doing most of the labor on my own, by breathing, rocking, and squeezing my hands onto the ends of the rocking chair arms. This soon evolved into me needing John to help hold my hand (during contractions where they had me on the bed to check my progress) and provide counter pressure and massage in places that either were hurting or distracted me from the real pain below.
Things seemed to be progressing really fast though, and they did soon decide to admit me, at which time they wanted to get me hooked up onto an IV. First the nurse tried my left hand, and then she brought in another nurse to try my other hand after she didn't get it working. Then after that nurse failed on my right hand, they brought in "the doc" to do it. He got it in on my left hand. I must say, getting an IV isn't that painful unless they put it in and move it around a bunch trying to get the vein. Ahhh...! It reminded me of how the last time I had blood drawn (to check my thyroid as a potential cause for my tachycardia a few weeks ago) the phlebotomist missed in my left arm completely and had to do it again in my right. Not sure what was going on with my blood vessels during pregnancy, but they were playing hide and seek with needles I guess!
~10:00am
So it turns out the "the doc" they brought in to do my IV was the anesthesiologist. As he got in the room, my exhales during contractions were becoming loud drawn out "owwwww"'s, and so when he asked me how I was doing (in between contractions) I told him it was getting pretty intense and he said it sure sounded like it. Speaking of the "in between", the relief in between contractions was amazing. The minute or two that I had in between each was really a life saver that made all of the labor I had done so far manageable. I could talk normally to the medical staff that came in the room. I could squeak out a short text message to update friends/family on my progress (which, by the way, served as my record of knowing all of the times that key things happened that I'm writing about now!). I could discuss things with John (like who was going to pick up Evan from daycare and watch him overnight). It was a completely different experience to the back-to-back contractions I had during labor with Evan (being induced with Pitocin).
However, that said, my contractions had been getting so strong that while I wasn't in pain during the "in between", I was shaking uncontrollably. John kept thinking I was cold, but really shaking is my body's response to pain or perhaps the adrenaline that was probably rampant in my body. I shake like that (teeth chatter and limbs tremble) sometimes before I get sick (i.e. vomit) and while it wasn't really bothering me, it did make me feel incredibly weak. As I continued to labor through the contractions and the trembling continued, I started to realize that if this kept up I'd be very weak for delivery. Alas, I started telling the nurse (and "the doc", who at this time I still didn't know was the anesthesiologist) that I might want the epidural sooner than I had planned. And by "planned", I mean I had previously told the nurse I was not opposed to an epidural, but that I would probably consider one after my water broke, given my experience with labor from the past where my contractions became so strong and on top of each other after they broke my water.
By the time I was really ready for it, the nurse told me that the right person had been notified (i.e. "the doc") and they'd get it administered as soon as possible.
10:45am
Ahhh...epidural relief. There is something that makes me feel like I'm cheating my way through labor every time (well both times) I have gotten an epidural. The administration of this one wasn't as bad as the one last time (where it brushed a nerve), but there were a few points where it made me jump still...they are working around your nerves after all and is still is a strange feeling nonetheless. It took effect nearly completely within about 5 contractions after it was started, and then I began to be able to relax some.
This labor stuff is a breeze (after the epidural)!
11:00am
They checked my progress to find that I was already 7 cm dilated and 70% effaced! Baby's head was also now a bit lower, at station -1. I was very glad I had progressed so far this time without the epidural, and that at the same time I was glad I had gotten it to help me through the last few centimeters of active labor.
Trying to get some rest...
1:15pm
After some rest and relief from the pain of labor, they checked me again and found I was 9 cm! Making great progress and we figured we'd have this baby before the 5 o'clock OB shift change. What was so interesting was that my water bag was still intact! In fact, they were guessing that baby's head was still a little high given the bag was creating a balloon effect at the cervix. At this point, we were starting to wonder if this little girl would be born in her amniotic sack! Supposedly that's good luck, so we were being told.
2:30pm
Next progress check and I was only 9.5 cm. I was gravely disappointed, as I thought I'd be ready to go by now. The OB doc had come in to check on me because she had to choose between helping me deliver now (if I was ready) and doing a c-section for another one of the women in labor that afternoon (it turned out to be a very busy day in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital!). Since I was still not ready, the doctor went off to do the c-section and would be back to check on me later. She also informed me that she would probably break my water for me before delivery, as she said water bags tend to explode during pushing and the medical staff tend not to like getting that all over them...haha (especially those without eye protection on!). On another note, my contractions were back. My epidural was very lop-sided (where my right leg was really asleep and my left side I could feel most everything on), just like it had been when I had Evan. So John was back at my side helping alleviate my pain through contractions with lower back massage and counter pressure...just on the left side only though.
4pm
The doctor came back and broke my water since I was still stalled at 9.5 cm. Afterward they checked me and said I was really only 8-9 cm and that the sack must have been pushing on my cervix to make it seem more dilated. In addition to feeling like I went backward on my progress, the fluid had meconium in it. :( I was really disappointed to hear this, though the doctor didn't seem too worried. I had read before that it can be a sign of the baby being in distress, but at this stage baby's heart rate had been steady and they weren't too concerned. I did have to boost my epidural around this time to help alleviate the strong contractions I was getting across my left side, which were once again starting to give me the trembles and shakes.
5pm
Shift change for the on call OBs took place, so I was about to meet the next OB on call who would be the one actually delivering my baby. I was also beginning to feel very run down. I remember asking John if I felt warm or had a fever, but he said I felt okay and that my body had been working hard for at least 12 hours already. I was getting a bit emotional and nervous about how slow things were progressing now. It seems all the momentum I had earlier had stalled out. Top that with the meconium in the fluid and I was starting to get worried that it may be putting me at higher risk for a c-section.
And then add in the fact that the contractions had getting very strong again, so that I felt them even through my epidural (on the left side of course), so I was not feeling my best. Then it turns out I was starting to run a low-grade fever. The nurse and doctor discussed it a good bit though, given the forehead thermometer was reading a variety of numbers (100.2 F, 101.3 F, etc). The doctor was initially planning to give me and baby antibiotics, but then wanted to sort out if it was really over 101 F or not. They brought in a different thermometer (for my ear) and it read closer to 100.3, so they decided to forego the antibiotics for now, but were watching my temperature closely. I did not want antibiotics for me or baby unless absolutely necessary so I was glad they decided not to do it just yet.
Feeling pretty run down and miserable.
6:25pm
Hooray...I was finally fully dilated!! Her head was lower now as well, at station +2. It was time to start pushing! I started pushing around 6:35pm...but then we took a break through a few contractions so that I could order dinner just before the kitchen closed at 7pm....haha. Gotta thank the nurse for thinking of that one for me! Since I hadn't had a bite to eat all day and the only liquids I was getting were through my IV or ice chips (my mouth was SO dry...ugh!), I figured I'd look forward to that meal! [However, I didn't eat much of the meal...it was dry and not very warm by the time I got to eat it, John at least got some nourishment from it!]
The doctor joined us (from running between I think two other rooms where women were in final stages of labor too!) around 7:30pm I think (can't remember the time on this one...) and helped guide me through the final pushes. It seemed like she crowned forever, which is probably because she was a big baby with a good-sized head! They had told me that they would put her directly on my chest, but if she didn't cry soon enough they'd take her away for deep suction, given the meconium in the fluid. Come on baby...cry for me!
7:55pm
Emma Sophia was born! Her slightly purple body was placed on my chest, but she didn't start crying within a few seconds so they took her away. However, just as they took her off of me, she started crying great. (whew) One unique thing this hospital did for us was record her first cries onto a card that replays the sounds when you open it, so they captured those first sounds for us to cherish forever.
I remember a lot more of the post-delivery activities this time than I do from delivering Evan (at least so far). Perhaps it's because it wasn't middle of the night. But either way, my attention was focused on my sweet baby girl. She was doing great. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9; the same as Evan's. She weighed in at 8 lbs 13.4 oz. What a good-sized baby...thank goodness she came when she did! :) Her temperature was 100.3 F as well, so they felt confident that's what mine was and that antibiotics were not really warranted. Soon she was wrapped up and brought back to my chest for some skin-to-skin mother-daughter bonding time. My baby girl had arrived!
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