Friday night I went to bed about midnight after an Epsom bath. I don't think I woke up until 4:00 when I had the dreaded full bladder + contraction combo. The only way to get relief is to pee, but walking HURTS. Anyway, I got through that and went back to bed (in the nursery because I was past the point of sharing a bed) and had a couple more contractions that got my attention, but I was able to doze back off.
I rolled over at 5:40 and felt a gush. Immediately all my senses were on high alert as my brain said "what was that?!" Another gush confirmed that my water had broken! I shoved my leg pillow even further between my legs to try and catch the mess and I called Deb (my sister). Every time I moved or laughed more water would come gushing out. I had Depends no more than 5 feet away, but I figured it was best to keep the mess on my bed and not trail it all over the floor.
Once I got off the phone with Deb I called Chris (my husband) and was greeted with an "ughmph." LOL I was way more excited and awake than he was and it took him a minute to grasp what was going on. I had him bring me a towel and then waddled into my bathroom where even more gushing commenced. Chris and I were shocked to see how much smaller my belly looked! Chris was busy getting dressed and I assured him that he had time for a shower because I wasn't even having contractions yet. While he showered I put on my birth top and some clothes and then went to assess the damage to my bed. Both comforters, my pillow, the sheets, and the foam topper were soaked, but thankfully nothing escaped past the topper. I threw everything wet into our tub so it wouldn't sink in and called it a day.
I started having contractions that affirmed that I was actually in labor and wouldn't have to be in limbo. I timed a couple to see what we were dealing with and they were 4-5 minutes apart. They were decently painful but I could still talk and walk through them. Knowing that I was only 1-2 cm and not effaced at all on Thursday, I knew that I could probably labor at home for a while, but DS4 had woken up from the commotion and asked us to keep it down. LOL I also had to take Chris's comfort level into consideration - he really didn't want me to deliver on the living room floor. ;) In reality, I don't think I would've been able to concentrate on labor with all the boys at home.
I called a friend and told her that my water broke and we were going to head to the hospital but she didn't have to hurry. Chris woke DS1 up and told him to put some clothes on. Once DS4 realized that I was serious about having the baby that day, he asked if he could hug my belly to thank the baby for coming. ♥
I called the answering service and a midwife called me back. I told her what was going on, she asked me what number baby this was and when she heard it was #5 she told me it was time to come in. I made sure she knew I wanted a room with a tub. We loaded up all our stuff and Chris grabbed a couple breakfast bars. I tried to be realistic and know that I might not have made a lot of progress, but I also know that I went really fast after my water broke with DS3, so I didn't know what to expect.
We got to the hospital with no real excitement (except a couple of ill-timed potholes) and Chris dropped me off at the main doors. I grabbed the cameras, tripod, and my labor bag and sent Chris to park. I was still having contractions but I was still giddy with excitement. We took the stairs up to the maternity ward in hopes of keeping things moving, but these contractions weren't showing any signs of backing off.
They put us in a room right away had me give a urine sample and then hooked me up to the monitors and took a stab (or ten) at an IV. I practically begged them not to put the IV in my hand, but she couldn't find another spot. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before, but I HATE that damn thing! She pushed about half a bag of fluids to plump up my veins a little. And to add insult to injury, she had to stick me in the right arm to take blood.
They finally checked me about 7:00. I was a whooping 2 cm, 60% effaced, and -3 station. I took some comfort in the effacement since I wasn't effaced at all on Thursday, but wondered why the baby was still so high. The nurse said he wasn't floating though, which was good and that his cord stayed where it was supposed to (ie it didn't come out when my water broke which equals emergency c/s). She had something to test if my water was really broken but said that obviously wasn't necessary. (Still constantly gush-gushing, where did all that water come from? LOL)
I heard Chris's phone ring and wondered who the heck was calling him at the butt crack of dawn on a Saturday. Turns out it was DS3. My friend said he wanted to call me SO bad and she wouldn't let him so he settled on Chris. LOL He just wanted to make sure everything was okay. ♥ I missed a couple calls from Deb who was panicked that things were moving a lot quicker than they were since we were already at the hospital. She arrived shortly before they let me in the tub with plenty of time to spare. Deb has been at my last three births as a doula/photographer. I surprised myself by not wanting a dedicated doula this time. I felt oddly disconnected to how this birth played out and wasn't set on going natural like I did last time. What I really wanted was pictures, though.
Chris came into the bathroom and said, "okay, while we're in here we need to think about two things; an epidural, and a name." LOL I reassured him that I absolutely WOULD be getting drugs, but I just didn't want to get them at 2 cm. He was satisfied with that. Then we went over the name list but nothing was jumping out at us.
The tub was constantly draining because they had a cord tied underneath the stopper so they didn't have to reach into the water to pull the plug. So Deb went to turn on more hot water for me. She managed to douse herself and me with freezing cold water from the shower head. That'll wake you up! LOL Luckily, she spared my camera any misfortune. ;)
Chris ordered breakfast for himself and Deb and some toast and fruit for me. Anything heavier didn't sound appetizing. Deb was texting my mom and other sister with updates. I was so sad that my mom wasn't able to be at this birth; she was at all my other ones, but now she lives a state away. Had we known how long it would take she could've gotten in the car and made it, but we didn't know so she sent angels. ;)
I ate my food and munched on ice chips (SO good) and then we noticed that my contractions had spaced out quite a bit. I knew that staying in the tub wasn't helping him come any faster, but I also knew that in order for him to come faster I would have to be in more pain. So Deb made the executive decision to get me out of the tub and walking for one hour.
Chris and Deb helped me out of the tub and Nurse finally came in to check on us when the monitors went berserk. She took that opportunity to grab a blood pressure and temperature since it got overlooked at check in. I was finally unhooked and tried the birth ball for a little bit but nothing was happening so Deb and I went walking. (Gush gushing all the way). We made it once around L&D before I needed a potty break. I had one decent contraction on that round. Then we did another lap, walked down to the gift shop and cafeteria (used the stairs, even) and NOTHING. We were really missing Mom's ability to march me around the hospital!
My adrenaline was quickly wearing off so we went back to the room and I sat on the birth ball. I may have had one contraction on that. Getting more and more tired, I decided to lay down since the contractions weren't coming anyway. Chris, Deb, and I discussed our options. Midwife had mentioned that she was comfortable starting a low dose of Pitocin (something I NEVER thought I would do again). We knew two things - I was planning on getting the epidural anyway, and they would conceivably let this go on for 24 hours. I am not a patient person.
When Nurse came back in, I told her I was okay with Pit, but I wanted the epi first and I wanted fluids before that because I know the epi can tank blood pressure and I have low bp to begin with. She asked if I wanted to be checked again and it had been almost 5 hours so we went for it. Maybe I progressed 5 cm?? Hahaha nope! More like .5 cm (and another 15% effaced). This further confirmed we had made the right choice - all that for HALF a centimeter?!?
The contractions continued after that, thankfully some what more manageable. We joked that all Baby needed was the threat of Pit. Nurse moved my IV to my arm and that was SO much better! It didn't look like it was running and she was about to call another nurse in to look when I asked her if the clip was supposed to be open. Oops. Lol She got me started on fluids and I started feeling a little queasy. Knowing that I would soon be getting the epi, they could only offer me jello or popsicles, neither of which sounded appetizing, but they did okay some broth. I'm pretty sure it was just a boullion cube, but it did the trick.
I had to get up to pee and had one contraction on the pot and then another before I could get back in bed. I was leaning over the bed moaning and groaning and Chris commented that it looked like they had started the Pit already. I snapped my head around exorcist-style and said WHAT?!? I was not okay with that betrayal of our plan! Turns out they had only hung the bag, not hooked it up. Lol
At 1:00 the anesthesiologist FINALLY came in. Let me tell you, it's not easy to hunch over and stay still during contractions with a needle coming at your back. Chris was sitting facing me holding my hands and the first two or three times she poked me it sent fiery zings down my right leg. Tears, tears, more tears. She finally got it in the right spot, but I had to sit like that for a couple more contractions. Once it finally kicked it I felt warmth going down both of my legs. I told her that and she said "like a warm liquid?" "Yes, exactly like that. Warm liquid light." And then Deb, Chris and I had a fit of the giggles and I'm sure the rest of the room thought we were coo coo for cocoa puffs.
I told Nurse that I felt a little off. Not dizzy, but maybe light headed. This, of course, is normal, but it's never happened to me. I asked her what exactly to expect if my blood pressure tanks, would I be rushed in for a c/s? "No, you need good blood pressure for surgery." LOL She said they would be aggressive with pushing fluids and might give meds, but it didn't seem like a big deal.
At 3:00 she gave me Zofran for my nausea, inserted the catheter, switched sides, and then my BP dropped to 86/51 (which was weird because I felt fine). She gave me Ephedrine for that which made my heart race and over time my BP slowly crept back up. Baby was happy happy, so I guess it wasn't a big deal. They started Pit at a 2 (the lowest) to help get my contractions into a better pattern. Now we hurry up and wait.
DS1 called right after all this about 3:30. I heard Chris's side of the conversation "... smoke alarm? ... ... Is there smoke?" At which point I tell him GO! We're just hanging out, go find out what the heck is going on. I figured the worst that could happen would be the house burning down and Chris missing the birth of his baby, but at least we would all be alive. ;) Turns out DS4 was showering in the front suite bathroom with the door open and no fan on and best we can figure is the steam set off the alarm. We've been having issues with these alarms so Chris took them down for the time being.
Deb and I found Friends on tv and it just happened to be the episode where Rachel's in labor. How could we NOT watch that? The nurse came in about 4:15 to up my Pit to a 4 and check me. I was 4 cm and 90% effaced, still -3. Why wasn't he coming down? So, 1.5 cm in four and a half hours. Certainly better than .5 cm in five hours, but still SLOW. She also gave me Nubain for the itching that I couldn't keep ignoring.
I could feel the pressure of contractions and almost pain in my groin, but I had been hesitant to use the button for extra meds because of my BP. I finally tried it but it didn't do a whole lot for me. Chris got back a little after 5:00 and we waited. Midwife came in to check me about 6:00. Why so close to the last one, it hadn't even been 2 hours? No idea. But I was 9 cm, 100% effaced and Baby had moved to -2. Still a little high, but YAY for 9 cm! Chris did a double take when he heard that!
Things just got real and I told Deb and Chris they better order dinner if they wanted to eat before the baby got here. (I'm not exactly sure when their food came, but I remember someone clearing their trays and asking if there was anything they could save for me to eat after the baby was born, but nothing that would taste any good cold.) We started taking guesses on the baby's weight and joked that the winner got naming rights. Nobody guessed outside the 8 pound range and I was really hoping that was the case.
It's now 6:30 and Nurse is prepping the baby warmer. I'm complaining because my groin is on fire and the bolus isn't doing a damn thing. Plus, I'm feeling more and more of the contractions. I had a headache, probably from a myriad of things and asked for some oxygen. I had tried half an orange popsicle earlier but it really wasn't doing anything for me. Nurse called for the anesthesiologist to come top me off. I hesitated because I wanted to feel to push, but I got the drugs in the first place so I wouldn't be in pain and I could enjoy this birth. At this point the groin pain was constant and I was having a hard time keeping it together. I was pushing the button every contraction even though I knew it would only dispense every 15 minutes.
I didn't give a damn who caught the baby, the bed could do it for all I cared. I was pushing just to try and take the edge off the pain that had me in constant tears. Chris, love him, was standing next to me and I was holding on to him for dear life. Between contractions, the doula-me would tell him to stand up so his back wouldn't be killing him the next day, and I tried not to squeeze where his rings were, but I needed him there.
I pulled my legs up so my feet were firmly planted on the bed and then pushed against them with my arms when I pushed. That seemed to work on my end, but I would've pushed Baby straight into the bed.
I couldn't see a thing, I wasn't trying to see a thing, but I knew that I had Chris on my left and Midwife 1 on my right and they were helping me with my legs. A contraction started and I started to push but I felt Midwife 2 put her fingers in me and I FREAKED out. It was like hot pokers of Satan's pitch fork! "No fingers! No fingers! I swear I'll be good, I'll push this baby out, but NO FINGERS!" Literally hysterical, she was baffled but she complied. I was able to reach down and feel his head and was bummed I didn't feel more hair.
It was as if cutting the cord opened a flood gate to every imaginable emotion. I heard him cry at the warmer and I started ugly crying. He's here! It's over! He's okay! The pain is GONE! I did it! Etc Chris asked if I was okay and I assured him I was and told him to go see his baby.
And there was Midwife 1, handing me tissues, spoon-feeding me ice chips, and fetching my glasses. She realized the cafeteria was about to close and asked if she could order me a sandwich. Yes, please! I remembered the roast beef sandwich being heavenly after DS4 and asked for that and ginger ale. She added a salad and fries. :) I had the brain capacity to thank her for staying, but I didn't realize until later that night when my brain wouldn't turn off that she was one of the angels Mom requested. Had she still been on the clock and delivered the baby, she would not have been able to be there in a mom-capacity the way she was. That means so much more to me than I knew at the time.
The powers that be finally were happy with the baby's stats (I was told 7 and 10 for Apgar, which seems high, but they said something about holding off on them because of the cord. I imagine if they really did the first one at a minute it would NOT have been 7). They asked me if I wanted them to weigh him before I got him and I said they might as well so I wouldn't have to give him up later.
He was 8 pounds 3.2 ounces. I guessed 8'4 and Chris guessed 8 even. I thought that made me the winner, but apparently Price Is Right rules state no going over. So Chris won naming rights. ;) This is the only baby of ours that has been named "for" anyone. He is named after my husband's brother who passed away a few months before he was born.
At 8:11 - 14 minutes after he was born - I got to hold my FIFTH perfect little boy. Seriously, how did we get so blessed?! They pointed out his bruising, which apparently happens quite often in quick deliveries. It was much more noticeable in pictures, I was taken aback at how if I didn't know that was a living baby in the picture I would wonder! :o :(
I delivered the placenta and Midwife 2 brought it over to show it to me (and finally sat me up so I could see my baby better). Such an amazing organ, but no, I didn't keep it for smoothies. ;)
I tried nursing, but Baby was pretty shocked by his birth. I think we got him to halfheartedly open his mouth once. I knew he'd wake up hungry eventually.
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| I think this was when he got his Vit K shot. Poor baby! |
After I ate I tried to nurse again, but Baby still wasn't interested. I skyped with Mom and Dad about 9:15. Told Mom the name we were trying and it clicked some more. Even Deb got a chance to hold him.
About 9:45 the nurses came to get us ready to go to our postpartum room. They got me all cleaned up and in a gown and they played the lullaby as we went down the hall. We got settled into room 31 and decided that Chris would go home and Deb would stay with me. The night nurse gave us her spiel and then checked Baby's vitals and did his length and head circumference, 21" and 13.5" respectively.
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| Poor little bruised baby! |
