~also, I wrote this for Baby T to read someday... so it is written like I'm talking to him... just FYI~
The Friday before you were born (Feb. 5th) I was dilated to 2 cm. That was enough to have my membranes stripped (by another midwife because ours was out of town) to try and get contractions started. Later that evening, contractions started. They were mainly in my back and were very far apart and inconsistent. They slowly got more intense and closer together all day Saturday (Feb 6th) and by early Sunday morning Dad and I decided that we should probably head to the hospital. We went to the hospital and the triage nurse determined that I was still only dilated to 2cm. and my water had not yet broken. They did some monitoring to make sure you and I were both doing fine and we asked to go home. The nurse released us to go home. I tried to get some rest Sunday morning/afternoon because Dad and I wanted to watch the Super Bowl that evening. Once I got some rest and relaxed in the tub, the contractions slowed down and became less intense. They stayed that way for most of Monday (Feb 8th). We made an appointment to see a Chiropractor who also does acupuncture that evening to see if he could get labor to speed up and get me to dilate more. We went in that evening and he worked his magic and by 6:00 Tuesday morning (Feb 9th) when I was scheduled to be induced, I was already in full blown labor, so we went ahead and gathered our things, made sure Daisy was taken care of and went to the hospital. They got us checked in and sure enough, I was dilated to 6cm so we were there to stay and were having a baby that day! (So we thought.)
Let me take a moment here to pause and talk a little more about my laboring at home before I get on to the details that went on at the hospital:
Your Dad was amazing. He drew me baths. He kept the lights low. He lit candles. He played my favorite music for me. He made sure I was drinking enough water. He wiped my brow and back with cool cloths. He rubbed my back when I was having a contraction. He told me how great I was doing. He tried everything he could to try and get me to relax (and found that that is quite a feat). He laid with me and swayed with me. I couldn’t have done it without him.
My favorite place to labor was the bathroom. I’m not sure why, but it was. So I spent many hours leaning over the bathroom counter with the lights off and candles burning and the laptop playing Jack Johnson and Bob Marley, swaying my hips. I spent a good amount of time in the tub as well. One of my all time favorite memories of my entire existence now is of me sitting in the tub ‘Indian style’ with the shower curtain closed, lights off, candles burning, Bob Marley playing, having contractions… and I just gave in and went into my zone. I envisioned myself on the beach at Grand Cayman (the most beautiful place Dad and I have ever been… it’s breath taking) with Bob Marley playing in the background and each breath I took in was a wave coming onto the beach and each breath out was the water going back out to sea. It was such a peaceful and incredible few moments of my life and I was able to truly give in to labor and get in my zone.
Okay, back to the hospital. We got checked in and settled in. Dad and I decided to walk the halls to try and speed things up. The midwife told us if there hadn’t been any progress in the next few hours we would discuss breaking my water. She came back to check me around 8:30am… still 6 cm. We walked more. I tried to lay down and relax and sit/lay in different positions. The midwife checked me again at 10:00am… still 6cm. We (okay… really Dad… he fought so hard for me and argued with the midwife tooth and nail to let me do this naturally) convinced her to let us go a while longer before breaking the water. Grandma and Grandpa came to the hospital around this time and came in to see us. I wasn’t really in the mood for visitors so they only stayed for a few minutes. Dad and I continued to try and rest until the midwife checked me again at 12:00pm… and I was still dilated to 6cm. She broke my water and we expected progress now. If not, the midwife wanted to start pitocin after a few hours to speed things up. I continued to labor in the room until 4:00pm when the midwife came to check me again and I was still only dilated to 6cm. We went ahead and let the midwife start the pitocin to try and speed things up. I was scared the contractions would get really bad with the pitocin, but they really didn’t. I was just getting tired. The midwife, the nurse, and Dad ran me a bath to try and get me in it to relax. Well, the water was less than luke warm, so they brought in hot water from the hall. This whole process seemed to take forever and just made me uncomfortable, so I got out of the tub. Around 8:00pm I still had only progressed to 7cm and was exhausted.The midwife started throwing around threats of having to do a C-section since I was not progressing much. We were determined NOT to let that happen. I was having you vaginally no matter what. I was already upset that they were using pitocin. We weighed out some other options and having a little bit of Nubain was an option. Nubain is a drug that allows you to relax. The nurse assured me that they would give me the smallest dose possible and would administer it on full contraction so very little (if any) would penetrate the placenta and get to you. At this point, Dad and I didn’t know what to do. I was getting tired and was having a really hard time relaxing. Dad called our Bradley instructors (Phil & Nikki) to tell them what was going on and get some advice on what we should do. We decided to go with the Nubain. Almost immediately after they gave it to me, I was able to sit on the bed ‘Indian style’ and doze in and out for a while. The midwife then began to come check me about every hour. Each time she came in I had progressed a little… 7.5cm then 8cm then 9cm then 9.5cm. When she left the room from checking me when I was 9.5 cm, I got out of the bed to try and use the restroom then sat in the rocking chair. I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to push and made this grunting sound that I never would have imagined coming out of my body. I told David to get the midwife back in the room FAST, because I needed to push and I needed to push NOW.The midwife came back in the room and asked if I’d like a mirror to watch. I told her that that sounded like it was going to take too long and not to leave the room because I was ready to have this baby. She checked me and I was dilated to 10cm so she told me to go ahead and get in a position I was comfortable in and go ahead and push when I had the urge for five contractions and then she’d start to coach me through contractions. I was most comfortable squatting, so she put the squat bar up on the bed for me and I pushed on my own for five contractions. The midwife then started to coach me through pushing. I got in two good ten second long pushes per contraction. She had me lay on my side and had David hold my legs for a few contractions and then let me get back up in the squatting position after you started crowning. I almost can’t explain what came over me when it was time to push. I was determined and nothing in the world could have stopped me at that point. Pushing was almost a relief and I vividly remember thinking “This really doesn’t hurt that bad… what does everyone complain about??” I pushed for about an hour (about 10-12 coached pushes) and you were here at 12:42am on Wednesday, February 10, 2010! I didn’t know right away what time it was. I asked a few minutes later what time you were born. When the midwife said 12:42am… I said “Good… 2/10/10… he waited for the good birth date.” I liked 2/10/10 better than 2/9/10 and was excited that that was your birth date… just barely. :o)
I immediately laid back on the bed and waited for Dad to tell me what you were. Right away I heard him say “It’s a boy! It’s a boy! It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” and he got a little choked up. Then I noticed he wouldn’t move from in front of me and kept repeating himself. I then noticed I couldn’t hear you crying and I heard the nurse call for the attending doctor on the hall because the cord was wrapped around your neck twice and you weren’t breathing. The midwife got the cord unwrapped and your nose and mouth suctioned out and you immediately sprung to life and I finally heard you cry. Dad said you were completely blue and lifeless and he was terrified, but you sprung to life so fast and it was the coolest thing he had ever seen. They handed you to me. You were so alert and just stared into my eyes. I then let you nurse for the first time and you did so well! I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. You were just so perfect. Dad counted your fingers and toes while you ate. He also cut the umbilical cord. Then the nurse took you to wipe you off, weigh you, measure you, and get your sweet little footprints. Dad didn’t leave your side. You weighed in at 8 lbs., 14oz. and measured 22.5 inches long! I couldn’t believe how big you were. The nurse put your footprints on a birth certificate for us and then put your footprints on Daddy’s arm. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen… other than the ear to ear grin Daddy had on his face.
After they got me all cleaned up (and the midwife had told me I was fully intact… amazing!!), we had a few moments with just the three of us. It was so surreal that you were finally here! And that I had just done that! I gave birth to a sweet little boy… and we were finally a little family. We were just quiet. We just stared at you… and how perfect you were.
Dad went out to announce your arrival and that you were a boy! Grandma and Grandpa came in to meet you right away.
Then we were off to our recovery room to get some rest and spend our first ‘night’ as a family.
