The Birth Story...

Ok...here we go!

About 10 p.m. Dec. 16 (Friday night) we were laying in bed and I was getting a searing pain across my hips - as if someone put a sword in my left hip and out through my right hip. Of course, I didn't feel this warranted waking up hubby or calling doctor (dummy!)... I just though maybe I pulled something with my ENORMOUS BELLY rolling over or something.

About 2 a.m., the pain woke me up again. I got up to pee and it was SO MUCH WORSE STANDING UP I walked to the bathroom doubled over. BUT these were so not contractions, so I continued to think I had just pulled something. Of course I laid back down and realized I hadn't felt the baby move (going to the bathroom usually woke him up). So I laid there for a few minutes... no movement... I started cursing myself for sending the damn doppler back, because I really could've used it then. Note that I still did not think of waking hubby or calling the doc. Doubled over, I walked downstairs for a huge glass of cold orange juice to wake the baby. FINALLY, I got a little movement and about 2:50 a.m. went back to lay down.

I must've fallen asleep even w/the searing pain becuase POP!!! At 3 a.m. I felt my water break and lept out of bed (this must've been quite a sight at my size and with my coordination! But I saved our wonderful mattress! Not a drop! Could I use any more exclaimation points??!!) and RAN to the bathroom (we have off-white carpets!)... I yelled for Eric as I couldn't leave my spot in the bathroom w/out making a mess to start bringing me things.

* Please note here: because the DR had told me 12 hours earlier I was not having this baby any time soon hubby had dosed himself up on super-duper cold medicine!

So he's running around finishing packing my bag, bringing me things, putting sheets on the guest bed and I'm running from the toilet to the shower - no way am I going into L&D stinky!

My brother arrives at about 3:30 a.m. and we give him instructions on what to do with Son while we're gone and we get into hubby's car (note that this is his NEW car, which he adores almost as much as he adores me!). Lots of towels are spread around...

The contractions get pretty strong on the ride over... I tell hubby to PLEASE drive smoothly as driving over bumps while having a contraction HURTS LIKE HELL. I ask him a couple times if I hurt this much w/our first son, as I didn't think anything had hurt quite like these contractions and he continues to laugh at me.

We arrive at the hospital at 4 a.m. and are sent to the L&D triage. We are the ONLY people in the triage at the hospital which is nice (it's a big room w/curtains so you can hear EVERYTHING). The contractions are quite painful, as we can tell from the monitors (as if I couldn't feel them!)

The nurse asks me all the questions and if I'm SURE my water broke. "OH, I'm SURE" I tell her. She gets out the test stick and checks (this hurt WORSE THAN THE CONTRACTIONS, I don't know why) and exclaims that yes! My water has broken! Then she checks me - 3 cm! Progress! Of course, with the pain I was in, I was sure I was at least 6!

About 5:30 a.m. (why they are so slow at all this when I AM THE ONLY WOMAN AROUND I am not sure) I get wheeled to my delivery room. So there are like 6 nurses setting stuff up in my room and getting me settled (this is nice! Lots of attention, as they were just hanging out bored before I arrived!). They start the IV when I wasn't looking so it surprised me to be stabbed in the arm, but she did a good job.

I tell them I'm ready for the epidrual! Send him in! And the order is placed. They turn the IV on super fast to get the liquids in before he arrives which makes me COLD and a wonderful nurse brings HEATED BLANKETS to warm me up! An angel! I tell them I want to pee before the epidural guy comes and they say No. After you are 3 c.m. w/broken water, they don't let you out of bed. Damn.

The epidural guy arrives around 6:15 a.m. Sitting still for the epidural wasn't has hard as I remember it being. Though I did squeeze the hell out of hubby's hand. The first numbing pinch shot was the worst of it. He said I'd probably feel 2 more contractions before the meds kicked in - he was WRONG! It took effect right away and I watched the next contraction on the monitor w/out pain! I could feel the tightening of my uterus, BUT NO PAIN! WONDER OF WONDERS! Then they checked me and said I was between 5 and 6 c.m.

Then, hubby and I settled in for some sleep! Man were we tired! Last time, my labor was 13 hours from start to end, so we were not worried at all, just ready for some Z's.

About 8:30 I told the nurse I was pretty sure I had to pee. She said she'd like to check me before, because sometimes any activity down there can speed things up. She also said they were going to start me on pitocin since my contractions were 180 seconds long - they like to see nice 60 second mountain ones, not 180 second ones. Thank GOD I had an epidural, as I'm sure 180 second contractions would've killed me. Seriously. She checked me and made a face. ???

You're ready, she said. WHAT? You're ready and your doctor doesn't get here until 9, she said, so just wait. WAIT? I'm sorry, WHAT? She told me if the urge to push was so strong I couldn't ignore it, let her know, but otherwise, just wait. And don't push.

Great. So I start feeling, of course, like I really need to push. I can see it coming, thank goodness on the monitor, the urge to push starts w/each contraction. Let me tell you - having the urge to push, but not pushing, is just as excrutiating as contractions with no epidural. That is damn hard and takes a lot of energy and focus.

At 9 the DR that I had seen Friday morning (who promised I was no where near labor and would have an 8 pd. baby) came in. He said the baby was still a little high so let's have another couple of contractions to bring the baby down to save me some pushing. He said he'd be back.

At 9:45 a.m. he came back in to check me and the look on his face said everything - the baby was already almost out! On his own! You've never seen medical people run like when the DR gives the order! At about 9:50 I started pushing - unlike w/my son, I could feel everything. EVERYTHING. It just didn't hurt. It was a very strange sensation. I mentioned it to the DR between contractions. He said I had the perfect epidural then, because it's easier to push when you can feel the baby and your muscles. I don't know - I don't think I wanted to feel all that. I know from having my son I can push w/out all that feeling (he was 20 minutes of pushing) - I still don't think I needed quite all those sensations.

BUT - anyway! The pushing! I'm pushing with the second contraction. I have the DR, hubby, and 4 nurses all aound me. All of a sudden I hear hubby... "I'm sorry, I have to sit down..." and BOOM. He hits the floor. YIKES!

Then - ALL THE NURSES run over to him and the DR stops whatever it was he's doing to face that way. UM hello? Yes, I'm worried about him too, but I've got a BABY COMING RIGHT NOW AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO CATCH IT... Finally 2 nurses tend to him and 2 to me. For the third contraction, I push holding my own darn right leg. We think it was a mix of cold medicine/no food/excitement/anxiety that did it, as he didn't pass out w/our first son.

Then, Baby T is here. Screaming away instantly. The DR says "wow, that's a big one!". Hubby walks over and says yeah, he's big. I look at him - he doesn't look so big to me, then they put him on my chest. Wow. He IS big. But he's also the most adorable little guy that I've worked so hard to bring into our lives for almost exactly 3 years now. I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude that we've made it to the point of having and holding a live baby!

More in the next installment! Including! Plastic flip flops! Babies that eat NOTHING and VOMIT a lot! Much fun!