Birth Story

Felicia isn't even 3 weeks old and I feel like this written version of her birth story is missing a lot of the emotions that went on during the event. I decided that I had better get it down in writing asap, though, while the memories are fresh. I may add more details later, but for now, here is what I can put down in words:

Prelude:
On Friday, I was feeling very tired and uncomfortable. I was having what I thought were cramps and decided to take it easy at home. It was my second day of maternity leave. After talking to my Mom, I decided to tough it out and go grocery shopping. She explained that if this baby was to go past due, I would drive myself insane if I started cocooning at home the day before my due date.

Throughout the day, I noticed that I started losing what I was pretty sure was my mucus plug. After finishing the grocery shopping, I worked on things at home. I put Ponyo's Rock 'n Play Sleeper next to our bed, did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen (more than once), and did other general tidying.

By 9pm, I started having contractions, which again I thought were just pre-labor cramps and lower back pain. By the time The Bee got home from work a little after 10pm they were strong enough to make me want to lean on a counter to get through them as I washed dishes. We started timing things at 11pm and they seemed to be getting closer together. By 12:30am, they were 6-7 minutes apart. Shortly after, I had 3 contractions in a row that were 5 minutes apart. Then they started spacing themselves more...13, 14, 15 minutes apart. By 3am, I sent The Bee to bed and tried to rest on the couch while timing my contractions on my laptop.

The due date:
As of 8:30am Saturday morning, I was still having contractions but they were not timeable anymore. I called the 24 hour nurse line and they connected me with the doctor who was on call, Dr. B. She said that it was hard to tell what was going on but as long as Ponyo was moving 10 times an hour, once a day she was doing just fine. She was moving around a lot after every contraction, so I was no longer worried about her well being.

We went to my Mom's at 11am and The Bee got a haircut. Then we came home and took a 1.5 hour nap on the couch together. We were both exhausted from the night before, having been up all night with contractions/cramps. I was still having contractions/cramps every hour, though not consistently. I also started losing more and more of my mucus plug (very gross!).

That night, the contractions picked up again at 9pm. We started timing at around 11pm, just as we had the night before. We thought it was another false alarm. The Bee was working on his computer and I tried to rest on the couch between contractions. At 1:30am I felt a POP! and told The Bee that I thought my water broke! I went into the bathroom to check, and sure enough there was a lot of water! I put on a thick pad and changed into clean clothes while calling the 24-hour nurse line. The Bee gathered his toiletries to bring to the hospital.

The same doctor that I had talked to earlier in the weekend called me back. She asked where we were planning on delivering and when I told her, she said we couldn't go there...they were full! We had to go to the other hospital that she delivered at, which was further from our home. Thankfully, it was where I had my MRI and is in a neighboring city to where we both grew up. I told The Bee the change in plans and he got nervous, asking, "How do we get there?" I snapped at him, "Don't ask me! I am in labor!" He googled directions, we gathered the last of our bags, and we headed to the car.

It was 1 degree outside and The Bee realized he had forgotten to fill the gas tank on the way home from his haircut! So, we stopped at a gas station and he put in a few gallons. I was getting increasingly more uncomfortable and it was hard to breathe through contractions when confined to the passenger seat of the car.  We made it to the hospital around 2:10am.

The Bee offered to drop me off at the emergency room doors, but I didn't want to enter the hospital alone. Thankfully, we got a close parking spot and walked into the hospital together. I had to ask him to slow down because I was having contractions and was moving at the pace of a snail! When we entered, The Bee told the people at the ER desk that I was in labor. The security guards asked if we knew where to go. I said, "No, we weren't supposed to deliver here! Our hospital is full, though!" So, one of the guards said he would walk with us to the maternity ward. He started walking and I was trailing behind. He looked back and I apologized for walking so slowly! Then he got a worried look on his face and ran to get a wheel chair. So, he wheeled me the rest of the way to the elevator and to the room where we had to wait for a nurse to see if my water had actually broken and how dilated I was.

A nurse came in to get my driver's license and insurance card. I changed into a hospital gown. Then it felt like we waited FOREVER for a nurse to come in and see what was going on. I walked between contractions and knelt on a pillow I brought from home while leaning over a chair to get through contractions. When the nurse finally came in, she tested the fluid I was leaking and confirmed that it was amniotic fluid. She checked my cervix and I was already dilated to 7cm! I started crying at this point and thanked her for not telling me I had to go home when I felt like this! She laughed and said, "Oh, honey, you aren't going anywhere!" She asked what my birth plan was, Any drugs? An epidural? Did I want an IV port in case I changed my mind? I told her I wanted to avoid drugs if possible and did not want an IV port until it was absolutely necessary.

A few minutes later they wheeled my bed into a labor and delivery suite and I met the L&D nurse who would be working with me. She asked if I wanted a bath run and I said "Yes!" but by the time the tub was full, she checked my cervix again and I was dilated to 8cm...too far along to use the tub safely. Instead, I labored using a birthing ball. Sitting on the ball and rocking back and forth helped me get through the contractions. Every once in a while, I had to hop in the bed and she would check my cervix. Things were progressing well and The Bee held my hand through each contraction. He put a cool washcloth on my forehead and neck to keep me comfortable. He reassured me that I could do this, that I WAS DOING THIS!

My cervix was almost fully dilated, but was not thinning evenly. So, my L&D nurse had me try 3-4 contractions laying on each side with my top leg up in a brace. This was to help the sides of my cervix finish thinning with the help of different pressure. It helped a little, but wasn't doing the trick. At this point, I asked The Bee why we thought this was a good idea and started laughing like a crazy woman. I told him that this might be our only baby because I wasn't sure I could do this again (assuming we would ever be lucky enough to have a chance of even getting pregnant again). I asked the nurse when I would enter transition because I was getting nervous and wasn't sure I could handle much more because I was getting tired. She smiled and said, "You're in it! You have been for a while and you are almost ready to push, you are SO close!" She had me try a few contractions on all fours to help thin the front of my cervix. I started feeling like I had to push with my stronger contractions. She asked me to wait to push until there was no way that I could resist. I asked what would happen if I had to push and my cervix wasn't all the way ready. Would I hurt the baby in any way? She said that the baby would be fine, the reason you don't want to push before your cervix is ready is that early pushing can cause the cervix to swell, making it smaller again. It would reverse the progress I had already made.

After a few more contractions, the nurse and I made eye contact. I was very scared, because I HAD to push! She gave me a knowing look and told me that on the next contraction, she would hold back the front of my cervix and I should push. This would give Ponyo's head a chance to get past the part of my cervix that wasn't all the way thinned without the risk of swelling. We did it and it worked! The doctor was paged at that time. I pushed with about 4 contractions and the doctor arrived. It was about 5am at this point. I asked how long I would have to push. They told me that with first babies, it usually takes 1-3 hours. You'd better believe that I pushed with all my might with each contraction! The Bee held my hand and cheered me on the whole time. They told us she was crowning and asked if I wanted a mirror so I could see. I told them that it would probably make me nervous. A few pushes later, they told me that she had a ton of hair and asked if I wanted to feel the top of her head. I reached down and my eyes welled up when I felt her soft head of hair...the head and hair of my daughter! It seemed unreal! The doctor decided that I needed an episiotomy to minimize tearing. This part was the scariest for The Bee, he later told me. On the next push, her head was out. The Bee started crying and was amazed as he saw our little girl's head for the first time. Her shoulders were a challenge, but after several more pushes her shoulders cleared and then she just kind of slid out! It was 5:52am. I had actively pushed for about 45 minutes.

The doctor was holding her and asked The Bee if he wanted to cut the cord. He said, "Yes!" and did a good job despite being a little shaky from exhaustion and emotions. We heard the sweet sound of her first cry. They wiped her off quickly with a blanket and placed her on my chest. She looked around with wide eyes and I nursed her for the first time. My Mom arrived 5 minutes after she was born. I was still being stitched up!

I got to hold her for a few hours before they took her to weigh and measure. She was 8lbs on the dot and tall like her dad at 22.5in. Our amazing L&D nurse asked if I had taken birthing classes and I told her that we did a labor skills workshop. She said I have a very high pain tolerance and that it was hard to tell when I was having contractions most of the time given how relaxed I remained and the calm expression on my face. I started laughing and told her I was pretty nervous during a lot of it; I just kept reminding myself that each contraction had to end eventually and each contraction brought me closer to meeting our daughter! I also think I must have pretty bad menstrual cramps due to my endometriosis, which made me think that labor contractions weren't really all that painful in comparison.

After talking with the doctor, they told me that I was definitely in labor Friday night, all day Saturday, and then things really picked up when my water broke Sunday morning. They told me I did most of the work at home before I even got to the hospital and that is why I was 7cm upon being admitted. So, although it seems that I had a fast labor from 9pm Saturday night -5:52am Sunday, I was actually in labor for an additional 24 hours! Thank God that my water broke...with the way my contractions were going, we probably wouldn't have gone to the hospital in time without that very clear sign she was coming to meet us!