Getting to the hospital/ Getting examined
Once we arrived at the hospital around 9:30 AM, mommy was still feeling great (so no speeding down I4 was necessary for daddy), I could feel some light contractions but nothing too serious. For that reason, I was worried that this all might be a false alarm; my water which I thought broke never did or the “contractions” I was feeling weren’t true contractions, just Braxton hicks. Once I checked in, a nurse had called me back for an examination as well as monitoring for you. I had explained that I believe my water had broken earlier this morning around 8:00 and my contractions seemed to be around 5-6 minutes apart at times. Because I came in so happy and calm, the nurse was talking to us as if we would be going home and it was not yet time to have you. However, once she checked to see how dilated I was, she was shocked to discover I was 5CM! She could not believe how happy and pain free I was and just like that the next words we heard were “You’re having this baby today!” You see, mommy was very active her entire pregnancy (Running, going to the gym and walking), ate as healthy as she could (with plenty of cheat days) and did a lot of research about how to have a healthy and natural delivery. It is because of this research that I decided it would be healthiest for both you and me if mommy did not get an epidural (a shot in my back to not allow me to feel pain/contractions) and allowed my body to feel the contractions so I knew when to push.
Being admitted!!! It’s baby time!
I was quickly admitted to the hospital, signed about a dozen papers and walked (yes, I refused to be wheeled a few rooms down the hall) over to room 402, where later that evening we would be welcoming you! Once we got settled into our room, I was hooked up to an IV of antibiotics because although I tested negative for the Strep-B test at my 30-week appointment, in my first trimester I tested positive early on. I then presented the on staff nurses with my “Birth Plan”. Stated in there was the fact that nobody other than Joe and Kristie were to be in the room during delivery and most importantly not to ask or mention an epidural! I was DETERMINED to do this naturally with the help of your Daddy and the nurses who were so excited for it!! When the shifts of nurses changed over, there was one nurse whom I will never forget, Crystal. She was beyond excited that I had chosen to have you naturally, without any pain meds; she actually said I was the first mom in over a month she has seen who willingly chose to not have any pain medication for delivery (I was just slightly proud of this and it most definitely helped boost my confidence)!
Passing the time until she arrives
By now (around 12:00 P.M.), we had made all the important phone calls, Kristie was on her way and I had created a group chat with close friends and family to have your Daddy keep them up to speed on my progress. Mommy was bound and determined to not labor in the hospital bed, so the nurses gave me a bouncy ball to sit on that would help the pain during contractions. Things were going along smoothly; however, I was not progressing/ dilating quick enough; since my water broke that morning they wanted you out within 24 hours in order to keep you safe. So when I was checked around 2:00 P.M. Dr. White said I was only at 6CM and if I had not progressed more by 4:00 P.M. they were going to have to give me Pitocin in order to keep you safe and me avoid a C-section. Although I was Completely against getting the Pitocin, I was more concerned about your health (blood pressure and whether or not you were under any stress). It was now 4:30 and the doctor was still in the operating room performing a C-section but said by 5:00 he would be in to check me and approve the Pitocin. Mommy was beginning to get nervous at this point, thankfully I was hooked up to the monitor that was able to track both mine and your blood pressure; assuring me that we were both ok! Your daddy and Kristie made sure they both kept me entertained by cracking jokes and playing none other than Carrie Underwood on their phones!
My Pitocin was finally administered through my IV around 5:30 PM, I was informed of the heightened intensity my contractions would bring and how quickly it would allow my laboring to progress. It was no sooner than 30 minutes I felt my first major contraction of the evening, an intense cramp like no other. While these contractions may have been painful, they were short lived and simple reminders to me that I was that much closer to meeting you with each one I was able to breathe through! It wasn’t until this point that the contractions began to hurt my back, thankfully that amazing nurse I mentioned earlier, Crystal, showed your daddy and Kristie pressure points on my back and hips to hold/ press, alleviating the back pain during my contractions. My back pain only lasted for about 30 minutes and I truly believe that was because I continued to stand and bounce during each contraction while having help with pressure points.
THE TIME HAS COME!!!!
As time progressed, the contractions were getting stronger and stronger; and mommy wasn’t allowed to push until she was 10CM dilated, despite feeling the urge. I quickly hit 9CM around 6:45 PM and boy were those contractions strong by now! Although mommy’s water “broke” early that morning, it was just a slow leak, meaning my entire water hadn’t broken yet. All of the sudden after one of my strong contractions I felt a sudden burst, that was the rest of my actual water breaking; finally felt that “gushing” and “Popping” feeling of your water breaking (pretty cool actually!). Mommy was so excited because she believed that once her full water broke she was ready to push!! But somehow I managed to still have a quarter of my water still inside, meaning I had to breathe through (not push!) a few more contractions before the rest broke. However, at this point I suddenly got an increasingly strong urge to have to push every time I had a contraction. Well when this sensation began, Crystal checked to see how I was coming along and before she even got the chance your little noggin was beginning to show (SCARY for nurses because that meant you were coming soon), and Dr. White was still finishing up in the OR! From this moment on things got very frantic and very real but Mommy made sure she remained clam and in good spirits, knowing the next few hours were going to be a whirlwind of emotions and pain…
@Klineandtell 