Labor Day
Olivia was due on January 13th but I had been feeling for several weeks that she wasn't going to make it that far. Whether it was a gut feeling or just the fact that we weren't done with her nursery yet, I knew she was coming early and we needed to get ready. Here is the timeline leading up to the big day...
Friday
I texted Richard at work and told him we needed to go on a date because it may be the last time we go on one by ourselves for awhile. He agreed and we headed over to Logan for some Bluebird Chicken and Cold Stone ice cream. So glad we did!
Saturday (New Year's Eve)
Richard put the last coat of paint on the closet shelves in the nursery. Then we stocked the shelves and got everything put away. For the first time I felt like I could really relax because we were finally ready for her to come.
Sunday
I couldn't concentrate during church because I was positive I was going to go into labor at any moment.
Monday
Still waiting. We ran errands around town and...bought a freezer. Yeah, 'cause you obviously can't have a baby without first buying a freezer. Actually we had been looking for a long time and it just kind of fell into place that day. But I don't recommend it when you're this close to labor.
Tuesday
4:00 am started noticing mild contractions (different from Braxton Hicks which I had had all along)
6:30 am told Richard to go to work because this was going to take awhile.
Labored ALL day
3:00 pm took a nap
3:30 pm The appliance store called and wanted to verify our address so they could deliver our freezer. Really!? Now!? I immediately called Richard and told him he needed to come home, NOW. I think he was surprised when I told him it was because of the freezer and not me. He was already on his way but the delivery men beat him home. I showed the men where to put the freezer and had to excuse myself a couple of times during some pretty crazy contractions. Then I would go back and work with them. Luckily Richard showed up within a few minutes and he took over with them. Again, I do not recommend buying a freezer this close to labor.
4:00 pm My contractions really started cranking. I started timing them while Richard finished up things around the house.
6:00 pm We left for the hospital. We used the breathing techniques we learned in our Lamaze class all the way to Logan. So glad we took that class!
7:00 pm Got settled into our room. I changed and they checked me. I was only dilated to 4 cm so I figured this was going to take awhile. We had come prepared with relaxation tools and I fully planned on soaking in the jacuzzi until I was further dilated.
8:00 pm Within the next hour I went from 4cm to 7 cm and the contractions were coming hard and fast with little to no breaks in between.
8:45 pm The nurse reported that the doctor wanted to break my water and then I wouldn't be able to get in the jacuzzi for risk of infection. By that point the contractions were coming one after another and were so hard that I wasn't getting off that bed for anything. I could hardly stand the contractions and if it wasn't for Richard helping me with the breathing, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I was able to hear his steady coaching and it helped me get focused again when I was otherwise writhing in pain.
10:15 pm I've heard that once the water is broken the contractions are intensified to the extreme. And let's face it, all I was thinking about at this point was the contractions. So, I opted for an epidural at 8 cm.
10:30 pm The doctor manually broke my water when I was dilated 9 cm. In the process, Olivia apparently dropped into the birth canal a little too quickly which put a lot of stress on her head. Her heart rate suddenly dropped, along with my blood pressure. Half a dozen nurses rushed into the room. They put me on my right side to relieve some pressure on Olivia and gave me a shot to calm the contractions. They also placed an oxygen mask on me and told me to breathe deep and slow. My body was already panicking on it's own but now I was right there with it. Our doctor said if we couldn't get her heart rate back to normal, he would need to use forceps or deliver her by c-section. Great! Because of the shot they gave me, my contractions basically stopped, which meant my labor did, too. My biggest fear with having an epidural was having my labor completely stop, so even though this had nothing to do with getting an epidural, I was plenty worried. All I could think about for the next hour was getting my baby's heart rate back to normal. I forced myself to calm down so she would be okay. I breathed deep and slow and continued to watch the monitor.
11:50 pm Olivia's heart rate finally got back on track and my contractions started up again. Hallelujah! I was fully dilated and the nurse asked if I wanted to practice pushing. I'm not sure what happened between practice pushing and really pushing but somehow we got there. I pushed for the next hour and a half. Epidurals are wonderful, by the way. Part of me wishes I had held out and gone natural so I could know what it feels like. But when they got me a mirror so I could see her head begin to crown, I figured I really wouldn't want to "feel" that. Besides I was able to enjoy the experience so much more with the way things turned out. I was in mostly no pain, I still felt enough pressure to be able to push, I had use of my legs (kind of--my right leg was a lot more numb because I had been on my right side for so long), and I was able to really focus and get to work.
Wednesday
1:00 am It was getting really close now and the nurse paged my doctor to let him know that she didn't want to deliver this baby so he needed to hurry. I had one more contraction and pushed through it. That was the one that did it. The nurse told me to stop and not push anymore. I was in the middle of pushing and she tells me to stop! Do you know how hard that is, especially with an epidural? I did my best, but she was coming. Her little head was literally popping out and the nurse had to put her hand up to hold her back in.
1:21 am Our doctor had just enough time to put his gloves on and catch. She was delivered seconds later. She looked right at me and time stood still. I've never instantly loved anyone before but I fell for her so fast. Richard and I both cried for joy. Next to my wedding day, this was the best, most spiritual moment of my life!
4:00 am Bonding with Olivia
Thursday
4:30 pm Ready to head home as a new family!
Friday
I texted Richard at work and told him we needed to go on a date because it may be the last time we go on one by ourselves for awhile. He agreed and we headed over to Logan for some Bluebird Chicken and Cold Stone ice cream. So glad we did!
Saturday (New Year's Eve)
Richard put the last coat of paint on the closet shelves in the nursery. Then we stocked the shelves and got everything put away. For the first time I felt like I could really relax because we were finally ready for her to come.
Sunday
I couldn't concentrate during church because I was positive I was going to go into labor at any moment.
Monday
Still waiting. We ran errands around town and...bought a freezer. Yeah, 'cause you obviously can't have a baby without first buying a freezer. Actually we had been looking for a long time and it just kind of fell into place that day. But I don't recommend it when you're this close to labor.
Tuesday
4:00 am started noticing mild contractions (different from Braxton Hicks which I had had all along)
6:30 am told Richard to go to work because this was going to take awhile.
Labored ALL day
3:00 pm took a nap
3:30 pm The appliance store called and wanted to verify our address so they could deliver our freezer. Really!? Now!? I immediately called Richard and told him he needed to come home, NOW. I think he was surprised when I told him it was because of the freezer and not me. He was already on his way but the delivery men beat him home. I showed the men where to put the freezer and had to excuse myself a couple of times during some pretty crazy contractions. Then I would go back and work with them. Luckily Richard showed up within a few minutes and he took over with them. Again, I do not recommend buying a freezer this close to labor.
4:00 pm My contractions really started cranking. I started timing them while Richard finished up things around the house.
6:00 pm We left for the hospital. We used the breathing techniques we learned in our Lamaze class all the way to Logan. So glad we took that class!
7:00 pm Got settled into our room. I changed and they checked me. I was only dilated to 4 cm so I figured this was going to take awhile. We had come prepared with relaxation tools and I fully planned on soaking in the jacuzzi until I was further dilated.
8:00 pm Within the next hour I went from 4cm to 7 cm and the contractions were coming hard and fast with little to no breaks in between.
8:45 pm The nurse reported that the doctor wanted to break my water and then I wouldn't be able to get in the jacuzzi for risk of infection. By that point the contractions were coming one after another and were so hard that I wasn't getting off that bed for anything. I could hardly stand the contractions and if it wasn't for Richard helping me with the breathing, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I was able to hear his steady coaching and it helped me get focused again when I was otherwise writhing in pain.
10:15 pm I've heard that once the water is broken the contractions are intensified to the extreme. And let's face it, all I was thinking about at this point was the contractions. So, I opted for an epidural at 8 cm.
10:30 pm The doctor manually broke my water when I was dilated 9 cm. In the process, Olivia apparently dropped into the birth canal a little too quickly which put a lot of stress on her head. Her heart rate suddenly dropped, along with my blood pressure. Half a dozen nurses rushed into the room. They put me on my right side to relieve some pressure on Olivia and gave me a shot to calm the contractions. They also placed an oxygen mask on me and told me to breathe deep and slow. My body was already panicking on it's own but now I was right there with it. Our doctor said if we couldn't get her heart rate back to normal, he would need to use forceps or deliver her by c-section. Great! Because of the shot they gave me, my contractions basically stopped, which meant my labor did, too. My biggest fear with having an epidural was having my labor completely stop, so even though this had nothing to do with getting an epidural, I was plenty worried. All I could think about for the next hour was getting my baby's heart rate back to normal. I forced myself to calm down so she would be okay. I breathed deep and slow and continued to watch the monitor.
11:50 pm Olivia's heart rate finally got back on track and my contractions started up again. Hallelujah! I was fully dilated and the nurse asked if I wanted to practice pushing. I'm not sure what happened between practice pushing and really pushing but somehow we got there. I pushed for the next hour and a half. Epidurals are wonderful, by the way. Part of me wishes I had held out and gone natural so I could know what it feels like. But when they got me a mirror so I could see her head begin to crown, I figured I really wouldn't want to "feel" that. Besides I was able to enjoy the experience so much more with the way things turned out. I was in mostly no pain, I still felt enough pressure to be able to push, I had use of my legs (kind of--my right leg was a lot more numb because I had been on my right side for so long), and I was able to really focus and get to work.
Wednesday
1:00 am It was getting really close now and the nurse paged my doctor to let him know that she didn't want to deliver this baby so he needed to hurry. I had one more contraction and pushed through it. That was the one that did it. The nurse told me to stop and not push anymore. I was in the middle of pushing and she tells me to stop! Do you know how hard that is, especially with an epidural? I did my best, but she was coming. Her little head was literally popping out and the nurse had to put her hand up to hold her back in.
1:21 am Our doctor had just enough time to put his gloves on and catch. She was delivered seconds later. She looked right at me and time stood still. I've never instantly loved anyone before but I fell for her so fast. Richard and I both cried for joy. Next to my wedding day, this was the best, most spiritual moment of my life!
4:00 am Bonding with Olivia
Thursday
4:30 pm Ready to head home as a new family!
I LOVE it! Such an amazing experience; I'm glad that you were able to get her heart-rate down and that Richard was such a terrific coach.
ReplyDeleteYou two are going to be WONDERFUL parents!
freezer, huh? ha ha
What a beautiful birth story! I loved it, so glad you were able to stay calm and not get a c-section. That's pretty lucky. She is a doll. We need to get together so I can meet her! Let me know if I can do anything for you- advice or anything. and enjoy every moment!
ReplyDeleteBirth stories are the best!! What a beautiful story. I cry every time I read one! I'm so glad she was here and you were both safe and healthy. She is such an adorable little girl!
ReplyDelete