So here's the real story:
Wyatt and I checked into the hospital at 7:30pm Wednesday night. We both figured it would take a little while to get checked in and up to a room but we breezed right through and walked into our room by 7:45pm. Our night nurse came in and gave me my gown (FYI- the split really does go in the back and there truly is no way to keep your rear end from hanging out). Once I was properly dressed and settled in the bed the nurse set me up on the monitor. I had heard that the monitors were uncomfortable and that most babies really don't like them... well I didn't have a problem with them and neither did Cole. In fact, Cole was so unaffected by the monitors the doctor decided that they needed to stay on. She said there was nothing to worry about - his heartbeat sounded awesome but she wanted to keep monitoring him because usually the
heart rate would react to monitors and contractions by speeding up and/or slowing down. Cole's was just hanging out at a nice 140 all the time. We ended up staying on the monitors until he was born. Not exactly what I had hoped for but only because it sucked to have to call the nurse to unhook me
every time I had to pee!
Dr. Rush came in around 8:30pm to check my progress - I was 1cm and 75% effaced. I was hoping that she'd get a surprised look on her face and say, "Oh my, you are already 4 cm!" or something like that... no such luck. My baby boy, stubborn until the end. Dr. Rush put the Foley bulb in around 9pm - it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world but it was not awful. Once it was placed I felt some cramping and was apparently having contractions but it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle. In fact, most of the time I didn't even notice... probably because I was so hungry! You know how it goes - as soon as you know there's not a bathroom, you have to pee - well since I knew I couldn't have anything to eat, I couldn't think of anything but food. Wyatt and I had eaten Bojangles at 2:30 but that was my "last meal" and by 11pm I was getting cranky. The nurse had put my Hep lock (IV) in my hand and I really didn't like that. Poor Wyatt was starving too but the cafeteria didn't open again until 12am. So... we sat there and watched TV and talked about what was about to happen. Wyatt finally got to get some dinner at 12am and I got an
Ambian - fair trade I think. I got a great night's sleep while Wyatt had to make due on a fold out chair made for a person 1/2 his size.
Thursday morning Dr. Rush came in to check us one last time before her shift ended. We weren't much further than the night before so she went ahead and started the
pitocin. Once that was in the contractions really started to pick up. Wyatt was a big fan of the monitor. At first he would say things like, "Oh here comes one." or "Wow, that's a big one!" After I (politely) told him that I knew when they were coming and I definitely knew when they were "big" he switched to saying things like, "You're halfway through!" and "It's over, great job!" I still couldn't stop his facial expressions though. I knew one was coming because his eyes would get big and his eyebrows would go up. He was so great though. Dr. Smith came in around 8am to say good morning and to check our progress - we were about 3 cm and 100% effaced. He asked if I was going to have an epidural and while the pain was not at all unbearable, I was already getting a little tired and I wanted to have some energy left when it came time to push. I told him that I would like an epidural but I wasn't in a huge hurry. Wyatt's sister is a
CRNA at the same hospital and she was on duty that morning. She was working a case with one of the best anesthesiologists and told him that I was upstairs - he said he'd come up and do the epidural if I wanted. I told my nurse that and she said that Dr. Smith usually does his own epidurals. At first that made me a little nervous but then again, Dr. Smith was my favorite doctor and I trusted him completely. We called Elissa to see what she thought and she said that if it was any other doctor she'd have the anesthesiologist do it, but that Dr. Smith was fantastic. So,
Deanie (my nurse who rocked) set me up with the massive bag of fluid that had to go in before I could get the epidural. At this point my parents and Phoebe had arrived at the hospital and so they were there to witness my "last walk" - it was my last trip to the bathroom before the epidural (and catheter). Another FYI to my fellow pregnant ladies - I would recommend avoiding the mirror after this last bag of fluid has gone in. I thought I was retaining water when I went into the hospital - it got a little worse with the fluids I was given all night but it was gradual. Well, when an entire banana bag of fluid goes in in under an hour... the result is shocking! I was convinced that they'd changed out my mirror as a little joke... that was until I saw pictures later. I had completed my transformation into a chipmunk saving for winter. WOW.
So around 10:30am the fluid was in and I was ready - Dr. Smith came in and I realized that I had
definitely made the right decision having him do the procedure. I was not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over a pillow.
Deanie and Wyatt stood in front of me and held my hands. Dr. Smith told me what to expect before he did anything. Really, the worst part was the numbing agent that he used first! Once everything was in he gave me a test dose and when nothing horrible happened he gave me the goods. I was an instant fan. I could still move and control my legs - it wasn't an all
encompassing numb feeling and I was so thankful for that. It did take away the pains of the contractions and that was awesome. Wyatt and I napped for a little bit.
Deanie had to come in every 30-45 minutes to help me "
whomp" (roll over). The contractions had picked up to every 2-3 minutes but I couldn't feel them. At around 3:30-4pm we were about 6cm and Dr. Smith said that we could expect to
dial ate about 1cm each hour. With my math that put us at 7-8pm before we were going to be pushing. Well, about 15 minutes after that check I started feeling pressure like I had never felt before. I can't say that it was painful at first, just really uncomfortable. I told
Deanie about it and she said that it was a good sign. The pressure just kept getting worse and it was getting to the point of hurting.
Deanie called Dr. Smith and he gave me a booster of the epidural magic. It didn't really do much. By 4:45pm I was really uncomfortable and the contractions were coming every 1-2 minutes. Wyatt was wonderful - holding my hand, telling me when I got to the halfway point, telling me what a great job I was doing, etc. Dr. Smith came in and gave my epidural another boost and this time it really made a difference - I was so excited I gave everyone high fives! 5 minutes later I was unable to stay quiet through the contractions - so much for the epidural boost. At 5pm the pressure was back and nearly unbearable. I was having trouble keeping my body from pushing.
Deanie called Dr. Smith - he came in at 5:15pm to check me and incredibly enough I was at 9.5cm! He said that we needed to wait for that last 1/2 cm but that in 30 minutes we'd be ready to push. He left and 5 minutes later I told
Deanie that I couldn't wait any longer - my body was pushing on it's own and there was nothing I could do to stop it. She called Dr. Smith and he said, "Go ahead and start pushing. I'll be there soon." So with
Deanie holding one leg and Wyatt holding the other, I was finally able to push when the urge struck. Like the books said, it really did feel better to be able to push.
Deanie said at the beginning that we could expect to push for 1-2 hours. Cole and I had other plans. By the 3rd push Wyatt said you could already see his head.
Deanie called Dr. Smith and told him to hurry up. He came in and took one look and said, "Oh wow, I guess we should get the table ready!" I pushed for a grand total of 30 minutes and then Cole was here! The thing I remember the most about that moment is Wyatt's face. I can't describe it but it's a wonderful picture I have in my head. Dr. Smith held Cole up for me to see and then put him on my belly. Wyatt and I were both crying and laughing. Cole still hadn't cried but I knew he was fine. They suctioned his nose and mouth and then he let out 2 little cries and Wyatt and I both lost it. Wyatt got to cut the cord and then they took him over to get wiped off and weighed. He weighed in at 8lbs 7oz - 21 inches - and perfect.
People have asked if the birth experience was what I had expected and I tell them no - because I didn't know what to expect. I had no idea what it was going to be like. All I know now is that it was all worth it. The entire thing from beginning to end - the weight gain, stretch marks, swollen feet, lack of sleep, painful hips, labor pains, birth, etc. - it was all more than worth it. This little guy is the most amazing thing and the fact that Wyatt and I had something to do with him is just mind blowing.
I realize this is crazy long and I'm sure I got some pieces out of order but it's the best I've got. As I told all of my girlfriends though - if you have any questions about the process that I didn't answer please feel free to ask. I'll be as brutally honest as you want me to be.
Oh, and the one thing that stressed me out more than anything else about the labor... it didn't happen!! :)
Love to all,
