I knew things were really getting started when I felt a little fluid leak out at around 11:00 pm on May 3rd. I remember it so clearly because the 11 o'clock news had just come on, and as I sat down on the couch, I felt a trickle of wetness. Initially, I wondered if I'd only peed a little, but as I came back into the living room, I felt more wetness. I went upstairs to try and get some sleep before things really swung into action. As I crawled into bed, I hinted to Shane that things might be underway, but he was still 90% asleep and I don't think it really registered. Unlike Shane, sleep for me just wasn't possible! I was way too excited and began worrying myself with all of the little tasks I still had to do before leaving for the hospital. Small, inconsistent contractions started and I think I napped off and on for about 2 hours before abandoning the sleep mission and got started on the list that was stuck in my head:
* Take a shower, so I'm not a stinky patient
* Finish packing mine & Felicity's things
* Gather necessary paperwork
* Clean the living room and kitchen, since I don't want to come home to a mess
I was still questioning if this was really an amniotic fluid leak, so I did some research on the internet and found that amniotic fluid has white 'flakes' in it, which is the vernix. When I went to the bathroom, not only did I see white flakes, but there were a few little red particles! So I definitely had a leak AND some bloody show. The contractions were coming a little more consistently, but nothing terribly uncomfortable.
At around 6:00 AM on May 4th, I called my mom because there had been an on-going joke between us (mainly on her part... frankly, I was getting sick of it!) about making sure to call her when my water broke. Statistics show that only about 20% of pregnant women experience natural membrane rupture. I always chuckled at my mom, because my water had to be broken with Lorelai, and considering the 20% statistic, I didn't figure it would happen this time around, either. Granted, it hadn't COMPLETELY broken (yet), but it was still ruptured.
So, anyway, mom came over to sit with me and time my contractions and we got about 2 hours worth of 'data.' I ran upstairs to wake Shane up once I realized the contractions were becoming stronger and more frequent. At about 8:30, I finally called my doctor because the contractions had become about 6-8 minutes apart. They told me to come on into the office so they could check me out. I finished packing my hospital bag and did a few last-minute preparations, just in case we didn't get a chance to come back home. Once we got to the office, she did a ph test and confirmed that I was leaking amniotic fluid, and that I was now 3cm dilated and 100% effaced. She told me to go ahead on to the hospital.
We didn't go straight to the hospital. I remembered that with Lorelai, things kind of slowed down once we got to the hospital, and that's when she had to break my water for me, to get things progressing. I didn't want to have any interference this time, so we came back home to grab a few things we'd forgotten in the rush earlier that morning. We also nested - cleaning and straightening things up so we didn't have to mess with it once we brought the baby home. I could tell the contractions were starting to get a little stronger, so finally at about 11:15, we left for the hospital. We stopped by to kiss and hug Lorelai, since it might be a few days before we saw her next.
At 11:30 AM, as we were pulling into the parking deck for the Birthing Center, I felt (and I could have sworn I even HEARD) a popping, followed by a slow, steady leak of amniotic fluid. It was the strangest sensation! And rather uncomfortable - we had a reasonable trek from the truck to the birthing center, and with each step, a little more would leak out. Of course, we had no towel with us, so my pajama bottoms were the only source of absorption. My pajama bottoms were so saturated, that the fluid just started dripping down my legs onto my flip-flops. Once we finally got inside the birthing center, they took my name and my insurance information and told me to wait in the lobby. All I wanted to do was take my pants off and now they wanted me to SIT and marinate in my amniotic fluid-soaked pants! Luckily, they gave me one of those waterproof liners to sit on, because about one minute later, at about 11:45 AM, my water really BROKE. As I sat in the chair, the fluid just gushed out, and the waterproof pad actually started to overflow onto the floor. It took me by complete surprise, because I thought my water had already broken while we were in the truck, but I was wrong. I started laughing a little hysterically after that, and my legs started shaking. This was it - no turning back now - we were going to have another baby!
They finally came and got me out of the lobby to take me to the triage room, to determine if I was really in labor. DUH! My water just broke all over your lobby floor... what do you think? We went through all sorts of medical questions - last surgery? allergic to anything? family history of this and that? when did you eat last? when did you drink last? blah blah blah... We discussed my preference for a natural childbirth and the need for an IV prior to delivery. She said they'd be doing bloodwork pre-delivery, and I would need an IV post-delivery, so it was my choice whether I wanted to be stuck once or twice. Considering my dislike of needles, I opted to only be stuck once. As much as I hate that thing being stuck on my hand like that, I dislike the needle anxiety even more. Meanwhile, my contractions got A LOT more intense, and I could not talk through them, even had to do heavy breathing to prevent myself from tensing up. They told me they were getting a room cleaned for me and would be moving me to a room shortly.
At around 12:20, my mom and Angelica showed up in the triage room. I knew she was hoping to come, but I didn't think it would be so soon! She put Lorelai down for a nap and came immediately. I vaguely remember their arrival, because the contractions were getting so strong. Not long after, I started feeling nauseous. This surprised me, because I remembered this nauseous feeling from my labor with Lorelai, and knew it was transition... and I was still in THE TRIAGE ROOM! The nurse came in and said the room was almost ready. My mom told the nurse that I probably wouldn't last until the room was ready. According to my mom, the nurse looked at my mom like she was crazy and asked how far dilated I was. I informed her that nobody had checked me since 8:30 AM, when I was at the doctors office. At that point, I told everyone that I had the urge to push and the nurse said she needed to check me. With this urge to push, the last thing I wanted was someone trying to stick her fingers inside me! I remember saying, "No, No, No," but I knew she had to check my cervix. I had finally dilated to 8cm, and the race was on.
I remember things got hectic and frantic at that point. They didn't even get a chance to do my bloodwork or finish all of the paperwork. Everyone scrambled to wheel me to a room (I don't think it was ready for me just yet). The whole way there, I kept chanting out loud, "Don't push! Don't push!" I had to do the same thing with Lorelai, until I was a complete 10. For some reason, my body hits 'push mode' at 8 cm. We got to the room at about 12:40 and they had me roll over from the bed that came from the triage room, into the bed in the birth room. I think it was even during a contraction, which made the entire task way more complicated than normal. The nurse checked me and said I was complete except for a small spot of the cervix and said that it was so little that I could probably push through it. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but when she told me I could push, I told her, "I don't want to push." I think I was scared of the pain, but soon enough, my body took over and there was no way to stop this child from coming out.
At approximately 12:55, I pushed really well and they called Dr. Moody in for delivery. They let me push at my own pace, which is different than Lorelai's delivery, where they coached and instructed me when, and for how long, to push. This time, they just let me push when I felt the urge, and didn't force me to push any more than my body naturally wanted to. I pushed through 2 or 3 contractions and Felicity was born at 1:08 p.m., weighing in at 7lbs. 10 oz., 21" long and Apgar scores of 8 and 9. She came so fast that her little head bruised.
Funny thing - my mom was able to put Lorelai down for a nap, drive to the hospital for Felicity's birth, and return home before Lorelai woke up from her nap! :-) Talk about a fast delivery!
Again, I managed through another natural childbirth. No drugs, no medications. It's very empowering to know that my body is capable of performing so well under such pressure. Normally, I'm such a baby (come on! A fear of needles, yet I'm perfectly content with a natural childbirth?!?), so I'm proud of my inner strength.
I also couldn't have done it without Shane - just like last time, he was there as a secondary backbone, providing me with love and support. He even had to get me refocused at one point, because I was concentrating on the pain instead of the process. He kind of had to chastise me to get me back on track. And thank goodness for his hands... I'm surprised I didn't break them as I squeezed and panted through the contractions.
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