I'm not sure of the date, but in mid June I began to have more warm-up contractions on a fair regular basis, nothing serious, but every day for a few hours.
I worked on Saturday, June 29th and after I got home I wrote out my un-official birth plan, just so I could verbalize it better, after that my husband got home from work and we went to bed. Sometime shortly after laying down I began having contractions, my guess is closer to five minute ones, but I just tried to sleep anyway as I wasn't too worried about them.
We were both tired, so we stayed home from church. I asked my husband what are we going to say next week, and he told me that since I had been having contractions, we were waiting to see if they progressed in to actual labor. Well, not more than a half hour later I started to have two minute contractions that lasted between 45 seconds each! (Yes, we timed these.)
We then called our church to have a couple friends (one is in his residency and knows my doctor) to help confirm if I should call my doctor and to receive a priesthood blessing. We were advised to page my doctor and I received my blessing. After my blessing the contractions slowed to three minutes but lasted 55 seconds. In my blessing I was promised that I would be able to work through the pain, that it would not be more than I could bear.
My doctor said to go ahead onto the hospital. We figured on waiting a few hours; to ensure this was the real thing (I had had a couple false labors w/three minute contractions already . . . I didnt go to the hospital for those, but nonetheless.) We completed a few last minute errands (like packing the hospital bag . . . yeah, I know) and at six in the evening we arrived at the hospital.
Maria, my first nurse, confirmed that I was contracting every three minutes, with 45-60 second long contractions. I was only to 3.5 cm, 70% effaced. Pam was my next nurse and around eleven I was to 4.5 cm, 80% effaced.
As I didn't really sleep Sat night, and this was Sun night, I was getting pretty tired. Around one am I was just past 5 cm and I decided on a small dose of Demoral, which was given in the thigh. My contractions were still three minutes and 45-60 second long.
At three am I was 5.5 cm, 90% effaced. At four I was told I was at 6 cm, and I got another shot, this time a normal dose, as I didn't even feel a difference w/the small one.
Around seven am Nicki, my next nurse, said I was 6 cm (Pam was rough w/her exams and Nicki and I figured she stretched me to get her measurement) and got another dose of Demoral - it helped, but I still hadn't been able to sleep.
At nine my new nurse, Abby, came in (they had gotten busy so they brought over a nurse from postpartum). At ten am I was to 6.5 cm and my doctor was called w/my progress.
My physician said to break my water, hoping to augment my labor. I agreed to this and asked to have an epidural.
I was hoping I wouldn't need one, but based on the success of the Demoral, the fact I was utterly exhausted from two nights with barely any sleep, and knowing that if I was close to transition-which means harder contractions-I decided I need definite relief if I was to be able to push a baby out. The anesthesiologist was very rude and condescending, I actually started crying after she got it started, my husband wanted to slap her.
After an hour (about 1030?) my progress was the same as before, slow- between 6.5 and 7cm, so my doctor was called again.
He said to start the Pitocin, I knew before they broke my water that this would end up happening, which was the main reason why I got the epidural. (about 11?)
Sometime around one Abby checked my progress, and I was at 10 cm, she paged my doctor (he was supposed to get paged at 9, but I progressed quickly). After that Abby brought in all the necessary equipment for the delivery as the doctor arrived, she check my progress again (130pm?) and the baby was nearly to my opening-she showed Hubby and I (me w/a mirror).
When Dr. Scott arrived a new resident, Dr. "Russ", came in to ask permission to observe and assist in the delivery, I agreed-their supervisor Dr. Boss stood at the edge of the room.
Dr. Scott and Dr. "Russ" suited up and Abby and another nurse set up the bed so I could sit up to push. I began pushing at two pm, it was very laid back and the best part of my labor, at 2:12pm our baby arrived. Something kind of funny was that the ears were catching, so it took a little longer. I didn't push the whole time, I only pushed on five or six contractions.
1 comments:
What I did with both kids was write a letter before their birth and then their birth story and sealed it and put it in their baby books. I have NO idea what I wrote. I want them to open them later in life. I also have them saved to my computer and hard drive as well.
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