Friday, January 20, 2012 ~ Labor & Delivery

Finally at around 12:30 am I couldn’t take it anymore. My hips/tailbone were aching from sitting in that hard bed. I got out of the bed and stood there, with the alarms going off (not caring!) and when it woke Tim up I told him I needed to stand & walk around or I was going to go out of my mind. The nurse came in as a result of the alarm and I told her the same thing.  Fortunately they have a wireless monitor and allowed me to walk the halls and they could monitor me that way.  

There wasn’t anyone on the floor besides us which was nice. When we first were admitted there was a couple there but they were sent home because they weren’t in active labor.  We walked ‘laps’ slowly on that floor.  I wasn’t in pain, just a lot of discomfort down low, more like pressure.  On the fourth lap around the nurse’s station the charge nurse said, “Are you feeling those contractions, girl?”.  I told her no.  She said I could do one more lap then I needed to get back in my room so they could check me. 

I was surprised to learn my contractions were now consistent - approximately 2-4 minutes apart and I was dilated to 4 cm, 75% effaced and still -2 station. Approx. 2:30 am the nurse removed the Cervidil due to hyperstimulation. Basically the Cervidil put me into labor and had to be removed because it could “wear out” my uterus. I remember her saying they wanted to monitor me and have me hooked up to IV fluids (go through 2 bags of fluid) before the epidural was placed. The nurse asked me what I wanted to do (ask for the epidural or wait). It was hard to know what to do at that point because I really wasn’t in pain but I wasn’t sure when my body would be ready to have the baby and didn’t want to risk it and be in pain in case I progressed quickly. Since I was already at 4 cm I decided to request it.

At approx. 3:00 am I received the epidural.  It didn’t hurt, just like the first time I had one (with Sofia). It was just a strange feeling in my back, small ‘sting’ and coolness when the drug started coming in. The only part that really hurt was taking the tape off my back. The drugs went to my right side first and slowly went to my left. The nurse checked me again and I was at 5 cm, 90% effaced and -1 station. I was glad I opted for the epidural when I did just because it takes some time to have the anesthesiologist go over everything, sign consent forms, etc.  Then it was just a waiting game.

At approx. 6:00 am the nurse checked me again and I was still 5 cm, 90% effaced. She called my Dr. to see if they could start the pitocin. He gave the OK and it was started. This meant I could no longer have breakfast. So while Tim ate his tasty omelet & hash browns I was offered an Italian ice. It was better than nothing!

At approx. 7:00 am my Dr. arrived to break my water. I was still at 90% effacement at that point.  He was only there briefly and had to make rounds at other hospitals so he left. I expected my water to gush out like it did with Sofia but it didn’t.  It was a very slow trickle...until about 15 minutes later and I heard a loud splash on the floor. At first I was confused as to what I was hearing until I realized it was my water! It gushed through the bed and onto the floor below me! We called the nurse in right away and she started cleaning it up. Poor girl just started her shift (shift change was at 7:00 am so I now had a different nurse).  We joked with her that was a “fun” way for her to start her day. 

At approx. 9:00 am I was checked again and was at 8 cm, 95% effaced. At this point the epidural still hadn’t taken full effect on my left side.  My right side was numb as could be but I could still feel on my left. The contractions started hurting me on my left, especially in my lower back. I started getting nervous and had a small headache from the pain. The nurse helped adjust me with pillows several times in attempt to help move the drugs to my left side. It wasn’t doing anything until finally I asked if I could turn my body completely on my left side.  That was the solution that did the trick. It wasn’t long before the pain subsided and I felt more comfortable. I could still feel touch and contractions but the pain was gone.

It was sometime around 9:45 - 10:00 am that I was at 10 cm and started pushing. By now, a second nurse, Mary, came in. She would tend to the baby when she was born but was there for the duration of my pushing.  Mary is the nurse who took great care of me after delivering Sofia.  We’ve kept in touch and I requested to have her there if possible. Both nurses thought it wouldn’t take long for me to push this baby out and my Dr. was called. I really had that feeling like she was coming out because she was so low and because of all the pressure. I did several pushes but baby wasn’t coming out as quickly as they originally thought she would. My Dr. came in for a few pushes but then left for a bit because he knew it would take a little more time. The nurse asked if I’d like to have a mirror to see and at first I wasn’t sure (it wasn’t in my ‘birth plan’) but I said sure, why not. While it was kind of gross seeing what I saw at first it was also fascinating and ultimately very cool to see our baby girl coming into the world. The mirror helped me focus and see my progress.  At first I tried the typical pushing position (hands pulling back my legs) but that wasn’t doing the trick. I remembered from pushing out Sofia that we tried the “tug-of-war” tactic with a sheet so we tried that but it wasn’t doing a whole lot either.  

What ended up working the best was using the handle bars (not the side rails of the bed; these were bars that stuck up vertically near the end of the bed). I would later have some pretty sore arm muscles but that did the trick. I watched as her head slowly appeared and then everything happened so fast. Before I knew it, at 10:49 am she was on my belly instead of in it! Tim took several photos and after the delayed cord clamping (once it stopped pulsing) he cut the cord. I remember saying hi to her and seeing her try to raise her head to look up at me. It was so cool to have her recognize my voice.  

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

She was crying but there was fluid that needed further suctioning so they whisked her over to the warming bed and cleaned her up, did APGAR tests (I overheard her score was 6 then 8), did foot prints, measurements and weighed her. She was 6 lb, 12 oz, 20 3/4 in. Tim continued to take photos while they finished up with me. I did tear again (2nd degree, just like with Sofia).  I wasn’t too concerned because remembering back on it, that wasn’t too painful before. 

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

I just cried.  It was a mixture of happy tears for baby Rose and sad tears for baby Sofia. There were many similarities with the two births but one major difference in the outcome. This time our baby was alive. The two girls were very close in size (Sofia was 6 lb 11 oz) and although Sofia had much more, they both had dark hair at birth. At one point Tim came over to me because of my crying and asked if I was OK. I said yes, go and be with Rose.  It was like finally letting go of the breath I held for all those months wondering if we’d have a living baby at the end. There were happy tears in there but mostly they were more from the sense of relief I had. 

After Rose was cleaned up and wrapped in her blanket they brought her to me for “skin to skin” time and so I could attempt breast feeding. I was happily surprised at how quickly she figured it out.  The nurses gave me a few tips on ensuring a good latch and from then on it was easy!

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

Nurse, Mary & my Dr., Dr. Bossert ~ they helped me get to this point!!

From Our Rainbow

Within a couple hours we had family visit along with my best friend. While they held Rose, my priority was LUNCH! I hadn’t eaten since the night before and by this time (around 12:30 pm) I was starving. I stuffed my face and eventually we were moved to another room.  We had a cart full of stuff and had to make a couple trips. They wheeled me in a wheel chair, Rose in her hospital bassinet. 


Stuffing my face while Tim adores his newest girl :)

From Our Rainbow

From Our Rainbow

We did it! I look super- swollen face, messy hair but who cares, we have a baby!

From Our Rainbow

Later in the evening Rose had her first bath in the hospital. She cried, we laughed at how cute she sounded. She smelled so good.

From Our Rainbow

We had more family & friends stop for a visit that night.  

One of my fears was not being able to urinate because with Sofia I was sent home with a catheter for a week and ended up having to self-cath a few times. It didn’t help that the nurse stood there while I tried to go. She left the room but after a couple tries I ended up needing a straight catheter because my bladder was so full. Fortunately, the next time I tried going on my own & succeeded. Whew. The little things! That was seriously a big relief. 

From Our Rainbow

The hours in the day went so fast that it hardly sank in that we had our baby.  It was surreal. We were loving every second and watched every funny face she made. We both commented to each other how sad it was that we never had these moments with Sofia. More tears were shed. We already knew what we missed out on with Sofia but it was magnified even more having her sister - who looks just like her - experiencing all the exciting “firsts”. I think this is something we will struggle with forever.