Birth Story..long one...

So, in hindsight, I can actually say that labor began at 2:00am on a Saturday morning. I woke up to contractions, and I couldn't sleep. They were coming every 5 minutes or so. I was excited because the previous two nights (Wednesday and Thursday) I had shoved evening primr.ose oil up my vag and Friday morning at my weekly OB check, she "irritated" my cervix a bit. At that appointment, though, I was only 2 cm and 60% effaced, so no progress from the previous weeks. Anyway, contractions coming that night were welcomed.

All day Saturday, I contracted every 5 minutes. Hubs stayed home from work. People were called to be on standby for A in case we had to jet to the hospital. The day was moving; however, around 5pm the contractions died down. We called off the troupes, called the doula, and went about our evening. I was still contracting, but not as regularly. Until later that night. Again, couldn't sleep, contracting every 5 minutes, sweating my ass off, major headaches. Bleah! When Sunday morning came around, I was tired and bitchy. Hubs went to work at my insistence, and once I put A down for his noon nap, I went to lie down. I couldn't sleep, but when A woke up I noticed I was sweating again and took my temp--101 degree fever. I paged the OB--I started freaking out that there was something wrong. I had headaches and fever and was feeling like total crap. Hubs hurried home to watch A while I went to L&D to get monitored. However, after 30 minutes, baby looked great on the monitors, my BP was fine, and yes, I was contracting every 5 minutes. When I was examined, I was 2 cm and 60% effaced--STILL! I was told to go home and that this prodromal labor could take days. Ugh

I got home and was bummed. At this point, I had been laboring for, oh, like 36 hours. WTF? So we tried to have a relaxing evening at home and went about our business. But, y'all, for real---I was bent over and breathing through every contraction. I totally could handle it, and my plan was to labor as much as I could at home before going to the hospital. Again, in hindsight, this was the real thing; however, at this point I believed I was in false labor.

Again, no sleep Sunday night into Monday, contracting, blah blah blah. You get the picture. Around 9am, my OB calls to check on me. I tell her still the same, sweating and headaches and contractions. She said I could come in to be checked. I declined. The day began. Hubs had to go to work on Monday, and I was feeling super bitchy and so tired and I was in no position to care for A solely, so we called the babysitter and she agreed to come by at 2:00pm when A woke from his nap. So the plan was for hubs to go to work at noon and the sitter to come at 2:00. I could labor on my own and not have to worry about A's care.

That was the plan for the week.

Ha!

Well, right before hubs was going to leave and right after he put A down for a nap, he came into the bedroom. He sat on the glider and said "I'm going to start timing these contractions." Next thing I know it's been almost an hour, and he's telling me they are between 3-4 minutes apart. I yell at him something like "No shit." I am getting cranky. And irritated with him. So I tell him to have sex with me. HA! For real, I figured that it might help with the labor to irritate the cervix. So we did it, and next thing I knew I saw my mucous plug and bloody show. YAH!!!!

Now it's like 1:00pm, and I go back to my little corner of the room with my IPOD and birthing ball and labor. For the record, I am waiting for contractions that were like the ones I had with A--those major hard contractions---and I wasn't feeling them. I was contracting harder and it was hurting more, but in no way similar to the contractions I had with A when I was induced. I was still in denial that this baby was coming. I insisted that hubs go to work. He said he'd stick around until the sitter got there. Fine.

Sitter arrived. 2:00pm.
Things get more intense. I am still in denial. Meanwhile, hubs had called the doula (I find this out later). And he stayed home from work.

Around 3:15-3:30, a friend was planning to drop off a baby swing. When I heard the dog barking loudly, I knew she was here and yelled at hubs to go bring the dog in and get the swing from my friend. He comes back into the bedroom, tells me that she said hi, and that the swing was so nice. I said "Genia (my friend) is my angel," then a major contraction hit and I felt a pop during the contraction. My water broke! what what?

Shit, I thought. I am GBS positive and need to get an IV of antibiotics. Shit, I thought. This is really happening. So it took about 15 minutes to get out of the door. I kept sending hubs to the car with crap--first the suitcase, then the yoga mat and birthing ball, then I told him to have the sitter move her and A to the side of the house so A wouldn't see me leave and see me in pain. Cause it was hurting now (but again, no where near the pain I felt when I was induced). Then I sent him back to the car to put a bag on the seat so I wouldn't get it wet. Then I recited the doctor's phone number and told him to call her and tell her we were on the way, water bag broken and all.

The hospital is about a mile away, so we were off.

And dang, contractions in a car seemed to hurt more. And there it was---what everyone says crowning feels like--in the car, I felt like I had to poop! I kept saying "I gotta poo!" and hubs kept saying "Don't push." In hindsight, I imagine this would have been pretty funny to witness: me all "I hafta pooooooo"

Anyway, parked the car. I insisted on walking to L&D because sitting in a wheelchair seemed like the worse of the two options. By the time I got to L&D front desk, I had to push right then, but thankfully my doula was there to meet us and explained that I needed to wait. It was a dreadful walk to my room, but I made it there, crawled onto the bed, and on all fours, I began pushing. My dress was still on, as were my shoes. I don't know how my underwear came off, but it did. No time for an IV . No time for "checking in" and armbands and all. The room was flooding with nurses and the staff doctor. And man, those final contractions hurt. However, there was always a reprieve---the contraction would end, and the pain would be gone. Amazing, really.

Finally, my OB walks in, holds out her hands, and I pushed the baby's head out. He was born at 4:24pm, approximately 15 minutes after I arrived at L&D. 8lb 4oz, 21 inches.

And once he was out, I was turned around to sit on the bed; I looked at hubs and said "Did this just happen?" He said "It's another boy!"

 

Anyway, he was placed on my chest, and thankfully my doula and hubs were able to vocalize that we wanted skin to skin for as long as possible. So I was sewed up (small tear) and then everyone left the room. For like 2 hours, we just were there, the three of us (well, and the doula). Baby boy checked out fine in his apgars, and because of the lack of IV for GBS, we would have to stay for 48 hours to monitor him. Thankfully, he's OK. I was so worried for the first week--it was not my intention to not have that IV antibiotics!!

 

So that's all, really. The first day I was just in complete shock that it happened, and in spite of the fact I had been in labor since 2:00am Saturday morning, the whole process seemed fast--the pain part, at least. I am so glad hubs didn't go to work Monday, because I am pretty sure the baby would have been born at home. I am so thankful that it all went well.

 

And most importantly, he's healthy, and he's a good baby! He rarely complains, and so far has shown no signs of any issues with my milk (MSPI) like it was for A. My recovery was speedy--I swear I felt like a million bucks by Saturday.

 

So that's it! Hubs is back to work, and the real work is happening now--A is having a hard time sharing me, and I am having a hard time trying to get it all done. I am trying my best to be patient and to get A involved in as much as possible, but he's jealous and is acting out, especially when I am nursing. I am sure it will get better.

 

Cheers, y'all!