Wednesday 12 March 2014

Welcoming Baby - Part 1

I don't even know where to begin to fill you in on what has been happening to me and my family for the past few weeks. Life has been a whirlwind of emotions and stresses and amazing blessings. 

It all started nearly a month ago when I woke up in the morning feeling the pain of contractions and they were already at regular intervals. I had a doctors appointment scheduled for later that day but I was hopeful that I would be heading in to the hospital to deliver my little one instead.  I gave my mom a quick call to let her know that it seemed like things were starting.  

As I began my day and started to get ready to head to the doctors office, my contractions stopped. I was more than frustrated. I was hopeful though, that the doctor would at least tell me that I was progressing and that things had started.  The doctor was kind and said that likely I was right and that things had started. "Your labours normally progress pretty quickly after a slow start," he said as encouragingly as he could. 

Shortly after my doctors appointment my parents arrived. They spent the day with us and we had a lovely time. But, to my further frustration, things never really got started again. My parents went home, though they were both concerned that they would leave and then things would begin and they would miss it. 

This starting and stopping went on for days. Then it just stopped all together and I felt totally normal. Tired and cranky, but normal. 

My doctor scheduled an induction for February 18th, 9 days after my due date.   I hoped and prayed that I wouldn't make it to the induction, and that our baby would make her appearance beforehand. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7

I tried to cling to this verse but honestly, I failed.  The night before the induction I lost it. My poor husband.  He did his best to console me and try to bring me back to sanity, but I was freaking out about everything. I was terrified.  

I have been induced before, with Little A, and it was horrible.  Thankfully, with Little A, my body took over since I was already in early stages of labor on my own (the doctors decided to induce anyway to hurry things along). 

This time, I knew what to expect, and I was not excited.  I was lying in bed sobbing.  I was afraid that they would start the induction (they often use a drug put directly on your cervix (thats what they did with Little A)) but that it wouldn't work the same and I would spend the entire day in the hospital to have nothing happen.  Then they would start again the next day with an IV drip of pitocin, which I have been told is horribly painful. Most women who are induced end up in so much pain that it makes even the most die hard natural labour fan choose an epidural.  

And, I am terrified of epidurals!

In my downward spiral of freaking out from fear, the next step from being induced is an epidural, and the next step after an epidural is a c-section. And, for me, the only thing scarier than an epidural is a c-section (I have never broken any bones, or had any surgeries, the only time I have ever been in a hospital is for delivering my babies). 

Anyway, after loosing my marbles before bed, I fell asleep with a tear soaked pillow and tossed and turned the whole night. 

The induction was set for 7:30 February 18th.  That morning, my son woke up crying for me at 5:00 and after that I could not get to sleep again.  

We went to the hospital and were taken to our room that we would be in for the next few days.  We then had to sit and wait for the OB/GYN to show up to get things started.   He came by 9:30, stuck the induction stuff in and then left.    I was then hooked up to a monitor for a few hours to make sure my body didn't react badly to the medication.  
The top is the baby, the black thick
lines are her movements, and the
bottom is my contractions.

The monitor measures my contractions, the baby's movements, and the baby's heart rate.  After the first 2 hours of monitoring, I was allowed to walk the halls and sit in my room. They hooked me back up to the monitor about every 45 minutes for 20 minutes or more. It was incredibly boring. 

With Little A, my induction started at 9 and I had her by 4.  So that was what I was hoping would happen.  It did not.  

I sat and walked and then was monitored, sat and walked and then was monitored.  And I was only allowed to have clear fluids, so I drank water and ate jello and popsicles. It was a very long day. Hubby was entertained by the Olympics on the 8 inch television and we tried to nap and play card games. 













Finally around 4 o'clock my doctor came to check on me.  I knew what he was going to say.  I had been having barely any contractions all morning so I figured, likely nothing was happening.  
This is what happened to my contractions
 right after the doctor adjusted things
His response actually surprised me. Apparently the medication they had put in that morning wasn't working, it had shifted and wasn't in the right spot.  He adjusted things, said he would be back at 9 to break my water and then left. 

After he adjusted the medication, my contractions became much more consistent and painful.  There was a constant pain in my cervix that didn't let up between contractions. I was finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe now that things were actually in the right spots, my labor would take off like with Little A and I would have my precious baby in my arms before midnight.  I was very hopeful. 


At 7, my hopes were dashed.   A very grumpy nurse barged into the room and told me she was going to check me. She was short with me and very gruff.  She checked said I had barely changed since my doctor had checked and that if I didn't progress more by the time she came back in half an hour she would take out the medication and not let me continue. 

She came back in a very short half hour, checked me and aggressively pulled out the medication. 
I was shocked and kind of angry.  I told her that my doctor said he would be back by nine to break my water and I asked what he said about taking out the medication.  Her response was, " I don't care. I just had four women come in in labour and I don't have enough beds for them let alone you. So we will be stopping wether he wants to or not."  She told me I would likely have a few more contractions but that I was not in real labor so I should just stop and go to sleep, they would start again tomorrow. Then she was gone. 

I was heart broken. I did not want to have had that whole day of being in the stupid hospital be for nothing.  I was starving so I sent Hubby home to grab some food for me and to have some himself.  While he was gone my frustration with the grumpy nurse increased.  I decided that I didn't care if she wanted me to or not, I was going to have my baby tonight. I was going to prove her wrong.   

So I started walking the halls hoping that she wouldn't come out and get after me and when I was back in my room I would squat and get into labor progressing positions.  I did whatever I could think of to keep my labour progressing.  



Now I must go, My adorable little girl is no longer sleeping. 

TO BE CONTINUED....

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