yes, she is finally here. due Dec 9, she came 3 days early on Dec 6.
on Wednesday (Dec 2), i went to my 39-week appointment and saw Dr. Vyse, a rather pessimistic woman. she checked my progress and said there was none. i pointed out that the week prior Dr. Bagdan had said i was "thin". Dr. Vyse said no. Still closed, thick, and posterior. She proceeded to strip my membranes.
well you can imagine my disappointment then. i figured Gemma would come later than her due date at this rate.
on Friday evening (Dec 4), i didn't really notice too much, but jesse noticed my contractions had become regular and frequent (about once every 15 minutes or so). up until then, the closest they had been REGULARLY were an hour apart - and that was after my first membrane stripping. i didn't think much of them because they were still quite comfortable. plus, i think i was in denial that she would come before her due date.
that night, we had a terrible blizzard. at about 2:30 AM i woke up to the noisy storm and could not get back to sleep. i tossed and turned in bed for a bit, then came downstairs and did some reading. i began to notice my contractions were 6-8 minutes apart, but still comfortable. still in denial.
i crawled back into bed at around 7 AM and told jesse, who awoke when he heard me come back in. he decided to get up too and we made pancakes.
after breakfast, the contractions became 5 minutes apart, becoming slightly uncomfortable. i could still walk and talk through them, but would definitely have to "breathe" through them.
the doctor had told me to come when the contractions became 3-5 minutes apart regularly for 1 hour.
now i was starting to think she might come today...
at about 11 AM, i decided to take a hot shower and maybe get ready, in case we have to get going. i don't know why, but the shower increased the intensity and frequency of my contractions. i was doubled over in the shower and felt like the entire time i was in there, i just had one LONG contraction.
i came out completely exhausted. contractions were now 2-4 minutes apart, about a minute long. we packed up, drove to the hospital.
*** now, the books will tell you that when you're in transitional phase of labor, your contractions are 2-4 minutes apart, lasting 60-90 seconds long. TRANSITION is when your cervix finishes dilating and your body gets ready to push***
got to the hospital, the nurse Trish assesses me, tells me i'm 1 cm, maybe 70% effaced, but baby is VERY LOW. stay 3 hours. if there is progress, we'll admit you. if not, you can go back home.
3 hours later. Betty comes to assess me. tells me i'm still 1 cm, but the cervix has moved to the anterior position. the choice is mine whether to stay or go. i chose to go home.
now, at this point, i'm in an incredible amount of pain. jesse is telling me to breathe, but i can't hear a word he's saying.
i'm back at home, trying to cope as best as i can. all i can think about is the pain and how it will not go away. the pain was just exhausting. as much as i wanted a pain medication-free delivery, at this point i know there is no way i can last like this.
at 9 pm, i can't take it anymore. we head back to the hospital.
i am examined by Robin. i tell her i want an epidural. she tells me she can't give me one until 4 cm, but i'm only 2-3. she suggests the tub or the shower. thinking back on how the shower magnified my contractions earlier in the day, i choose the tub. she puts an IV port in my hand in case i will need it later with the epidural.
it's the shallowest tub in the history of tubs. plus, it keeps draining because the plug doesn't sit right.
jesse is there the whole time. never leaving my side. i'm screaming and ready to die. i yell at him if he even brushes against the IV port (remember my post about how much i hate IVs??)
about 2 hours later, i get out. Nicole checks me. 3-4 cm, but not quite 4. still can't have the epidural. how bout the shower?
i get in. thank goodness they don't run out of hot water. the shower was rather soothing. i found a repetitive moan that really helped. i sat in there for probably another good 2 hours before i came back out. finally i'm 4 cm. she calls the anesthesiologist. i get back into the shower until he gets there, which is only like 15 minutes. jesse, again, is right by my side, offering me water and comfort.
2:30 AM, dr. Spackman gives me the epidural. a prenatal education student, Sara, is also in the room. i gave permission for her to watch my birth. nice girl. we have a good chat after the epidural.
i feel immensely better. up until now, all i could think about was wanting a break. a break from the pain. a few minutes to sleep. and i got it. i could still feel the pressure of the contractions, but no pain. dr. spackman tells me i can have the epidural at anywhere between 6 and 16 cc/h. he leaves it at 10 and then leaves.
jesse goes to get some rest. i try to get some shut-eye, but the nurse has to keep checking my vitals, so sleeping is easier said than done. i get a brief nap and ask the epidural to be turned down as it makes me feel hot and swollen (even though i'm actually not). she turns it down to an 8.
at 6 AM, Dr. Bagdan checks me and breaks my water. at this point, i'm at 5-6 cm. i am officially the world's slowest dilator. i bounce on the ball for a bit, do a little walking. yes, even with the epidural i can still do it all. Dr. Bagdan hopes that i will have this baby by lunchtime. contractions slow down to every 4 minutes. she warns me that i may have to get pitocin if i continue to dilate so slowly.
even though i can walk and stuff with the epidural, i can't seem to feel the urge or make myself pee. the nurse drains my urine through a catheter and we're both shocked to see the gargantuan amount of urine that comes out. like a liter! i asked the nurse to put my epidural down further to a 7 to see if that will help.
around noon, i start feeling just a little bit of pressure and my pain is coming back because of the low dosage of the epidural. i am checked and am fully dilated with just a lip left of the cervix on the right side. i am encouraged to lie on my right and try to get rid of that lip.
at 1 PM, i still have a bit of that lip, so more positioning to try to get rid of that teeny lip.
at just before 2, i feel like i am going to poop my pants. i do everything i can do "hold it in". my nurse checks me and the lip is gone! i am given the go ahead to push. it took a few tries to get the push right and at this point my epidural was so low that i can feel EVERYTHING. i am screaming as Gemma begins to crown. the 5 nurses, 2 students, and 1 doctor all tell me to push through the pain. my mom is by my head bawling her eyes out because it's so hard for her to see me in so much pain. Jesse tells me "she's got hair" and that encourages me enough to keep at it. i slow down to birth her shoulders and she slips out after that. they put her on my chest. i am completely overwhelmed with emotion and jesse is crying beside me. my mom is crying also. we're all crying.
on Wednesday (Dec 2), i went to my 39-week appointment and saw Dr. Vyse, a rather pessimistic woman. she checked my progress and said there was none. i pointed out that the week prior Dr. Bagdan had said i was "thin". Dr. Vyse said no. Still closed, thick, and posterior. She proceeded to strip my membranes.
well you can imagine my disappointment then. i figured Gemma would come later than her due date at this rate.
on Friday evening (Dec 4), i didn't really notice too much, but jesse noticed my contractions had become regular and frequent (about once every 15 minutes or so). up until then, the closest they had been REGULARLY were an hour apart - and that was after my first membrane stripping. i didn't think much of them because they were still quite comfortable. plus, i think i was in denial that she would come before her due date.
that night, we had a terrible blizzard. at about 2:30 AM i woke up to the noisy storm and could not get back to sleep. i tossed and turned in bed for a bit, then came downstairs and did some reading. i began to notice my contractions were 6-8 minutes apart, but still comfortable. still in denial.
i crawled back into bed at around 7 AM and told jesse, who awoke when he heard me come back in. he decided to get up too and we made pancakes.
after breakfast, the contractions became 5 minutes apart, becoming slightly uncomfortable. i could still walk and talk through them, but would definitely have to "breathe" through them.
the doctor had told me to come when the contractions became 3-5 minutes apart regularly for 1 hour.
now i was starting to think she might come today...
at about 11 AM, i decided to take a hot shower and maybe get ready, in case we have to get going. i don't know why, but the shower increased the intensity and frequency of my contractions. i was doubled over in the shower and felt like the entire time i was in there, i just had one LONG contraction.
i came out completely exhausted. contractions were now 2-4 minutes apart, about a minute long. we packed up, drove to the hospital.
*** now, the books will tell you that when you're in transitional phase of labor, your contractions are 2-4 minutes apart, lasting 60-90 seconds long. TRANSITION is when your cervix finishes dilating and your body gets ready to push***
got to the hospital, the nurse Trish assesses me, tells me i'm 1 cm, maybe 70% effaced, but baby is VERY LOW. stay 3 hours. if there is progress, we'll admit you. if not, you can go back home.
3 hours later. Betty comes to assess me. tells me i'm still 1 cm, but the cervix has moved to the anterior position. the choice is mine whether to stay or go. i chose to go home.
now, at this point, i'm in an incredible amount of pain. jesse is telling me to breathe, but i can't hear a word he's saying.
i'm back at home, trying to cope as best as i can. all i can think about is the pain and how it will not go away. the pain was just exhausting. as much as i wanted a pain medication-free delivery, at this point i know there is no way i can last like this.
at 9 pm, i can't take it anymore. we head back to the hospital.
i am examined by Robin. i tell her i want an epidural. she tells me she can't give me one until 4 cm, but i'm only 2-3. she suggests the tub or the shower. thinking back on how the shower magnified my contractions earlier in the day, i choose the tub. she puts an IV port in my hand in case i will need it later with the epidural.
it's the shallowest tub in the history of tubs. plus, it keeps draining because the plug doesn't sit right.
jesse is there the whole time. never leaving my side. i'm screaming and ready to die. i yell at him if he even brushes against the IV port (remember my post about how much i hate IVs??)
about 2 hours later, i get out. Nicole checks me. 3-4 cm, but not quite 4. still can't have the epidural. how bout the shower?
i get in. thank goodness they don't run out of hot water. the shower was rather soothing. i found a repetitive moan that really helped. i sat in there for probably another good 2 hours before i came back out. finally i'm 4 cm. she calls the anesthesiologist. i get back into the shower until he gets there, which is only like 15 minutes. jesse, again, is right by my side, offering me water and comfort.
2:30 AM, dr. Spackman gives me the epidural. a prenatal education student, Sara, is also in the room. i gave permission for her to watch my birth. nice girl. we have a good chat after the epidural.
i feel immensely better. up until now, all i could think about was wanting a break. a break from the pain. a few minutes to sleep. and i got it. i could still feel the pressure of the contractions, but no pain. dr. spackman tells me i can have the epidural at anywhere between 6 and 16 cc/h. he leaves it at 10 and then leaves.
jesse goes to get some rest. i try to get some shut-eye, but the nurse has to keep checking my vitals, so sleeping is easier said than done. i get a brief nap and ask the epidural to be turned down as it makes me feel hot and swollen (even though i'm actually not). she turns it down to an 8.
at 6 AM, Dr. Bagdan checks me and breaks my water. at this point, i'm at 5-6 cm. i am officially the world's slowest dilator. i bounce on the ball for a bit, do a little walking. yes, even with the epidural i can still do it all. Dr. Bagdan hopes that i will have this baby by lunchtime. contractions slow down to every 4 minutes. she warns me that i may have to get pitocin if i continue to dilate so slowly.
even though i can walk and stuff with the epidural, i can't seem to feel the urge or make myself pee. the nurse drains my urine through a catheter and we're both shocked to see the gargantuan amount of urine that comes out. like a liter! i asked the nurse to put my epidural down further to a 7 to see if that will help.
around noon, i start feeling just a little bit of pressure and my pain is coming back because of the low dosage of the epidural. i am checked and am fully dilated with just a lip left of the cervix on the right side. i am encouraged to lie on my right and try to get rid of that lip.
at 1 PM, i still have a bit of that lip, so more positioning to try to get rid of that teeny lip.
at just before 2, i feel like i am going to poop my pants. i do everything i can do "hold it in". my nurse checks me and the lip is gone! i am given the go ahead to push. it took a few tries to get the push right and at this point my epidural was so low that i can feel EVERYTHING. i am screaming as Gemma begins to crown. the 5 nurses, 2 students, and 1 doctor all tell me to push through the pain. my mom is by my head bawling her eyes out because it's so hard for her to see me in so much pain. Jesse tells me "she's got hair" and that encourages me enough to keep at it. i slow down to birth her shoulders and she slips out after that. they put her on my chest. i am completely overwhelmed with emotion and jesse is crying beside me. my mom is crying also. we're all crying.
