Anyway, today I wanted to share my birth story with you guys since Courtney is out of town for a baby's birth--isn't it fitting? Sorry it's kind of wordy! If you're not too big on reading birth stories, you could always head over to my blog and see some pictures from the big day (nothing gory, I promise!).
Okay! Here we go.
7:30ish a.m. on Memorial Day- There I was, having maybe the best dream ever. All I remember was I was eating oreos in my brand new mansion. There were trains that brought people to my house because it was so exclusive that I didn't allow cars in the parking lot. So anyway, my butler or whoever was like "WOW! Two trains" and I was all "yup. Double trains." So the wacko starts singing "double trains all across the street. Look at those traaaains."….You know, like the double rainbow song? Um…Yeah. I remember I was laughing pretty hard at him…Then all the sudden I woke up.
So I was like:
"Tyler"
……
……
"Ty?" (I never call him that)
……
TYLER??
……
……
……
T SENN?!
Phew. Finally he heard me and responded to tsenn. So, I told him the whole story. You know, starting with my funny butler and ending with my nose to my panties--All the while, I was still "peeing". I didn't dare to actually say my water broke…Because I didn't want to be THAT girl who went into labor and delivery, only to find out that I just happened to have a never ending pee stream.
He jumped out of bed pretty quickly, while saying he was disappointed he wouldn't be able to sleep in (he was totally joking, FYI)…All while trying to hide that ridiculous smile. Then, he proclaimed "I'm going to be a dad today"…I just laughed at him because, remember? It wasn't REALLY my water. I was just peeing still.
So anyway, we decided to get into the shower and get ready. If I was still "peeing" by the time we were done getting ready, we'd go into the hospital and have me checked.
Sure enough, we got out of the shower and I was still goin'. You'd think at this point I would come right out and be like "yeah, my water broke", but I couldn't. So, I painted my toe nails instead.
9:35 a.m.- We arrived at the hospital. It was pretty weird walking in there all normal and everything. I always pictured myself walking in there with awful contractions. And, there I was with none at all. It was seriously weird.
The front desk lady was really sweet. She seemed so excited for us and was chatting up a storm.
When she found out my middle name was Norma, her face lit up (side story: I changed my middle name to Norma when I was around 10ish. My Grandma was always complaining about how no grand kids were named after her because her name was so ugly. So, I decided to change my middle name to hers because I just loved her so much…I could go on and on about how much I love her…But, we'll save it for another post)…She told me that her mother's name was Norma and that it made her so happy to see that name that she was going to give us the best room in the house. Suite 116.
9:45 a.m.- I was taken back to a "holding room"…Apparently none of the nurses thought I was really in labor because I was so chatty and I wasn't holding a towel between my legs…They didn't want to take me to my room and get my hopes up until they did the test to see if it really was amniotic fluid I was leaking (and not pee)…I held my breath waiting for the paper to change colors. Thankfully, it did and we were officially admitted and on our way to our birthing suite. The room was huge! It felt like I was in some sort of crazy hotel. I loved it.
10:00 a.m.- I met my nurse, Debbi. She was really nice and helped keep everything fun…Despite the fact that she had to insert my I.V. and begin Pitocin. We went over a bunch of hospital info and just sat and chatted. She told me I was her only patient that day and that she was really glad, because we were nice and she wasn't used to that from patients. It made us feel good.
10:30 a.m.- Dr. J. came in and talked to me. We joked about my last appointment and how he told me I only had 1% chance of having a baby before my due date. He told me that I just got lucky and that if my water hadn't broken, I would never be there right then (at this point I was only dilated about a one)… He also inserted the contraction monitor into me, since the one on my stomach wasn't picking any up. While he was down there, he also inserted a heart monitor (which he screw into Eloise's head…so so sad) so that he could keep better track of the baby. He didn't want her to get stressed out since the Pitocin can take a lot out of a gal. He also made sure to tell me to let him know if I heard a hissing noise…He said sometimes when he screws those monitors into baby girl heads, they deflate. Har har har.
So then, I apologized for making him come in on a Holiday. He told me that it was alright because girls aren't smart enough not to come on a Holiday.
His sarcasm really brightened up the mood and it was good to see him. It made everything seem more real. Not completely real, though. Because I still couldn't believe I was there right then. He estimated that baby girl would be here by 7:30 or 8. Of course, I didn't believe that either.
1:00 p.m.- I remember going to the bathroom with Tyler's help, and just crying on the toilet that I wanted to go home and that I couldn't handle the contractions anymore. He told me I was strong and that he knew I could do it. I was so frustrated because even with all the contractions, I was only dilated to a 3 still. I felt like things were going pretty slowly and I wanted out. Apparently, when you're in labor they don't just let you go home, though. Dang it. So, I got an epidural.
I was terrified. I think that of all things birth related…The thought of getting an epidural scared me the most. But, after all those painful Pitocin contractions I just couldn't give birth without one. I couldn't.
The anesthesiologist came in and was a really big jerk. No time for small talk, apparently (and Tyler and I are the BEST at small talk)…He just wanted to get in and get out and be on his way.
The epidural wasn't too bad. I thought it would be a lot more painful than it was…. It just really freaked me out having a tube in my back. Thankfully, the medicine started working quickly and I was pain free for the rest of the labor and delivery.
3:30 p.m.- Still at a 3. I was so frustrated. Debbi made sure to tell me that the first 4 centimeters take "FOUR-ever" and not to worry.
4:25 p.m.- Dr. J called and announced he was going to a movie since I was going so slow. Debbi told us that she hoped he jinxed himself and that I proved him wrong and had the baby while he was in the movie.
…It didn't happen.
5:30 p.m.- I was finally making some progress. I was 5 1/2 cm dilated. Phew.
6:00 p.m.- Time for a shift change. I wanted to cry saying bye to Debbi. She was so wonderful. My new nurse, Suzie sort of sucked. Thankfully, she had a student nurse with her (Zandy) who handled all my care from then on. I LOVED Zandy.
Before Debbi left, she asked me if she could bring anything for me tomorrow (she said she called dibs on having us the next day)…I told her I really wanted a Bologna sandwich. She thought it was weird, but said okay. Then, her and Suzie sang the Oscar Meyer Wiener song. All I could think was "umm…Is this real life?"
They also had me lay on my side because Eloise was getting a little stressed out and her heart rate was dipping a lot with each contraction. I tried not to cry, but I was so worried about my girl.
7:00 p.m.- I asked to be checked because I just wanted to hear I was at a 7. I think, in my head, I thought that a 7 meant a baby would really be coming. So, they came in and checked me. Things went silent. Then, the nurse said "call doctor Judd. Now. She is completely dilated"
I looked at Tyler and he looked completely excited. Me, on the other hand? Not so much. I was overcome with emotion. I was terrified. I was exhausted. I felt every emotion in the book. So, I finally let myself cry. It felt good to get everything out. Finally, this whole labor and delivery thing felt real. I was going to have a baby.
7:30 p.m.- They told me that Dr. J wanted me to just lay there for a bit and "rest and descend" to help Eloise get into a better position. They told me this would take about two hours. In the mean time, I was put on Oxygen to help Eloise stay calm in there.
I don't remember much about what went on after this. Everything was just kind of a blur. I remember a nurse coming in and setting up the room for delivery. It was so weird to see how much prep needed to go on in order for me to start pushing. I also remember that The Bachelorette was on in the background and everyone (even nurses) were watching it. I was bugged because I couldn't see the TV (I was still on my side) and had no idea what was going on.
7:55 p.m.- I was checked again and told that pushing needed to begin now. I wasn't expecting that. They hurried and broke away my bed (it was the weirdest thing) and turned it into a delivery bed. All I remember saying was "I'm too tired for this"…But, apparently being tired doesn't let you out of pushing.
8:00 p.m.- Dr. J came in the room and checked me again…Just to make sure. He gasped and said "Look at this hair!" So, everyone rushed to look at my lady parts. Apparently, her head was right at the opening and all you could see was a lock of hair in a curl sticking out. Dr. J got all giggly and said it was the cutest thing he had ever seen.
8:05 p.m.- I began pushing. It was weird. I knew I was pushing but I couldn't feel anything. I watched Tyler's face in anticipation. He looked so amazed and so happy.
8:12 p.m.- I continued pushing and suddenly heard a little faint cry from Eloise (I also heard a HUGE cry from my mom)… Tyler's face lit up and it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. He looked so proud. I looked between my legs, and saw her hand pop up like she was waving "hey mom!"…That's when I cried. She was here. She was really here and I couldn't believe it. Plus, I didn't even poop on the table, so that was an added bonus.
I love this story! Today is my sister Valerie's due date, so what better to share than a birth story?! :) Erika thank you so much for sharing your story with us. :)
