not long after getting settled in our room, my mom arrived with my step-dad. because i was so vocal during my contractions, i was concerned they were going to be worried about me and the pain i was enduring, so i kept apologizing, something i did pretty frequently throughout the entire labor and delivery process.
the snow was falling and the roads were getting bad, so my mom ended up being the only other person to be at the hospital for the labor and delivery, since my step-dad was able to drop her off before he had to go to work and plow snow for the rest of the night. my original plan was to only have andy and my sister with me in the room for labor and delivery, but since my mom would be alone in the waiting room for who knew how long, she stayed in the room. my original plan didn't include my mom because i didn't want her to show any emotion, be scared, worried, etc. and me see it on her face. however, she did well, and honestly i didn't realize she was in the room the whole time. my focus was else where i guess!
andy and i, right after a contraction, before jumping in the tub.
as i continued to battle the back labor, our nurse suggested getting in the bath tub and put the jets on to help with the pain. boy, was she spot on. sitting in the tub was definitely my saving grace. andy sat in the tub with me on a seat that folded down behind me. from the time we got to our room up until four hours later, he sat in the steamy room as i clenched his hands and cried during the contractions, encouraging me through each and every one. the poor guy was drenched in sweat since he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt the whole time.
we took a break at about 4 am from the tub, so gae could check my progress again. i was now 7 cm. but the minute i was out of the tub the contractions felt more intense, so after my exam, i jumped right back in the tub.
i sat in the tub for only a few more minutes before the pain just became too much. with hesitation and fear, i suggested getting an epidural to andy, my sister and my nurse. i wanted to do it as natural as possible, but the more intense the contractions became, the closer they were together, i just felt more and more exhausted. i knew i needed a little rest to get through pushing, so an epidural just felt like the right decision.
to get the epidural, i would need to get out of the tub and start on an iv, which meant no relief for about 15 minutes until the epidural could be done. it felt like an E T E R N I T Y. with each contraction i yelled for andy to "squeeze me!" he did his job so well!
i was so afraid of the epidural, so when the time came to finally get it, i cried and squeezed my nurse's and andy's hands while my sister and mom stood close by for support as well. the anesthesiologist wasn't the friendliest guy on the planet, so he didn't really make me feel at ease about getting a giant needle put in my spine. i asked him to tell me when he was going to place it, but he ignored my request and did it without warning, making me jump. once it was placed, i waited for the strange feeling of numbness to begin.
it wasn't too long and my contractions became more and more faint. then my left leg was jello. but my right leg was unfazed. since i couldn't feel the pain of the contractions anymore, it wasn't a huge deal in the big scheme of things. i finally had a little relief. and so did my support team.
because andy was so exhausted, i told him to lay down for a little. it wasn't long till both he and my mom were dozing off. my sister stayed awake with me, since i didn't want to be entirely alone and needed someone close by me at all times. i knew i should get a little sleep myself, but i just couldn't knowing i would meet my baby soon. so, my sister turned the tv on for me. and when she asked what i wanted on, you know i said disney channel without skipping a beat. and it was awesome, even stevens was on and it made me relax and not think about the pushing part i knew would be coming soon.
at about 6 am my nurse and gae came in to check my progress again. i knew i had to be close to fully dialated because the contractions were big and closer together. and even though i couldn't feel the pain, i could slightly feel them happening each time. i was at almost 10 cm, and since my water hadn't broken yet, gae decided to do it for me. when it broke, they noticed a little meconium. something they assured me was okay and happens pretty often. i didn't think any more about it because they promised the baby was safe.
i started to shiver and chatter my teeth. i kept asking what was wrong with me because i couldn't control it! what i found out was this was my body's natural response to the transition stage. it was preparing itself for delivery.
by 7:15 am my beloved nurse, lynn, was finished with her shift. i was so sad she wouldn't be there for the delivery, but the next nurse to come was my sister's friend and ex-cowoker at the hospital, bethany. it was nice to have someone my sister knew in the room, it made me feel safer and well looked after.
i hadn't gone to the restroom to empty my bladder since long before my epidural, and i was starting to feel pressure, so amber gave me a catheter to empty it for me. i filled up a whole bag, and felt a whole lot better.
my sister and i (above) and my mom and i (below) around 7:15 a.m.
by 8 am, bethany asked if i was ready to start pushing. i was taken back when she asked, i mean i thought you just pushed and didn't need to be instructed to start at a certain moment, right? she said that pushing can take a while, sometimes up to four hours for first time moms. uh, no thank you! i told her i wasn't going to let that happen. so, i grabbed andy's hand and prepared myself the best I could. when i felt the pressure of a contraction i let them know i was going to push.
bethany had my left leg, my sister had my right, andy held my hand and stayed near my head and my mom stayed alert and ready to take pictures.
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