Doug got home from work and we took a "long" walk with the dogs and then went out to dinner with plans for Audrey to spend the night over at her grandparents...just in case. After dinner we went to the mall to walk around, by this time I was sure I was having contractions more regularly...though nothing painful. By 9:45ish we decided to drop our dogs off with our friends who were going to care for them while we were in the hospital. By 10:30 p.m. I was sure this was it. My sister had plans to come up and attend the birth and was on her way. I called the hospital around 11:30 only to find out the birthing floor was closed. Too many women having babies!
As I was talking to the midwife she was trying to gauge where I was at in my labor and if I could wait or if she needed to start calling area hospitals to see if they had a bed for me. Looking back I am surprised I didn't break down in hysterics, but I didn't. I did cry slightly when we got off the phone for fear I'd have to go somewhere strange and unfamiliar to have my baby! The midwife called me back and assured me that the head nurse was positive they would have a free bed for me in an hour and did I want to wait? Um, yeah. I was informed to call 9-1-1 right away if I had a sudden urge to push or if any part of the baby started coming out. Nice. By this time contractions were regular and I was utilizing the deep moaning to get through them. They had turned painful and I didn't want to move from laying on my side in my bed. Doug ran a bath I never did use.
My sister arrived right on time for us to leave for the hospital {thanks, Shan!}. We arrived around 1 a.m. {riding in the car with intense contractions is not fun!} and got checked in. At the time I just wanted to be left alone, but I remember the nurse following me into the bathroom and asking "while we have a private moment do you feel safe in your environment"...ha. I guess they have to ask. In between my contractions and the moaning they asked questions, I answered. The midwife popped in to check me out {I was at 5cm, water still had not broken} and I immediately asked about an epidural. So much for au naturel. *sigh* They started the I.V. and when it was almost up she checked again - I was somewhere between 7-8 and it had been less than 30 minutes! I still wanted that epidural though, so they brought in the anesthesiologist who couldn't get it the first time and had to do it a second time. The most uncomfortable and longest moments of my life. For those that have never had an epidural, they make you sit on the edge of the bed with your legs up on a chair, hunched over as much as you possibly can and you have to hold still! Through contractions and all. It was the WORST.
Once it was in and I could lay back, I waited for that wonderful relief like I experienced with Audrey's birth. It never came. Sure, the pain of the contractions were gone, but there was an intense pressure that reared it's ugly head even more with each contraction. Instead of relaxing and catching some zzzzz's I was moaning through the contractions and tethered to my bed. The midwife checked me again to see if she could break my water {the suspected culprit of the pressure}, but Lydia had moved up. Which basically meant if they broke my water things could "swoosh out" and the cord could possibly come out before the baby. Not good. I could've tried pushing, but the risk of my cervix swelling was too scary for me to take...so waiting it was.
After a couple of hours I felt like I had to push so the midwife came back in and said go ahead and push and see if it feels right. When she went to check me again {or to see what happened when I pushed} my water broke and about 30 minutes {and a lot of pain later} Lydia was born! Roughly 4 hours after arriving at the hospital. I may have said in the middle of all of this, "I think two is enough!" and there may have been some hysterics. Honestly, I think because it happened so fast {compared to Audrey's long labor and pushing for over 2 hours!} it was a lot to process. The cord was short so she wasn't able to reach my chest immediately and I remember my bottom hurting so bad all I could think about was something to take the pain away. On a positive note, I pushed out a 9-pound baby with no rips, tears or cuts! No stitches for this gal. {The nurse had to weigh Lydia three times; she couldn't believe she weighed what she did!}
I kind of kick myself for not being stronger in sticking with my no epidural plan and wonder if things would have moved even quicker had I been able to get up and help my water to break using gravity...and I kind of wanted to see what the birthing tub was all about. But, I guess I try not to live life with regrets, so why start now?
I was {and still am} incredibly grateful for my sister to have been there. She was a wonderful support and helped me to stay focused when things {ahem, me} got a little crazy. I probably would have passed out due to hyperventilating had it not been for her. She also acted as photographer. I was/am very appreciative of Doug's support as well. Even when I know his hand was tired he kept on rubbing my back during those painful contractions and let me squeeze his hand as hard as I could. Thankfully this labor was a lot shorter than Audrey's! :o)
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