Some have wanted to know, and I'm sure some people would rather
not know... so read on if you dare!
Wednesday night, August 5th, I began feeling contractions that were similar to stomach ache feelings... "where's the bathroom?" kept running through my mind. These began around 5 o'clock, RIGHT after I finished painting the last coat of paint on the crib.
Around 11:00 Mark and I went to bed, then at 11:30 I woke up with REALLY bad back pain... I didn't know what I had done! I thought maybe I twisted wrong or something, or maybe the baby just kicked me really hard in the back and made me contract all at once. I writhed through it for under a minute, then tried to go back to sleep. This kept happening every 5 to 7 minutes or so... I knew it wasn't the baby kicking me. I was in labor, and I was having back labor. I was nervous.
I was in the bathroom and on the couch for the next couple of hours, trying to keep quiet while going through these contractions. I wanted Mark to be able to sleep so he could be awake and happy for the real labor.
At 1:15, I saw that I was bleeding, and got pretty nervous. I didn't know much about the "bloody show" but that's what it was when I called in to Labor & Delivery. The sweet nurse advised me to labor as much as I could at home, take a hot bath or shower to pass the time, and try to get some sleep. I tried...
3:00 rolled around and I was still struggling through the contractions with the back pains at regular intervals, every 4 minutes or so. I was proud of myself for not having woken Mark.
At 3:15 my body was a wreck. I began throwing up with the more painful of the pain-full contractions. Before this, I have never gotten sick due to any amount of pain I've been in.
THIS was what woke up Mark. Poor guy... not a good thing to wake up to. He was worried, and didn't know I had been in labor for the last 4 hours!
Feeling bad for me, he asked how he could help, so I decided I better draw the bath now or I never would make it through the next little while. He poured my bath, and while I soaked he went back to sleep. The hot water seemed to help a little bit, as I didn't get sick, but I still had the regular contractions.
He woke up again at 4 and he called in to the hospital for me (I was back to getting sick) asking what we should do.
They advised us to come in to the hospital so they could see if I was progressing. I was nervous for the ride in. Mark hopped in the shower while I finished packing my bag that I had just started packing at 11:30, just a few hours before. He got dressed for work, since he would have to go in and 'pass the torch' for the red-flag operations he was in charge of.
Dressed in his handsome flight suit, and armed with a plastic bag and pillow (which didn't make it out of the car... and neither did the plastic bag), we set out for the hospital.
It was a quick drive because it was 5:00 am, and light traffic - thank goodness! We parked in "expectant mother" parking and he helped me waddle inside.
They showed me to my room, and when they checked me, my heart almost fell.
I was only 2 cm dilated!
At 7:30 Mark left for his meeting, and was quickly sent back (thankfully!). When they checked me while he was gone, I was at a 4.5. HURRAY!
They were hesitant to offer me any medicine or other options, because in my birth plan, I was pretty specific that everything be natural, and no one suggest me anything because I probably wouldn't be able to turn it down. I was impressed with how supportive they were.
It was me who changed my own mind about birthing naturally. The back labor was not what I had in mind for a happy birth. I smiled as I let them know that I was "open to suggestions."
The anesthesiologist came in and let us know of his excitement. He rarely gets to discuss options with his patients; women just come in ready for him to cut off a limb as long as they get that epidural. He was very nice, and when I told him about a minor spine condition I have, he had to dive into his books and consult two other doctors. I was glad he did.. but this consulting took 2.5 hours! He came back in certain that he knew what he was doing, and I could tell he was happy to have to do some research to make sure he did. I liked that.
I received the epidural at around 11:30.
Mark then gave him a snickers candy bar. He was our newest best friend.
I had been worried about the effects of an epidural on Mont, and on myself... but I was VERY pleased with the outcome.
My right side went numb much quicker than my left side, but even with the remaining pain on my back's left side, I could still nap and smile through the contractions compared to what they were.
I had progressed to 6 cm on my own, and the epidural relaxed me SO much, that I ceased progressing... whoops.
At 3:00 the midwife broke my water with what looked like a crochet hook, and we waited.
At 4:00 they asked if I would accept a pitocin drip. I would, I would!! I wanted to have Mont that day, not the next.
After an hour on the pitocin, I was fully dilated, and completely effaced. My heart started to beat so fast!! I was so excited!! By this time I could not feel either leg. In fact, they felt like they weren't even mine! But I could still wiggle my toes.
At 5:00 they began prepping the room while the Midwife Doc (she was both... perhaps she had a doctorate in midwifery?) began to prep ME.
Pushing was a breathing workout. Holding my breath, while tucking my chin to my chest and bearing down was making me wonder how laboring women don't have aneurisms regularly. It was a rush. But I was happy through the whole thing. Even while Mont was crowning, I was smiling. The epidural was my miracle.
I began to cry when I heard his first little noise as soon as they had him completely out. It was such a cute, frustrated, life-breathing little noise. I was in love!
As I watched him punch and kick while the nurses cleaned him up and wrapped him up, Mark and I were staring at him with tears on our cheeks. I kept thinking, "how did we do that?! We MADE him?! He's OURS?! He's mine??"
When I held him, I couldn't imagine a sweeter moment. It still makes me cry when I think about how my entire life just shifted on its axis to include this little baby boy. I felt that shift happen as I looked at him and he tried to look at me. It was the greatest, sweetest, most exhilarating moment.
The last two weeks, I have told Mark more than a few times that "I have the best job in the world." He and my mom have been finishing up all Mark's projects and reshuffling and organizing everything we had to move around for the basement to be finished. Within the first day they had the nursery set up and everything is complete in our home. I tend to say that when I see Mark carrying something heavy past the room I'm holding Mont in. ha!
Even though labor was not quite as I had outlined, I was happier than I could have imagined. What had started as the most painful day of my life, turned into the most glorious day of my life.
*for those of you who don't have fbook.. here was the "moment" caught in a photo
So the first two pictures were more to showcase the earrings and body-work of the necklace, these two (above and below) are more for the pendants. Voila!
