I know many of you have been waiting to hear our crazy birth story. Well...here it is! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted, but our house has been a bit of a zoo lately. Things are finally starting to get settled into a routine - which feels SO good for me! Without further ado - here is Eva's Story: (Brace yourself, it's a long one!)
I had been having contractions on and off for several weeks with her. None of them were very strong and none of them had any kind of pattern to them. So when I woke up at 4 am on Thursday May 5 with contractions, I didn't think much of it at first. I was up for about 2 hours having contractions every 15 to 20 minutes. When Mike woke up I looked at him and said, "I think this may be it!" But sadly, after those 2 hours the contractions ended. I tried not to be too disappointed, but it was tough! Mike went on to work, and I decided to call the hospital to see how far apart the contractions would need to be before I came in. They told me to come in when the contractions were 3 to 5 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute a piece for 2 consecutive hours.
Throughout the day I would have small bursts of contractions anywhere from 6 to 10 minutes apart - but I never had more than 2 or three before they would end for hours. Then, about 3:30 that afternoon they started up again. This time, they were anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes apart - and gradually got closer. Some would be 6 minutes apart and some would be 20! Finally, at 6pm I called Mike and told him to come home because I was in so much pain I didn't feel like I could care for Mason very well! He said he would try to leave soon. At 6:45 I called him back and told him he'd better get home or else! When he got home, 45 minutes later, I had decided I wanted to go on in to the hospital and see if they could at least give me something for the pain. My contractions still weren't 3-5 minutes apart, but the pain was so intense I really wanted some medicine!
As we were driving to the hospital my contractions started to come VERY close together. The pain was so strong I began crying during the contractions. Once we got to the hospital the contractions were almost constant. They sat me out in the waiting room at labor and delivery and I filled out paperwork in between contractions while Mike chased Mason around. I waited and waited and waited - and had Mike tell the receptionist THREE separate times that I really needed to be seen. They still didn't call me back! I was crying and trying to breathe through the contractions - and people out in the waiting room were starting to get angry that they wouldn't let me back. I could hear them saying things like, "That's just ridiculous. She is about to deliver that baby! Why won't they see her!?" I was thinking the same things!
Finally, I felt like I needed to start pushing, and I told Mike to get me back there whatever it took. A nurse finally came out and got me, and wheeled me back to triage to asses my progress. They wanted to strap on the monitors to check my contractions and also Eva's heartbeat. The doctor decided to check me first and found that I was at a 7. She asked me if I wanted an epidural and I said YES! As we were waiting for anesthesia to come, they got an IV of fluids started, and the doctor decided to check me again. I was already at a 10 and it had only been a couple of minutes. She looked at the nurse and said, "It's time - we've got to get her into a labor room!" Suddenly there were lots of nurses running around, and they rushed me down the hall to a labor room. As we were wheeling into that room the doctor yelled out, "Somebody go get Dad, he's about to miss it!!" The nurses were feverishly helping the doctor get suited up in her paper gown, hat etc. She yelled at me not to push because she didn't have gloves on yet.
Out in the waiting room Mike was waiting on Mason's babysitters to arrive. The elevator door opened and out they came just as the nurse ran out and told Mike to get back there.
Mike ran into the delivery room just as I was about to push. The doctor said push and I did. I was prepared to push for an hour or so - because with Mason I pushed for an hour and a half. That's why I was surprised when Mike said, "You're almost there!" after one push. I thought, "Um, it's a little to early to be saying that!" But then I felt extreme relief and realized that her head was out. They yelled at me to keep pushing and a few seconds later my baby girl was here!
The docot said, "It's a girl!" but I barely heard it! I was just in total shock. Not only had I just delivered a baby minutes after getting into the triage room - I had done it without any pain medicine whatsoever! I NEVER would have thought myself capable of doing that!
They asked me if I wanted her on my chest and I said yes. It was then I realized I was still in my clothes! There hadn't been any time to get into a hospital gown, or have the monitors strapped on, or anything! We had to thread my clothes over my IV tube and tower. But then I got to hold my precious angel. The doctors kept talking about how big she was, but it wasn't until 30 minutes later that she was weighed. She came in at 8 pounds 3 oz and I was flabbergasted! Mason only weighed 6 pounds 10 oz. I am so glad she came at 38 weeks - because if I had gone the full 40 she might have been 9 and a half pounds!!
All in all it was a crazy, mind blowing experience, but I wouldn't change a thing about it! It was an amazing feeling of empowerment knowing that I had labored and delivered a baby without any pain medicine. Eva has been an absolute joy so far. She is such a good baby! Mason has been adjusting, but it will be a long road I think! For me, a newborn is much easier to care for than a temper flaring two year old!!
The quote of the night goes to my doctor, who arrived just minutes after Eva was born. He walked in the room, looked at Eva sleeping on my chest and said, "What the heck happened!?" Ha ha. My sentiments exactly.
Me and Mom
