Theo's Birth Story :: Part One

I'm rewriting from shorthand-ish notes I took on my phone throughout labor so apologies if things seem a little choppy.

On Tuesday night (June 24) I decided to get out of the house for a little bit for some me time. I went to the mall to walk around and get some Shopkick points. I texted my best friend and joked that I was determined to walk this baby out of me.   I had to run to Target after the mall and noticed (what I thought were) Braxton Hicks contractions. They felt a little bit different, but not enough that I though anything of them. I just thought I had overdone it walking around the mall. [Now that has to be a finalist for Most Pathetic Statement of the Year! Walking around the mall was too strenuous for me!]

I got home and went through Noelle's bedtime routine with her and did a few chores. I finally collapsed on the couch around 8:45. I noticed that I was still having the BH contractions so I drank some water and put my feet up. About half an hour later it finally started to dawn on me that these weren't just the same BH contractions I had been having the last half of my pregnancy. I realized that they were happening with more frequency and that I should probably pay more attention to them. 

I kept track of them for about an hour and they weren't very regular or painful. It felt like a stomach tightening BH, but with more pressure on my back and lower abdomen. I also had to pee after just about every one and I usually had some "bloody show" as well. (You should probably just get used to the TMI factor. This is a birth story after all.)

After hemming and hawing with Bryan about calling the hospital - I didn't want to be that pregnant woman calling for every little uncomfortable thing, I finally called around 11:00 just to get advice. You have to remember that I had never been through this before because I was induced with Noelle. I really didn't know what to expect this time around. After a couple of phone calls back and forth with the nurse - and she having some back and forth with the on-call doctor - we decided it would be best for me to come in and get checked out with the understanding that they might send me home if its too early or false labor. 

We called my parents and told my dad to come on over, finished packing some last minute items and left home around 11:40. Now,  let me remind you that we had both been up since about 6:30 that morning. I remember telling Bryan that I really hadn't wanted my labor to happen at night because of the sleep factor and the inconvenience of everything. As if I had a choice, right? Silly pregnant lady. At this point I was starting to have to take a break and breathe through the contractions. They weren't too painful, but they were no picnic either.

Bryan finally got to realize his dream of rushing to the hospital. He has always said that the last time was such a let down because I wasn't having any contractions and there was no real urgency to get to the hospital for the induction. I'm glad I was able to make it more exciting for him this time around ;)

The nurse had called ahead so they had a triage room ready for me. At midnight the nurse who worked with us (Sara - absolutely loved her) started all of the questions while checking my vitals and getting me hooked up to things. I had been 3 cm dilated for the last two weeks so we knew that would be our starting point. The next course of action - be officially admitted or be sent home - would depend on if/how much I had advanced. Well, at exactly 12:15 Sara told me with a big smile on her face that we'd be having a baby today because I was already 5 cm dilated!!! She also said that my bag of water was very, very taut. 

Bryan and I couldn't believe how quickly things had advanced in the matter of a few hours and with very minimal discomfort and pain. Everything was so surreal to me and it was hard to imagine that this was really it and we were finally going to have this baby!

Around 12:30 I noticed that my contractions were already coming faster and were a bit more intense but still manageable. I had to interrupt any conversation I was having to breathe through them, but I wasn't pleading for any pain meds. I was glad that we had come to the hospital when we did. I had wanted to labor at home for as long as possible, but with the speed with which things were moving, it might have been a little close!

That all changed as the contractions increased significantly over the next hour. The pain level went to a 6 and so did my cervix! Bryan and I kept looking at each other with such disbelief over how quickly things were progressing. My induction made things so slow that it was really amazing to see what my body was finally able to do on its own!

I really wanted to last longer without an epidural, but the contractions were just getting so strong and I just don't have a high pain tolerance.  The nice man with the drugs came in around 1:45am and I immediately felt soooo much better. I have to say, that after two child birth experiences, I really don't get why everyone is so afraid of the epi process. Mine were both so pain free. I was really able to control my breathing through my contractions and I know that has a lot to do with it.

Ok, if I don't post at least part of this now, I'm worried I never will! Part two to come (hopefully) shortly. 

Trying to get a full body shot while Bryan parked the car. 

After finding out I'd be admitted!