My Birth Story- Part 1
At around 3:30am on Monday February 25th 2013, I woke up from a sound sleep to some cramping in my belly. At 3:30am I was not all too concerned and didn't think much of it so I went back to sleep. At 5:45am, my husband got up and ready for work and I stayed laying in bed, half awake. Still there was some slight cramping but nothing that I thought was contractions yet. When I finally got out of bed, not sure what time it was, I went upstairs and sat at the kitchen table to make a phone call to our insurance company. I thought this might be a long call so I was prepared to be on the phone for awhile. Well, there I was, cramping, on the phone with the insurance company. At this time, I knew something was going on but having never had contractions before I couldn't be sure these were true contractions or not. I had never had a baby before so I couldn't tell. It was one day after my due date so I knew it was possible this was the real deal. During my phone call with the insurance company, my OB office called. I didnt pick it up because I didn't want to lose the call with insurance but when I finally was finished with the insurance fiasco I called the OB back. They wanted me to come in to talk to the Dr about delivery options since the baby was estimated to be so large. (this is the conversation I referenced in my last post). I told them I was having what I thought were contractions so I wanted to come in anyways. They told me to head on over. Well, I had to shower first, and I made it quick but thinking back on it I wish I took a longer shower if only I had known what was to come.
I got to the Dr's office and they immediately took me to the back room and hooked me up to the 'non-stress test' monitors. They showed if I was having contractions or not and sure enough I was! The monitors were uncomfortable because my skin was so stretched out that it hurt really bad and then I had to have the round discs pressing on it...but I was happy to know that these were in fact contractions. The pain at this point was like really bad period cramps. I was just breathing thru it and enjoyed the time in between. They were not coming that often yet but I sure knew when they were happening. there is no mistaking it. The Dr checked my cervix and I was not dilated at all. Not even 1cm. He also said that the baby's head was not even "engaged" which meant the head wasnt even trying to come down yet. So he said, lets do a c-section tomorrow at noon, and he said that I could probably make it til tomorrow at noon since I wasnt progressed at all yet.
So, I left the Dr's office with the plan that at 1:30pm I would head to the hospital for my pre-op stuff for a c-section the next day. My husband was going to meet me at the hospital at 1:30pm and we'd go from there. Well, my husband was thinking ahead and told me to pack up the car with everything just in case we didnt leave the hospital after my pre-op stuff that day. Good thing he thought of that!
When I got home from the Dr's the pain was worse than it had been before I left and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it til noon the next day. I was worried that if I wasn't dilated at all and the pain was this bad...what would it be like as I did dilate?! So I packed the car and headed for the hospital which was about a 25 minute drive. During the 25 minutes it took all my energy to concentrate on driving and not on the contractions. They were getting worse but still felt like terrible period cramps and I was able to breathe thru them.
I met my husband at the hospital jut before 1:30pm and we headed up to the maternity section. The wait seemed like an hour because I was having contractions and they were running behind so we didnt get taken in until after 1:30pm. The nurse, named Pam, started doing the pre-operation questioning and I started to get weepy. She asked me what was wrong and I told her: "didn't they tell you I was having contractions?!" and she said: 'no, they didn't! you are?!' and I said, yes! so she suggested that I get checked out since I seemed quite uncomfortable, which I was! She took us into a room in the birthing triage area and gave me a hospital gown to put on. She had a midwife come in to check my cervix and the midwife was checking and she looked up at me and the nurse and says "She is 9cm with a bulging bag of water"..........WHAT?! Less than 2 hours ago I was no dilation at all!!!!! I could not believe my ears. NINE CENTIMETERS?! That is almost time to push! So I immediately said, what about the c-section?! I still want it! so then it all started. I had the Dr who was working come in and talk with me and I had the second nurse who would be in the operating room come in and the midwife was there and then anethesia came in and her name was Rya and I liked her a lot! So all of these things started happening as they prepped to give me a c-section. Even with so much going on, the wait seemed like AGES. The contractions were very painful but I was breathing thru them and staying calm. Everyone was shocked that I was 9cm dilated and I was so calm and just breathing thru each contraction as if it wasn't that painful. The midwife said to me: "Look at you! you are 9cm dilated and you're just breathing thru it! Most women come in here demanding an epidural at 3cm! You must have a big pain tolerance!"......which I guess I do because although the pain was killer, I didn't think it was more than I could handle. I didn't feel like I was at my complete pain limit. I was VERY close to my limit but I never felt so overwhelmed with pain that I couldn't tolerate it or deal with it thru breathing it out. So i was VERY proud of myself for not getting overwhelmed or crazy because of the pain. I was NOT going to be one of those women who is screaming bloody murder because it hurts. In my opinion I think that is kind of obnoxious and disrespectful to the other women who are going thru the same thing in the other rooms.
So, after having waited for awhile I was getting anxious and I told my husband "i cannot have another contraction in this room. we have to go. I want to get this started." well soon after I made this statement, they came in and said it was time!
I will start a new post with what happened from this moment on.
I got to the Dr's office and they immediately took me to the back room and hooked me up to the 'non-stress test' monitors. They showed if I was having contractions or not and sure enough I was! The monitors were uncomfortable because my skin was so stretched out that it hurt really bad and then I had to have the round discs pressing on it...but I was happy to know that these were in fact contractions. The pain at this point was like really bad period cramps. I was just breathing thru it and enjoyed the time in between. They were not coming that often yet but I sure knew when they were happening. there is no mistaking it. The Dr checked my cervix and I was not dilated at all. Not even 1cm. He also said that the baby's head was not even "engaged" which meant the head wasnt even trying to come down yet. So he said, lets do a c-section tomorrow at noon, and he said that I could probably make it til tomorrow at noon since I wasnt progressed at all yet.
So, I left the Dr's office with the plan that at 1:30pm I would head to the hospital for my pre-op stuff for a c-section the next day. My husband was going to meet me at the hospital at 1:30pm and we'd go from there. Well, my husband was thinking ahead and told me to pack up the car with everything just in case we didnt leave the hospital after my pre-op stuff that day. Good thing he thought of that!
When I got home from the Dr's the pain was worse than it had been before I left and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it til noon the next day. I was worried that if I wasn't dilated at all and the pain was this bad...what would it be like as I did dilate?! So I packed the car and headed for the hospital which was about a 25 minute drive. During the 25 minutes it took all my energy to concentrate on driving and not on the contractions. They were getting worse but still felt like terrible period cramps and I was able to breathe thru them.
I met my husband at the hospital jut before 1:30pm and we headed up to the maternity section. The wait seemed like an hour because I was having contractions and they were running behind so we didnt get taken in until after 1:30pm. The nurse, named Pam, started doing the pre-operation questioning and I started to get weepy. She asked me what was wrong and I told her: "didn't they tell you I was having contractions?!" and she said: 'no, they didn't! you are?!' and I said, yes! so she suggested that I get checked out since I seemed quite uncomfortable, which I was! She took us into a room in the birthing triage area and gave me a hospital gown to put on. She had a midwife come in to check my cervix and the midwife was checking and she looked up at me and the nurse and says "She is 9cm with a bulging bag of water"..........WHAT?! Less than 2 hours ago I was no dilation at all!!!!! I could not believe my ears. NINE CENTIMETERS?! That is almost time to push! So I immediately said, what about the c-section?! I still want it! so then it all started. I had the Dr who was working come in and talk with me and I had the second nurse who would be in the operating room come in and the midwife was there and then anethesia came in and her name was Rya and I liked her a lot! So all of these things started happening as they prepped to give me a c-section. Even with so much going on, the wait seemed like AGES. The contractions were very painful but I was breathing thru them and staying calm. Everyone was shocked that I was 9cm dilated and I was so calm and just breathing thru each contraction as if it wasn't that painful. The midwife said to me: "Look at you! you are 9cm dilated and you're just breathing thru it! Most women come in here demanding an epidural at 3cm! You must have a big pain tolerance!"......which I guess I do because although the pain was killer, I didn't think it was more than I could handle. I didn't feel like I was at my complete pain limit. I was VERY close to my limit but I never felt so overwhelmed with pain that I couldn't tolerate it or deal with it thru breathing it out. So i was VERY proud of myself for not getting overwhelmed or crazy because of the pain. I was NOT going to be one of those women who is screaming bloody murder because it hurts. In my opinion I think that is kind of obnoxious and disrespectful to the other women who are going thru the same thing in the other rooms.
So, after having waited for awhile I was getting anxious and I told my husband "i cannot have another contraction in this room. we have to go. I want to get this started." well soon after I made this statement, they came in and said it was time!
I will start a new post with what happened from this moment on.
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