{This blog was written on April 2, 2010... any changes made are in these brackets}
I am wondering how many of you have a Birth Story? I LOVE reading Birth Stories.. and find them all over pages I am part of on Facebook. Would you consider linking your story up to this post so I can read them and others can?
The Day I Became A Mommy...
On Saturday the 27th {of March}, I spent all day out and about with the husband and friends. Nate had a bowling function that evening so I was going with him. Before we left the house, around 515, I felt a small 'gush' of water. It was something I had never felt before.. I Was like, "oh, wow..." Nate and I headed on to the bowling alley and I felt once again that small 'gush' of water. At this time we decided to head to Labor and Delivery since I was 40 weeks, 4 days pregnant. So.. this began our long journey of bringing our sweet baby boy into this world. It was determined that the small gushes were nothing to be too concerned about, but my blood pressure was. During the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, my blood pressure was up a bit. The doctor chose to keep me and go ahead and induce the next morning since they were already going to induce on Wednesday anyways. :) {In my education now... I would not have made this choice.. or would wish I wouldn't have}
Our friends, the Wade's headed to get our stuff from our house and to get Dezi {our dog}. They got to the hospital around 10pmish and hung out until about midnight. The hospital was so great at letting me have my friends there--- there was never an issue. Around 11pm, the doctor came in and checked me and found that I was 1 centimeter dialated and 50% effaced and Noah was still at station 3. We had a long ways to go. The doctor then put a bulb inside me that would help me dilate to a 4-5 and then fall out. At 1am, the bulb fell out. I was shocked and scared because we did not expect the bulb to fall out a mere 2 hours later. But then I was excited too. It did not take too long for the bulb to fall out, so this must mean that I was going to dialate pretty easily. We were sure that I was at least a 4 at this point. Nate had to sleep in a chair because we were actually in a Labor and Delivery Room. He did get some sleep, although I am sure quite uncomfy. I did not get much sleep. I was just thinking and thinking. A part of me was scared out of my mind, the other part was quite excited. I remember looking at the clock at 3am again and telling myself that I had to go to sleep. Shift change in the hospital was at 6am and I knew that the new nurse would be starting my induction. Once I was admitted I was not allowed to have any food or shower. I was really bummed about that. Also, let me add.. they had to draw blood from me.. and it took them 6, yes I said 6 pokes to get somewhere to draw blood. They also then had to put an IV in when they admitted me and it took another 4 sticks plus 2 gals from the ER to come and do it!! I was reallllly getting sick of that! :)
At the shift change I had an awesome new nurse come in that encouraged me to shower and to eat something before they began the pitocin and induction. Nothing sounded good to eat so Nate got me some cheese its, and I ate some trail mix and beef jerky. Not a lot though- I guess I was too anxious. The shower felt wonderful .. yet I could not help but think in the shower how this was the LAST time I would shower not being a mommy. {I just laughed out loud, FOR REAL, I had no clue how much this would change} Once I got out of the shower and got comfy in bed, the nurse came in with the pitocin. I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to avoid that at all costs because I truly wanted a NATURAL laboring process. I was determined to do this with no meds. However, I didn't really have much of a choice at this point- 4 days overdue. {However, NOW I realize how that is NOT a big deal at all}
They were going to turn the pitocin up two notches every 30 minutes to an hour. So, they started me at a 2. Around 10am Ryan and Abbey showed up instead of going to church. They brought breakfast for Nathan and hung out with us. Shortly after, around 11am, Kim showed up. Abbey and Kim were going to help me through the laboring process. Nate and Ryan sat in the corner of the room for the longest time playing cards. The three of us girls just hung out and had a good ol’ time. The nurse kept coming in and asking me what my pain was on a scale of 1-10. It was a very annoying question for me because how would I know what my pain level is if I have never been through this? Around noon I was at about an 8 on the Pitocin and Nate and Ryan decided to leave and go for a run. Kim had went to eat lunch with her husband, so they waited for her to get back because Abbey was going to head out and go get some lunch and freshen up at home. They all headed out about 1pm and the nurse put me up to a 10 on the Pitocin.. Kim was there laboring with me as the contractions began to get harder at times. {Thank God for her during this moment when they first started} We were watching them on the screen and she was helping me through each contraction. Again, the nurse wanted to know my pain level. By the time my level had gotten to about a 14 I then realized that they were going to keep pushing it up higher and higher as I kept telling them that it was only a 3 on a scale to 1-10.. lol. It took me that long to realize it. Eventually, not sure what time, everyone was back with me. At this point my contractions where terribly bad and I had all three of them laboring with me. Nate, Kim, and Abbey took turns rubbing my lower back as I labored. Ryan sat in a chair doing crosswords acting oblivous to the whole ordeal! :) My DR came in around 4pm, is my guess, and decided to break my water. This was not painful, but I was very glad to have my hubby holding my hand. It was the strangest feeling to me to continue to feel gushing water randomly.. lol... HOWEVER--within the next hour... I felt pain! I remember one of the girls telling me to just let go.. and go with it. I told them that I could not let myself go because once I did- there was no coming back.
I tend to be pretty tough.... but at some point the tears started coming. I was in a lot of pain. I stayed pretty calm and cracked jokes most of the laboring process. But I remember that between 7-8pm I was in such pain that I told Nate that I didnt know if I could do this without the FEARED epidural that I did not want. He then encouraged me to talk with the nurse about my other pain relief options. So it was at that time we decided to go ahead and get a different pain medication called Stadol, or something.. It is a narcotic that was going to make me pass out... but the contractions would continue. The DR talked with me about it too. The nurse then realized that my contractions were going took crazy so she knocked my pitocin level in half. At this point they had taken me to a 22, so she knocked it back to an 11. By the way, once I got to an 18 on the pitocin, I began telling them that the pain level was MUCH higher.. but I am sure that they knew it by my crying! :)
So.. the meds they put into my IV around 8pm.. my poor friends and husband. That is all I can say! :) For the first hour of it, apparantly, I went crazy. The nurse enjoyed me too. I said crazy things, laughed uncontrollably.. etc. I guess I even talked to my mom briefly on the phone during that first hour. The second hour, I slept. It only really lasted about 2 hours when I woke up. It was about 10pm that the DR came in to check me again.. only to find that I was still only a 4, 75% effaced, and Noah was still at Station 3. She then talked with us about C-Section. This was my biggest fear... that I did not think would happen to me. She gave us the option to labor for another six hours before she MADE me do the C-SEction, but in her honest opinion, she did not think that I was going to change. I asked Nate what he thought, becuase I did not want to keep laboring, but I did not want a C-Section. If I had not had my strong hubby there with me, I would have chosen to keep laboring. But Nate clearly said that if the DR truly believed that nothing was going to change that we may as well go ahead and get Noah out vs. contining like this only to end up in the same spot. Makes sense, right? So... it began. I slowly began signing my life away, listening to nurses and drs talk to me.... all while my hubby dressed up for the OR and my best friends began moving all of my stuff from my room to the postpartum room.. and all the while, i booo hoooed. I did not want this.
Operating Room- I became someone I never knew was inside of me. I was okay as they put the spinal tap in. I just hung on to the sweet girl in front of me.. and asked a lot of questions. Mind you, I was still a bit drugged up. I do not think it had clearly hit me yet that I was about to meet him. I never researched C-Sections because I never thought I would have to go through it. Then I was layed back and that curtain that we all see on movies- yea, it was put up.. and I lost it. I was cryuing uncontrollably. I had the shakes... it was bad. The sweet nurses. One was at my ear just reassuring me.. over and over. Then Nate came in. My poor husband. I just could not stop crying. I was freezing cold, could barely talk, and just kept telling him over and over that I did not want to do this- I did not want any part of this.. and I just wanted to go home. I promised him right then that I would not do this again! (I will).... Needless to say, it was very hard. Nate was so good listening to me, reassuring me, comforting me. I do not know what I put my poor husband through, but I honeslty could not help it. I am telling you- I bawled uncontrollably the WHOLE time and said things that I never would think would come out of my mouth! I kept hearing a nurse behind my head say .. it is almost time, they are almost bringing the baby out. then someone told us that it was time and asked Nathan if he wanted to watch them lift the baby! :) So.. as he continued to hold my hand, he stood up and looked.. and then I heard "It's a boy!" (THANK GOD!).. I remember them bringing him to the other side of the curtain and showing him to me.. to which I started crying even more.. He was.. beautiful. Nate went to help clean him off and then went to the nursery with him as they stitched me up. I am not sure how much longer I was in there.. I just remember that I still had the shakes, was freezing cold, and could not stop crying- OH I TRIED! I kept apologizing for acting this way and they would laugh and tell me I was perfectly normal.. LIARS!!! Way to make me feel good.. but I did keep asking over and over.. "am I going to die..." Needless to say, when I see a nurse from the OR out and about- I am a bit embarrassed.. Lol... Then they swtiched me over to another bed and began taking me out the hall.
Oh.. my sweet baby boy was born on March 28, 2010 at 11:16pm weighing in at 8lb, 5oz and 19 inches long. PERFECT has his name by it in the dictionary.
Can I just tell you what amazing friends I have? They were all by the nurses station when I rolled by.. I remember that I said something to them about him being soo pretty. Lol. I am not sure when they were allowed in my room.. but I did have nurses in there for a long time. I remember as I was coming back to reality I just kept thinking that they needed to get me my baby that I had not held yet. I was ready to hold him and feed him! :) Finally- my friends were there.. or maybe they were in there the whole time, I do not remember. But then I remember someone saying that here comes Daddy. It was over an hour after my baby had been born when he was rolled by his proud daddy into the room in his bassinet. My sweet husband then handed him over to me. I was amazed. I know I then let all of my friends hold him so they could go home after their long day-- and so I could feed him. After they left, everything else of that night is a blur. Nate says we did not sleep. I do not remember. I know I love breastfeeding my boy.
My friends had made sure to call my mom and sister and keep them posted. They were able to catch my mom on her cell phone right as she was about to turn it off on the plane in Dallas to fly here. So, she knew on her flight over that he was here and we were both okay. She arrived less than 24 hours after Noah had arrived.. and my friends picked her up. She stayed 2 weeks.. and it went by way to fast. She was so helpful and I am so thankful that she was able to spend the first 2 weeks of Noahs life with him. He already loves his Gammy sooo much.
The nurses and doctors at Misawa Hospital were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Thank you to everyone. Words can not express. We delivered late Sunday night and we were released with our sweet boy by lunch on Wednesday.
Nate's mom is here now and will be here until the 29th. The help has been great.
Our son is getting bigger.. already 20.5 inches long and almost 10lbs. He will be 4 weeks old on Sunday. Time flies. I am out of work until June 1, when I will go back and finish the year with my kiddos at school. i have loved every single moment of Noahs life and I love being his mommy. I pray that the Lord will give me, Nate, and Noah a long life to live together.
I will blog more often, I jsut wanted to get my birth story down first. Plkently of pictures of Noah boy are on facebook if you havent seen! :)
I love both of my boys.
{I am so glad that I wrote this.. a lot of things I had forgotten that just made me smile!}
Now I would LOVE it if you would share your birth story with me by linking it up.. I promise to read each of them! Being pregnant with my 2nd, birth stories intrigue me as they did with my first!
