On Monday the 10th, I had my 39 week apt. I was measuring 39 weeks, baby's heartbeat was at 162 and I was still 4 cm dilated. Let's just say my doc was getting really antsy about inducing. I mean REALLY antsy. He knew that I wanted to go into labor naturally so I could have my element of surprise so he didn't push me. He stripped my membranes and we started discussing options for inducing. I decided to wait a couple days to see if stripping my membranes would do anything. He said he was available any day I wanted to induce and would even call us early in the morning one day and tell us "Today is the day! Come on in!" so that I could have my surprise birth day and still be induced. Ha, that is how much he wanted to induce.
Tuesday morning I was making breakfast for the boys and a gush came. My water broke naturally with Dexter so I know how much amniotic fluid comes when your water breaks and this wasn't enough. It wasn't a tiny amount since Dex said I peed my pants but not enough. This was when I noticed I started losing my mucus plug. I called Max and updated him but nothing happened the rest of the day. I chalked it up as peeing my pants.
Wednesday morning I woke up super early and lay awake until Max got up for work. I got up with him and figured I would take a nice long shower without kids hollering at the door. While in the shower I felt another gush and the rest of my mucus plug was out. Again, I told Max to treat it as peeing my pants. I sent him off to work and went about my morning.
I got to thinking about what IF my water had started breaking and it had been past 24 hours. I called Max and asked what he thought about calling Labor and Delivery. We knew that if I called, they would just tell us to come in so they could check us and if my doc knew that we were in the hospital being checked, he would just keep us there. I ended up calling and of course, they said they wanted us to come in so they could check. After more discussion with Max, we decided we were ok with going into the hospital knowing that we would end up staying there and being induced if my water hadn't broken.
Max left work to come get me and I made arrangements for the boys. I also got some stuff done around the house so the place was decent for my mom while she stayed here with the boys. We dropped the boys off at Max's sister's and we were off.
We checked into the hospital and was shown to our room. Remember, I wanted a water birth so that was the room we got. The nurse told us that when she talked to our doc he said "She's staying! Ruptured membranes or not she's staying!" Ha, we knew he would say that. When they checked me it turns out I did indeed pee my pants and my water was in tact. So we started the inducing process. They checked me and I was 5 cm at this point.
For me, this means getting hooked up to the penicillin for four hours before anything happens. I am a particularly bad stick, which I told them, but no one ever believes me. One hour, three nurses and multiple bruises later I finally had my IV in and we started the penicillin. This was roughly around noon. At this point, we just hang out. Watched some TV, Max ran some errands and putzed on the internet.
I noticed at this point that contractions were coming more regularly than they had before. Nothing serious but enough that I think if we hadn't been in the hospital already, baby would have probably come either that night or the next day. The nurses commented a couple times as well how my contractions were starting to pick up speed. Nothing that would count as labor though.
At 3pm the doc came in and broke my water. It was easy and took about 2 minutes. He said he would be back around 5pm to check on me and see how things were going. It took about 15 minutes before I started really feeling the contractions. They got strong very quickly. The nurse was in and out getting stuff ready and she wanted to go over that information packet they have. She was getting nervous though that things were going too quickly so the packet was forgotten.
The contractions were painful of course, but nothing horrible. I kept pacing the whole time not stopping during contractions. Once it got to be too much to move, I just stayed by the counter in front of the TV and just gripped the counter. I felt like it was 1000 degrees in there so I didn't want anyone touching me so Max got out of having to have his hand squished. I asked at what point women normally go into the tub and the nurse told me generally around 8 cm. I thought I was a long way off from this so I wanted to wait even though she and Max kept asking if I wanted to go in the tub yet. I thought I would have lots of time for the tub. Mind you, this was about 45 minutes after my water broke.
At 4pm they wanted to start my second dose of penicillin so they checked me before hooking me up to that dog gone IV machine. I was 8 cm. We started the tub and I got hooked up to the penicillin. Once the tub was filled enough for me to get in I got out of my skivvies and was about to get in the tub when I had what felt like a 10 minute contraction. Oh man they were painful at this point but I hadn't had any reservations about going natural at this point. Finally, I was able to move enough to get myself hoisted into the tub.
By the time I got in the tub it was like 430pm. I had about 30 seconds before more contractions and it felt really relaxing for those 30 seconds. This was the only time, the ONLY time I thought, "I can't do this!" Once the contractions started I needed to push. I mean seriously needed to push. I told them this but the nurses said I needed to try to hold off a little bit since they just checked me and I was 8 cm. They didn't want me to tear if I still had some cervix left. Let me tell you, there is no way on God's green earth that I wasn't about to push. I think for 2 or 3 contractions I tried not to but after that I didn't care anymore. I pushed.
Things get a bit fuzzy at this point but I remember them alerting my doc to get down there as I was hollering that I was pushing. It was during this particular moment I felt the baby. I was on my knees in the tub leaning against the side of the tub and once I yelled, "baby! baby!" the nurses finally took me seriously and started running around. One nurse asked me to try and turn on my back and I yelled at her "NOPE! NOPE! NOT HAPPENING!". Another nurse was yelling into the intercom, "GET THE DOC IN HERE!" as another nurse reached down and was honestly holding the baby in. She said it was because they didn't want me to tear with the baby coming out so fast but Max and I are pretty sure it was because they wanted to see if the doc could get there. Let me tell you, holding a baby in your birth canal for any length of time is not comfortable. It's funny how the pain is gone, just gone when you are pushing and back when you aren't.
Either way, the nurse was holding the baby in and everyone was screaming for the doc when finally he arrived. The nurse had just said that the next push the baby would have to be delivered so either way, baby would be out. Max says that while the doc was getting his gloves on the nurse moved her hand and 2/3 of baby's head popped out. Doc reached down in the water and one push later baby was out. It was 4:44pm.
I can't even tell you the relief I felt when baby was finally out. I have never experienced anything like it. I was still on my knees facing the tub wall and the baby came out behind me. I didn't see the baby come out or feel it. I heard the doc lift the baby out of the water and said, "Here Max, tell us what the baby is!" Max wanted to be the one to announce it but hadn't had time to tell the doctor so what a nice surprise that he let Max tell me. I heard Max say, "It's a girl!"
She was finally here. Our beautiful little girl. I had to maneuver myself to my back and do some leg lifting to avoid the umbilical cord but finally she was in my arms.
It's amazing the difference the water birth made for her. She didn't cry at all! She was very alert and was looking around. We sat in the water for a little while and still she didn't cry. It wasn't for another half hour that we would finally hear her cry.
One hour and 44 minutes. That is how long my labor took.
If we would have waited until my water broke naturally I doubt we would barely have made it to the hospital. My doctor said, not even 5 minutes after she was born, "and this, Jessie, is why we are inducing you at 39 weeks for the next one." I suppose he is right!
A girl. She terrifies me with the thought of future hormones but my, oh my, how I love her. I love to stare at her and smell that wonderful newborn smell. I miss her when she's actually down in the swing and love to use my wrap to carry her with me all day. Her brothers love her so much. They shower her with hugs and kisses. I am one lucky lady.
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