I went into labor on Sunday, June 30, but I didn't know it. Randy and I had plans of going to the beach that day. I woke up in the basement as usual (I slept down there in the recliner due to heartburn). I had Braxton Hicks, but that was normal. I usually had them in the morning and then they went away. I ignored them and Randy and I went about our day. We got to the beach and I mentioned to Randy that I still had my Braxton Hicks and it was odd that they had not gone away yet. He raised an eyebrow at me and asked if they were getting more painful? I said no, and not to worry, I wasn't in labor, it was just Braxton Hicks (hah!). I was actually in the early stages of labor at this point but I didn't know it. So we continued hanging out at the beach. I went out to the deep part of the lake and just let my body float, and noticed the the contractions seemed to go away when I did this. Randy and I soaked up the sun and had lunch. Eventually we decided to head home. I was STILL having mild contractions and thinking they were just Braxton Hicks (denial much?). When we got home Randy went downstairs to shower and I went out to the back deck to read my book and relax. The contractions were beginning to hurt a little bit more, so I decided to stand up and walk around and see if that would make them go away. WHOOSH. As soon as I stood up my water broke and gushed onto the deck. Yep, just like in the movies! I stood there in shock for a little bit. I felt scared and excited at the same time. I bent down to look at it (I know, gross), to make sure the amniotic fluid was clear. It was. It was show time.
I walked in to the house and called downstairs to Randy "Babe, my water just broke". He came outside to look at it and with a big grin on his face he said this was it and should we call the doctor? At this time my contractions were starting to become more painful. Randy made sure I ate and drank, as we knew I would not be allowed to eat once admitted to the hospital. Then Randy called our doctor. When he passed the phone to me I said to the doctor, "I'm not sure if this is it". My doc laughed and said yes, if your water broke, this is it. She said we could labor at home for a while and go to the hospital when the pain got too bad. I said okay and hung up, and Randy started timing the contractions. And that's when I got on the train to Pain Town. I honestly don't remember everything I said or did during that time. My pain level escalated very quickly. There was lots of moaning, cursing, and screaming. Finally, after an hour and a half at home, I looked at Randy and said let's go. I needed to get to the hospital and get some meds! We grabbed our hospital bag, made sure the pets were fed, and drove to North Memorial.
Walking through the parking ramp we had to take a breather as another contraction came and went. I honestly did not care who saw me and if I looked like a crazy person. It hurt, A LOT. We got up to labor and delivery and they got us in to a room to check and see how far along I was. If they had said I was not dilated enough to admit me and that we had to go back home I think I would have lost it, it was that painful. But luckily the nurse announced I was at 3 centimeters and they were going to admit me! Hooray! BRING ON THE EPIDURAL.
We told the nurse that we wanted an epidural and Randy expressed my fear that it would wear off before it was time to push. The nurse assured us that that wouldn't happen and that she would call the anesthesiologist. We just had to wait. And wait. The nurse came back in and said that the anesthesiologist was busy with another patient and it would be a little while. Did I want some fentanyl to tide me over 'till he got there? Yes, yes please. She warned me that the fentanyl would only last an hour and then wear off. I didn't care. I needed something! Once it kicked in I felt so much better. I could still feel the contractions but they were manageable and I was able to relax and chat with Randy and the nurses.
Well eventually the fentanyl wore off, and the anesthesiologist was not there yet. I don't remember how long we had to wait, probably not long but it seemed forever to me. Finally he came to our room and I remember thinking "please hurry, please hurry". He had me hang on to Randy's shoulders as he inserted the device and medicine. During this time I could not move, so of course a contraction hit. I squeezed Randy's shoulders so hard and breathed through it, reminding myself that the medicine was currently being injected in to my body and it would soon be better. And soon it was! We had one complication where the epidural was not working on the left side of my uterus. But the doc came back and readjusted it and then I was golden. The nurses turned down the lights and Randy and I attempted to get some rest as we waited for me to fully dilate.
After what I thought was a relatively peaceful night (thanks to the epidural), the nurse came in in the morning to check me and announced I was at 10 centimeters. She had me lay on my left side to "labor down" for a while and help the baby move down the birth canal. I told her I was feeling an urge to push. She said, okay, let's push! I gave Randy a look of surprise because our doctor wasn't there yet. The nurse grabbed one leg, Randy grabbed the other and I started pushing. It did not hurt so much as there was a lot of pressure, and it took a minute for me to figure out how to push. A little while later our doctor showed up. At some point she said she could see the head and that there was a full head of hair! I asked for a mirror to be wheeled in at that point so I could see. I also told Randy to go down there and look (he didn't want to at first), so he could see her. And there was her head! The doctor made me hold off on pushing until I had another contraction (and that hurt, ring of fire, no joke). Then her head was out and the rest of her little body slid out and she was here! They put her on my chest and Randy and I kissed her and we both cried. I pushed for about 45 minutes, which was not too bad. They whisked Emma away to clean her up and for Randy to cut the cord. Then they brought her back to me to try nursing, and champion eater that she is, she latched on right away. Randy and I laughed and kissed and stared at our daughter.
After a while we were moved to a recovery room, where we spent the next 2 days enjoying our little family.
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