Birth story part 2

Alright, so we were driving down our street at 6:35 pm. Thank GOD we only live a few miles from our hospital because sitting trapped in a seat with a seatbelt on, in labor, = NOT fun! It took us about 10-15 minutes to get to the hospital and I think I had 4 contractions. On the way there I realized that I didn’t know where we needed to go so I called the on call number for my doctor which connected me with the hospital. I explained the situation, until I had to hand the phone over to Lee to finish the conversation, and prayed she would say I was to go strait to labor and delivery.  At this time I still had NO idea of my progress and I was really afraid if I had to go through the ER they’d take forever processing me. I just wanted to get strait to a room so I could get the DRUGS. AND in the back of my head I kept questioning if I was really in active labor or was it still just the very beginning/false labor. As CRAZY as it is because I was in terrible pain during the contraction, but for the 2-4 minutes in between I started to question myself. “Was I just a wimp?” “Was it really as bad as I thought it was?” “Was I only like 3 cm?” And if I was how in the WORLD could anyone do this for HOURS?!?!?!  

Anyway, the nurse told me to go strait to L&D, that they’d be waiting for me. We pulled up and I had Lee drop me off at the door so I could start walking and he could just catch up. (I wasn’t moving to fast because every few steps I had a contraction! Literally!) There wasn't anyone waiting for us,  so I just walked. I was to desperate to get to my room to stop and find help. So we made our way to the elevators and to what we thought was the right place. BUT we didn’t know that in the last 3 years, since I had Parker they moved the elevators to the maternity floor out of safety reasons, which is awesome WHEN YOU AREN’T WALKING THROUGH A HOSPITAL ABOUT TO DIE FROM LABOR. I’m pretty sure by this point I was yelling at Lee and my mom to find the freaking elevators to get me to the right floor. We finally made it to the right floor and as soon as we got of the elevators and the people at the check-in desk saw me someone hurried to get a wheel chair for me and they sent Lee back down to the ER to register me or check me it, I’m still not really sure. Luckily my mom was with us so she could stay with me while Lee left. I had to sit and wait a few minutes for a room to be ready and the nurse apologized a couple times. I finally told her it was OK because this was the first time I wasn’t having back to back contractions in what felt like forever.

When my room was ready she wheeled me in and and told me to change and get in the bed. Well oh my god! That is one of the hardest things ever to do when you are in labor, BUT I still had no idea what was actually going on, so I was feeling like a total weenie...It took me a few minutes but I was finished and sitting in the bed ready and waiting. At this point I think it was 6:50 (ish). Then I waited and waited,  she finally came back to hook up all the monitors and told me she would be back in a few minutes to check me. I waited and waited and WAITED for what seemed like eternity!!! The pain was getting SO MUCH worse, I could no longer open my eyes through some of the contractions and while I wasn't prepared to labor naturally AT ALL, I tried to remind myself to breath because I know that’s key. I stared at the clock and waited for her to come back. I was getting SO mad. Here I was DIEING (I was sure of it) and she wouldn’t come back to at least check me so I could have some kind of idea of what was going on. 

At some point Lee made his way back it to the room. He and my mom were standing off to the side talking and one of them said I wish there was something we could do. I promptly told them to go get the nurse! My mom immediately left to find someone and returned a minute later saying someone would be back soon but that it was shift change. You can imagine how much I didn’t give a CRAP about shift change I just wanted to know what was going on and get my IV started! 

A couple minutes later at about 7:15 (like I said I STARED at the clock) the nurse came in to check me. Right away she said I was 6 cm and I FREAKED out!!! I believe my exact words were “OH MY GOD!!! CALL THE FREAKING ANESTHESIOLOGIST!! I’M NOT DOING THIS NATURALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Bless her heart because she immediately started my IV and while she was still working on it the anesthesiologist walked in. Of course I had to answer a million questions and I did as long as I could but I had to get Lee to take over because I didn’t want him to have to wait for me to be able to answer. I knew we needed to move FAST! (I just had NO idea how fast.) While one asked all the questions the other was getting everything set up and my nurse was getting my IV finished up. She had a little trouble becuase I was so tense and I couldn't be still for long and she was trying not to blow my vein. Thankful she got it done so I could start getting my fluids. As soon as my IV was done and all the questions were answered my mom and Lee were sent out of the room so that I could get my epidural. Next came possibly the most painful thing I've ever had to do. The nurse kept giving my directions "Sit up" "swing your legs to the side of the bed" "scoot your bottom to the edge so that your feet hang off"... at each step I just stared at her trying to make sense of what she was saying. I had to get her to repeat herself several times. She tried to help me as best she could but every time I moved I'd have a horrible contraction so I'd have to stop because I couldn't move through it, then it'd stop so I'd start to move again and it just continued until finally I just had to push through it and move myself into position while having back to back contractions. SO HARD!

When I was finally where I needed to be they started getting my back prepped. The whole process took longer and hurt a little more than I remember BUT it might also be because I was in more pain for longer this time around. Once he got it in place they started to tell me what kinds of things I could expect to feel and then had me report back to them what I was feeling. They helped me lay back down in the bed. I ended up getting the epidural and something else that was like a spinal tap because they knew I needed the pain relieved quickly. They were monitoring me a little closer since I hadn't had enough fluids yet. As they suspected I started feeling  very weak and light headed, which they said was from lack of fluids, so they quickly put something in my IV to help. Then I started to feel a tightness in my chest. As I was telling them about it and they were asking me to describe what I was feeling I was trying to stay clam because it felt pretty freaky. As I was trying to explain this breathless tightness sensation I told the nurse I had that feeling sometimes when I would have contractions before they were painful. Before I could even finish my sentence we hurt and BIG tidal wave type gush! My water broke just like that. And the very next words out of my nurses mouth were "You're probably finished!". WHAT?!?!? "Like fully dilated?!?!?!" I JUST laid back down from getting my epidural like 3 minutes ago!

Sure enough she checked me and said I was fully dilated and ready to go. Then she left the room to go call my doctor, for the first time. There hadn't been enough time for her to leave to call him and let him know what was going on.  She left and Lee and my mom came back in the room. I quickly informed them that my water had broken and I was fully dilated! My nurse came right back in and said my doctor was on his way. YAY! I was really hoping he was going to be able to make it. 

Then things got really calm for the first time in a few hours and we just enjoyed our time together while we waited for my doctor to arrive and while the nursing staff got everything all set up around us. I was in total shock that I had only been at the hospital for about and hour and fifteen minutes and was already ready to push, we just needed my doctor!!

While we waited and I wasn't DIEING anymore we figured we would take a couple pictures.

A few minutes later my doctor arrived...