Pages

April 20, 2011

Maggie's Birth Story


I woke up Thursday morning at 0450 with the sudden urge to go pee.  I got up, piddled, then laid back in bed.  I noticed that I was having menstrual like cramps that were somewhat painful.  I began to time them when I realized they were coming in waves.  At 0600 when Brian's alarm went off, I told him that my contractions were 10 minutes apart.  He told me to just keep him updated throughout the day and see what the doctor said at my 39 week appointment I had scheduled for later that afternoon.  After he left for work, I tried to go back to sleep but the contractions were keeping me up.  I went ahead and got up for the day and continued to time the contractions.  As the morning went by, my contractions were starting to get more intense and closer together.  I got in the shower and started to get ready for my 39 week appointment.  At one point, I sent Brian an email and told him I thought today was the day.  He responded with "Why do you think that?"  I replied back with, "Well, my contractions are about 3-5 minutes apart and they hurt really bad."  At 1100 I picked up the phone and called Brian.  I told him to come home.  After I got off the phone with him, I started to get my hospital bag ready, and try and finish getting myself ready.  Each time I would have a contraction, I would just stop what I was doing and just start swaying my hips back and forth.  It was the only thing I could think of that could possibly help with the pain.  (The first time Brian saw me do this he asked what the heck I was doing and what was the point.  I think it kind of made him chuckle.)  Brian got home and I handed him the phone.  I told him he had to call L&D for me because I wouldn't be able to talk when I had a contraction.  He calls and tells them what is going on and they tell us to come on in to be checked but, they have no beds available and they might have to send us downtown.  When Brian tells me this, I really begin to panic.  I did not want to deliver my baby in a German hospital!  Once my bag was packed, and I was ready we loaded up and headed towards the hospital.  
When we get to L&D at noon, I go to sign in.  I tell the lady checking me in that my husband had called for me and they told us to come in.  She turned to me and straight up asks, "And why are you here?"  I sternly answer back "Because I am in labor!"  She proceeds to tell us that they are full and that we need to go sit in the waiting room until a bed becomes available.  I start waddling my way to the waiting room and I hear my husband ask "What if she starts to progress?"  and the flipping lady replies back with, "We will just have to go from there."  Ugh.  
Brian and I sit in the waiting room along with a guy and a 28 week pregnant lady.  Brian then realizes he didn't lock the car so he scurries away back to the parking lot to lock the car.  As I sit there working through each contraction, the other pregnant girl strikes up a conversation with me.  The usual "how far along are you?" and "what are you here for?" questions are asked and answered.  But bless this girls heart. I think I scared her half to death.  Every time I had a contraction I would stop talking, shut my eyes, and grab on the the sides of the chair.  Each time I would open my eyes, she looked like she had just seen a ghost.  I traumatized her.
We were only in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before they led us back to a room.  They had my change into a gown and hooked me up to the monitors.  I already knew the routine before they told me what to do.  I was halfway to the bathroom to change when the nurse told me what to do.  Once I was hooked up to the contraction monitor and the fetal heart rate monitor the midwife came in to check me.  I was so nervous that I was not going to be very far along at all and that they would send me home.  (My goal was to labor at home for as long as possible.)  The midwife does her exam and says, "I don't want to tell you how far along you are because you will just give up."  I was convinced that I was only going to be dilated to a two when she said that.  I figured I was just a pansy and couldn't deal with the pain and I was about to be told to go home.  But lo and behold, the midwife says she didn't want to tell me because I was already at a 5 and doing so well without any pain meds that she didn't want me to just give in and go ahead and get the epidural.  I was so flipping proud of myself when she told me I was at a 5 and complete!  
After I was admitted, they sent the anesthesiologist in so we could go over all of the legal mumbo jumbo and what not.  Bless his heart, every time I would have a contraction I would just shut my eyes and stop listening to him.  He would just turn to Brian and continue on with what he was saying.  At one point he offered his hand during a really painful contraction so I could grab onto it, and I never let it go until he was leaving the room.  Things kind of started to run together after he came in.  It wasn't more than an hour or two when the midwife came back in to check me and I had progressed to a 7.  It was then that I decided I wanted the epidural but, my nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist had just gone into an emergency c-section and as soon as he was done she would get him.  So, to take the edge off the pain, she gave me pain meds through my IV to hold me over.  Well, that drug did pretty much nothing except give me the shakes.  My whole body was constantly shivering from that point on.  
Finally, the anesthesiologist appeared after a few more hours.  (Longest c-section ever?)  My nurse helped me up and situated me on the edge of the bed.  She even put my hair in a nice pony tail for me.  : )  Once I was positioned correctly, Brian stood in front of me so I could lean on him.  A few pricks, a couple intense contractions, and some hundred shivers later, the epidural was in place and I patiently awaited for it to kick in.  Right as my best friend (the anesthesiologist) was leaving the room, the midwife came to check me again.  Lo and behold I was 9cm dilated!!  My water had not broken and they were trying to wait to break it but, just as the midwife was saying that it was still intact, I felt the gush.  Everyone got really excited at that point.  We knew it wouldn't be long at all!
Around 1630 my doctor made her appearance.  (She had written in my chart that if she was around when I went into labor she wanted to be the one to deliver me.  Love her!!!)  At 1700 I was at a 10 and +2 station.  I started to push with my nurses.  Because of the epi, one of my nurses had to hold my leg for me because I couldn't control it.  Brian and the nurses would cheer me on with each contraction as I pushed.  When it was time, they started rolling in all of the delivery equipment and my doctor suited up in her gown thing ready for the catch.  With Brian at my head, my nurses at each leg and, my doctor waiting for Maggie, I pushed for what seems like only a matter of minutes.  At 1839 after 13 hours of labor and only an hour and a half of pushing, Maggie McKenzie made her grand entrance into the world weighing 7lbs 2.8oz and 19.8in long.  Brian and I both cried.  

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Awe I love this story! Congrats Sarah!

Unknown said...

Proud of you!

coleen blasioli said...

you did good but i had no doubt you would. a beautiful baby

 

Blog Template by BloggerCandy.com