The craziness started Sunday night, April 22nd, but I would never have guessed it earlier in the day. I had gotten roughly two hours of sleep the night before with a brief cat nap in the afternoon after our trip to the fish store. So, all in all, I was working with around three hours of sleep for my labor. If only someone could tell you, "Hey! You're gonna start popping a baby out tonight. Maybe you should work on getting a little more sleep." Other than some mild cramping throughout the day, I had no clue I would have such an eventful night/morning.
I didn't realize things were getting serious until we layed down to go to bed. As soon as I got comfy the cramps seemed to be a little stronger, kind of uncomfortable, and maybe even coming pretty regularly. I decided to do what any modern pregnant woman would do: download a contraction timing app to my smartphone. Oh, technology. While waiting to time the first contraction I felt a "pop" in my lower abdomen that actually hurt and freaked out. At that point I was thankful we had diaper bed(what Kyle named our bed with a plastic mattress protector on it) because I swore my water broke. I clenched my muscles, got up and sprinted to the bathroom. No gushes, just enough fluid to make me think I may have peed my pants instead.
I decided to pace our apartment and see where the contractions were at. Maybe they would go away and I could get some sleep. Nope. Contractions were three minutes apart, lasting around 45 seconds. This was when I fully realized it was go time because I was supposed to call my midwife when they were five minutes apart and they were well past that. I gave her a call and she said to take a shower and head on in to the hospital. We scrambled to get a bag together. I had started one but I think all it had in it was ponytail holders and a pair of socks.
We stopped at a gas station on the way to the hospital to get some snacks and energy drinks for Kyle. The night was young and we both were already exhausted. When we got to the hospital we got checked in and they put us in an exam room. A nurse checked me and I was 4cm dilated and 80% effaced. I was shocked but happy with my progress. We were moved to a labor room, which was huge and awesome, and I knew it was time to call my parents. Kyle wanted me to say "Thundercats are goooo!!!!!" (from the movie Juno) when they answered, but no one answered. Not the house or the cell phones. Thankfully Kyle took over, because I really didn't want to chance having a contraction while talking to my parents. Kyle had to google my dad's work number to get a hold of someone. It sounds bad, but it was one in the morning so I forgive them :)
Soon after, my midwife and her student showed up and the contractions started coming on strong. They kept two monitors strapped to my belly to watch Jane's heartrate and monitored me every half hour (although it felt constant) because my blood pressure was up. I was also having really intense lower back pain that they thought might mean Jane was face up (sunny side up!) instead of face down like she should have been, so they had me try different positions roughly every half hour to try to get her to turn. They had me try leaning over the back of the bed, sitting on a labor ball (also known as a glorified yoga ball), the shower, which was really nice because I could hold the shower head on my lower back, and finally the tub. I really liked the tub but nothing was relieving the back pain. They had me move back to the bed and checked me again. 6-7cm dilated and 100% effaced. I didn't really know how to feel about that. I remember being a little bummed.
The midwife commented that because I was so tired it might be good to try to speed things along so we chose to have her break my water. That was a really weird feeling. A tugging sensation and then a huge, warm gush (gross, I know). It definitely sped things up though. Pretty soon I was feeling the urge to push. They attached a birthing bar to the bed for me to prop my feet on and tied a sheet to the bar so I could pull on it. It was fantastic. Like playing tug of war with myself.
At one point a bunch of people came in setting up tables with crazy looking tools. I guessed that meant we were pretty close. There were two other women from our midwife's practice giving birth that night (one showed up and delivered baby number eight in a water birth in what seemed like minutes) so another midwife was called in for backup. She brought with her a senior in high school who was interested in midwifery and I was asked if she could stand off to the side and watch. Sure, why not? Everyone else in the hospital is here staring at my lady parts. But really, I was perfectly fine with it. How are students supposed to learn if no one allows them to experience anything?
I pushed for two hours with Kyle holding me up and encouraging me through every contraction. I couldn't have asked for a better labor partner. He kept telling me how good I was doing and that he could see her hair covered head. I just couldn't believe he looked down there. They asked if I wanted a mirror to see and I quickly refused. I wasn't sure if it would help me or hurt me and I didn't want to take any chances. Beforehand, I had thought of all these things I did and didn't want to do in labor, like gradual pushing to help prevent tearing, but all that quickly went out the window. The midwife said push and I pushed. She said push harder so I pushed so hard I thought I would throw up. It was all very intense and, because of the horrific back labor, not at all what I had imagined.
Normally, the baby's head comes out, they turn a little, then each shoulder comes out one at a time and the body slides out after. At 11:24am on Monday, April 23rd, I pushed so hard that Kyle said she shot straight out into the midwife's arms, sunny side up just like we thought. It was the grossest, most relieving feeling I have ever experienced. They wrapped her in a blanket and put her on my chest. I felt horrible because she had the worst conehead I have ever seen from being in the birth canal for so long. Kyle told me when they measured her the nurse actually said "19.5 and shrinking," and at her one week appointment she measured 18.5 inches!
Kyle cut the umbilical cord and after getting her weight, length and apgar score, she was placed back on my chest for skin to skin contact and breastfeeding while the midwife and nurses took care of my nether region. I didn't stop bleeding on my own so they put me on pitocin to make my uterus contract, they had a little trouble getting the placenta out, and I had two tears that needed stitches. Kyle said it looked like a scene from Saw with the blood everywhere. I remember asking the high school girl if she was ok because she was looking a little rough. Kind of ironic now...
We couldn't believe how un-alien-like Jane looked. Most babies look so strange when they first come out and, yes I know I'm biased but, she was beautiful. After breastfeeding, my parents came in to see their first grandbaby. We all admired her tiny features and dark hair before getting moved to the recovery room. The midwives asked me soon after if I would go pain-med free again and, at the time, I didn't know. It took me a day or two before I realized I couldn't wait to do it again. The feeling of accomplishment, doing what my body was made to do, knowing I did everything I could to bring my baby into this world without any kind of drugs in her system. It was an amazing feeling and if we decide to have another baby I will definitely be doing it again.
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