December 02, 2014, three weeks before my due date, we welcomed our newest family member into the world. We were completely unprepared, as we were convinced we had at LEAST two weeks to prepare. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming.
The day before Thanksgiving we made a trip to L&D because I was in a lot of pain (thank you, polyhydramnios, sciatica, symphysis pubis disorder [SPD], and hydronephrosis) and just felt so off. We were sent home, having passed all the tests with flying colors. I was told I was about 50% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated. The next day my mom gave me a very relaxing belly massage, and I felt much better. The day after Thanksgiving my belly dropped. I wasn't worried, though. Dropping essentially meant nothing, after all, and many women walk around at 1-3 cm dilated for quite a few weeks before labor starts.
We got home Sunday night and resumed our normal schedules Monday morning. I used Monday to just relax, which meant my destructo boy destroyed the house. I'll clean it tomorrow, I thought.
Tomorrow I'll also pack my hospital bag. And prepare baby's stuff. And finish making our Christmas stockings. Ha, yeah right.
4:48 Tuesday morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my bladder. I went to the bathroom, then went back to bed. Ten minutes later, another, stronger pain hit my bladder. Almost simultaneously I thought, great, a bladder infection, and shoot, this feels familiar. I went to the bathroom again. Maybe I just didn't empty my bladder enough? It was dark in the bathroom because I was too lazy to turn on the light, but I could still see the dark stain on the toilet paper. Shooooooot. I sat in the bathroom for a while, then I went in the bedroom to grab my phone. I woke Rich up, telling him I was cramping and had bloody show, but it wasn't time to worry so he could go back to sleep.
I went downstairs to try and get some more sleep on the couch, still hoping the contractions would peter out and baby would stay put for another two weeks. Baby couldn't come yet, it was almost finals week!!! By this time it was about 5:45 and I sent a text to my mom telling her what was going on and promising to keep her updated.
About fifteen minutes later the contractions were becoming too intense to sit through, so I went upstairs and got in the shower. It felt good to run the hot water over my back as I braced myself against the shower wall. I filled up the tub and laid down. It was very relaxing and I was able to breathe through the contractions and just float. An hour later I started feeling sick and the water was no longer helping me relax. I got out, and the contractions started coming every couple of minutes, but were still inconsistent and short. But oh my gosh, they hurt. It felt like every nerve in my body was protesting, like I was being ripped apart. I called for Rich, but he didn't hear me.
I hobbled to the door and flung it open, calling for Rich as another contraction hit. I braced myself against the counter, trying not to vomit. It took a few more minutes of calling to wake Rich up (men...*eye roll*), then he finally came in the bathroom just in time for me to collapse against him for another contraction. The hardest part of it all at this point was trying to be quiet so I didn't wake Sage up.
With Rich's help I finally made it to the bed. I laid a towel down and just hugged a pillow. By 7 am I knew that it was no false alarm...it was time to go to the hospital! I remember telling Rich: "If we get there and I'm not at least 4 cm I'm going to murder someone."
Rich called and updated my mom and sister. Luckily Sage woke up just after. Rich got us both dressed and somehow in the car. I have no idea how I made it down the stairs, the contractions were still inconsistent but close together. I had a contraction as soon as I sat in the front seat. If you've never had a contraction while strapped into the car in the most ridiculously uncomfortable position ever, count yourself lucky. I'm pretty sure my moans turned to screams of agony at this point.
In hindsight, I suppose my labor was more painful this time around because I was so worried about upsetting Sage and making sure Sage was okay, and subconsciously trying to keep baby in...37 weeks was much too early for baby's arrival! And Rich's finals were the following week!
We went to the wrong entrance at the hospital, so a nice man wheeled me to the correct wing and up to labor and delivery while Rich parked and got Sage out. He kept trying to talk to me, I think my moaning scared the poor man. The labor ward was pretty empty. I remember thinking it was odd just seeing the nurses standing around looking bored. They got me in the room at about 8:10 am and tried to help me into a gown while also asking the admitting questions. Rich made it to the room with a very confused looking Sage. My mom and sister weren't there yet to watch him. Rich helped answer questions as I focused on breathing and trying not to kick the nurse who was trying to place the IV. She was not nice...I still have nerve damage in one hand from that. I remember the nurses asking if we knew gender, who we wanted to announce gender, who we wanted to cut the cord, and if I wanted baby on my chest for skin contact right away. They even wrote it on a white board so everyone was on the same page.
My nurse, Aubrey, was a godsend. She held my hand, stroked my hair, and softly coached me through breathing deeply. I know she was all over the place getting things ready, but somehow she was always right there when I needed her. The other nurses offered to take Sage because he was getting pretty worried and scared at this point because I kept crying out. I'm told he had a blast with them, and they fed him graham crackers and juice, so he probably found his new best friends.
Anyway, they asked if I wanted an epidural and I said I didn't know. Then another contraction hit and I begged for one. They checked me and said I was 8-9 cm with a bulging bag, they didn't think the anesthesiologist would make it in time. Secretly, I hoped he didn't, but as long as I held out for the hope that relief was coming, I could make it. Probably.
My doctor, Dr. Kirkman, made it just in time, about 8:30 am. He checked me and said it was go time! My water hadn't broken at this point and the baby hadn't engaged at all because I had so much extra fluid. Dr. Kirkman told me he was going to break my water and baby would be there soon. It was the sweetest relief to have my water break. I felt very little pain after that, just a sudden release of pressure and a LOT of warm, gushing fluid. I almost laughed at how much there was, though. I think my belly deflated about four inches immediately...I could suddenly see my feet!
I felt the urge to push and they counted me through it. I was not done after ten seconds, though. I followed my body and pushed as long as I needed to and when my body told me to. 4 or 5 pushes later, Dr. Kirkman said the head was out. He had me pause for a second then push the rest out. At 8:52 am held baby up for us to see and everyone waited for Rich to announce the gender. It took him some coaxing, I think he was a little shocked. He finally grinned and said, "It's a girl! We have a girl!"
My baby girl was put on my stomach and her cord was cut. They pulled my gown down and tucked her under my tank top, where she went from protesting about the injustice of birth to contentedly sucking her two middle fingers. She was so warm and cheesy and tiny!
Ignore my double chin...apparently my face swells double in size during childbirth. I'm still wearing my tank top and non-nursing bra, there wasn't time to change out of them. It was tricky getting her under my tank, but she was pretty content!
My mom came in the room just as I was birthing the placenta and being stitched up. We were all happy and laughing as my doctor was telling us how he nearly didn't make it in time. She told Rich that he was supposed to tell me to cross my legs so she could make it in time. We told her it was a girl, and she said "I knew it!"
Rich said, "We're naming her Afton, right?"
I held baby Afton and tried to nurse her a bit. It was hard getting her to latch, she was so sleepy and she didn't seem to have a rooting reflex. About an hour after she was born, they took her to be weighed and cleaned. We were all shocked when she was weighed. 7 lbs 2 oz! Where was she storing that weight?? She scored 8 & 9 on her Apgars. I was shivering and trying to keep warm, and while they were piling more blankets on me I heard them talking about how she had a c-section head and breech baby hips because her legs were froggied over her chest. Rich passed my sweet girl back to me to try nursing again.
Aubrey came in to transfer us to the maternity ward. I felt great, I thought getting up would be a cinch. I always forget how hard it is to move with no abdominal muscles. We got wheeled up to the room and settled in. Rich was head over heels in love instantly. He didn't want to put her down. He had a class to go to and a presentation to participate in, but he was so attached to baby girl he decided to skip it all so he could snuggle with her more. It was really sweet. Sage didn't know what to think of her at first, but he warmed up to her and gave her lots of kisses.
This birth experience was very healing for me in every way. I am so fortunate to have such a great support system and such wonderful people in my life. I am infinitely grateful for my beautiful children and wonderful husband, my family is my everything.
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