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Thursday, September 20, 2012

To the delivery room!


So the week of my due date rolls around and I still haven't had any significant contractions. Just those annoying Braxton Hicks ones that sometimes made it hard to breathe. I had my final pregnancy appointment on the 23rd, the day before my due date (August 24th). We found out I was dilated to a 3 and I had my membranes stripped. Ty and I asked a load of questions about delivery and double checking what we needed to do if I started labor on my own. We also asked to clarify what real contractions would feel like and how long I should wait before going to the hospital. Doctor said contractions would be felt in my front, my legs and in my back and that I should wait a few hours after they happen about 5 minutes apart before heading to the hospital. Then the doctor started telling us about the epidural procedure but paused when he noticed a strange look on both our faces and said,

"What? You are planning on having an epidural aren't you???"

So far my plan had been to start labor naturally and go for as long as I could without any drugs, especially that awful, nasty, hurtful, make me gag epidural! (simply getting my blood drawn makes me squirm...I hate needles. Have you even seen the needle used for an epidural??? No body was coming NEAR me with that thing unless I thought I was going to die without it. Death or needle, that was my option.) So we told the doctor our plan and he says, "Ok, we'll see," with a smirk on his face. (oh yeah, like he knew the kind of pain I would willingly take before succumbing to that foot long torture tool.)

Ok, secretly, I would have asked for an epidural if I really felt like I needed one. I'm not that stubborn. But I really was interested in trying to go all naturally. I would try at least, that's all I really wanted. 

The doctor scheduled for me to be induced 4 days later if I didn't go into labor on my own before then. My grandma and grandpa left from Oregon that afternoon so that my grandma could be there to help me through labor. We were super excited to welcome our little one that 4 more days felt like an eternity!

We spent the rest of the day gardening and trying to finish up some laundry and dishes. I finally finished the baby blanket I had been planning the entire pregnancy! (woot woot) It turned out fabulous by the way. Throughout the day I noticed that I was beginning to have some harder contractions. They were really sporadic and uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say painful...not yet at least.

Ty had work early the next morning (friday) but we didn't get to bed until after 10pm. I had a few contractions that woke me up but I tried to be quite and not squirm too much so I wouldn't wake up Ty. But, he was so used to me getting up a hundred times every night to go to the bathroom that I don't think he really noticed any movements anyway. Midnight rolled around and the contractions were starting to pick up. I couldn't sleep anymore because they were closer together and as soon as I would relax enough to fall asleep, on came another one. I got out of bed  and read my "what to expect when you're expecting" book about the difference between false and real labor, then started timing the contractions. They were approximately ten minutes apart. I stayed up for an hour doing this and then prayed that I could pleeeaase just get some sleep. I was so utterly tired, that's all I wanted.

I slept about 30 minutes is all from that point until 4 a.m. when the contractions were starting to get down to business. I had about 5 minutes between contractions and was having a difficult time breathing through them. However, the pain was completely localized in my front! I had no pain whatsoever in my legs or my back. So frustrating. I wanted these contractions to be real but they obviously weren't because they didn't feel the way the doctor said they would.

4:30........ 5:00..........5:30.......... I had successfully woken up Ty with every contraction by this point. Lying down hurt, sitting hurt, standing hurt, walking hurt, stretching hurt...... lets face it, I was in pain.

Normally Ty gets up for work at 5:30 and that's when I told him I thought he should stay home that day and not go to work. He agreed and then rolled over to go back to sleep. (ok, guys, don't just go back to sleep while your wife is having hard contractions... not fair.)

By 6:00 I decided that I should call the doctor. So they guy picks up the phone, I'm crying by now, and I tell him that I'm 40 weeks pregnant today and I think I'm in labor. He surprised me with his response which was,

"Congratulations! Let me call the midwife...can you please hold?"

The Midwife told me it sounded like I was actually in labor and that by this point it's completely up to me when I want to go to the hospital. I was really nervous to go to the hospital because I was so afraid that they were going to take one look at me and say "sorry toots, you only wish you were in real labor. go home and try and sleep."

I WISH I COULD SLEEP! THAT'S ALL I WANTED ANYWAY! I did NOT want to be sent home.

Ty ate some breakfast and got dressed while I packed our bag. (You'd think I would have done that weeks ago) I only packed the really  important things like hairspray, toothbrush, cellphone charger....
(what was i thinking)

My grandparents were staying the night in Caldwell and I thought maybe I should give them a call to tell them we're headed to the hospital, but I honestly thought they were going to send me home, so I didn't call.

We pull in and another car pulls in right beside us. A couple gets out and I notice the girl looks just a pregnant as I do. (mind you it's 7 am) But she's dressed up all cute, hair straightened, make-up perfect and pretty much skipping as she goes into the hospital. I on the other hand look like death warmed over! My hair doesn't look to bad because lets be honest, it doesn't really ever look that bad. (thank you hair for being so reliable and cooperative for me) I don't have an ounce of make up on and my eyes look so completely SUNK into baggy black holes, not to mention red from some crying. I'm slightly hunched over and holding onto Ty and walking very slowly into the hospital behind her.
Well, that girl got into the elevator and turned around to hold the door for us but noticed that we had stopped half way to handle another contraction. HA! the look on her face as she was reaching for the 'hold' button but allowing the doors to close anyway was PRICELESS!! She looked so scared when she saw me!

(later we found out she was going in to be induced. But then got one look at me and suddenly didn't look so confident anymore. =] )

We got checked in, taken to the exam room, took all my clothes off and wrapped that buttless gown around myself and then got examined. The nurse says, "oh yeah! you're dilated to like a 5-6! Let's get you to the delivery room!"

she left.
I looked at Ty.
Ty looked at me.
".......I think you should call my grandma now......."



2 comments:

  1. I'm dying to hear the rest of the story Lindsay!! :) I'm so excited for my little guy to get here, and it's comforting hearing the stories of others!
    -Stephanie Holloway

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  2. A great story so far. I wish I would've documented mine better. Maybe this time around. I can't wait to hear the rest either.

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