The Baby Post Pt. 2

So... if you're still reading, I apparently haven't bored you too much or you don't know what you're getting yourself into...

To keep the memories preserved, let's keep the story rolling...

We officially got checked into our birthing room. Typical hospital room, with all the doodads, but baby equipment, too.

Jason and I got all settled in, got the spiel of when I had to be on the monitor, I got blood taken for labs, and I got a hep lock instead of an IV.  It is aport in your arm, that if they need to hook up an IV, they have already poked you. They just hook the IV into the hep lock. I wanted that mobility that an IV doesn't give you.

So we were left to our own devices to get this baby moving. I headed straight to the tub. People speak of these magical powers the laboring in a tub does... either I wasn't doing it right, or the magic died that night. I stayed in the tub for over an hour, but I guess that's why they call it labor... IT'S TOUGH STUFF!

So I had to be hooked up to the monitor every hour for 20 minutes. This was to check the baby's heart rate to make sure he was handling the labor process just fine... and he was! He was a trooper through the whole process.

While hooked up, I had to be close to the bed, which means it was just easier to sit or lay on the bed during this time. Let me tell you, once you get in one position during labor you get to a point where you don't want to move. ever. again. I hadn't reached that point yet, but was getting close.

I spent another couple hours in the bathroom, kneeling on the floor over the tub, leaning against the wall, or in a location I didn't expect... on the toilet. Its a pretty comfortable position, all things considered.

Jason would periodically check on me, we both weren't too sure what we should be doing to move things along.

I was periodically checked for progress. and I was sure each time I was closer to having this baby. If it hurt so much, I got to be getting close... 3 hours of laboring, only 5 cm dilated. WHAT!!!! A crumby centimeter. A couple more hours of groaning, grunting, trying not to strain, only 6 cm.

I had been in labor for 24 hours and I was still only 6 cm dilated. (Sure some of those hours were pretty simple. but labor nonetheless)

I got stuck at 6. This is when I got desperate. I really wanted to do this on my own. All natural, no drugs. Not meant to be apparently. I was physically exhausted and starting to get emotionally and mentally exhausted, too. How can all this effort be for nothing?

Since I have no photos to document this part of labor, you get cute photos of Ezra

Around 3 in the morning (Friday), Jason and I decide to try some fentanyl. It took the edge off of the contractions. So it basically felt like the pain level when I first woke up with contractions. Very manageable, but irritating enough that you know you are contracting. The nurses warned me the fentanyl might make me loopy... I don't know if it was because I was so sleep deprived, I immediately felt super sleepy and zonked out.

The fentanyl only lasted 2 hours, AND THE PAIN CAME BACK in full force. They checked me to see if anything happened... nope, nada! So another dose of fentanyl for me.

I ended up having 3 doses altogether, and in the before that 3rd shot, my midwife came to see how things were progressing. She had popped her head in a couple of times, but this time she wanted to see some progress. I was stuck at that blimey 6 cm. She suggested breaking my water might speed things up... I agreed to the procedure. I will never think of crochet hooks the same ever again. There was no big gush of water when they broke my amniotic sac. So they let me be again to see how that sped things along.

So 6 hours from first agreeing to some sort of drug to help, and about an hour since they broke my water AND... nothing. Didn't even make a difference. Whenever the fentanyl would wear off I could feel the pain. The only problem wasI was feeling soooo much pressure down below that the only way I found to cope was to push back. This seemed to create some sort of counter pressure, but it also put strain on muscles too soon and too much. It soon got to the point where I felt like I was holding back contractions. I don't know if that is possible to do that, but my contractions became further spaced apart and just weren't doing anything to help dilate me.

I was tired. I was in pain. I literally could't think. I was so focused on my exhaustion, the pain and the fact that I was making NO PROGRESS. I was in bad shape. Jason had no clue how to help. He tried to massage my lower back when a contraction would start, but nothing was helping. My midwife came to have "the talk" with me. She wanted me to start pitocin.

I had been warned by so many women to stay away from pitocin. Its a drug that jump starts contractions so they are at their max. I DID NOT WANT TO GO THERE.  So I was left with the dilemma: Suffer making no progress or suffer more pain making lots of progress. My midwife strongly suggested this because I had been there so long and something needed to happen.

In my mind, I knew I didn't want to experience pitocin without an epidural, but in no way did I want an epidural. I finally came to the conclusion that I needed the pitocin to get my contractions were they needed to be.  But I just did not want en epidural.

I don't know why I fought it so much. I really didn't want an epidural. I think I was scared of it causing me to not feel anything, not be able to push when needed, and cause me to have a c-section. I know its not the end of the world, but you try speaking ration to a laboring woman at her wits end.

They left us be to discuss what we wanted to do. Jason listened to my ramblings of epidurals. But I just knew at this rate I couldn't handle more pain. I was stuck on that bed because the thought of moving was horrible. I had been up for over 24 hours and I just couldn't think. I asked Jason what he thought. He has been so supportive through out the whole pregnancy with going natural, but he said I should get the epidural.

Love this little man!

So we decided it was for the best. Epidural then pitocin.

I will leave it here again because apparently I ramble, and I don't like terribly long posts. I promise the last part is a lot more positive and happy than this one.

The Baby Post Pt. 1

So I have finally had some recoup time and finally found a spare moment to write some thoughts about my little life changing experience.

Just as a warning, it is a LONG post. Probably followed by another LONG post. So you have been warned!

Little Ezra is here and he is great. Its only been almost two months since he first got here, but it seems so much longer. In a good way :) I really can't tell what he'll be like once he gets bigger, but what I've seen so far, I'm keeping him!

Ezra was a week overdue. Things got started on the 7th of February about 3:30- 4:00 in the morning. Nothing serious, but I was pretty sure I was having contractions. Strong enough that I couldn't sleep comfortably, but not bad enough to get Jason up for. Its strange thinking about it now, but I truly can't remember what contractions feel like any more. I guess that is one blessing.

I eventually did get back to sleep for maybe an hour, but I just had the feeling that today was the day (well, it was almost the day). I let Jason know what was going on, but not to freak out. The contractions were only 20-30 seconds long, so no baby for a while. The weird part was they were consistently 3 minutes apart.

I let Jason get to work since I knew it would be a while and I wasn't needing to focus on contractions. So I went about my morning, but in the back of my head I didn't know when to call my midwife. We had an appointment the day before are had decided against checking for progress because I didn't think much was going on. I guess I was wrong :)

Around noon, I finally decided to call. Things were still the same (20-30 sec, 3 minutes apart), but I wanted to be safe. I had to talk to 3 different people and tell them what was up. I think I freaked them out with contractions being 3 minutes apart... especially with a 45 minute drive to the hospital in store. Apparently, their policy is when contractions are 4-5 minutes apart, to start heading to the hospital.
So they wanted me to stop by the office to see what was up, since it would be easier to get checked there, instead of worrying about the admissions process at the hospital for a false alarm.

I of course took my time getting ready, but to Rapid we went. At the doctors office, they confirmed contractions, and they verified that I was 2.5 cm dilated. Our midwife recommended we stay in Rapid and start walking around to see if that speed things up.

About to leave the doctors office...we're officially staying in RC

After a while, Jason and I decided that we would stay in Rapid and get a hotel to labor in.
I really have no concept of time of how long we were there, but I had some tub time to see how that helped laboring, I paced around the room, I sat on my exercise ball... and Jason watch a basketball game... I think it was a Lakers game, I wasn't even focused.

Contractions seemed to get more and more intense. And like all the pregnant women did before me, I was absolutely positive I was making some serious progress. It got intense, and I didn't want to worry about not making it to the hospital, so like all the first time moms before me, we decided to make our way to the hospital. It was probably around 8 or 9 PM by now. Driving in the car now was becoming unbearable. I never realized how bumpy the roads of Rapid City were until that night. I had to keep reminding Jason to break slowly because any sudden movements were INSANE!

SO we got admitted and went up to triage (where they check whether you are staying or not). I got changed into the all too flattering rose colored hospital gown and was told I was only 3 cm dilated. I WAS CRUSHED! How in the world could .5 cm of change be so much more painful.

I had asked to not stay if I wasn't at least 4 cm. So the nurses had me walk around the corridor and nurses station to see what progress we could make. Jason and I made our laps with many stops every 3 minutes. Breathing and leaning against the wall was what got me through that. My hour jaunt around the hallways of Rapid City Regional was done and we went back to the triage room. On a side note, it was in this room I experienced my first "projectile vomit into the garbage can because the bathroom wasn't close enough" vomit. Very fun, I will have you know.

So, triage. The nurses checked and I was at 4 cm. We could now go to our room. I was in a little bit of shock because things were actually happening, I was at the hospital on my way to our room where I would see and meet our little guy. Surreal.

I'll leave off here for the first half of the story...its a bit long...