It was september 20th, I started having contractions again. I was a little unsure if I was going into labor or not because I had that false alarm with full on contractions for 4 hours. I did some cleaning in our apartment, kind of fiddling around, since there wasn't a whole lot to do. Nesting had me cleaning a lot and then having to rest a lot, so most of the regular household duties were done. By the time Joey came home from work we had decided that we would see what happens and maybe go to the hospital later. At my last Dr appointment I had been 1cm dilated. Sometime that evening I'm not sure exactly when, we decided to go in to L&D (labor and delivery) just to see what was going on. By the time we got there I thought the contractions were gone. The nurse told me I was having contractions, but not in labor yet, my body was just preparing. I was still at 1 1/2cm dilated, about 70% effaced. So we went home, and I eventually fell asleep.
I remember slightly waking up as Joey got ready for work around 6.30am. But I had learned that it was easier to deal with the sickness and contractions if I slept longer. So, I continued sleeping and got up about 9am. I noticed I was having the "pains" again. But I had them the day before, so i thought, "here goes another day of these pains..." By about 10am I decided maybe I should time the pains, just in case. So I started timing them, and they were about 10 min apart consistently. After an hour or so I called Joey and let him know, the pains were consistently at 8-10 min apart, and really sharp and painful. I stayed in bed watching movies, and trying to breathe through the pains. They were quite intense and "sharp" most of them took my breath away and I had to fully focus on them to breath right.
By 12.30 Joey called to get an update and the contractions were at 4-5 min apart, i was ready to go, so he told me to keep timing them and he'd be home soon. He only worked a few blocks away, and was going to walk home once he talked to his boss about everything. By the time he got home I was thinking we'd gather the bags and hop in the car. I'd been timing these horibble contractions for long enough to believe I was in labor, and they kept getting stronger and closer together. But of course, that wasn't what Joey had in mind. He told me to keep timing the contractions for another hour and we'd see how I was doing after that. After about 2 contractions I told him HE was going to have to time them, they were two intense and I couldn't focus enough to time them. So say when it was starting, and eventually just nod, so he would know. It only took about a half hour and he decided we were leaving. We stopped at taco bell on the way to the hospital, because we had heard from everyone that once we got to the hospital they would not let me eat. We ordered our two meals, and theyhanded us this big bag. Joey wanted me to check it and I told him to hurry. We realised there were about 5 peoples worth of food in that bag, none of which was what we ordered, but by now I was having contractions every 2-3 min. We couldn't go back. I only ended up eating a few bites of food anyway.
We arrived at the hospital about 3-4pm. Did all the answering questions and I was put in a triage room. At this point I was having VERY intense contractions every1-2 minutes. The Dr came in to check me, I remember it was a male dr and not the midwife, so I was a little apprehensive to have him check me, he asked me if it was ok that he do it and i hesitantly said ok. Then I had a contraction, and he made doubly sure, I think he could sense my hesitency. After that contraction I could care less WHO checked me I just wanted to know what was going on. He checked and said that I was 2cm and 90% effaced. I was so glad I ad made some progress! He told me they were going to have me walk for an hour and come back and see if I was any further along. Meanwhile, our friend Jenn turned up unexpectedly. I was surprised and a little irritated since it caught me off gurad, and I was dying in pain, (not the best look!) But she turned out to be the best thing that could have happend!!! (thanks for surprising us Jenn!)
All three of us wlaked the halls. If you can call walking taking to steps, stopping for a contraction, crouching over, breathing, listening to Joey and Jenn talk, then continue for another two steps and repeat. LOL After about 15 min I told them I couldn't listen to the small talk anymore, I needed help with contractions. so we went into a little breezeway that connected L&D to the medical center, and paced that hall, stopping and leaning over the window cill for contractions and Joey and Jenn taking turns trying to help me breath and relax through them. They were so intense. Each one felt like it came waving through my back with long electric fingers grabbing at my abdomen and squeezing til I couldn't breath at all. Then they would relax. The conrtactions were every minute with barely anytime to recover in between, with about 20 minutes left of the hour i said I couldn't go any longer, surely there would be some change by now, I was in SO much pain, and the contractions could barely get any closer together. With small steps and many intense contractions, we made our way back. The doors to L&D were only about 5 feet away, but it took us about 10-15 minutes to get back inside. I was crying and trying to breath when we got back and said I couldn't walk anymore. The Dr came back to check me again. He said there was no change. NOOOOOOO! I was so devestated. How could there be NO change at all! Was all this pain for nothing. He said they would probably be sending me home, to come back when things were moving along more. HOW MUCH MORE CAN THEY MOVE ALONG, I thought. I'm writhing in pain, in tears, can't breath having contractions about every 30 seconds. When the Dr left I balled my eyes out, grabbing Joey's arm I begged him not to let them send me home. Tears pouring down my face, sobbing and screaming in pain I told him we couldn't go home, how would we know when to come back? Look at me! He agreed, and a few minutes later a nurse came in, one I hadn't seen before. She took one look at me and said I'm going to talk to the Dr, I don't think we should send you home.
Praise the Lord for that nurse, I never saw her again after that! But the Dr returned and asked me if I had planned on getting an epidural. I told him I hadn't planned to get one or to not get one. I was going to "wait and see" He told me I would have to get an epidural, at the rate I was going I wouldn't be able to cope much longer, so I agreed and said I would get one. (anything, just admit me and let's get this baby out! OOOWWWW the PAIN!) He was going to get things moving along for me to get my room, the epidural, and start pictocin. I suddenly had a STRONG urge to pee. I panicked and called to Joey, "Get the nurse I NEEED to pee SOOO bad!...or...my water broke!" As I was talking the "pee" just started coming out. The nurse got there to take the moniters off me, and I told her what happend. She looked under the sheet and said, "no, your water didn't break"
While in the bathroom the contractions kicked it up a notch, I was screaming, moaning, crying...I yelled (yes, it was bad, I don't normally yell) out to Joey and demanded he tell me if what he could see on my leg was pee. The poor guy was like, "I think so, I don't know...is it, I don't know what your "water" looks like" As I was yelling, that's not pee, it caaan't be pee, OW it hurts SO much worse now...that doesn't look like pee...my water must have broken."
As I came out of the bathroom I felt small gushes continually, and the nurse came to walk me to my delivery room. I felt horrible as I was sure I was leaving a nice little trail behind me. But what could I do, the nurse said my water didn't break.
I got in the bed and had another Big gush, I told the nurse that was helping me about asking the other nurse about my water and what she said, she lifted the blanket and said, "oh yeah, your water broke!" I felt so relieved, that I was right. But the contractions were even more intense than before, and I could hardly breathe through them, it was all I could do not to scream. I would tense up, and hold my breath, and just felt like everything inside me was twisting up and the pains were SO sharp. Joey would try to hold my hands and tell me to breathe. This drove me nuts! I would snap back. " I CAN'T BREATHE. I'm trying to breathe. I can't. It's impossible. It hurts SO bad." He ended up just being with me, and not "instructing me." Good decision. :) They gave me some IV medication for the pain, and started the antibiotics for Group B strep. Getting the IV in was difficult, but I was expecting that, it always is.
At some point Joey went over in the corner, and I assume was wandering all over, calling people telling them I was admitted, in labor, we'd be having baby soon. Stacy (my pastor's wife) and Mum, were on their way. This was when I became Very thankful for Jenn. I was having contractions and I was spinning out, I would rock back and forth, hang over the rail of the bed, writhing in pain, and I started wondering where on earth my husband was. Jenn came over and was very calming. Having been in labor herself, she knew exaclty what to do. She didn't touch me too much (touching drove me nuts) she did at times put her arms on my shoulders and just breathe with me, also keeping me relaxed and distracted talking to me between contractions. etc. She was a God-send!
The epidural guy aka "bandana guy" came in and explained to me what he was going to do, I was so scared, but he got everything prepared, and they let Stacy come in, who had just arrived, as well as mum. Joey and Mum and Jenn waited outside, while Stac helped me sit up, and put a pillow in my lap, and flop over it and try to relax. The epi guy was awesome explaining each step of what he was doing and why, and warning me before he did anything. He waited for me to tell him when my contraction was done, and he got the epidural in. It was so easy I couldn't believe it. I had been sp scared of getting one, because of horror stories of paralysis and other complications. He then sat down at the table across the room, and filled out paperwork. He looked up and said, "So how does that contraction feel?" I replied, " I'm having a contraction? Wow, I can't feel anything." Everyone giggled a little, and I said, "I LOVE epidurals!" Everyone that was there came back in, it was about 7pm, and Nobody had checked me, because my water had broken, and they didn't want to risk infection. I think the nurse checked me when I had first gotten to the room around 6.30 and I was at 4 cm. Just so you know, I was absolutely oblivious to the time. I remember looking at around 7 when i got the epidural. Then i didn't look again until they said I was ready to push.
In the meantime, Joey's family had been out together for dinner, so I had my epidural, looked like a wreck,and in came the family, in pairs. LOL I Love our family, and it didn't really bother me at the time that they came to visit. I wasn't expecting them, but I had my epidural, and told everyone who came in how good it was. :) Joey spent that time out in the waiting room eating pizza, and I kept wondering where he was. Eventually, everyone left, including Jenn. I was left with my "birth team" Mum, Joey, and Stacy. I asked the nurse if they could check me to see my progress, and she said they didn't want to do it, for rosk of infection...blah blah blah... so we decided to get some rest.
It was about 12pm. We all got settled in to hopefully get some sleep, my "team" unfolded the sleeping couch, and tried to get comfy, with that, and some big chairs. I turned over and got comfy on my side, and closed my eyes. Then..a nurse came in. She told me they had just changed shifts, and nobody had checked me for a while so she wanted to do it. So, on came the lights, and she checked me. She said, "you're 100% effaced...and...you're complete!" She ran out and suddenly everyone was coming in with trays of stuff to set up, and breaking down the bed. Everyone was woken up. I told them, "they said I'm ready to push." Looking into my husbands eyes, who had come over and clasped my hand in his, I said with a tired grin, "We're going to have a baby!" And of course let out a little shrieky excited giggle.
Everyone got in position. They put my legs up in stirrups, and assigned Mum to my left leg, Joey was assigned to the right, and Stacy was at my head. We started pushing, 1..2..3..4.. breathe, and PUSH.... I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. While Stacy helped bring my head up and support me, and count to me helping me to breathe. I also had two nurses helping me.
Throughout the labor I had changed positions, side to side, as to not let the epidural settle to one side. But as I pushed I started having this intense pain on the left side. It's hard to explaim what it felt like but, it was like having contractions again, but on the one side and it was also a pinching burning feeling. In between pushes I was crying in pain, and telling them, "IT HURTS, IT HURTS" The nurse woud say what hurts, I would explain it to her and she'd look at the moniter and say, "Well, you're not having a contraction, it shouldn't hurt" This went on for...probably an hour or so. Me arguing back and forth feeling so much pain, the nurse telling me it shouldn't hurt, and also repeatedly asking me what hurt, where did it hurt, and explaining away the pain. Stacy even jumped in and forcefully told her what was going on, and was met with a reply of, "SHE needs to tell me, NOT YOU!" To which Stacy and I both said, "SHE/ I'm trying to tell you!!! You're not listening!" The epidural guy even came back and fiddled with the epidural to try and help with the pain. But it didn't do a thing.
Finally, she was crowning. They brought the midwife in. She was amazing. She was telling me how to oush, and applying pressure to where I should push. She was molding Kyah's head as it was coming out (my mum told me this) so it would take its normal shape easier. I was still dealing with the pains, which we had chocked up to be, her head pushing on a nerve, and maybe the epidural not fully working on that side and feeling contractions. Joey in trying to comfort me kept rubbing my knee with his thumb, this was the first, "lose it" moment, in between contractions i told him to stop, he did. The next contraction he started doing it again, on the soutide I had to push, and couldn't do anything, inside I was losing it, "STOOOOOP RUBBING MY LEG, RRAAAR!" So as soon as the contraction stopped i burst out with "STOP IT! STOP IT!" The Midwife, was all concerned, " what's wrong?" Joey just looked down and said, "it's ok it's just me"
Finally after about an hour and a half, I pushed her head out. I remember the feeling of immense relief. I sighed and said, "oh, that feels so good." Everybody laughed. It was one of those, "only takes a second but feels like forever moments" I can picture it, if it was in a movie as the time when they would do a sweeping view of the room in slow motion. "this is it" I thought. "I'm about to have a baby...MY baby....wow" At the same time as Kyah's head emmerged Mum said, "aww" ..."lost it" moment number two. "SHHHHH!" For whatever reason, I couldn't stand it that she was making an awww noise. I knew in my rationl mind that it was perfectly acceptable, that she do that when she saw er first grandaughter's head come out. But, hey, I was hormonal. I think I even gave her a few looks that said, "shush, don't do that again." I pushed a few more times and out came KYAH SYDNEY JACO. They scooped her up onto my belly, and were rubbing her off. I was just in aww. I remember feeling like, shouldn't I cry or something,aren't I suppose to feel all emotional and serene. I kinda felt in disbelief. And also some relief at finally having her out.
They took her over to the heated table, and daddy followed her over. He kept gazing at her with the widest grin I had since seen on his face, and he kept looking back at me with this, "look" Immediately after her birth he had come and kissed me and hugged me and said I did a good job. Now, he was going back and forth from her to me, and mouthing to me, "she looks like you." while pointing at her then me, and smiling. The midwife, helped me deliver the placenta, and explained to me that I had torn, and she was going to stich me up. Boy did that feel weird. Joey also took a picture of the placenta and showed me, I was grossed out, and made him promise to delete it. The nurses told us that she wasn't breathing how they would like, so they were going to take her to the nursery and get her to cry like they wanted. I was kind of in a daze, shaking and suddenly feeling cold, then hot, then cold...I talked with Stacy and Mum about the delivery, while Joey went with Kyah. We nicknamed the mean nurse that brushed off my pain, as the Nazi nurse. (take note of her part in this, it will come in handy later.) When Joey and Kyah returned they had bathed her, and jey told us that as soon as they got her there, she was doing just fine, and breathing how they wanted. According to my Mum, she had the cord around her neck when she was born and was a little blue. Which kind of scared Mum a little.
Kyah was born at 2:04am Sept 22nd, 2007. 7lb. 7in. 21 in. long. She was born four days before her due date of Sept 26th.
I breastfed her, and not long after that, we moved to the recovery room. Where I had some food while Joey tried to go to sleep on the pull put bed, we were in a shared room on the outer side, but we were alone. I began the routine of feed the baby, get up go to the bathroom, clean up, back to bed, take meds, etc. start over. At some point in the night, we had got room mates, and joey got kicked out of the pull out chair, since it was on "their" side of the room He tried to sleep in the small armchair, I even invited him into the hospital bed during the next day for a little while. That was interesting, but Mum got a cute picture of it.
The next day was tiring with lots of visitors, and feeding the baby, trying to eat, trying to rest etc. That night Joey decided to go home to sleep, since he had nowhere to rest there, and the next day was, sunday. Throughout the night Kyah and the "nextdoor baby" took turns waking up to eat, but he seemed to have trouble. I wished I could help the mother with advice, but didn't want to overstep my bounds.
The next morningg, while Joey was at church, the "neighbors" and I ended up pulling the curtain back and chit-chatting. It was so nice to not feel trapped in, by a curtain. The guy even offered to have his mom get me food. Which I graciously declined. Even when the food came he still offered me some, they were so nice, and they introduced me as their "friend." We were discharged around 1pm, we said our goodbyes, and we went downstairs. As we were getting in the car we saw a lady from Joey's work. We had found out from our room neighbors that the great grandmother of the baby was someone Joey worked with. We waved to her as we left. And started our Journey home, as a family of three.
So precious! It's stories like these that remind me that I'm right on track with what God has planned for me. It makes me feel more secure in what God has already told me for sure - That I am ment to be a midwife <3
ReplyDelete