A Beauty is Born

I woke up on a beautiful Sunday morning and was having very consistent contractions that followed from the night before. I got out of bed and started my normal morning routine of breakfast and facebook. I started writing my contractions down and they were coming about every five minutes and kept getting stronger. I made my round of phone calls to my Mom, Mother in Law, and Step Mom trying to figure out if I should go to the hospital. Joe had gone to work and I was trying to hold out as long as possible so he wouldn't have to leave. Well Joe, who was very impatient and eager to see his baby girl, called me around 9:00 am asking what was going on. I told him about my contractions and he insisted on leaving work. Once he got home I figured I'd take a shower and see how my contractions were after that. Joe was running into the bathroom and asking me if I had a contraction and would write it down, he was so anxious running around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. My contractions seemed to be getting stronger so Joe decided it was time to go to the hospital. I got ready while dealing with contractions and multiple phone calls from family wondering what was going on. I finally had to put Joe on phone duty because it got too difficult to get ready and also talk through contractions.

We got to the hospital around 11 am, checked in, and they put us in delivery room number 11. Anyone that knows me knows that 11 is my lucky number, so when they told me the room number I remember thinking "this is it!". They got me all set up and I put on my beautiful gown and we patiently waited to see what I had dilated to. The nurse came in and told me I was only 1 1/2 and they would give me an hour to see if I progressed and if not they would send me home. After an hour I was still only 1 1/2 and the nurse told me they were sending me home but she still wanted to run it by the doctor. I remember being so bummed out because the situation couldn't have been more perfect, the view from my room was beautiful and I was in lucky room 11. The nurse came back in and informed me that the doctor wanted to keep me for one more hour because my contractions were so strong and see if I dilate more. So during that one more hour I decided to walk the halls to see if it would get me moving along more. While I was walking I would have horrible contractions and Joe would have to rub my back because the pain was so intense. As we were headed back to my room a lady walked up beside me and said "looks like your in a lot of pain" and I just looked at her and said "yup" and she replied, "how about we just break your water and get you going?". I had no idea she was the doctor. She was dressed in normal clothes and just looked like a lady cruising through the halls. We got back to my room and by now I was dilated to a 3 and she broke my water. That was a strange feeling.

After breaking my water the contractions went from about 5 minutes apart to 2 minutes and it was very painful. I had also went from somewhat uncomfortable to raging uncomfortable and found that the breathing techniques I learned in birthing class didn't help that much. My sweet husband kept asking me what I needed, and at times I loved for him to rub my back but at other times I wanted him to stay away from me. I believe around 5 or 6 cm dilated I decided I REALLY wanted the epidural. It took the anesthesiologist a while to get there because he was with another patient so they gave me some other medication to take the edge off the contractions. It helped a tiny bit but not enough. After what seemed like hours of waiting, the anesthesiologist arrived. I had always feared the epidural until this very moment, I was so excited for it. It felt rather good having a different pain to concentrate on when the needle went into my back. After a little while I started feeling great, only because I couldn't feel a thing. Epidurals are truly the only way to go.

My nurse was very nice and kept informing me of how most first time deliveries go, "most are about 12 hours long and almost all women tear with their first baby". I understood as I had read this all in my What To Expect When Expecting and felt pretty prepared, but I knew one thing for sure.... it wasn't going to take me no 12 hours! Especially because I had gone from 1 1/2 to 5 in a few hours, and once they gave me the epidural I just kept going even faster. During this time I experienced something very scary though. My daughters heart rate kept dropping. The nurse kept running in and would turn me on my left side, then on my right, and then after turning didn't help she decided to do a procedure in which they insert a tube up into the amniotic sac to put more fluid in with the baby to hopefully take pressure off the umbilical chord. She improved significantly.

While waiting I visited with my Grandparents and Mother. Only a short time after I received the epidural I felt pressure in my bottom and I calmly told Joe to tell the nurse. She came in and checked me and I was "totally a 10!" in her words. She frantically started getting everything ready and called the doctor, who was at home. I pushed through 2 sets of contractions and on my 3rd I was told to stop or the baby would come out and we had to wait for the doctor. So I just sat there, legs suspended in the air, and waited. The nurse kept asking all the other nurses where the doctor was because this baby was coming out any minute. Pretty soon Joe looked down, then looked at me, then told the nurse "Uh she's coming out" and the nurse got down there just in time to catch my baby girl.

Lolah Lou was born at 6:08 pm on September 20th, 2009. The nurse placed her on my chest and I started crying with joy. I had waited so long to see this little girl and she was finally here. She weighed 5 lbs 6 oz and 18" long. Her head covered in dark brown soft hair. She was everything I had dreamt of. The nurse in shock began to tell me that everything she had told me when I was in labor about 12 or more hours and tearing, I did the complete opposite. I didn't tear and I accomplished having my little girl in 7 hours from the time I got to the hospital. Which after waiting 9 months, 7 hours goes by in a blink of the eye. It was an amazing experience. Holding her now in my arms amazes me that this little one was inside me for 9 months. It also amazes me how much she can do already. Right when the nurses handed her to me she was already looking for food, which to me is absolutely astonishing. The gift of life is so precious. Having a child depend on you is a great feeling. Knowing that you are the one that can comfort this child and make them feel better is such a wonderful gift. Me and Joe are so proud of our baby girl and I just wanted to share the experience with you and one day Lolah.