On Friday, October 16th I had my 37 week appointment with my OB when she did my first pelvic check and stripped my membranes. I was 1.5cm dilated and 50% effaced then. After the appointment I was kind of sore and little crampy and it was little hard for me to walk. Saturday I still felt the same so I was trying to relax more but still had lots of BH, pretty much every time I stood up I had one. Later that evening they started to feel somewhat painful so I started to wonder if those are the real contractions. At around 10PM after I had about 3 of them in the row, about 12 minutes apart I called my girlfriend who was supposed to watch Tommy for us to keep her phone next to her bed, just in case we had to go. The contractions kind of went away and I went to bed at around 11PM. Tommy was complaining about ear ache and was waking up so I had to get up to calm him down about 3 times. I was thinking - at least I'm not in labor. As soon as I said it and laid back in bed, one painful contraction came. It was around 1:30AM. Then 9 minutes later, another one, 9 minutes later another one, then it came after 7 minutes. So I got up and turned on my PC to talk to my sister who is in Europe so they already had a morning over there to let her know what is going on. Then I noticed the contractions got more painful and were closer together, 3-4 minutes apart. It was 3AM. I knew then that I was really in labor this time, because I never had such a strong contractions before, all the BH I had weeks before were just uncomfortable but never that painful. I decided to eat a light breakfast, just in case my labor would be long again (with Tommy I was in labor for 27 hours). I went thru my list of things to still add to my hospital bag and made sure I have it all packed. It really does help to write it down, because when you are in pain, you probably won't be able to remember it all. I wrote down things that I couldn't pack before hand, things like cell phone and camera charger, camera etc. I took a shower, finished packing a bag for Tommy and then woke DH and told him it was time to go. It was 4AM. I called my friend to let her know we are on the way to her house to drop Tommy off, she was already waiting for us and then headed to the hospital.
When I checked in they asked me when my contractions started and when I said at 1:30AM they were probably thinking - this girl is crazy to come over here so early, she's probably not even in labor yet. They even called my OB because they wanted to ask her if they should admit me or send me home. I was thinking - are you crazy??? My contractions are 3-4 minutes apart and you are thinking about sending me home? They checked me and I was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, and the baby's head was still not that low. By that time the pain was getting unbearable and I asked for epi but they had to run the labs first, then wait for the results, give me a bag of IV so it was about 2 hours before they could give that to me and I felt like I was going to die from pain. They gave me some "pain" med which wasn't helping with the pain at all but made me very drowsy so I was resting at least between contractions. I found out that when my DH was rubbing my lower back during contractions, the pain was little more bearable so he was up with every one of my contractions and rubbing and rubbing. LOL. I was shaking so bad, I couldn't help it.
Then finally the anesthesiologist came and started to insert the epi. It felt like it took forever and I had about 2-3 contractions before he was done and I thought I wasn't gonna be able to deal with the pain because DH couldn't be in the room to rub my back and I had to stay really still for him to insert the needle. Then he was done (or I thought he was) and contraction came, just as painful so I was thinking - it's not working!!!! but he didn't give me the meds into the IV yet. Then it took a while and finally it started working and it was heaven. I was still drowsy from the previous med and felt so tired and was trying to sleep. The nurse left the room, turned off the light and me and DH were trying to catch a nap. They were checking on me periodically though so I couldn't really fall asleep much but it still helped. I felt kind of wet and was thinking my water had broken so the nurse checked me and it wasn't my water but I was bleeding. I told her about my placenta previa that I had up to a week 35 and she said that the bleeding could be caused by a baby pushing on the placenta and ubrupting it a little. I was waiting for my OB to come to break my water, I'm sure it would speed things up but she wasn't coming yet. I was dilated to 6cm. Then at around 8-9AM I was dilated to 8 and started to really wonder if my OB is going to show up. Then she was there and she checked me and said that on top I was 100% effaced but the bottom still wasn't and to try to sit more upright. So I changed positions and about 30 minutes later she said the head was right there and I could start pushing. I don't even remember her saying I was fully dilated.
So they got everything ready and I was kind of nervous that the time is here. I started to shake again. The epi was wearing off a little, I didn't feel the pain but felt pressure with each contraction and it felt I had to go pee at first and then it felt like I had to poop. So by next contraction I was told to start pushing. It was a long contraction and the OB counted 3 times til 10 and then the contraction was over. She said the head was right there already. By next contraction the head came out on the first count til 10 and the rest of the body came shortly after. So I only had to push totally of 4 times, within 2 contractions and it took less then 5 minutes. I couldn't believe how easy it was this time. I didn't even needed any pitocin or stitches and felt great. He came out at 9:41 AM covered in the white stuff, I guess it was because he was born at 37 weeks and 2 days but he was crying and acting normally. I tried to nurse him but he wouldn't latch on. They had to take him to the nursery to get him weighed in and to check his blood sugar because of my gestational diabetes. They cleaned me up and then my girlfriend came with Tommy and they went to go see him in a nursery but they wouldn't let them in because he swallowed some bloody mucus on his way out and they had to clean it up. They also measured his blood sugar and it was too low so they had to give him some formula to see if it would work. By that time they transferred me to a regular room and I was waiting to hear about my baby and wanted to try to breastfeed again. Then the nurse came and said he had to be transferred into a NICU because his blood sugars dropped even more after the feeding and that he was breathing little too fast. They said it was not a big deal and that he was otherwise fine. I still couldn't help it and I cried because at that time I was already all alone. DH already had left, because he had to go pick something up and was going to come back little later with Tommy and I was going to rest anyway so it was little too much for me to handle and I couldn't stop worrying.
Lukas ended up in NICU all 2 days while we were at the hospital, they hooked him up to an IV with some sugar solution to keep his sugars up and continued to monitor his breathing. Because of him breathing too fast and colostrum not having almost any sugars I was told not to breastfeed and they were feeding him formula. After day 1 they stopped the IV and his sugars were fine, his breathing was getting better too. So I got a pump and was pumping and bringing it to the NICU every 3-4 hours and they were mixing it with the formula. The good thing was I was able to get some rest, because if I didn't come to NICU and brought some milk, they would just feed him formula so I was well rested when it was time to go home. Luckily his labs and everything was fine and he was discharged only few hours after I was.
3.8.2010
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It all started on monday 2/20/2006, 1 day before my due date after I came back from my doctor appt. I was still only 1cm dialated and no progress. But later that afternoon, at around 3PM I started to have mild contractions. I was thinking, is this really it? I started to be nervous and called DH. Later that evening the contractions were stronger and I started to have terrible back pain. I tried to go to bed at around 10PM thinking I might have Tommy real soon so I'd better get some rest. I couldn't sleep because the contractions and back pain were so strong and every 3-10 minutes. DH was watching TV and timing my contractions. At 4AM I was in tears and on the floor and the pain was so bad, we decided to go to L&D, because I was afraid to give birth at home. They checked me and I was still only 1cm dialated!!! An hour later they sent us home with no progress. I thought I was going to die, I was in so much pain. DH called his work that he is taking the day off because his wife had FALSE CONTRACTIONS!!! I couldn' believe that he was thinking it was false alarm. Anyways, he passed out on the couch while I was walking around the house trying to dialate more. So much for my coach. LOL. Worst thing was that the back pain didn't go away even in between contractions so I was really miserable. I called my doctor at 8AM and she told me to come right in and she checked me and I was 4cm and at 0 station, YEY!!! and she sent me to hospital. All I wanted was to make the pain go away and was asking for epidural, but they had to do the lab and paperwork first so after about 3 hours I finally got the epidural, it was the best time I had, after 20 hours of back labor :o(( But it was working great for only 3 hours, I was dialated to 9 so they didn't want me to get more Epidural so I would feel the contractions coming, because I was about to push. That's when they found out that Tommy is sunny side up (they did an U/S) and he couldn't come thru and the doctor recomended a c-section. I was in tears (Epidural has worn off completelly and I was in so much pain all over again) I wanted to have vaginal delivery but he said we could try laying on right and left side and switching every 10 minutes or so to see if he flipps but the doctor and nurse both doubted that he would, since he was already engaged. They were filling out paperwork and I was on the "waiting list" to have the C-section done. DH was so nervous and was praying for Tommy to turn. So I kept turning from one side to the other, every 10 minutes and an hour later miracle happened and he was transverse (the head was facing sideways) so I tried to push and he flipped face down. I was so excited even though in pain that I will have him vaginally after all. I pushed for about 30 minutes and here he was, 8lb 10oz, 21 in healthy and hairy boy at 6:04PM, right on his due date. He was also born with an arm across his face so when I was pushing his arm came out first. I also peed on the doctor after my first push, so he had to go change his clothes first and then we continued. LOL. I tore just a bit and had only couple of stitches but I'm feeling fine now.
I still can't believe I did it and he is here.
1.30.2007
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