Matthews Birth story part 2

You can find part 1 here.

We waited for what seemed like hours, but in all honesty was probably only 10-20mins. The triage nurse came in and explained that they were going to monitor me to see how far apart the contractions were. She asked me all the normal questions, including if my water had broken. At this moment in time it hadnt. But I swear those contractions ever couple of minutes were pretty intense. I remember squeezing Matts hand through each one. I would cringe my body up real tight and basically stop breathing. Again something they tell you not to do. But I just couldnt control it.

It had been about 30 more mins of monitoring when all of a sudden I felt a leaking sensation. (sorry for the tmi) Not a pop. Not a gush. Almost like I had just peed in my panties. I even told hubs this. "Either I just peed all over the bed, or my water broke." And truthfully, I really didnt know which it was. lol. And at that moment, the nurse had come back in. She was coming to tell me that my contractions were not coming as often as I had reported when coming in. They were now 6 mins apart. Basically meaning that I would be sent home.

To which I replied, "umm I either peed or my water broke." She looked at me kinda funny and asked if she could check. She lifted the sheet and confirmed, "Well, you just bought yourself a ticket to being admitted!" You mean this is real. This is really going to happen today? I couldnt believe it. And then another contraction hit me. Quite hard. The nurse said she would be back with clean sheets.

I turned to Matt. I think im going to vomit. Get a garbage can. Get a bag. Get something. Somehow I held it in the time it took him to find the ever so clever "barf-bags." I couldnt understand how i even had anything to throw up. I hadnt had anything to eat since the night before. And it was going on 2pm. Then I remembered those delicious fruit pops. They didnt tast so delicious coming back up thats for sure.

When the nurse returned, she noticed how pale i looked. Hubs informed her of what just happened. Then she said something that kinda amused me;
"I bet youre 4cms now."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I dont know why, but the minute someone says theyve thrown-up, they are normally at least 4cms dilated"

Sure enough, she was right. I was now 4cms. She told me they would be moving me to a room and out of triage. As we were waiting for the room my sister was actually able to come back. When she did, she also let me know that the other doctor at the practice, Dr. Coe, was the doctor on-call that weekend. Quite a coincidence if you ask me, being he is my sisters dr and had delivered my niece and a few of my friends children. (lil back story, i actually first went to this practice to have him as my dr, but then found out he didnt take my insurance. however, one of the other partners, Dr. Fahey, did. At that time I was a little relieved because she is a woman, and Coe is a man, and i had never had a male Gyno.) I wasnt the least bit upset either. Dr Coe knew me very well, as i had been extremely involved with my sisters 2nd pregnancy, and i was at least happy i knew who would be delivering our lil boy.

The next few minutes are a little blurry to me. I remember them asking if I thought i could walk to the new room. I had said that would be fine, and then all i remember is halfway there (which wasnt very far) the contractions started to hit hard. I grabbed onto the nurses station and had to have Matt holding me up because I couldnt move. Then the next thing i remember is getting onto the bed.

Throughout my pregnancy I had always been undecided about the epidural. First, Im allergic to epinephrine, the main ingredient in most epidurals. My dr assured me that it isnt always in epidurals and just to let the anesthesiologist know, and they should be able to make a different cocktail of drugs that would work the same. And secondly, i really wanted to be able to move around and not be limited to the bed during labor. Hopefully allowing me to use the tub if possible. So i had told my hubs and sister, the two who would be in the room with me, that i would like to hold off on the epi for as long as possible and see if i could make it natural. But never being 100% against it, knowing I may demand it at some point ;)

Sure enough, as im getting on the bed, the nurse asked me if I would like an epidural. As in, if-down-the-line i would like an epidural, but first you need to sign paperwork. But before she could even explain to me the part about the paperwork I was already forcefully saying "YES! PLEASE!!" At which point my sis and hubs began hysterically laughing, as well as the nurse, who then explained she would call for the anesthesiologist and be back with the paperwork. Looking back, I am sure glad I said yes at that point, because turned out i wasnt able to get it for another 1.5hr due to the hospital being busy that day.

During those 90mins i was so uncomfortable and in pain. I would get really cold and shake. I would have a contraction and shake. I couldnt talk to anyone. I could barely rest between the contractions. I believe my sis-in-law and mother-in-law came in sometime during this time. And they say I wasnt very pleasant.... I would squeeze matts hand, hold my breath, and cringe everytime. And then the anesthesiologist finally showed up. I was really nervous at how i was going to be able to sit still during a contraction, as i was involuntarily shaking uncontrollably during each one. The nurse assured me I would be fine and asked everyone, including matt to the leave the room. Which he had absolutely no objection to. Then she had me lean over a pillow as she stood in front of me and told me i could hold on to her or the pillow. She said we would do it right after a contraction ended so I had a better chance of staying still.

Surprisingly it honestly did not hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Yes, its a needle, its gonna hurt. But trust me, compared to the contractions your feeling every couple of minutes, that needle is like a small pinch, followed by a small burning sensation. And then she said it was done. They put me back on the bed lying down and explained how my legs would start to go numb. Which they did.

They continued to monitor my contractions and even had to inform me when i was having one. I was so surprised at how it literally took the pain away. I mean i knew it would, but the relief to be able to relax in between was so calming. Then everyone came back in, to which they all informed me I seemed to be in a much better mood. And I was actually able to talk to them.

The next couple of hours are blurry to me. Dr Coe came in to check on me and say hi. Letting me know he would be the one to deliver. I know i was able to rest a little. I know they turned the lights down low so I could try to nap. I was exhausted, but too anxious to sleep. I remember the nurse checking me a couple times, and me progressively dilating further. I think somewhere around 11pm the nurse said i was at 9 cm and that she was going to call the dr to come in and check on me.

Around 11:30pm Dr Coe came in and said I was now 10cm, he had me do a couple of pushes. I guess to see how well I would do? i dunno. And then informed me that I would need to push for a little while. He let me know that he would be at the nurses station doing some paperwork and would come back to check on me soon. And then, get this, youll see how informal we really are and how close of a relationship we have with this doctor....With my legs spread open from him doing the internal check, he turned around and started watching and commenting on the Miami Heat game that was on the TV. Him and my husband were literally watching the basketball game as I was "laboring" on the bed. Till this day we all laugh about this. (Sidenote: the Heat did win that game! lol)

He left after a few more mins and my nurse came over to have me do a couple more pushes. I guess I wasnt doing it right. And if im being completely honest, i think it was the thought in the back of my mind that I might poop on the table. It wasnt that I was scared to or anything, i just didnt want to, and i think that thought was hindering me from pushing as hard as I could. The nurse finally came out and said it, and informed me that she could tell I was tensing up as I pushed each time. She said she could see his head coming down but then I would kinda suck him back in (Sorry if thats too visual). She said I needed to push like I was going to poop. So I tried, and she immediately exclaimed "Yes! Just like that!" After only a few more "test pushes" as I like to call them ;) she said she was going to go get Dr Coe because our lil boy would be here very soon. And explained that since I had had a fever all day that they would need the nicu nurses to be in the room during birth.

By this time it was around 12:10am. Dr Coe came back and said "I didnt even get to do any of my paper work!" Which lightened the mood a tad. He scrubbed up, the nurse got the baby table all ready, and we started doing the "real pushes." My sister was on one side holding up my leg, and hubs was on the other. I swear it felt like hours later, but with literally only about 20mins of pushing our lil boy was born at 12:38am at 8lbs 12oz. They put him on my chest, and I just held him for a couple of seconds, not realizing the weight of what just happened. I was still in shock and quite out of breath. But he was there. Our lil boy was here.

They then took him over to the table to clean him up and weigh him and such. I remember hearing him cry, but it was what they called an "extended cry." Im not sure how long it was, but i remember hubs going out to the waiting room to tell family he was finally here. While he was gone, it was only me and my sis in the room. I dont remember exactly how long it was, but I heard one of the nurses say he had a fever. And then I heard my nurse say that "he probably had a fever because the mom has had a fever all day too." Probably due to me being in the pool & sun earlier that day.

My nurse came back over to me and explained that he had a little bit of an extended cry. Probably due to a tiny bit of fluid being on his lungs from not being squeeze out at birth. And that since this was happening and he had a fever, that they would need to take him to nicu for further monitoring. They wrapped him up and asked if i wanted to hold him before they took him down. I of course said yes. At this point hubs had come back in the room. I just looked at my sis and told her to explain what was happening. As I was still a little out of it and just wanted to hold my baby.

I asked Matt if he wanted to hold him before they took him, since he hadnt held him yet. I think he was too nervous to, and said no they should just take him to make sure hes ok. They then put him in one of the transporting beds and wheeled him out. By now i tears welling up in my eyes and trickling down my face. I knew he would be ok. I knew it was just precaution, but I wanted so badly to do the skin-on-skin contact. And to try breastfeeding. And to just hold my baby boy.

Matt and his mom followed the baby down to the NICU while my sis stayed with me. My nurse came back in and let me know she would help me go to the bathroom, as I had to pee badly. The epidural had worn off by now, and I could feel my legs. She led me in the bathroom and helped explain "the cleanup." We were transferred to our room somewhere around 3am. Still no baby with us. Then around 5am they came in to check on me. They insisted I could go to see him whenever I wanted, but I could barely move, let alone get into a wheelchair to be able to go in. I was so tired and told them I would go as soon as I could get up and shower off. Around 8am hubs was awake, I showered, and we went down to see our precious boy.

He was getting oxygen through a helmet, and was on a little bed warmer. I wasnt able to hold him, but he was so precious. All i kept thinking was we dont belong here. I mean, as i walked in all i saw was tiny babies, babies that were fighting for their lives. My son was gigantic compared to them. Remember he was almost 9lbs.

Ill skip over the next few trying days. He spent a total of a week in NICU. I had to be discharge from the hospital without my baby. I never got the experience of having him in my hospital room with me. It was odd that people came to see him/me, and it was literally just me laying in my bed. Only close family and few close friends were able to actually see him in NICU. But it was literally the best day of my life when they told us he could come home with us!

matthews birth story part 1

Ive been meaning to write this for a while now. I dont want to forget any details of the day my precious lil boy was born. And since there are so many bloggers who have had babies recently, its made me really want to share my story. Its actually a pretty simple story, but nonetheless still very meaningful to me.

It started out on Sunday June 3, 2012. I woke up around 7:00am, which was actually quite early for me (ha, wish I could say that now). I had felt a couple of cramps, which I first alluded to a stomach ache, but later realized it was the beginning signs of labor. They werent really consistent and I didnt want to wake Matt up for a lil stomache. So I tried to go back to sleep.

After about 1-2 hours of tossing and turning, with so-called cramps about every 15mins that were starting to get a little bit more painful, I decided to wake Matt up. I wasnt sure how to explain it to him, and he really was kind of clueless when it came to this kind of thing. He kept asking, "well what do you want me to do?" In which case I would reply, "I dont know."

Well, if you dont know my husband, hes all about the "quick fix" with everything. If there is a problem, tell him how to fix it, and he will. But if not he gets kind of frustrated. So, since he didnt know exactly what to do, he called who he thought would be the best person in this situation, my sister. Who at that moment in time was at BJ's shopping. She told hubs to calm down and as soon as she was done she would head over to our house.

I continued to have these slightly uncomfortable cramps about ever 10-15mins. I would stop at the end of our bed and grasped tightly to the footboard. And then just like that, it would be gone. My sister showed up fairly quickly and basically took one look at me and quickly stated "Its starting!" I'll admit. I wasnt quite sure what to think. Id been wanted this baby out of me for a few days now. But the thought that today would be the day? I dont know. It kind of freaked me out a bit. Plus, I still wasnt sure if this was actually it. You hear people all the time having false alarms. And I hadnt really experienced any braxton hicks, so thats what this might be.

My sister reassured me it was ok, and that why dont we just relax a little. She actually suggested that we go down to my parents (only 2 blocks away) and just go hang out in the pool and bounce. Funny she says bounce, because that is exactly what we did back when I was in 8th grade the entire day before my nephew was born. I figured, heck, it worked for her, maybe it would work for me to. So I slipped on some clothes, still not completely sure I was indeed going in the pool, and we all headed down to my parents.

My mom wasnt home from work yet, but called and asked if we needed her to pick anything up for us on her way home. Im not sure whos idea it was, but when she showed up with fresh fruit popsicles, i swear it was like I had died and gone to heaven. Little did I know it would be the last thing I had to eat for the next 12+ hours.

I was getting extremely uncomfortable at this point. And couldnt talk through the "cramps." Instead I would just stop and basically hold my breath. You know, the one thing your NOT supposed to do. Thats why they always tell you to breathe. To help ease the pain through the contractions. My sis and hubs at this point had agreed it would be best for me to get in the pool and just "relax." I managed to get in my bathing suit and into the pool. Just hanging on to a raft that was floating in the water.

Now, I could be wrong, but if the rest of you are like me, the very last thing you want is to have visiters when you feel like a giant whale. Literally,  I mean come on, I was in my maternity bathing suit, no makeup, not able to control the pain, and just floating around in the water. And what happens? Hubs thinks its ok to have his sister and cousin stop by. And not like just stop by to drop something off and leave. But like stop by, chill with their feet in the pool, all while drinking some cool beverages, and basically staring at me going through contractions in the pool. Im sorry but to me, this is kind of a private time. I didnt mind my mom and sis, because Im extremely close to them. But with his sister and cousin there, I was extremely self conscious and waaay uncomfortable. I even made my sis bring out one of my dads shirts for me to wear to cover up while in the pool. And for gods sakes, STOP STARING AT ME! lol

Now, all the while, I was screaming that to myself (in my head), i actualy appeared quite calm to every else. The pool itself was a great idea. It made me feel buoyant. And the water was keeping me cool. Hubs was keeping count of the contractions. Telling me when he thought the next would come. They were now about 4 mins apart. Technically that was close enough to go to the hospital. But i chose to stay in the water a little longer. Knowing if I went now, they might send me home. Or I might be limited to those four walls they call a birthing suite.

It only took a few more contractions to convince me it was time to go. They helped me out of the pool, reality hit right then and there that I was indeed NOT buoyant. lol. I waddled my way to the restroom to change back into clothes and try to put some makeup on. Between hubs, my mom and sis, they were all laughing at me about wanting to put makeup on. Like they literally wouldnt let me. And kept telling me I didnt need it. Somehow they pushed me out of the house without even so much of mascara (my staple) and out the door I went. (man do i wish I had been able to put that makeup lol)

We got into hubs truck, just the two of us. My sis following behind in her own car. This was it. This was the last time it would be just the two of us. Last time we were just husband and wife. Next time we would be in this truck we would be mommy and daddy too.

The car ride there was actually not too bad. It almost felt like the contractions had slowed down. I was doubting our decision to to go to the hospital. But I figured we might as well see what the progress is. I had been dilated 1cm for almost 3 weeks, but I knew that didn't necessarily mean anything.

We pulled into the parking lot and found a somewhat decent spot. I remember walking in and thinking this is it. We weren't sure if we needed to check in at the front reception desk or just go straight to the third floor, the maternity unit. As soon as the lady at the front saw me stop in mid stride, she simply said "go on up." so that is what we did.

Thankfully, I had already preregistered with the hospital, so it didnt take long to get me into the triage area. Unfortunately, they wouldnt let my sister come in with us during this time, and also refused to let her stand in the hallway, so she was banished to the waiting area. I remember sitting on the bed, not knowing exactly what was going to happen. Even though they had went over all of this in our hospital tour.