My Birth Story

I woke up at 12:45 on Monday April 13th not believing I could possibly be in labor after all the false alarms. The contractions were uncomfortable enough to keep me from getting more than an hour's sleep. I woke up to stronger contractions, and took a shower and got ready for work. I decided to start timing them and they 3 minutes apart! Of course I started getting excited, especially when they got painful enough to bring me to my knees. But they were only lasting about 30 seconds.
AND THEN...they tapered off a little and went to 5 minutes. UGH. I had a Dr.'s appointment at 10 am so I was determined to not run to L&D.
I went to work and then made it to my appointment. The Dr. said all the false labor was NORMAL especially for first time moms. He checked me and declared me almost 3 cm. Then he gave me the mother of all membrane strippings. It hurt like hell. and he did it 3 times!
Contractions started before I checked out of the Dr.s office. But I went back to work and picked up lunch on the way. I couldn't eat it though (unusual for me). The contractions got stronger and I started bleeding. When I got to about 4 minutes apart told my supervisor I was leaving. I called Justin and he said I should go home. I was going to, but changed my mind at the exit and turned toward the hospital.
The triage nurse declared me 4 cm and I was admitted!!! I was in total disbelief. From here everything went so fast I have no idea what time anything happened or how long I was doing what. And I really didn't care!
I was hurting so bad before they took me to my L&D suite. It was like a hotel room! They got me into bed and started a pitocin drip. I asked for the epidural. The pain was bad, not unbearable, but I figured it would be a while before I actually got the epi -- and it was.
My nurse was just about to give me something to hold me over when the anesthesiologist wheeled in his cart of goodies. I was pretty nervous and started crying while he was prepping me. I didn't feel like I could get my back rounded out far enough, but he didn't say anything. The numbing shot hurt a little, and the pressure of the epi cath going in was scary, but it didn't hurt. I am ashamed to say I was a total whiny baby.
Only my left side got numb. I was still feeling the contractions all around my right hip. My nurse checked me and said I was between 8-9 cm. and she wanted to cath me. I told her she had to wait until I couldn't feel anything at all. The nurse and Justin rolled me onto my right side to try and get the epi to numb me over there. The nurse was telling me that this was going fast and I really needed that cath. I still wouldn't let her put it in.
Then I felt and heard this LOUD and STRONG POP! against my right hip. It felt like Chuck Norris round house kicked me in the hip! Then I felt a huge gush and said "MY WATER BROKE"! The nurse didn't believe me so it must not have been as much fluid as I it felt like. She swabbed it and sure enough, water broken! The CNA came in to check on my and gave me a larger bolus of the epi saying that the Dr's never give patients enough.
I was getting pretty numb so agreed to let my nurse try putting in a smaller sized cath than the foley cath. And it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO uncomfortable. I should have made her wait longer. She checked me again and said she was wrong, I was only at 7cm. Bummer.
The upped dose of the epi was FANTASTIC and SO WIERD. I could still feel my skin and move my feet, but everything else just felt heavy. No pain at all. I did get a bad case of the shakes though and she gave me some fentenol to sedate me a little.
The smaller cath wasn't draining at all so I told my mom I was ready to let her try the foley. And I didn't feel it at all. So being totally numb makes a HUGE difference. She checked me again and said I was complete, the head was in the birth canal, and she could feel hair! WOW! She called my Dr.
It was time for shift change so I had to wait for my new nurse, Cici. Once Cici got there she broke down the bed and got me to do some practice pushes. I probably pushed thru about 3 contractions with CiCi's coaching and telling me I was doing great, a very effective pusher. LOL I couldn't feel ANYTHING besides a slight urge to push before she told me I could. She had my push 3 times thru each contraction at first, but we were moving so fast she had to decrease it to 1 push per contraction since we were waiting on the Dr. The baby crowned before the Dr. walked in and we had to just sit there. It felt strange to just sit and wait. I also could see my stomach deflating more the lower the baby got. So funny.
My Dr. finally walked in and threw his booties and gown on, stretched me (which did hurt a little), and we started pushing again. The cord was around her neck (which I suspected with how often and how long she got hiccups in the womb) so Justin wasn't able to cut it. I had to stop pushing while he snipped the cord and then on the next push she was out! The relief from the pressure was instantaneous and so nice! They put her on my chest and WOW was she beautiful. They took some pictures for us and then whisked her over to the warmer to do their thing while I got stitched up. Only a minor tear the Dr said, but he put SO many stitches in it. It was not so fun to watch, even though I couldn't feel it.
Baby Monkey (otherwise known as Isla) was born at 7:55pm, 6 lbs 12 oz, 19 3/4 inches long. I didn't feel any connection with her at first. She was like this little stranger. I tried nursing her (OUCH), but mostly I let everyone else hold her.
Mom went to get me something to eat and everyone else left. They took Isla (whose name I still was not sure about at this point) to the nursery and said she'd be gone for 4 hours. Surprisingly I was totally ok with it. I thought it would break my heart, but it didn't.
They got me cleaned up and settled in my post-partum room. I couldn't sleep. When I was finally feeling my legs enough to be able to get up I walked down to the nursery just as they were finishing up with her. We walked back to my room and then she was all mine. Just as I finally started to get tired she decided she wanted to nurse like crazy. Every time I stopped (b/c I was nodding off) she wailed. I think she just wanted to suck though. I finally had to send her to the nursery so I could get some sleep. I felt totally guilty.
My Dr. came in this morning and I was so groggy I hardly remember what he said to me, other than that they were all yes/no questions.
When the nursery staff bought Isla back to me today it was instant love. I feel bonded to her and I know now that her name is definitely Isla.
She is a total sweetheart. She's been sleeping most of the day (me too). And she'll sleep in the bassinet, but mostly she wants to be on my chest, which is where she is now.
Wow, this has gotten long. I am starving. I'll pick this back up in a little while, and maybe move some of it to a whole nother post about recovery.

Operation Baby Eviction: Part 3

So it looks like the castor oil was a bust. My contractions have been stuck at about 8 minutes apart all evening and lasting about 45 seconds.
We've tried some other things to get labor going consistently, but so far...zip.
I guess I'm going to have to get used to being in labor on and off. As much as it scares me to leave the privacy and comfort of my home, I'm going back to work tomorrow. I feel like a total moron. The girl who cried "labor". Sheesh.

Operation Baby Eviction: Part 2

1:00 pm: 7 hours in. I've had only 1 bout of the poopies, preceded by nausea and abdominal cramps. I've had some fairly painful contractions, but only while I'm lying down. When I get up they ease up. But they are coming fairly regularly.
I'm still not holding my breath. I'm thinking I'll go for a walk in a bit and then take a nap.

Operation Baby Eviction: Part 1

6:00 am: I braved 2 tablespoons of castor oil in a shot glass. It's THICK, but not really so horrible. Not nearly as bad a Tequila. I only gagged a little. I followed it with a glass of OJ, some danish, and a Cherry Dr. Pepper. My throat feels sort of thick now, not the most pleasant thing, but not unbearable.
I've got a 52 oz keg of water with my name on it to prevent dehydration. I'm going to go lie down and wait for something to happen. With my luck it will be a big fat bust, but at least I tried it.

In unrelated news: All night I had what I thought were going to be some productive contractions. Of course the petered out as soon as I got up (I timed them for an hour just to make sure I wasn't in serious labor before taking the CO). But I lost more of my mucous plug (hopefully the last of it, as I lost some over a week and half ago) so maybe these contractions had some affect after all.

Ok. I'll update if/when something happens.

So much for spicy food...

The hot hot hot wings didn't do anything. I can always expect an upset stomach and a night in the head after even mild flavored wings.
My contractions have picked up again, but are ALL over the place. Anywhere from 2-9 minutes apart and lasting from 20 seconds to 1 minute and a half! I have officially been in consistent false labor for 2 flippin' days!
So I scoured the internet for stories, talked it over with Justin, and decided I will be trying the castor oil first thing tomorrow morning. It seems the general consensus is that if your cervix is already thinning you have a good chance of it working. And if you're already having contractions there is an even better chance it will regulate them and promote "real" labor.
The negatives: Castor oil is a stimulant laxative and may cause explosive diarrhea, cramps, and vomiting. But at this point I am willing to risk all that. Besides, if greasy hot wings didn't phase me I'm thinking I might be ok. Even if all I get is miserably sick, at least I tried.
SO. Goodnight and in the morning, bottoms up!

SERIOUSLY?

These moronic contractions slowed down again. WTF? I am so pissed. I took the day off work b/c I thought this was IT. Now I'm going to look like an idiot if something doesn't happen soon.
I've been told to slam down 2 tablespoons of castor oil. I'm a little nervous to do this b/c I (of course) googled it and read some horror stories. So I ordered hot wings for lunch. Much hotter than I am usually ballsy enough to try. I'm hoping they might have the same effect as the castor oil since the even mild ones usually tear up my stomach. BUT. If I don't go into serious labor tonight I'm going to throw caution to the wind and brave the possiblity of some major stomach aching and vomiting from the castor oil. But with my luck that won't even work.
Seriously kid, why are you so stubborn?????? You are just like your daddy!

More labor...

The contractions are stronger today and about 4-5 minutes apart. I'm just hanging out in bed for a while. I plan to get up and take a shower in a bit and maybe nest until I really start hurting. Maybe we'll have a baby today! But I'm going to guess it will be more like tomorrow.

Labor update

I'm still not convinced this is the real deal. But I am hurting more. The time between contractions is back to about 8 minutes and I'm feeling a lot of constant pressure. And the monkey, who usually sits off to my left side, has moved more toward the middle of my belly. It seems she's also dropped quite a bit in the last hour.
I'm thinking I'm in for a LOOOOONG labor. The way things are looking it might be days before I'm in enough pain to try my luck at L&D. I'm going to try and get some sleep now.
Come on Monkey! April 7th is looking to be a beautiful day for a birthday!

Is this it??

I ***THINK*** I might be in labor. All this false labor has made me skeptical though. I had contractions all night, as usual. But this morning, instead of stopping, they kept up. They aren't very painful though. They have gone from about 10-12 minutes apart early this morning to about 7 minutes apart lasting about 40 seconds before I left for my Dr.'s appointment.
My BP was way up 150/86 so the nurse said "something must be going on", but it could also just be excitement at the prospect of meeting my baby in the next day or so. The Dr. says I am still only 1 cm and 70% effaced. So that was pretty depressing. I asked him to strip my membranes while he was checking me and he said "that's what I'm doing right now". I felt a little pop, but it didn't hurt at all. My contractions are now about 6 minutes apart. They last about 30-45 seconds. Still not much pain. Just an achy back.
I washed my kitchen floor 3 times today. I'm going to get caught up on the laundry and clean the bathrooms and then lie down for a bit.
I decided not to go to work just in case. I don't really want to have to worry about my water breaking while I'm there or driving home by myself if the pain does get bad all of the sudden. I'm really hoping that this is the real thing, but I'm also expecting the contractions to just poop out on me any minute now like they always do.

37 Weeks

And the false labor continues. I got more sleep last night than I did the night before, but still not a lot. I kept having this dream that the house was flooding (maybe because there was a monsoon going on outside) and waking up with contractions.
And apparently these contractions are not promoting any progress. I'm still just barely 1 cm dilated. Big sad face.
The ultrasound went well. Monkey is measuring a little behind schedule at about 6 lbs. Which puts her in the 38th percentile. So WHEW! Thank you sweet baby jesus I won't be giving birth to a gorilla. I also have "plenty of amniotic fluid" and Monkey is definitely head down. The tech was able to get a good face shot so she's not descended too far down into my pelvis (another sad face). And she looks to have some cutie pie chipmunk cheeks. Here's a picture:I'm bouncing vigorously on my yoga ball in hopes of getting her head down on my cervix and I've been trying to lengthen my stride and not waddle everywhere...which is DIFFICULT!

I hate you false labor.

I was up ALL FLIPPIN' NIGHT with contractions. Fairly painful ones...like a 4 or 5 on the scale. That wrapped around my back and belly. And there was a ton of pressure between my hips too. I could not get comfortable and every contraction made me have to get up and pee. So I only got like 15 minutes of sleep at a time. I thought to myself "This is it! I'm going to have a baby!!!!"
So I got up this morning with Justin (and because I was starving) to walk around, take a shower, and pack my last minute items...
AND THEY STOPPED!!!! So of course I had no excuse not to go to work (because I am obviously not in labor) and with no sleep I am exhausted and nauseated...not to mention irritated at all that pain and suffering for nothing. I better AT LEAST hear that I've made some progress when the Doc checks me tomorrow.
So now I'm getting contractions at random. Some hurt, some don't.
UGH. I want to go home and sleep.

36 Weeks!

Wow. Any day now. And I have SO MUCH left to do. The house is a disaster. The nursery isn't finished. I'm totally overwhelmed. I'd better make myself some lists:

Nursery:
1) Touch-up paint walls and dresser
2) Finish seaming bumpers and throw pillow
3) Hang shelving
4) Find paper to match bedding and cut to fit inside clocks b/c the clock face isn't flowing in the room.
5) Find print for large picture frame, buy and get matted
6) Name letters, paint and hang (which will actually have to wait until she officially has a name)

Sewing:
1) Make extra Boppy covers
2) Finish the flannel sleep gowns I started
3) Hem curtains for nursery (again, this will probably be waiting a while)
4) Design and sew a cover for the swing

House:
1) Find somewhere to put all the baby stuff that has accumulated in the living room
2) Pick up/organize all our stuff that gets left lying around the living and bedrooms. (Ahem, and by that I mean Justin's stuff)
3) Deep clean kitchen and bathrooms
4) Vacuum and Steam clean all floors with new Shark Deluxe

That list may look short, but trust me, it's a WHOLE LOT to do and just thinking about it makes me feel like melting jello and makes me want to take a week of vacation to get it all done. I did manage to finally get my haircut yesterday. It was looking SO bad I chanced it and went to Master Cuts. The girl that I got was sort of stand-offish and akward. But she ended up doing a pretty good job. My hair always ends up longer on the left side because of the way I part my hair. She totally understood and was able to compensate for it when I showed her what I meant. Most other stylists just look at me like I'm too much of a perfectionist. I've still got to touch it up a little on my own with my thinning shears, but overall I'm glad I took the risk.

I've been bouncing on my exercise ball at work in an attempt to get monkey's head engaged in my pelvis and to hopefully prevent her from turning out of position again. And hopefully it's also putting her head down on my cervix so some progress can be made! It better be anyway b/c it makes me sort of nauseated and I want that nausea to be worth it.
If the ultrasound says she's looking to be a big baby I'm going to ask the Doc if he can sweep my membranes next week. Although with the way he was feeling me up in there yesterday he might have already done it and not told me. He's pretty stingy with information.
I've been having lots of contractions, some have been pretty strong but they don't exactly hurt so I'm thinking that they aren't getting any dilating or effacing done.
I've also been a little dizzy and short of breath lately. When the scale said I'd gained 5 lbs last week I freaked that it might be Pre-eclampsia. But Doc says my BP and urine look fine so it doesn't look like pre-E. And for ONCE he didn't mention my weight gain. I'm really hoping it's just from swelling. All of the sudden my rings and shoes don't fit anymore. I'm talking shoes that just earlier this week were comfortable are now so tight my heels hang off the backs!

Wow. I really can't believe I'm actually going to have a baby. All that I've been waiting for is finally on my doorstep. Just hold on thru the weekend baby girl so I can get the majority of that list knocked out and then we'll be as ready as we can be for you to join us.

35 Weeks

I didn't get to update yesterday on my visit with Dr. Fat Nazi. But I've been chomping at the bit to share with you my irritation at him.
How many times have I said "This baby is transverse. Head on my left, butt on my right". Hmm? like 1000? Yeah. Then 2 weeks ago after a quick check Dr. FN declares "The baby is head down! You're looking good." I'm thinking "HUH? So what are these two big round body parts sticking out of the sides of my bump?" But I let it go. After all, he's the one that went to medical school. Right?
So the contractions and pressure start on Wednesday and I'm freaking out thinking I've got a head pressing down on my cervix.
I went in to my appointment yesterday and the FIRST thing Dr. FN says when he looks at my baby bump is "What have we got going on here?" He feels the two bit round bumps and says "This here on the left is her head and here on the right is her butt! You've got a transverse baby". SERIOUSLY!!!!????!!! Then what the hell made you think she was head down 2 weeks ago? Her positions hasn't changed at all in MONTHS!
UGH. I realize that Dr.'s aren't infallible, but jeez! Can't I pick ONE that seems to know more than I do? This is just awesome. Yet another Dr. lets me down. He's still super nice and I guess he did recover from his mistake on his own. And it's too dang late to switch now. I guess I'm just going to have to be more vocal and start questioning him when his opinion differs from mine. And someone is going to have to start going to these appointments with me. I'm much more confident about speaking up when I have some moral support.

As for the rest of my appointment my blood pressure was really high on the electronic machine, but it came down when the nurse took it manually. Still a bit higher than normal. I only gained 1 lb. So that's great. I'm still under the 35 lbs total recommended weight gain. Yay. And I'm one finger tip dilated, which doesn't really matter b/c at this point I am convinced this baby is stuck on the septum in my uterus and unable to turn. So she's probably not coming out the intended exit. Dr. FN says we'll re-evaluate next week. I'm SO telling him what I think and that he needs to do an ultrasound. I'm also worried about her position and the size of my uterus restricting her growth.

Here we go again...

More contractions.
I was feeling "off" yesterday. Which had me totally paranoid since so many women say "I just didn't feel quite myself the day my water broke/I went into labor". I debated skipping work, but went because I had a training class I didn't need to miss.
I had a few contractions last night and this morning and thought again "maybe I shouldn't go in today". But I went. I started feeling a lot of pressure in my hips, back, and cervix. So at about 10:30 I made the decisions to go home. Better to err on the side of caution, right?
On the way home the contractions/pressure got a bit worse. I lied down for a while and they seemed to ease up. I got up to get food and they came back. After I ate I took a nap and when I woke up I was still contracting. And that's where we're at right now. Nothing unbearable, but enough to concern me...especially with all that pressure. I can only assume that her head is pressing on my cervix.
I haven't called the Dr. He'll just tell me to "lie down and drink more water and if I feel like I'm in labor or my water breaks to come in to L&D". Duh. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon anyway. I'm just going to stay in bed until then and ask him to check me and see what he thinks we need to do. I can't think of anything more heartbreaking than having to leave my baby in the NICU after they send me home. So if there's an inkling of progress I'm thinking I will just ask to be put on bed rest if Dr. Fat Nazi doesn't offer it first. Especially since they seem so blase about me going into labor this early. It's almost like since they are in the top 6 ranked neo-natal care centers in the country a 5 week preemie is just old hat to them.
And on top of all this Justin is supposed to go to MEPS this weekend! I am so royally fracking POed at his stupid recruiter for not making this happen the first 2 times it was supposed to. If I go into labor while he's gone I think I'm going to have this moron tortured (the recruiter, not Justin). Ugh.
Oh AND Justin is getting sick. He's starting to get this congested cough. So it looks like I might be headed to my mom's for a while. The last thing I want on top of contractions is a hacking cough.
Pleh. What a day. I guess I need to finish packing my hospital bag tonight. Luckily I only have a coupld of things to throw in there and then my list of last minute stuff (which I won't need right away, so if I forget anything someone can go pick it up for me).

In other news the nursery is getting closer. I hung the curtains yesterday. They aren't hemmed, but they look ok for now. If I have to wait a while to finish them, no big deal. At least they are functional. I nixed the changing pad cover. I'm just going to buy a white one. So all that's really left if to finish touching up the paint and get the bedskirt finished. Neither of which I'm too worried about right now. If it's not all done before she arrives it's ok. It's close enough that I can tuck and pin stuff if I want to take some pictures.
I also ordered a cozy wedge bumper. I like the bumper I made, but I've been a little apprehensive about Monkey getting stuck with her face against it and suffocating. The cozy wedge is something I've been wanting because it is not only safe, but stylish (unlike the breathable bumper I was going to get) and it's low enough that it can be left in an older child's crib without concern that they could use it as a foot hold to climb over and out. BUT it's $60! I happened to see it on sale for $29 so I jumped on it and ordered a pink one. The color probably won't match, but I'm hoping I can whip up a cover for it out of my nursery fabric. It doesn't look like it would be too difficult to sew a sleeve like the one it comes with.
And finally, I'm so excited to have started prepping my cloth diapers! The prefolds (like what our parents used on us) are so tiny and cute. I really hope they work out for us, at least for day-time use. They are SO much less expensive than pockets or all-in-ones. And honestly look to be the easiest to wash and care for with no elastic and snaps to worry about breaking (and heck, if we destroy them it's no big deal to just order some more).
Listen to me. From "People who cloth diaper are NUTS" to "Well, these pockets and AIOs are neato. I'll try those, but NEVER prefolds" to "Please let PFs work for me" all in less than a year. This cloth diaper thing really grows on you.
Alright, adios for now. I'll give you the skinny from the Doc when I get home tomorrow.

And the fun begins...

with our first trip to L&D.
I started contracting around 8pm last night. They were anywhere from 2-10 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute. I called the on call OB around 9:15 after a particularly sharp one and she said drink 32 oz of water and rest and then go to the hospital if I was still contracting. So I did and by about 10 they were only about 30 seconds apart at the same frequency. I held out until 11 and they started to get less frequent. But then around midnight they started picking back up. So I rounded up Justin and made him take me to the Hospital.
They monitored me, and decided I needed a shot of Tributaline (sp?) to slow down the contractions. They also did a fetal fibronectin test and a pelvic exam.
The FFN came back negative. So it's prety unlikely that I will go into labor in the next two weeks. But I'm about 50% effaced and the front end of my cervix is dilated a little more than 1 cm. The back half is still closed. So after the contractions slowed they sent me home. But the nurse said I was right to come in. So that makes me feel better. I totally hate that "why are you even here?" attitude that medical professionals give when they just think you're being paranoid.
The nurse commented on monkey's position (transverse), asking if my Dr. had prepared me for the possibility of a c-section. I've kind of always felt like I was headed for one and now I feel pretty sure that's how this baby will enter the world. But I'm just not going to go in with any firm expectations of how I want labor/delivery to go. Other than this -- I don't want a catheter in before I've been numbed or after the numbness has worn off. I will totally raise holy hell. Everything else I can deal with. But the idea of being cathed just makes me cringe, gag, and throw up in my mouth a little.
AND when I told the nurse about my dystonic reaction to Compazine early in my pregnancy she said BOTH of her daughters had the same reaction and she thought they had taken the drug off the market. She thought that Dr. was an idiot for prescribing it. I just thought "You have NO IDEA what an idiot she was. The compazine wasn't the half of it".
And so there you go. This is all starting to feel so real.
Justin's comment was "Do you feel more pregnant now than you did this morning?"
Why I believe I do!

32 Weeks

Woke up with some MAJOR cramping this morning. Worse than any PMS like cramps I've ever had. I am trying to stay mellow about stuff (since every time I call the Dr. for something -- even something he TOLD me to call about -- he totally blows it off as normal). They lasted about an hour and I had 3 contractions on top of them.
Contractions are super fun. I can't tell what's a Braxton Hicks and what's a real contraction anymore. Monkey still refuses to turn and each contraction stretches my uterine wall over her head on one side and her butt on the other and it's really not comfortable.
I'm also having some WICKED round ligament pain. The last couple of days I've had to have Justin help me out of bed (more like pick me up out of bed) and hold me while I walk a little to stretch out the ligament, before I can put all my weight on my left leg. I'm not sure it's supposed to be this severe. If it persists thru the weekend I will call the Dr. on Monday. Otherwise I'll bring it up at my next appointment.
My cravings for sweets have been crazy in the last couple of days. I have a feeling I'm in for another lecture from Dr. Fat Nazi. Oh well. I already have SO many restrictions on what I can eat. It seems like everything that is healthy but still convenient and yummy is off limits! So I'm OK with gaining a little weight for now and having to work hard to get it off later when I can eat things like deli meat, salads from the salad bar, and etc.
Jamie and Erin are coming over tomorrow to paint the nursery while I work on the curtains and remaining bedding. I decided to just go with white walls.
I will be so happy when the nursery is all done and I can get the rest of the house in order.