Okay, so several of you have been asking for this and now that my sweet little boy is down for a nap (crosses fingers that he will stay asleep until I finish this) I thought I should go ahead and write it down before I forget. It's going to be long, so read when you have time. Also, please bear in mind-
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED- if you have no desire to know the details of my labor and delivery then simply skip over this post or come back another day when I have posted about something else. However, for those of you interested, here goes:
So, as you all know from a previous post I had lots of "practice contractions" leading up to the real thing. For about a week I experienced these, some days they were more consistent and other days pretty sporadic. Regardless, each day I would wonder "Is today going to be the day??" Well, on Monday of that week I had experienced what they call a bloody show in the evening after I had my Dr's appointment earlier in the day. After reading up on it online, I realized labor could be that day, any day soon, or a week or more away. (Again the waiting...sheesh) So, on Friday, February 5th, I was working from home and feeling pretty hormonal in general. I had reached my due date and it was STILL not the day (so it seemed). I think I was feeling impatient and a little anxious and perhaps some of it was just my hormones being a little out of whack. Early in the day I had noticed a large mucousy "glob" (for the lack of a better term) when I went to the restroom. I remember thinking it was a lot and really thick. I was a little confused by this b/c I knew it must be the mucous plug, but I thought that came before the bloody show- and I thought I had already experienced that earlier in the week. Anyways, I didn't think much about it, but my Mom convinced me to leave a message for my Dr. to make sure that it was normal and see if she needed to see me before the weekend. I get to say "I was right" and they didn't need to see me and reassured me it was normal. It was exciting to feel one step closer as I was continuing to have signs that labor was near, but yet still frustrating at the same time as I wasn't having any significant contractions that day. I remember complaining to Mara on our work chat- "come on already". Ha ha.
At a little after 5pm (since Mike had also been working from home) we decided we just needed to get out of the house and go for a walk. The week prior to this we had been walking almost every night, but for the two days prior to this it had been raining and so we had not been on a walk. Friday, however was a lovely sunny day with a little bit of a cool breeze. I went to my room and grabbed my tennis shoes and came back into the living room and sat on the couch to put them on. When I bent over to tie my shoes I felt this small gush feeling and thought "that was weird, maybe more mucous plug??" I went to the restroom to check it out and there was no "gelatinous" substance, but just a large wet spot that had saturated my panties and the jeans I was wearing. I decided (once again from all the books I'd been reading) that I must have a slow leak in my amniotic sac because that was all that made sense to me. This was a very exciting thought to me b/c I knew that meant the baby would be here Friday or Saturday. I decided to just change jeans and panties and put on a maxi pad and go ahead and go for the walk. As we walked around the paths in our neighborhood I felt the little gushes a couple of times so I knew for sure I wasn't just having wishful thinking earlier. I still wasn't having any consistent contractions (or anything painful) so after about a 30 minute walk we came home. We had made plans to have dinner with my brother-in-law, Matt and his wife, Vivian that evening. We debated canceling, but I had read these things can take a long time and since I was not uncomfortable I didn't see any reason not to go eat. (Pregnant belly speaking too perhaps) Mike made me promise that as soon as I started feeling uncomfortable we would leave even if it was during dinner and head home so that I could labor there. Our plan for labor if you were unaware, was to follow the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth book that we had read and labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital. We read the book together and had practiced several times the different relaxing techniques and exercises to prepare for labor. Anyways, we went to dinner at Cafe' Bella in Fort Worth around 7pm. I was starting to actually feel the contractions by dinner time and they were definitely different from what I had been feeling for the week before. By the end of dinner a few of them were slightly uncomfortable, but still very manageable. We headed back to the Campbell's to visit for a little while. Around 8:45pm (I think) I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable and started sending "signs" Mike's way that we should wrap things up and head home.
Then, much to my surprise right after 9pm when we were getting ready to leave the Campbell's home, I got a phone call from my Mother. Her words to me were as follows: "Well, Lauren's water has broken and she and Christopher are headed up to the hospital. Now, you aren't going to go into labor tonight too are you??" I couldn't believe it. I didn't even know what to say because I already knew that things were progressing for us, but we hadn't wanted to tell anyone and get them anxious and checking in on us because we knew it could be awhile before we went to the hospital. So, I told her "I need to call you back" and hung up the phone and abruptly told my in-laws that we had to leave and we would talk to them soon. I am sure they were pretty confused and I know it seemed rude at the time, but I just didn't have the energy to explain to them what was going on until I could talk to Mike first. It had been mine (and other family members') worst fear that we would go into labor on the same day, but since our due dates were just over two weeks apart I thought the likelihood was next to impossible. (HA!) As we got into the car I filled Mike in on what Mom had said and we tried to figure out whether or not we should go home and get our bags and go up to the hospital for Lauren for awhile, or if we just stay at home and try to relax and labor there and just let everyone know the situation??? We hadn't decided, but as we got closer in the drive home my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds and getting pretty intense. I realized I couldn't do the car ride again and we would just labor at home.
As we got home Mike turned on my heating pad on our bed and started getting things repacked in our hospital bags. We had been ready and packed for over a week, but had been taking out various toiletries that we needed daily. All I know is I was trying to remind him of various things to grab when I had two contractions in a row that were really strong and he said "Honey, why don't you lay down for a minute and concentrate on relaxing." So, I went to lay down and had to wait for a contraction to pass to even get into bed and as soon as I lifted up my leg and got into bed and started to lay down I felt this immense burst of hot fluid and jumped out of bed faster than I can even describe to you. In almost an instant from my waist down was absolutely drenched. It was as though someone had dumped a bucket of water on you that was warm. (Think Six Flags 'Splash Down' bridge wet- but warm not cold). My pants were absolutely plastered to my legs and I saw clear liquid dripping onto the floor. I ran into the bathroom immediately to be on the tile and Mike helped me into the bathtub where I had a minor moment of freaking out. Mike was very calm and reminded me this was entirely normal and it was okay. My response was something like, but I am soaked and this is so weird and it feels gross. By now, I realized that with my water breaking we were going to have to go to the hospital early. (It was about 9:45pm when my water broke) At this point I also had already changed clothes twice that day and had no other pants that were comfortable to wear. Therefore, I grabbed a clean pair of panties and maxi pad (little did I know what good that did NOT do) and threw on a pair of Mike's pj pants and long sleeved t-shirt, grabbed a towel and headed out the door. I didn't even think to grab a jacket which later I realized it was COLD and was a bad idea... Anyways, Mike by this time had loaded up the car with our bags and the car seat and a few pillows and we were on our way. I sat on the towel and within 5-10 minutes of our drive the towel and my lower half were soaked once again. I didn't realize that with each contraction, fluid would just be squeezed out again. It was incredible how much fluid there was. Moral of this part of the story- if a woman ever wonders "will I know when my water breaks??" YES, you will!!!! It is not something you will question- you will KNOW!
All of this took place and we were in the car by roughly 10:15pm at which time I realized it had been an hour since I had talked to my Mom and I hadn't called her back to fill them in on what was going on. Instead, for some reason I decided to call my Dad. I think Mike and my thought here was that he would be better to break the news to and less likely to freak out about the situation than my mother might. So, I let him know that I had been having some contractions since around 5pm and my water had just broken so we too were headed to the hospital. Minor problem in all of this being that my sister was delivering at Baylor All Saints in Fort Worth and we were delivering at Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford (about 25 min away from each other). He did let me know that she wasn't having any contractions at that point and they were scheduling to start an induction w/ pitocin at 5am. Therefore, since mine were clocking in around 2.5 min apart and about 55 sec long they were going to go ahead and head our way.
In our childbirth preparation classes they had told us that the main doors to the woman's center were open from 6am to 11pm, but if we arrived between 11pm-6am that we had to use the Emergency Room entrance. However, we got there at 10:50pm and parked the car and walked all the way to the doors (stopping 3 times for contractions) and the doors were LOCKED! I remember thinking it was cold and I didn't want to stand there, but I didn't think there was any way that I could make it back to the car or walk all the way around the building to the ER entrance. (Come to find out the doors are locked from 9pm-9am... you were way off nurse-teacher) Luckily, someone walked up behind us and said her daughter was in there and she would have her get a nurse to let us in that door. THANK YOU JESUS! The nurses opened the door with a wheelchair and wheeled me down to the nurses station. I let them know I was pre-registered and my name, how far apart the contractions were and that my water had broken. I was whisked into a LDR room (#7- oddly my sister was in #7 at Baylor... ironic) right away and my nurse, Brittany? got everything started very quickly.
First, I was asked to sign a bunch of consent forms, got hooked up to a fetal monitor and one to monitor my contractions, finger thing for my heart rate, blood pressure cuff that took my BP every 15 minutes, and lastly an IV. The IV I requested in my forearm, which she said she routinely did, and it was really painless. (I'm not a big fan of needles) The weirdest part was when she started the saline solution through the line and it made a funny taste in my mouth. Since my membranes had broken they are hesitant to check your progress (dilation etc.) very often because they don't want to increase the risk of infection to me or the baby. However, I was checked in at only 2cm and 80% effaced (around 11:30pm when she first checked) which I remember feeling pretty disappointed about since the contractions were already really strong. I labored on my side for awhile though not in the position we had practiced due to all the tubes and plugs we had to deal with. By this time my parents, Nanny & Poppy, and Maggie were there.
For the rest, not positive the time frame on everything, but at some point I got up and took a hot bath for about 20 minutes. I think it was around midnight or 1am. I could be off of the monitors for up to 45 minutes I believe the nurse had said. Also, the pain was so strong that it made me throw up- I think this was around 2 or 3am??? So, the nurse gave me some Zofran through my IV for the nausea. At 3am I was checked again and was 3cm (major bummer!), but 100% effaced and was reminded that the first 4-5cm were the slowest for a first time delivery. I was going through the "self-doubt" phase by this point and told Mike I didn't think I could do it. Both he and the nurse said I was doing great and I could do it. I think around 4am I asked for the Staydol, which is an IV pain med that blocks 6 of 10 receptors for pain (so my little RN student sister, Maggie tells me). Looking back, I don't think the Staydol did anything for the pain of the contractions, but it did allow me to feel more relaxed and get some sleep between contractions. Mike was such a pro as a coach and encouraged me through each of the contractions and had ice ready and waiting since that was all I seemed to want after every contraction. I have to say with all that deep breathing in and out, my throat and mouth were so dry and that almost bothered me more than the labor. So, all I wanted was "ice, ice, more ice". I wish they would just give you a glass of water, sheesh. Around 6am I was checked and was 6cm- yay for progress! However, I was experiencing lots of painful contractions and had thrown up twice (no fun). So, she pushed one more mixture of 2mg Staydol and Zofran. Then, I decided then to get up on my hands and knees in bed and just rotate my hips to try to help coerce the baby down. I did this for about 30 minutes I think and would have done it longer, but my arms were hurting from propping myself up. About 7am was the change of nurses and Yvonne took over. I was feeling a lot more pressure at that time as well and was checked and was 8cm. Another small victory in my mind. I attribute the fast change there to being on my hands and knees. At this time she let me know that they had called my doctor and she was on her way in, but stopping for a cup of coffee. No big deal, I could see the end in sight! However, at 7:45 I was really starting to feel the urge to push and was checked again and was 9cm- she told me to give one good push with the next contraction and said that I was complete. Yay!! Then she left us (probably freaked out Mike a little) and I tried really hard not to push with each contraction. After what seemed like an eternity, she came back- I think it was about 8:15am and allowed me to start doing some pushing with just she, Mike and myself in the room. The head was coming down, but still had a way to go I think. At 8:45 a.m. another Dr., Dr. Spurdon came in the room and announced she would be delivering our baby. She seemed very straight to business and seemed a little annoyed because there was obviously some kind of mis-communication with my Doctor as to why she was not there. That was never really clear to me (still isn't) but I was just ready to deliver our baby and didn't care who did it at that point. She started putting on a robe and a nurse wheeled in a table with tools and things on it. I realized she didn't know anything about my desires for childbirth and Mike asked me if I had any questions for her because if I did I should state them now. I did not know her approach to episiotomies and I had heard from some first-hand experiences and read in books that sometimes allowing your body to tear was actually better than an episiotomy because your body would only tear the amount it needed and wouldn't necessarily need the extent of cut that the episiotomy would be. Also, that the recovery time was actually better. I let her know that I would really like to try on my own and did not want her to automatically do an episiotomy (as some Dr's do routinely). I think this almost made her mad and she said that she did not think that was a good idea and that I would tear and that she did not recommend me doing that. I tried to be very polite and said I would really appreciate her help in assisting me in the right way to push and helping my body stretch as much as it needed to first. Little did I know- this began an hour and 45 minutes of pushing. After the first 45 minutes I noticed the clock and thought "what in the world??" so I asked for a mirror so that I could view the progress that was (and was not) being made and kind of give me some incentive by seeing it. I could see the head and with the contractions would push down, but it seemed the head would slide back each time after the contraction was over. She really did work as well as she could at using hot oils and helping my body to stretch to get our little guy out. However, at 10:30 am I realized it just wasn't going to happen on its own. I could see the part that needed to be cut/tear in order to allow for his arrival. So, I told her that I changed my mind and she could do the episiotomy. I was just getting too tired and didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to keep pushing. With the next contraction she made the cut and I pushed and the head was out with the first push, and body with the second. The hardest part was not pushing while she maneuvered the shoulders. It was an incredible rush when he left my body and such a relief I don't know how to describe it to you. She cut the cord and he started crying immediately and the nurses asked if I wanted him to be placed on my chest right away, which I did. They put him under my gown and he just laid there with his eyes open and stared right up at me. It was the sweetest thing ever!
He seemed so peaceful and we were hopelessly in love from the moment we saw him. I still can't seem to look at him enough or hold him enough. I don't want him to grow big too fast because I just love holding and loving on him. Lastly, was the afterbirth which I have to say happened pretty fast, but I found pretty painful. I remember a nurse telling me not to squeeze the baby, but to squeeze her hand instead. The Dr. delivers the placenta and then has to feel around your uterus to make sure that no pieces were left inside. This does not feel pleasant, so for that alone I can understand why someone would want to be numbed by an epidural. Then was the lidocaine injected into the area of the tear and being sewn up- also not my favorite moments, but all bearable. I did have the episiotomy/3rd degree tear. Overall, the recovery was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated and by day 4 I was no longer needing ice packs or Tylenol for pain.
There are other must-haves for the 2 wks after the hospital that I will share at a later time b/c Ryan is up and ready to eat. In conclusion, I've been asked if I would do it all again and the same way. My answer is absolutely YES, but I would stick it out and not take the Staydol b/c I could've done without it and I would let her perform the episiotomy right away instead of pushing for two hours first. That's all folks, thanks for reading my "book" of a delivery story.
Love, Emily
He was enjoying playing in his crib
Showing off his new hat as he falls asleep
Hanging out with Mommy before bedtime
Naptime for the cutie pie in his new overalls
I also purchase these at Target- a package of 60 is about $7.50 I believe. These obviously are a must if you are breastfeeding to prevent leakage onto your bras and shirts. They have a sticky peel off and you place them inside of your nursing bras and throw them away when they become wet. On average, I typically go through two pairs a day. I've already bought two boxes and I have a feeling it's something I will be investing more money in - for the next few months anyways.
If you have a vaginal delivery and especially if you have a tear or episiotomy it is likely that the hospital might provide this for you. However, if they don't then it is a DEFINITE "must-have". I was lucky not to experience any hemorrhoids, but many women do so this is also good for pain associated with those. I found that I only had to take OTC Tylenol the first two days and no other pain medication because this stuff did the trick. You just spray it on the "affected area" and it reduces/eliminates pain from delivery/episiotomy healing. The hospital provided an antiseptic spray for pain relief, but they also have one that is both pain relief and anti-bacterial which I purchased later to ensure the stitches didn't get an infection of any kind.
If you are a Mom who will be returning to work or just want to have the ability to pump occasionally so you can enjoy a date night away or something, this pump is a good investment. I know the Medela pumps are also nice but they are closer to $300-$400. This one you can find at Walmart or Target for $150 or even Amazon for about $120 (where we purchased). It was recommended to me by my lactation consultant at the hospital as the best buy for your money. I have been very pleased with it so far. I only pump once a day or every other and have had it for 5 weeks, but I don't have any complaints. 
After car ride home from the hospital
