Timing is Everything ( A Labor Story)

   It's been a few days now and the details are already becoming blurry.  I figured I had better get this typed up before I forget everything! 

   Like any good story, this one starts with zombies.  Thursday night I rented "Warm Bodies" for me and Cliff.  We had wanted to see it in the theater and never got a chance.  I thought I would surprise him with a rental and since he had Friday off from work and thought we could put the girls to bed and have a little date!  We started the movie after getting Lilia to bed.  During the movie I was having contractions just as I had been for the past couple of weeks.  I had had my 39 week appt. earlier that day and I didn't bother getting checked to see what progress my body was making.  I figured it was pointless.   With Ivy I was dilated to a 4 or a 5 for about a week before she was born.  Cervical examinations are dumb.  Plus they can introduce bacteria and with my GBS history I wanted to avoid them.  They just mess with your head anyway.  I figured I still had a ways to go before I actually went into active labor.  I hadn't had any painful contractions, no "show," hadn't lost the MP, or anything else.  The contractions I had this night weren't out of the ordinary for prodromal labor.  We watched the movie and I would casually comment every now and then that I was having a contraction, but they were never more than 6 or 7 min. apart at their closest and usually more like 10 or 15.  After the movie, (which we both LOVED,) we went to bed as usual. 

  Around 2:15 I woke up with really uncomfortable contractions.  I got up to use the bathroom and wasn't feeling so hot.  I paced around the bathroom with all the lights on for a little while and finally decided to wake Cliff up.  I told him I was having contractions that were finally hurting a little and that maybe we should call our neighbor that was planning on watching the girls should I go into labor.  We decided to time the contractions for a bit first, but after a few more I decided we should just go.  It didn't matter if they were 4 minutes apart or 8.  They were very uncomfortable and that was enough of a sign for us.  Something was happening.  We packed our bags the rest of the way and gave our neighbor Nancy a call around 3AM.  Nancy was fabulous.  She answered on the second ring and was over at our house in two minutes, (she lives right behind us.)  I chatted with her for a bit while Cliff got the rest of our things together.  I would pause during a contraction and sway from side to side.  Nancy could tell I was uncomfortable and we were BOTH wondering was taking Cliff so long!  Finally around 3:20AM we were out the door and on our way.  The drive was awful.  I was holding onto the handle in the door and trying to push my feet against the floor on the way to the hospital.  I did NOT want to be sitting, but what can you do??  Fortunately Cliff drove quickly and there was absolutely no traffic and no deer.  We made it to the hospital and I thought that maybe I should walk around a bit first to make sure the contractions kept coming and didn't peter out.  That had happened to me when I arrived at the hospital with Lilia and they wanted to send me home.  I didn't want to feel like and idiot this time.  That lasted for about... 30 seconds.  I couldn't talk at all anymore during the contractions so we just made our way inside and didn't dilly dally.  I stopped to use the bathroom once and then we checked in to L&D.  We had called ahead and explained ourselves and that this was our third so they didn't put me through triage, but rather took us straight back to room #8.  Our nurse, Elaine, started getting us checked in on the computer and took vitals.  I changed into the nightie I brought and Elaine checked to see how dilated I was.  This would be the first and last check of my pregnancy.  I was 5 cm, 50 % effaced, and baby was at 0 station.  "Huh.  Only 50% effaced?"  Elaine said not to worry.  This was my third and she suspected it wouldn't take too long at all.  How right she was.
  She got me hooked up to the external monitor while I answered some questions.   I was having trouble sitting still, though, so we asked if I could be monitored standing and Elaine said that was fine as long as they could get a good reading.  Unfortunately the monitor kept slipping with my constant swaying and bending so Elaine looped another band around the monitor on both sides to keep it in place.  Cliff set up our computer after this with my "relaxing spa music."   The next step was to get an I.V. in so that I could receive antibiotics for group B strep.  I was DREADING this part.  I hate needles and didn't think I would be able to sit still.  Elaine was really great, though, and got most of it in in between contractions.  I did have to try to sit still through one and it was absolutely agonizing, but once it was in I could move again.  The course of antibiotics would take about 30 minutes and then they could detach the tubing and I could just have the heplock.  I would be able to get into the jacuzzi!  I just needed to hold on for 30 minutes.  I could do that!  I was too uncomfortable standing and rocking so Cliff suggested I switch to a yoga ball and that is what I did.
  At some point my doctor came in to see how things were going and ask if I would like any pain medication.   I had decided after the negative experience I had with Ivy's epidural that I would NOT have any medication this time and Cliff and I had prepared ourselves to go "natural."  I declined the doctor's offer and he left us alone.  I continued to sway side to side on the ball for the next 30 minutes in increasing intensity.  I tried to remember all of the things I had learned in the class Cliff and I took.  This was productive pain.  I could do this.  You get a break in between.  You're opening up.  Ugh.  It didn't make the pain less PAINFUL.  I did a lot of low moaning and that helped a little.  As things became more intense, though, I had trouble with my breathing.  I had Cliff bend down in front of me with his back to me and I held on for dear life as I continued to sway and moooooooooooooan.  I would get louder during peaks and I was sure I was scaring people in the hallway.  (I later learned that no one heard me.  Martha Jefferson must have some amazing sound proofing!)  Poor Cliff was such a sport.  I bit him once and I definitely left some nasty nail marks, but he never complained.  He just offered me water and encouragement and never complained.  He watched me closely and tried to gauge how far along I was.  I was starting to get light headed and woozy.  Cliff asked me if I felt faint and I heard Elaine comment that she thought I was hyperventilating.  Cliff commented that he thought I was in transition.  "No I am not."  I tried to focus on my breathing.  It was soooo hard.  I had started shaking in between contractions.  Then, FINALLY, the antibiotic course was through.  On to the tub!!  We stood up and I looked at the pad on the yoga ball.  There was a small circle of pink.  Cliff and I exchanged a "raised eye brow" look.  I think part of me knew things were really happening at this point and part of me was still in denial.  I commented to Cliff that I was going to try and use the bathroom again while Elaine filled the tub.  I also mentioned that I was starting to feel a little pressure.  Not enough to push or anything, but definitely some pressure.  Maybe I just needed to use the bathroom....
  Doctor Levit came back in and Elaine asked him if he thought I should be checked again.  "Nah, you just checked her less than an hour ago and she was at 5.  I think we can wait." He left the room.  Elaine asked me if I was feeling a need to push.  I admitted that I was a little, but I didn't think I was really ready yet because I remembered with Lilia and Ivy the need to push being extreme.  It definitely wasn't an extreme need yet... I didn't think...  
   So I got on the toilet and the contractions kept coming and I was wailing at this point.  I felt my brain go fuzzy and I couldnt really think straight.  I made it through about two or three and then "POP!"

"My water broke!!" I screamed.  It broke right into the toilet.  Cliff was right in front of me.  And then without skipping a beat, I screamed, "I'm PUSHING!!!!!"  Cliff yelled for the nurses and tried to lift me off the toilet.  He lifted me up and thought I was going to lean on him, but my legs came up too.  I couldn't support myself and he couldn't support me either.  Fortunately a couple of nurses rushed in and lifted me up with Doctor Levit trailing behind them.  I kept screaming that I was pushing and then I just screamed because a baby was coming out of me.  I was on the bed and pushing out a baby all in a matter of about 90 seconds.  I pushed once to get the head out and once more for the rest of little Joel.  Had we waited a minute longer he would have been born on the toilet.  It was such a crazy blur.  Joel was born at 5:15AM.  We had been at the hospital about an hour and a half. 

  I later found out that Elaine was only half-heartedly filling the tub.  Apparently she had given Cliff a look earlier and a shrug that said "suuuuure I'll fill the tub for you..."  She didn't really think I was going to get to use it.  

  Joel was immediately laid on my chest and all I could do was just hold him and stare.  I was in such shock!  It felt so good to be done and so surreal.  I couldn't believe everything had happened so quickly.  Cliff made sure the doctor waited until the cord stopped pulsing before they clamped it and then he came over to my side.  He told me he was so proud of me.  I was too tired to feel proud of me at that moment, but looking back now is pretty crazy.  I think I was probably in transition from the yoga ball on!  No wonder I was wailing like a banshee!  5 to 10 in an hour is pretty intense.  I'm grateful for how it all turned out, but wouldn't necessarily want to do it again tomorrow.  Ask me again in a few months when my brain has turned on the rose colored filter :)

   Joel is a wonderful little guy.  He has already climbed into our hearts.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about a little boy, but that was before I had MY little boy.  He is just as precious to me as our girls are and our little family of five is a blessing I am completely in awe of.  I am so grateful Joel is here and only slightly disappointed that I didn't get to use the jacuzzi ;) 

She Just Needed a Little "Push" (A Labor Story)

DISCLAIMER!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE TOO DETAILED FOR SOME OF YOU. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. (I'm thinking of my dear friends that are a little squeamish when it comes to labor and babies in general.) YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!


So remember my last (real) post and how I was so worried and frustrated about this baby coming out? Well I didn't have to worry long!! Here's the breakdown:

So Thursday I was out running errands with my mom and Lilia. We went to Lowes to buy some paint for the house and we ran to Joann's to pick up some fabric for curtains. All of the running around was making us hungry so we were about to go to lunch before heading home when I felt like I needed to use the bathroom. We were at a really tiny Joann's and they didn't have a restroom so I decided to wait until we got to lunch despite my growing discomfort and now a sort of wetness in my pants....
Well at this point I had the thought that maybe my water had broken as my pants were getting wetter, but it wasn't a gush and I wanted to make sure before I rushed off to the hospital just to be told I had peed my pants or something. I made the executive decision to go ahead with our plans for lunch and make a stop in the bathroom there. We arrived at a little Greek cafe a few minutes later and I rushed to the girl's room while my mom ordered our food and got Lilia situated. In the bathroom I discovered that no, I had not peed my pants. I was seeing (and had been feeling,) lots of yucky pink goop. I tried in vain to clean myself up and checked out my back side to see how badly I had soaked through my pants. It wasn't terribly noticeable unless you were really looking, so I rushed back out for a quick lunch! The owner of the restaurant was super sweet and got our DELICIOUS food out to us quickly and even through in a piece of baklava with Cliff's "to go" order on the house! We thanked her profusely and left for home.

At home Cliff was ready with our bags and we got on the phone with my clinic to see what we should do or at least give them a heads up that we were heading out. To give the reader some background, I had been having consistent contractions about 15 min apart for the last 3 weeks that at times would increase in frequency and intensity but never for very long. I was already dilated to 4 cm as of my last appt and because of the GBS situation and my need to be on antibiotics for at least 4, but preferably 6 hours prior to delivery, my doctor said that I should just go straight to labor and delivery if I was ever in any doubt. So even though the contractions weren't getting and stronger or closer together we knew we should go in. We got to triage at the hospital around 2:30 and got hooked up to the monitor while nurses got started on taking samples and running tests to see if it really was amniotic fluid that I had been leaking. They were CRAZY busy so we sat back there for quite a while while nurses and residents ran around and came in and out of our stall to get equipment for other patients. I was feeling pretty good after my delicious lunch and although I was having contractions they were merely annoying and not getting any worse. I was curious to see if it really was my water, and whether they would keep us if it wasn't since they had discussed an induction for the next day anyway. Were we going to have a baby soon? Was I ready?

Well about an hour and a half later they came back in and announced that it was indeed amniotic fluid. Probably a small leak, but a leak none the less. I was being admitted! Crazy! We got to work on some questions and paperwork. At about 4:30 they came in to hook me up to the I.V. for antibiotics. I was starting to feel a little nervous because my contractions had not really increased at all. I was now dilated to a 5, but in absolutely no pain and still not very effaced. Was I going to need pitocin? The O.B. on the scene decided that there was no extreme rush and that they wanted to make sure I got a round of antibiotics in me before going to any further measures. Cliff and I were left in the room to just kick back and chill...

So chill we did.... for 4 hours we just watched T.V. and chatted and chilled. We watched a LOT of Food Network and made a few phone calls. When the nurse came in at 8 to let us know that they were going to start the pitocin I wasn't surprised, but I was a little wary. I hadn't really dilated any more on my own. I was about a 5-6cm. I had heard so many horror stories about how awful the stuff is. They started me on a very low dose and told me it would start to take effect within 20 minutes. They would be back to check on me and make sure that both the baby and I tolerated the medicine well. They also asked me about pain management and medicine at this point. I was not against an epidural and let them know that I would almost certainly want one, but that I was in no pain and didn't see the point and that time. This would later come back to bite me.

For the next two hours or so I continued to chill. I didn't notice the pitocin much at all. They continued to check on us and they turned up the pitocin. My contractions became more frequent and more intense, but still not painful. Our friend Michelle actually stopped by to visit around 10pm or so and stayed and chatted for a while. We laughed and joked around, but I was started to get nervous that NOTHING was happening. Why wasn't I hurting? What if nothing ever happened? Did pitocin not work for some people? Was I going to have to have a c-section? I asked the nurse how much pitocin some people got to get them going. She said the doses went all the way up to 20ml? and I was at 4. She told me not to worry. She was right.

Michelle left at about 10:3o ish and Cliff and I decided that if I was still comfortable I should try and get some sleep. I was afraid it could be a long night ahead of us. I called my mom and told her not to worry about coming over until the morning and there still wasn't much progress. Well.... at about 10:45 I called out to Cliff. I told him I didn't think we were going to be getting any more sleep. I was FINALLY starting to feel a little uncomfortable and decided I would ask for the epidural at this point. The nurses came in and checked me and I was at a 7. They went to get the anesthesiologist and I sat and waited. Here is where things get interesting and FAST.

The anesthesiologist didn't get to the room until after 11:00pm and I had to sign a few sheets of paper and go over a quick medical background with her. I was pacing at this point. She told me it would be a few minutes to get all of her equipment set up and I told her that should be fine. Uh..... turned out it was NOT fine. I was getting increasingly uncomfortable and then I was flat out in PAIN. Contractions were coming fast now and I was having a hard time tolerating them. Cliff was trying counter pressure on my feet and the doctor was finally ready to start the catheter around 11:45 or 11:50. Unfortunately I was having such strong contractions at this point that it was SLOW going getting the needle in. She tried once and I was feeling pain and pressure on my right side so she had to start over. I was not doing well. I was having trouble holding still and crying out from the pain. She and Cliff were trying to talk me through it and I was trembling from pain. We were having to stop so frequently that nothing was getting done. Finally she got it in a good place and asked me to hold still... Another contraction came on and she said, "I know, but you HAVE to hold still!" It was about the longest 60 seconds of my life. I was whimpering and tears were streaming down my face. "Cliff, talk to me please!!!" "You can do this, Jill, you are doing great - you CAN do this!" It was in. Whew! So scary!

So looking back... I don't think I was at a 7cm when she put in the epidural. I think I was at least an 8... maybe a 9, bcaaaauuuuse....

After she got the needle in things were AWFUL. I cried out "how long before this kicks in????" I was told it would be within 10 min. and that my contractions should start to get less and less painful. Well they weren't! It was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I was crying out and squeezing the crap out of Cliff and having trouble catching my breath. The doctor came in not long after that, maybe around 12:10am? and they decided to check me. The epidural had been put in less than 10 minutes before and what did they say? "You are at a 10 and the baby is low enough and you are fully effaced and ready to push!" "What???" The epidural hadn't even taken effect! Suddenly there were a ton of people in the room and my nurse was putting oxygen to my face and they were turning me on my side. The anesthesiologist was still there and having trouble working the pump. She was administering medicine manually and asking me if I was feeling me legs getting heavier?? I was STARTING too. Oh well, it was go time. They had me do a practice push and then everyone screamed "STOP!" "what?? why?" Can I PLEASE PUSH??? No, I could not. Cliff later told me that my amniotic sac was bulging out like a balloon with that practice push to the point where it almost exploded all over everyone. Ha. So they snipped that and and around 12:16 or 12:17 I was told to really push. I was all out CRYING from pain. Literally bawling my eyes out. After one push I couldn't feel as much and then went into a panic. NOW THE EPIDURAL DECIDES TO WORK???? "Am I doing it right? I can't feel as well!!!" "Yes!!! One more push!!" Seriously?? And they were right. One more push and Ivy Sofia shot right out with a full head of hair and the cord draped across her shoulder like a beauty queen. So crazy fast!

Ivy didn't look like my child at all, but she was GORGEOUS! Where did all of that hair come from? She was so much smaller than Lilia too. At 7lbs 5 ounces I just couldn't believe she was mine. Crazy unexpected, but then so was the whole delivery! So there you have it! The whole story. Lesson we all learned? If you think you want an epidural, just go ahead and get it. Don't wait until you are hurting!

Hurry up and Wait... Some Thoughts on Patience.

Hurry up and Wait is the mantra of a military wife. Wait on husbands to return from deployments, wait on orders, wait on furniture to arrive when you are moving... from a different country. Wait on babies to be born... oh, wait, that has nothing to do with the military. :)

So the May family is finally together again and we have made it to Virginia. The waiting on Cliff is over! We bought a lovely home in a dreamy neighborhood. We have received our "express shipment" of clothing and cleaning supplies, but are still waiting on our house hold goods and furniture and we are DESPERATELY still waiting on our washer and dryer. If all this waiting wasn't enough, we are also waiting for our second daughter to be born.

You would think that the second time around you would know just exactly what to do when it came to labor and contractions, etc. There are a couple of minor grievances with this pregnancy, though... (ok well actually I've had a lot of issues, but that's another whiny rant...) So I have been having contractions fairly consistently for about two and half ... maybe three weeks now. They are consistently about 15 minutes apart. Early labor. Annoying, but effective at very gradually dilating this cervix of mine. At my last appt at a little over 38 weeks I was dilated to almost a 4 and 60% effaced. The tricky thing is that sometimes my contractions get really close together and are pretty intense for a few hours at a time. The other day we were sure we were going to the hospital when they were about 2-4 min apart and becoming more and more intense.... but then I went to lay down and try and get some rest in preparation of long labor and, oops! they went away. This has happened a few times. I have even had some bloody show along with these intense contractions. So false labor, right? I guess so... The problem is that Lilia (as many of you know,) had group B strep and I, therefore, need to be on antibiotics for this delivery. I need to be on them for a min. of 4 hours, but preferably 6 hours prior to delivering. My O.B. even said that to play it safe she would rather I just go ahead and come into the hospital if my contractions are 10 min or less apart for an hour. Yuck! How tricky is that? That seems to happen all the time now, but then they go away! I wanted to try and labor as much at home with this pregnancy, but I also want to avoid another GBS baby like the devil himself. I don't want to get to the hospital and have it turn out to be false labor yet again, but I also don't want to risk missing the real deal and accidentally missing that 4-6 hour window... or worse having my baby in my bath tub at home!! (I know people that have done this and who can tell with a second baby??) Ugh... I guess I am just annoyed. I'm tired of being pregnant and I am still throwing up. I am tired of being pregnant, but also incredibly anxious about our lack of furniture and no washer and dryer. Can't someone just tell me exactly what to do and when this baby is going to come?

Well... sort of. My doctor at my last appt. decided that she didn't want to wait another full week to see us and had me schedule another appt. for Friday when I will be 39 weeks. At that point she wants me to seriously consider being induced - either that day or maybe scheduling for Monday. Answer to all of our prayers? Maybe. I am a little weary of an induction. What does that even mean? She said they would try stripping membranes and such first. That definitely worked for Lilia. I just don't know how I feel about pitocin. I have never heard anything good about it, but if it can get things going and I can be on the antibiotics in time it would be worth it, right?

So that is my life right now. Waiting and waiting. And waiting.