Life With B

11.25.17 / 8 lbs 4 oz / 20 in

The few days before Brayden was born, I felt so different. I was 41 weeks and begging him everyday to just make his arrival. I was written out of work at 39 weeks and was sitting at home getting all the last minute things ready (aka driving myself crazy with anticipation). I was due on November 16th and we had planned not to go anywhere on Thanksgiving because we for sure thought we would be home with our newborn. But, there I was sitting in the doctor’s office at 41 weeks the day before Thanksgiving and no signs of labor at all. They scheduled yet another appointment for Monday morning for more monitoring and if the baby wasn’t born yet, we would have to talk about induction. I really didn’t want to be induced. I was afraid of a long labor and scared that would turn into a c-section. It was not part of my birth plan and I wanted to naturally go into labor. After the appointment, I was feeling really down and nervous for the weekend.

The day after Thanksgiving I was feeling so tired and grumpy. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything and I completely lost my appetite.  I was having stronger Braxton Hicks contractions but they were still irregular so I didn’t think anything of it. Steve and I decided that we were going to get our Christmas tree but we didn’t have a tree stand. We went to Wal Mart to quickly pick one up but it was Black Friday and of course all the stores were crazy. When we were at Wal Mart, we realized we should probably pick up some groceries while we were there just incase the baby came so we would be prepared. I was miserable walking around the store and every person who bumped into me made me angry and I was getting so irritated that I cried. We went home and I decided to lay down for the rest of the night hoping that I would feel better the next day.

At 3:45 in the morning, I woke up feeling startled. I got up to use the bathroom and instantly knew my water broke. I felt so nervous and excited at the same time and surprisingly very calm. I wrapped myself in a towel and went to wake up my husband. I shook him and told him my water broke. I had to repeat myself 3 times; partly because he was so groggy and partly because I think he was in shock that it was finally happening. I called my doctor’s office and they asked if I was contracting. Nothing had started yet so she told me if no contractions start, head to the hospital around 7:30 or 8 am. My husband starting getting the last few things we needed for our bags and I said I wanted to watch a movie and go back to bed after I showered. I hopped in the shower and felt a contraction. I figured I was in for a long day because the contraction felt like a very strong period cramp. Throughout the shower I had about 3 more contractions. When I got out I went to go lay down in bed but felt another contraction. I told my husband and we decided to time them to see how far apart they were. They were pretty consistent at 5 minutes apart and almost a minute long. We both agreed we should probably head to the hospital sooner. Time flew by and before I knew it, contractions were getting a lot stronger and I could no longer talk through them. By 5:30, we decided we should head to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was about a half hour and once we got there, we had to walk through the parking garage and through a long corridor to get to the elevator for the maternity floor. We had walked this walk 6 times going to and from our lamaze class but now it seemed like a mountain. But I sucked it up and practiced my breathing on the way up. Once we got to labor and delivery, they hurried us into a room and hooked up a few monitors to my belly. A midwife came in to check and see how dilated I was. Because of the contractions, I was expecting her to say I was not that far dilated. When she told me I was 7 cm, my husband and I laughed. Contractions were definitely a lot less painful than I thought they would be. The midwife and nurses laughed too and said they would not have been able to tell that I was that far along as I was the quietest mom on the floor. The nurses left the door open while they came in to check my progress and I could hear another mom down the hall screaming at the top of her lungs. Steve and I looked at each other and then the nurse as she walked out. That’s when my nerves really kicked in. I decided I wouldn’t get the epidural but hearing that mom had me second guessing my decision. I thought I had no idea what I was in for.

For the next few hours I sat in bed with my husband by my side helping me through my breathing and letting me squeeze his hand. He was quiet when I needed him to be and told me how great of a job I was doing. He was the support I needed to get through my labor and I couldn’t have done it without him. He texted both of our moms to let them know what was going on and of course they both wanted to come to the hospital. The original agreement was that no one would be in the delivery room except my husband but somehow, both of our mothers ended up in the room while I was laboring. While it was nice to see my mom and have her wish me luck, my husband and I both agreed that our moms would not be in the room when it was time to push.

The nurse came back in to check how the progress was going and said I was between 8 and 9 cm dilated. She suggested I try and use the exercise ball to help speed up the process and help with the pain. I had used the exercise ball a lot during pregnancy to help my back pain and learned a few labor positions from our lamaze class so I agreed to try it. It definitely made my contractions feel stronger and I really had to concentrate to get through them. The nurse told me the more painful the position the better it is for dilating. So I stuck it out on the ball for about an hour when the nurse came back in and suggested we try massage therapy. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it but decided to give it a try anyway to see if it would help calm me down. I’m so glad I did. The massage therapist came in and massaged my back and shoulders through my contractions while I was standing up. Eventually, standing got to be a bit too much and I laid down in bed while she massaged my feet. I was so calm that I started falling asleep between my contractions.

I knew I had to be getting close because my contractions were starting to overlap each other and become constant. I didn’t open my eyes for about an hour and a few times I felt as though I couldn’t do it. But Steve talked me through it and I just remembered why I was going through the pain and I would start my breathing again and calm down. The nurse came back in to check how dilated I was and I asked our moms to step out of the room. She said I was almost to 10 but not totally there yet. She just kept saying I’ll know when I have to push but I was getting nervous that I wouldn’t know. I had no idea what it would feel like. She suggested I lay on my left side because that would get me where I needed to be. Before she left the room she told us to hit the button when I felt like I needed to push. As soon as I laid on my left side I was in so much pain I almost started to cry. The nurse couldn’t have been out of the room more than two minutes and I felt so much pressure and the need to push. I finally understood when she said you’ll know when you’re ready. The massage therapist hit the call button and let the nurse know I was ready. My nurse, Valerie and another nurse rushed in and got the bed and lights ready for my doctor. They tried paging him but he was still in another delivery.

I knew I had to be getting close because my contractions were starting to overlap each other and become constant. I didn’t open my eyes for about an hour and a few times I felt as though I couldn’t do it. But Steve talked me through it and I just remembered why I was going through the pain and I would start my breathing again and calm down. The nurse came back in to check how dilated I was and I asked our moms to step out of the room. She said I was almost to 10 but not totally there yet. She just kept saying I’ll know when I have to push but I was getting nervous that I wouldn’t know. I had no idea what it would feel like. She suggested I lay on my left side because that would get me where I needed to be. Before she left the room she told us to hit the button when I felt like I needed to push. As soon as I laid on my left side I was in so much pain I almost started to cry. The nurse couldn’t have been out of the room more than two minutes and I felt so much pressure and the need to push. I finally understood when she said you’ll know when you’re ready. The massage therapist hit the call button and let the nurse know I was ready. My nurse, Valerie and another nurse rushed in and got the bed and lights ready for my doctor. They tried paging him but he was still in another delivery.