Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Story
If you happen to be interested in our birth story, here it is.
I started having light contractions on Friday. They weren't painful and weren't consistent so I figured it was just early labor and would probably last a couple weeks. This lasted through the whole weekend and into Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Vanessa and I went to the splash park in the morning and I was having contractions the whole time. But they still weren't painful or regular so I just ignored them. That afternoon I had my first exam and was dilated to a 3. I got slightly excited but still told myself I could be at a 3 for weeks, so I couldn't get too excited.
Tuesday night the contractions started getting closer and closer, but they still weren't painful. It was at about midnight that they started to make me recognize there was a possibility I was going to have a baby sooner than I thought. Neither Jon or I could go to sleep. We did random things around the house and tried to watch a movie. (the Back Up Plan, I finally saw most of it and I was oh so disappointed). I was trying to time my contractions every now and then but it was hard for me to remember what the last timing was so I didn't do very well. At around 3pm, I was really having to focus to get through the contractions and they were less than 5 minutes apart, lasting over 60 seconds. I finally acknowledged that I was in labor. I had Jon put all our stuff in the car to go to the hospital. He looked so relieved, if I hadn't been so uncomfortable I might have laughed. I called my mom and told her I was in labor and we were going to head to the hospital soon-ish. I figured I had to be at least at a 6.
After everything was in the car, I decided we might as well go to the hospital. I was miserable and not handling the contractions that well. I called our bishop and asked if they could take Vanessa. I am sure they love getting 3am babysitting calls but they were absolutely amazing with her and we can't thank them enough!
When we got to the hospital, we had to ride up to the second floor and it was freezing! I don't know if it was the cold or the panic of getting to the hospital or what but I started hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably.
They put us in triage and a nurse came in to check me. I was at a 4.5! I was totally bummed. And the nurse "yelled" at me for hyperventilating. Okay, she wasn't really yelling but she just had that no non-sense attitude like, "what is your problem?" But it ended up being a good thing because it made me check myself and get myself back under control and let the contractions do their job. I really didn't want to be in labor forever and the fact that I was freaking out, wasn't helping me dilate. In triage, they asked if I wanted an epidural and I told them I wanted to try natural. I think they kind of smurked at that, but they never asked again. I asked for a hep lock rather than an IV. The nurse didn't like it, but was actually really good about it.
It just so happened that it was a popular night to go into labor and there were no labor rooms available. We went into an exam room that was tiny but at least it was private. They told us we would get a labor room as soon as one was open. Jon sat in the most uncomfortable hospital chair and tried to power nap while I tried to figure out the best way to get through my contractions.
I have no idea what time it was but I was dilated to I think around a 6 when I finally told Jon I needed him to help me now. At the time, I didn't know what I wanted him to do and he didn't know what to do for me. But I knew I was caving to the idea of an epidural in my mind unless something changed. It took a few contractions but we found what worked for us. Jon sat on the edge of the bed and every contraction he would just hug me around my shoulders and I laid my head on his shoulder. It was enough of a support to keep me grounded. That's all I needed. The contractions didn't actually feel much more painful to me than they had earlier, maybe it was because I was dealing with them better, but it was the idea of 'how much longer do I have to do this?' that was the most discouraging. The other thing that kept getting me was waiting for transition. I kept hearing transition is the worst part of labor and the most intense. I felt like I was at my max coping limit as it was, how would I handle transition?
We finally got a room and the bed was almost twice the size. This made things much better for Jon, since he actually had somewhere to sit. It was about 7am now and our new nurse was awesome. She was older and had been in L&D for years! During the change of rooms, Jon ended up at the end of the bed when one of my contractions was starting. I signaled for him to come by my side and he came to the right side of the bed. He had been on my left side for the last hour or whatever and being on the right completely threw me off. I just think it's so funny how particular you really do get in labor. After the contraction I told him I needed him on the left and I think he thought that was weird. :)
When I was dilated to an 8 (probably around 8am?) the doctor came and broke my water. (All those stories about your water breaking out in public seem to be so normal and both times I had to have my water broken) This was supposed to help him drop down and come out! But I got stuck at an 8 forever. The nurse kept asking me if I felt like I needed to push and I kept saying no. I kept waiting for transition to come, for the contractions to get unbearably intense and for me to lose my mind. But it didn't happen. I was at like an 8.5 and I finally turned on my knees and held on the top of the bed. I was in this position for a few contractions. I think this somehow helped him turn or get unstuck or something. In the middle of one of my contractions, I just started pushing. I didn't even realize I was doing it. It was the weirdest thing to have instinct completely take over. The midwife realized I was pushing because I had started grunting. They made me turn around and this is when I kind of last it. It hurt, much more than I had expected. I had been so worried about transition but I guess I skipped that whole thing being stuck for so long. Everyone said pushing was a relief but this did not feel like relief. They tried to get me to put my feet in the stirrups because I was wiggling so much. But that freaked me out (you can laugh at me, but stirrups definitely have a better chance of making you tear or get an episiotomy so I refuse to try them). I ended up putting my legs on the bed and sort of squatting-sitting, I think. I was actually holding on to Jon's neck and yelling in his ear. Sorry babe! It is the most amazing thing how your body takes over. I had to make noise to get him out. Keeping my mouth shut was like telling someone to eat with their lips sealed. If he was going to come out, so was the noise. It was only a few pushed and probably ten minutes and he was born! It was the most amazing thing I have ever done. But I'll tell you where it was like "wow, I feel so much better" was after the placenta was out. It felt like there was so much room inside!
After having had a baby about as medical as you can get (induction and epidural) and having one natural. I do have to say, the both have their pros and cons. Right after he was born, I was definitely glad I tried it natural. I wanted to have a natural birth since I first got pregnant with Vanessa. But right after the birth, I wasn't so sure I would do it again. Now almost a week later, I think I might go natural again. I can't think of a better word to describe it than simply what it is "empowering." And you'd have to ask Jon but I think we make an awesome team!
I started having light contractions on Friday. They weren't painful and weren't consistent so I figured it was just early labor and would probably last a couple weeks. This lasted through the whole weekend and into Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Vanessa and I went to the splash park in the morning and I was having contractions the whole time. But they still weren't painful or regular so I just ignored them. That afternoon I had my first exam and was dilated to a 3. I got slightly excited but still told myself I could be at a 3 for weeks, so I couldn't get too excited.
Tuesday night the contractions started getting closer and closer, but they still weren't painful. It was at about midnight that they started to make me recognize there was a possibility I was going to have a baby sooner than I thought. Neither Jon or I could go to sleep. We did random things around the house and tried to watch a movie. (the Back Up Plan, I finally saw most of it and I was oh so disappointed). I was trying to time my contractions every now and then but it was hard for me to remember what the last timing was so I didn't do very well. At around 3pm, I was really having to focus to get through the contractions and they were less than 5 minutes apart, lasting over 60 seconds. I finally acknowledged that I was in labor. I had Jon put all our stuff in the car to go to the hospital. He looked so relieved, if I hadn't been so uncomfortable I might have laughed. I called my mom and told her I was in labor and we were going to head to the hospital soon-ish. I figured I had to be at least at a 6.
After everything was in the car, I decided we might as well go to the hospital. I was miserable and not handling the contractions that well. I called our bishop and asked if they could take Vanessa. I am sure they love getting 3am babysitting calls but they were absolutely amazing with her and we can't thank them enough!
When we got to the hospital, we had to ride up to the second floor and it was freezing! I don't know if it was the cold or the panic of getting to the hospital or what but I started hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably.
They put us in triage and a nurse came in to check me. I was at a 4.5! I was totally bummed. And the nurse "yelled" at me for hyperventilating. Okay, she wasn't really yelling but she just had that no non-sense attitude like, "what is your problem?" But it ended up being a good thing because it made me check myself and get myself back under control and let the contractions do their job. I really didn't want to be in labor forever and the fact that I was freaking out, wasn't helping me dilate. In triage, they asked if I wanted an epidural and I told them I wanted to try natural. I think they kind of smurked at that, but they never asked again. I asked for a hep lock rather than an IV. The nurse didn't like it, but was actually really good about it.
It just so happened that it was a popular night to go into labor and there were no labor rooms available. We went into an exam room that was tiny but at least it was private. They told us we would get a labor room as soon as one was open. Jon sat in the most uncomfortable hospital chair and tried to power nap while I tried to figure out the best way to get through my contractions.
I have no idea what time it was but I was dilated to I think around a 6 when I finally told Jon I needed him to help me now. At the time, I didn't know what I wanted him to do and he didn't know what to do for me. But I knew I was caving to the idea of an epidural in my mind unless something changed. It took a few contractions but we found what worked for us. Jon sat on the edge of the bed and every contraction he would just hug me around my shoulders and I laid my head on his shoulder. It was enough of a support to keep me grounded. That's all I needed. The contractions didn't actually feel much more painful to me than they had earlier, maybe it was because I was dealing with them better, but it was the idea of 'how much longer do I have to do this?' that was the most discouraging. The other thing that kept getting me was waiting for transition. I kept hearing transition is the worst part of labor and the most intense. I felt like I was at my max coping limit as it was, how would I handle transition?
We finally got a room and the bed was almost twice the size. This made things much better for Jon, since he actually had somewhere to sit. It was about 7am now and our new nurse was awesome. She was older and had been in L&D for years! During the change of rooms, Jon ended up at the end of the bed when one of my contractions was starting. I signaled for him to come by my side and he came to the right side of the bed. He had been on my left side for the last hour or whatever and being on the right completely threw me off. I just think it's so funny how particular you really do get in labor. After the contraction I told him I needed him on the left and I think he thought that was weird. :)
When I was dilated to an 8 (probably around 8am?) the doctor came and broke my water. (All those stories about your water breaking out in public seem to be so normal and both times I had to have my water broken) This was supposed to help him drop down and come out! But I got stuck at an 8 forever. The nurse kept asking me if I felt like I needed to push and I kept saying no. I kept waiting for transition to come, for the contractions to get unbearably intense and for me to lose my mind. But it didn't happen. I was at like an 8.5 and I finally turned on my knees and held on the top of the bed. I was in this position for a few contractions. I think this somehow helped him turn or get unstuck or something. In the middle of one of my contractions, I just started pushing. I didn't even realize I was doing it. It was the weirdest thing to have instinct completely take over. The midwife realized I was pushing because I had started grunting. They made me turn around and this is when I kind of last it. It hurt, much more than I had expected. I had been so worried about transition but I guess I skipped that whole thing being stuck for so long. Everyone said pushing was a relief but this did not feel like relief. They tried to get me to put my feet in the stirrups because I was wiggling so much. But that freaked me out (you can laugh at me, but stirrups definitely have a better chance of making you tear or get an episiotomy so I refuse to try them). I ended up putting my legs on the bed and sort of squatting-sitting, I think. I was actually holding on to Jon's neck and yelling in his ear. Sorry babe! It is the most amazing thing how your body takes over. I had to make noise to get him out. Keeping my mouth shut was like telling someone to eat with their lips sealed. If he was going to come out, so was the noise. It was only a few pushed and probably ten minutes and he was born! It was the most amazing thing I have ever done. But I'll tell you where it was like "wow, I feel so much better" was after the placenta was out. It felt like there was so much room inside!
After having had a baby about as medical as you can get (induction and epidural) and having one natural. I do have to say, the both have their pros and cons. Right after he was born, I was definitely glad I tried it natural. I wanted to have a natural birth since I first got pregnant with Vanessa. But right after the birth, I wasn't so sure I would do it again. Now almost a week later, I think I might go natural again. I can't think of a better word to describe it than simply what it is "empowering." And you'd have to ask Jon but I think we make an awesome team!
Friday, September 17, 2010
He's Here!
Benson Matthew Brady surprised us all by showing up ten days early. He was born September 15, 2010 at 8:51 AM after a long night of labor :) He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. Both of us are doing great. They even let us come home a little early.
Pics to come...
Pics to come...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Naples Beach
Here we are at Naples beach. It's on the west side of the state, in the gulf. Vanessa really liked how shallow and calm the waves were. She went in up to her waist on her own. We're pretty proud of our little fish!
We stayed late and watched the sunset over the beach. It was beautiful! We took some pretty neat pics, so check back again soon.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
ALMOST full term
I am 37 weeks this Saturday, and as the addition of a another family member is inevitably about a month away, it has brought about some recent ponderings.
A few of them I realized tonight as we were taking our childbirth class.
#1 Even though I get daily shots and have had innumberable blood draws associated with my blood clot from Vanessa, I still hate needles. They showed a woman getting an epidural today in a movie and it made me sick. Jon finds them fascinating.
#2 I can't stop talking about Vanessa's birth and how I really hope this one is different (even though the ending was perfect). I really do realize it's been 15 months and more importantly, that no one cares! I just can't shut up sometimes.
#3 I am way more chill about the whole birthing thing but still horrified by stirrups and episiotimies (saw one of those tonight too and also cringed).
#4 It is in no way a reality to me that I am having another tiny little newborn. Sometimes it is, I guess. But most days, it feels like it's still forever away.
A few of them I realized tonight as we were taking our childbirth class.
#1 Even though I get daily shots and have had innumberable blood draws associated with my blood clot from Vanessa, I still hate needles. They showed a woman getting an epidural today in a movie and it made me sick. Jon finds them fascinating.
#2 I can't stop talking about Vanessa's birth and how I really hope this one is different (even though the ending was perfect). I really do realize it's been 15 months and more importantly, that no one cares! I just can't shut up sometimes.
#3 I am way more chill about the whole birthing thing but still horrified by stirrups and episiotimies (saw one of those tonight too and also cringed).
#4 It is in no way a reality to me that I am having another tiny little newborn. Sometimes it is, I guess. But most days, it feels like it's still forever away.
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