The "Miracle" of birth!

It has been waaaay too long since I posted.  So I didn't want to go to sleep yet(even though I should), so I will update you all on how my LAST labor went!  I think there is just one word for it really . . . HORRIFIC!

I had was is called a Single Umbilical Artery this pregnancy.  This just means that rather than having one vein and 2 arteries in the umbilical cord, you have one vein and one artery.  There is really no risk to the mother, but it can cause developmental problems with the baby.  Luckily, this was never the case for Z, but my doctor wanted to induce me a week early because the specialist she consulted said it is best for SUA babies to be delivered at 39 weeks.  Hey I wasn't complaining, I was happy to be put out of my misery and I had been induced with the previous 2 babies.  I figured, no sweat!  WRONG!!!

Well I came in bright and early on February 7th.  I had slept very little the night before.  My other 2 inductions had not been planned in advance like this one, so I had had all night to be anxious and excited.  However, I was feeling good(the adrenaline I'm sure) and was ready to have a baby!  The last time I had been in the hospital(see previous post), my labor quite and I came home with no baby.  This time, I was not leaving without one!

The nurse checked my cervix(that's my favorite part ;)) and it was quite high, I was only about 50% effaced and not dilated at all.  So they gave me my first gel at 5:50 am.  I had been having contractions throughout my whole pregnancy, so the first one wasn't so bad.  I walked around, watched a bit of a movie and ate a snack. The nurse came back a couple hours later to give me my second gel.  She checked me again and found that I had dilated to a 2!  Great!  I'm thinkin, at this rate I'll have the baby by lunch time!  She told me that they would only give me a third gel if I felt the contractions getting weaker.  So I labored for about another couple hours and my contractions were starting to wane.  I called the nurse and she came and gave me the last gel.  That kicked it up about 100 notches!  

My labor felt different this time.  It was all in my back and it was really REALLY painful.  Come to find out, Z was sunny side up.  I had heard people talk about back labor being bad, but you can't really appreciate it until you experience it.  Imagine someone is ripping your body in half and you might be close to understanding what it feels like.  Did I ask for pain meds?!  Heck no!  I was going to do this "naturally"!  This was my last baby and I was going to do it the "right" way.  I labored in the tub, on the birthing ball and walked.  

The pain finally got so intense that I was confined to the bed.  When I walked the contractions came one after the other with no break in between.  When you looked at the monitor of my contractions, they were so intense you couldn't even see the peak of them.  The graph needle couldn't go that high and they were LONG!  But I was doing okay.  I had Jake and my mom there coaching me, helping me to breathe and try to relax my body.

Well around 10am my doctor came in to see how I was doing and to check me.  I told her I was doing okay, but that I was having really bad back labor.  She had me get on my hands and knees on the bed and do the yoga poses cat and then cow and when a contraction would come I was to go into Child's pose.  She had Doogie Houser(did I even spell that right?) with her who wanted to witness a birth for his "training".  I wasn't shy so I said sure.  By the way, I was only at a 3 at this point!  Really?  They left and I continued to labor on my hands and knees, in the tub and on the birthing ball.  

Shortly after they left, I felt some fluid trickling out.  My water has never broken on it's own, so I thought maybe it had broken.  My doctor came back in to test the fluid.  It was negative for amniotic fluid, but she wasn't ruling out the possibility.

Around 1pm, Doogie Houser comes in sans my doctor.  He begins talking but I'm not really able to focus on what he is saying because I am having REALLY intense contractions and he won't shut up!  My mom had to tell him to zip it so I could finish a contraction.  Finally some of the words began to register in my brain and they went something like this, "Um, I was just wondering how much longer you think it's going to be because I haven't eaten lunch yet, but I don't want to leave because Dr. Claxton told me to stick around.  With your history if your water has broken you go pretty fast, but I didn't bring a lunch, so . . . "  I'm sorry, WHAT?!  Where did you get your degree?  The University of Idiocy with a degree in What NOT to say to a woman in labor?  I looked and him and said, "I don't know!  It could be 20 minutes, it could be 2 hours!"  At that point he excused himself and as he is leaving the room I look at my mom and ask, "Was he SERIOUSLY asking me when I thought this baby would be born?"  My mother said, "Yes, honey he was." 

Right around 3 came the changing of the nurses.  My new nurse had a student with her too!  Oh goodie!  At this point I was so tired, but I was not able to rest.  The nurse asks me if I want the epidural, I tell her that I might want one.  So she goes to talk to my Dr. about it.  Next thing I know Dr. Claxton comes in to give me the bad news.  She can't give me an epidural.  I am not far enough along and if I get one now, I will HAVE to have a C-section.  She doesn't want that and she knows I don't want that either.  She prescribes me a shot of some pain meds to help take the edge off so I can rest.  The masochistic nurse from hell comes in to give me the shot.  I roll to my side and she says, "You'll feel a little pinch and it will sting a little."  She has obviously NEVER had one of these shots before.  She shoved that needle in so hard I swear she hit the bone and a little stinging?  Try, MY A** IS ON FIRE AND I'M BEING STUNG BY A THOUSAND BEES!  So I was in pain from that shot, I was contracting and crying so hard I couldn't breathe.  I yelled out, "I can't breathe!"  Devil nurse tells me, "Open your eyes".  Her face is right in mine trying to get me to breathe and all I wanted to do was punch her in the face!          

Well the pain from the shot finally subsides and the nurses change shifts and devil nurse is gone.  Replaced by my wonderful night nurse.  She was awesome.  It gets to be about 10pm and I am only sleeping for 1-2 minutes at a time.  I am so exhausted that I fall asleep after a contraction finished.  I tell Jake to go home and have my mom come stay the night with me so he can get some rest.  No, he insists on staying with me.  So he pulls out the uncomfortable hospital bed and trys to sleep.  I call in my nurse to ask her if there is anything she can give me to help me sleep.  She gets approval for another shot of pain meds, which immediately makes the water works start for me.  I tell her about devil nurse and how much it hurt.  Angel nurse says, "Awww, it shouldn't have hurt like that.  I promise I won't hurt you like that."  And she was right.  It was a little pinch and a little sting and it was over.  Before leaving she tells me, call me in if you feel the urge to push or if the contractions get worse. 

Well that shot didn't help me sleep, but it did make my contractions worse.  Being the sweet wife I am, I labored by myself for several hours(I know the Lord sent angels to be with me) so my hubbie could sleep.  Finally I can bear it no longer and I wake Jake up because I NEED him to help me through this.  This was his fault anyway.  So he gets up and grumpily sets a chair down next to my bed and this is what I hear,

"I'm so TIRED!  I only slept for 2 hours, but it wasn't even good sleep.  I feel like I haven't even slept at ALL!"  I'm sorry, what?  Are you really saying these words?  So then I say, "FINE, LEAVE!  You are ZERO help to me anyway!  I told you to go home and have my mom come, but you insisted on staying!  So just GO!"  I was just a little ticked!  He realized he was being a jackass and didn't complain to me after that.

I call Angel nurse in shortly after that because I am in so much pain.  She starts an IV on me because I am getting dehydrated.  It helped with the pain, but made me pee a lot which was not good for my contractions.  I was ready to die.  It was around 5am the following morning and I was about to ask for a C-section.  I had gone to the bathroom for the hundredth time and felt that I needed the nurse to check me.  I had Jake call her in.  She checked me and said that I was at a 5 and I was now 100% effaced.  WHAT?  She asks me if I want an epidural and the water works begin again.  I blubber about how my Dr. told me I couldn't have one and why.  She said that I should be progressed enough to have one.  She checked with the Dr. and the verdict was in . . . YES!  I was so happy, yet conflicted.  I was so determined, but Jake assured me that 24 hours of doing this naturally was good enough and it was time to get some rest.

The epidural man came and made me feel all better and I went right to sleep and slept for 4 hours.  It was bliss.  When I woke up I was dilated to an 8.  Z was still not turned all the way, but he was close.  An hour later I made them break my water and at 11:28am just after 2 contractions out he came weighing 6lbs. 15oz. and measuring 19inches long.  Hallelujah!  29 1/2 hours, but he was worth the wait.