I got very busy with my work at the clinic the beginning of the last month of my pregnancy. My plan was to have a couple of weeks off from my PT job to do some needed last minute preparations for having a baby. However, this little baby was ready to come out 2 weeks before his due date - the day after I stopped working at the PT clinic!
Here's how the story goes: I went to yoga on Saturday morning for some zen time for me and my baby and remedy a little back ache. [Side note - at the yoga class I won a LuLuLemon tank top, whoo!] After yoga I went to the grocery store to stock up on groceries to make some casseroles for a stock pile. I was SO tired by the time I got home, I couldn't unload the car, so I went straight to bed. After half an hour passed, I came to the realization that this was not normal tiredness nor a normal returning back ache. I told Andrew that this could be "it," and "it" was! I couldn't sleep Saturday night. I couldn't stomach any foot. Warm baths relieved my back ache. I timed the contractions all night until my labor progressed to be able to head to the hospital at 2am Sunday early morning.
When you finally reach the benchmark of GOING to the hospital, AT the hospital they tell you "oh you might not be in labor so we'll "wait another hour and see"." I COULD NOT go home at this point. Even though I wouldn't say I was in pain now, I still wasn't able to sleep and I didn't feel like eating. I guess we did good because I got to stay at the hospital. Now it's probably 4-5am. I was advised by our doula to take a medication which side effect is drowsiness so that I could get a nap (I had not slept since Friday). That, my friends, was good advice. I got a short nap in which really helped.
My awesome OB, Dr. K, arrived to check on me at 6am, and I think I was 3cm dilated. He came back in a couple of hours, my membranes had not broken - so he broke them. Immediately the dilation increased to 6cm. From then on as my labor intensified, I spent a total of 4 hours in the shower where Andrew and Christine (our doula) would spray my back with warm water - oh so relaxing! Elijah came on a Sunday, and we didn't make or to mass, so communion was brought to us at around noon on Sunday. This was very special and I definitely felt spiritually energized to continue the laborious task ahead of me.
From here on out was the most physically and mentally exhausting experience I've ever been through. As many women describe the sensation of labor, it's not really pain. I agree. I felt intense pressure with each contraction as well as a back ache which was relieved by Andrew and Christine applying pressure to the outsides of my pelvic bones. I continued to enjoy and get relief by being in the shower. At this point, I couldn't really talk in sentences, so when a contraction came on I would yell to Andrew, "Go!" cuing him to press my pelvis, and then "stop" translated to "Quit touching me!" Now, my baby and I needed monitoring, so we had to hop out of the sanctuary that was the shower every 30 minutes or so, which I was not happy about. I needed to lie down in bed to be accurately monitored, which was oh so uncomfortable! When I was probably 8cm dilated, my baby's heart rate was dipping lower than Dr. K was comfortable with so I needed to remain in bed. We tried different positions of side lying, on my back, and kneeling in order to relieve the pressure on the umbilical cord that was possibly causing the heart rate fluctuations. I was NOT COMFORTABLE. Being confined to the bed, I feel like I didn't have the freedom to be in the position that I wanted to, to naturally get the baby moving down. But after a little pitocin to stimulate the last little bit of dilation, it was time to push!!! Well, up until this point the contractions were the most intense sensation that I have ever felt - pushing trumped contractions! I was so tired and sweaty but the urge I felt made me so ready to push. Because the baby's heart rate was dipping so low, the NICU was alerted to come to our room, just-in-case. It was like the whole NICU team was transplated from their waiting post to our room - within seconds our room went in attendance from 5 people to about 15. Our doula described this as our baby's birthday party complete with everybody wearing funny hats. After about 20 minutes of bearing down with each contraction, and with the assistance of a vacuum (to keep the baby from moving back UP with each contraction) out popped a little baby! I remember for about 10 seconds not knowing if we had a boy or girl and after what seemed like a long time Andrew told me it was a boy! Andrew stood there, jaw dropped, in awe of how my body "did that." He was dumbfounded and I remember a few people yelling at him, "dad, dad, cut the cord!" so that he would pay attention.
Andrew and I were overwhelmed with love for this tiny human being from the moment we laid eyes on him. I got to hold his gooey, purple little body for some immediate skin to skin time after Andrew cut the umbilical cord. After a few minutes he was taken to get washed off, weighed, tested and then returned to me. We just couldn't stop looking at him! Instinctively he found my nipple and nursed - the human body is simply amazing.
I am very proud of myself that I went through labor without pain medication. Most of the challenge was mental, especially toward the end of labor when I did not have the freedom to move into the positions that were comfortable. I was wearing an oxygen mask and was hooked up to an IV, which made me feel like a "patient in a hospital" rather than a mother able to naturally let her body know what it was made to do - give birth. I wonder what the birth would have been like if we were at a birthing center or did a home birth, but I am thankful that we were in a hospital due to the baby's heart rate fluctuations. We adore our OB, Dr. K and doula, Christine and thank them for the support and encouragement throughout my pregnancy.
photo credits to Christine Mesich
