Well, my contractions started at 7 minutes apart at about 1pm on Friday afternoon. We left for the hospital at 11:00pm on Friday because the contractions were coming every 4 minutes, and we were afraid the third baby would come faster. Well, I was barely 5 cms. The nurse took one look at my contractions on the monitor and said, "These contractions just aren't going to do the job, so let's get some Pitocin in you." That was not what I wanted to hear. We told her that I would rather go back home. After talking to the doctor, she said we could try walking around the hospital if we wanted to see if it got the contractions going a little more. They didn't want me to go home, so I figured we'd give that a shot. I walked for two hours around the hospital until about 2:30am. I was getting tired and my contractions picked up to every 2 minutes and were getting harder. After all that, the nurse checked me again and my cervix became posterior and my contractions spread out and got easier. I was dilated another cm, but that was it. So, again we asked to go home and they said they would rather us stay. I told the nurse that if she wanted me to stay, I didn't want to be bothered or hooked up to anything so that I could try to rest through the easier contractions since it was 3am and I was tired. So that's what we did. I rested on and off until the shift change around 7am. The contractions were just not consistent enough and I was getting frustrated. I had been having decent contractions for a month and it was getting old. However, I was scheduled for and induction on that Monday anyways. So they offered to break my water, but I wanted to try to walk some more to avoid that as long as I was progressing. So, off to walking the halls again! We walked until about 1pm. I was starving at this point, but so nauseated that I could not eat anything. I just drank juices.
So, at this point (24 hours into labor) Brian and I decide if I had not progressed and my cervix was still posterior that we would agree to have my water broken. The doctor was pretty sure that we would have a baby in a few hours if we did, but there were no guarantees. Well, I hadn't progressed and I could tell the contractions just weren't doing the job no matter how much I walked. So moments after breaking my water, I was in some serious labor with contractions about 2 1/2 minutes apart which soon progressed to 2 minutes apart. They lasted 1 1/2 minutes and so I only had 30 seconds in between. 1 hour and 30 minutes after my water was broken, I needed to push and I needed to push right then! Finally! So, I pushed 4 or 5 times I think and that BIG boy was finally out! If I am anything, I am an effective pusher! Brian was an excellent coach and really got me through it all! I couldn't have done it without pain medicine if he hadn't been there to encourage me. Plus, the day nurse was very encouraging of our choice to be as natural as possible and praised my relaxation. It always helps when you have people who think you can do it!
Isaac created quite the stir among all the nurses and doctors once he was weighed and measured. His APGAR score was 8.9, and the poor thing was stuck so many times to test his blood sugar since he was so big. People keep asking me if I had a C-section and if I had gestational diabetes, but the answer is "No." The doctors had no idea he would be that big, but I had a feeling. After all, I was convinced there was a hidden twin in there for a while.
After we were settled, Brian went and got the girls to come meet their baby brother. Poor Hannah was still a bit sick and so she couldn't hold him. I felt bad because I had been promising her for months that she could hold him in the hospital. Genna fell instantly in love with him! Hannah's affections for him have developed since being home and able to hold him. Here is the video of a redo of her song to her brother. Sorry it is so dark, but at least you can hear it.
So, at this point (24 hours into labor) Brian and I decide if I had not progressed and my cervix was still posterior that we would agree to have my water broken. The doctor was pretty sure that we would have a baby in a few hours if we did, but there were no guarantees. Well, I hadn't progressed and I could tell the contractions just weren't doing the job no matter how much I walked. So moments after breaking my water, I was in some serious labor with contractions about 2 1/2 minutes apart which soon progressed to 2 minutes apart. They lasted 1 1/2 minutes and so I only had 30 seconds in between. 1 hour and 30 minutes after my water was broken, I needed to push and I needed to push right then! Finally! So, I pushed 4 or 5 times I think and that BIG boy was finally out! If I am anything, I am an effective pusher! Brian was an excellent coach and really got me through it all! I couldn't have done it without pain medicine if he hadn't been there to encourage me. Plus, the day nurse was very encouraging of our choice to be as natural as possible and praised my relaxation. It always helps when you have people who think you can do it!
Isaac created quite the stir among all the nurses and doctors once he was weighed and measured. His APGAR score was 8.9, and the poor thing was stuck so many times to test his blood sugar since he was so big. People keep asking me if I had a C-section and if I had gestational diabetes, but the answer is "No." The doctors had no idea he would be that big, but I had a feeling. After all, I was convinced there was a hidden twin in there for a while.
After we were settled, Brian went and got the girls to come meet their baby brother. Poor Hannah was still a bit sick and so she couldn't hold him. I felt bad because I had been promising her for months that she could hold him in the hospital. Genna fell instantly in love with him! Hannah's affections for him have developed since being home and able to hold him. Here is the video of a redo of her song to her brother. Sorry it is so dark, but at least you can hear it.
I am feeling a bit better, but running on not much sleep. Genna is still very sick, but she should be getting better soon if it's like Hannah's illness in duration. Today, Brian has the girls and Isaac and I are just hanging out so I thought I'd try to start catching up on the blog. There's much more to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment