On the morning of June 24th I was instructed to call L&D at 7:00 am to see if they had a room available. Apparently it was a full moon, which triggers labor for a lot of people (not me) so there was nothing available. They asked me to call back around 10am. I waiting anxiously and called back. Still nothing.. So they asked me to call around 2pm. Again I counted the minutes until 2:00 and prayed that there would be something! Being 9 days late was torture and I was so ready to meet my baby. I called at 2:00 and spoke with someone in L&D. She said that there weren’t any open rooms yet but to come in at 5:00pm. I hung up the phone disappointed and laid down on the couch. Around 3:30 I got call saying that a room was ready! I jumped up, told Dan it was time to go, we grabbed the bags and were on our way in 10 minutes.
We got to the hospital just before 4pm. I waddled up to the counter, checked in and they told us which room we would be in. We headed down the hall to our room. Once we got in and settled, I put on a gown and was hooked up to fetal heart monitors, and an IV bag with fluids. I stayed in the bed and was monitored for awhile. Around 7pm a doctor came in and inserted a Foley catheter. Since I was checked, and was barely 1cm dilated, the catheter would hopefully help dilate me. I ate, and rested and was told to get a good night sleep because tomorrow was going to be rough.
(There are no pictures of me before giving birth but here's Dan in the L&D room)
I slept on and off (and was being monitored on and off all night) until around 5am when I woke up in tons of pain. The nurse had given me a Pitocin drip overnight in my IV and contractions had started and my back was killing me! The nurse gave me Stadol to try to ease some of the pain. The next couple of hours were a complete blur. All I know is that the pain was incredible. Like nothing I would have ever imagined.
Around 9am (I’m guessing) I got my first epidural. What a relief! I was able to smile and laugh and have a good time for a little while. I even got to take a pain free nap. My mom, sister and Dan were in the room most of the day. Unfortunately I woke up from my nap in an immense amount of pain. We called the nurse into the room and told her what was happening. She told me to take a warm shower, and get a back rub from Dan. I did both and neither helped at all! I could barely breath I was in so much pain. I was very nauseous as well. The Pitocin caused my contractions to be one on top of another and I felt like I couldn’t get a break from the pain.
Around 12pm or 1:00pm I got checked for dilation and was only at 3cm (I think?) Thankfully the anesthesiologist came back into the room and repositioned the catheter in my spine and I felt relief again in a few minutes. I could still feel the contractions but they weren’t painful. (I never once felt them in my stomach though. I had all back labor)
I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open so I laid back down and fell asleep for awhile, maybe an hour or two? Once again I woke up in excruciating pain. The epidural had worn off a second time. By this time I was not pleasant to be around. I was throwing up and screaming at the nurse to get me another epidural. She turned down the Pitocin so that I could get a break in between the contractions. Then she told me that I couldn’t have another epidural!! I thought to myself that I could still be in labor for hours and there is no way I can tolerate this pain. I begged her relentlessly and finally she told me she would see what she could do. She left and came back a few minutes later. She said the anesthesiologist was assisting in a c-section and he would be up when he was finished. That was the longest hour of my life! He finally showed up, had to take the old epidural out and completely redo it. (This is when I learned that the girl who had done the 1st one, and the reposition was a student! Grrrr)
This was around 5:00pm maybe. I got checked for dilation once again and was around 6cm. All I can remember from this time on was how tired I was. I could barely keep my eyes open. Things seemed to happen quickly from here (maybe because I kept falling asleep)
Around 7:00pm I woke up feeling like I had to poop really bad. I had a new nurse by this point and she informed me that this was probably because Levi’s head was coming down and putting pressure on my bowels. She checked me and I was 10cm finally! She left the room, and got a gown on.
When it came time to push, the nurse helped put me in all kinds of different positions. My epidural was backed off enough so that I could maneuver around. I pushed with every contraction, and fell asleep in between. Dan could see Levi’s head but I wasn’t making much progress. This went on for over an hour and I was getting frustrated and over exhausted so the nurse went to get the delivery doctor. He came in, watched me push one time and said that Levi’s head was stuck behind my pelvic bone because he was face up. He told me I’d need an emergency c-section.
I was so exhausted and delirious that I didn’t mind at all. I was just ready to meet my baby! In the next 10 minutes I was wheeled into an operating room, drugged up and prepped for surgery. Dan went out to get his scrubs on and tell our families what was going on. He came back in just as the doctor was making my incision. I was told I would feel a lot of pressure and pulling (and I did) and then the biggest relief of my life came! As soon as they pulled Levi out, I felt like I could breathe again and all the pain went away.
I heard him cry, and it was the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard! The sewed me up, wiped Levi off and brought him over to Dan and I to see. It was such an amazing site to see Dan meet his son. He cried. I took one look at him and felt like I was going to throw up. All I remember after that is the doctor putting something in my IV and I was out until I woke up in the recovery room.
While I was out, Dan got to wheel the baby out to meet his grandparents and then watched him get checked, bathed and weighed in the nursery.
Levi Anthony was born at 8:50pm on June 25, 2010 after 17 hours of labor! He weighed 8lbs 10oz and was 20.5 inches long.
I stayed in recovery until I wasn’t so sleepy anymore and was able to hold a conversation with Dan and my family. Around midnight I was wheeled back to a room and was finally able to hold my son! How incredible. He nursed like a champ right away and was able to stay with us on and off the first night.
This is the next day, feeling MUCH better!
