I was at work on Monday March 1st but wasn't feeling too well. I had some cut up fruit for breakfast so I thought the citrus didn't agree with me. By lunch time I had full on diarrhea so just decided the best place for me was at home. I was able to make it to 1.30 then headed home. I called the midwives to let them know how I was feeling and they said the stomach bug was going around and to eat a bland diet and call them back on Wednesday if I still wasn't feeling better.
I sent DH to the store for the blandness. I awoke Tuesday morning and figured if it was the 24 hour bug then I should just stay home again. My stomach still wasn't well and although I had eaten little I still had the runs. I tried to keep up w/ water (or gatorade) intake since I knew dehydration was bad.
Wednesday came and I knew I had to go to work because of my leave situation. After the snowstorms my leave was almost non-existent. I felt better in a way but in another way I still didn't feel right. My belly was getting larger, the heartburn was getting worse so I just assumed the way I was feeling that day was "normal" for a 35 week pregnant woman.
Work dragged on. I continued to eat bland food and had miso soup for lunch while filling out my birth "wish list" which was given to me by the midwives at least 2 weeks prior. Today was as good a day as any to do it and their form was pretty much just a bunch of checkboxes.
I had to leave work at 1.30 to get to a 2pm "meet and greet" at a pediatrician's office. This was the first ped we would be interviewing and DH was to meet me at the office. Before I left work I used the restroom and thought I felt something heavy come out. When I stood up I peeked in the toilet but I had used a seat cover so all I saw was that. I didn't think much of it on the drive to the peds. When I got there I waited in the car for DH but as 2pm approached I didn't see him. I got out of the car and headed into the lobby of the building where DH was entering from the door on the other side. At that point I felt the need to use the bathroom once more. This trip was a bit different than the last. I definitely felt a small gush and saw pink when I wiped. In my head I knew I had to call the midwives but figured we'd go to the meet and greet since we had both left work to do it. I came out of the bathroom and mentioned to DH that after our appointment we'd have to call the midwives because I had some pink on the toilet paper and a small gush. I wasn't too worried because a friend of mine had had the same thing happen and I recall her telling me that it was not amniotic fluid. I figured the same went for me.
The meet and greet went fine. I asked the questions I had prepared and tried not to worry too much about what was going on in my pants. After the questions the physician's assistant asked if we wanted to see the exam rooms and the rest of the office. I got up out of my chair and about 15 seconds later felt a gush that was larger than the last. Thank goodness I was wearing black pants because this time it was obvious that the panty liner was way too small to absorb what just happened. I played it cool, took the stroll around the office and as soon as that was done took a beeline back to that same restroom. Definitely more pink and a completely flooded liner. I grabbed a handful of paper towels and told DH that we should both get in his car and I'd call the midwives on our way there. The hospital and the midwives are right across the street so I figured if we should start driving in that direction. The nurse told me it sounded like I had ruptured and to go ahead and go straight to the hospital.
It was an anxious ride there. I kept wondering if my baby was OK but yet it never dawned on me that I could be having her that day. The scenario running through my head was that I'd be sent home.
We got to the hospital and had to wait for a bit to get into triage. My anxiety was through the roof. I just wanted to hear my baby's heartbeat. We were finally called back and I was hooked up to monitors. A huge sigh of relief was had when I heard that beautiful sound. I explained to the nurse that I had had a few gushes and one larger one. She looked between my legs and asked me to cough. Cough again. She saw nothing. She did the swab test where if the swab turns blue it means amniotic fluid is present. I saw the swab when she removed it and she said "yup, that's amniotic fluid". I then asked if that meant we were having a baby today and her reply was "Well I would rather have your midwife answer that but it looks like 'yes'". This is where I start mildly freaking out. I tell DH to start thinking of a middle name since we hadn't even settled on that yet. I also ask him to go call my work and let them know that I will not be returning as I had planned. By that time it was nearing 3.45pm and I had told my coworker I'd be back by 3.30 at the latest. Later I find out that he told her we took a "detour" to the hospital but what she heard was the we decided to take a "tour" of the hospital. I was wondering why her response to him was "how exciting".
The midwife finally arrive and said she'd put in a speculum to check things out in there and then do an internal exam. I was asked to scoot to the end of the table. As I scooted, the fluid the nurse was looking for earlier during the cough decided to make it's appearance. P, the midwife, then said she no longer needed to do the exam that involved the speculum. Guess she got her answer with that gush. She gloved up to do the internal. I was thinking I'd be 2 cm and in for a long night of labor. DH and I were both shocked when she told me I was between 5 and 6 cm. WHAT? I guess that wasn't the stomach bug after all? Was I laboring for two days and didn't even know it? P asked if I had my "wish list" and I had a good chuckle telling her that I had just filled it out a few hours earlier while eating lunch at my desk.
At that point I was told I'd be admitted and that we'd have our baby that day. I was only 35 weeks and 2 days! I didn't even have a hospital bag packed, I had my shower gifts from four days prior all in their bags in the baby's room. I had a lot of thoughts going through my head.
I remember walking into the room where we'd have our baby and seeing that the clock said 4pm exactly. DH made a call to each grandmother from the land line (AT&T was not getting a signal inside). My mother told me she had been sick, also with a stomach issue, and knew that she shouldn't come to the hospital. I could hear her through the phone and could tell she was shocked that we were having a baby that day and that she was sad she couldn't be there for us and for the event. We reassured her that it was best to keep her germs at home and we'd call when we knew more. I can't imagine how she felt. She must have been on the edge of her seat. DH's mom told us she'd probably leave in the morning to drive down.
Shortly after those calls is when I could feel labor pains. I felt them completely in my back. I tried sitting up in bed, walking around, sitting in the glider, sitting in the guest chair, leaning over the bed and really wishing I had the stability ball with us. That would've been in my packed hospital bag. I made do w/ all the seating surfaces in the room because walking was not doing it for me. P asked if I'd like a bath run but I was feeling so hot that the thought of a bath made me want to vomit. I asked for a fan and DH was handed an empty clipboard. I asked if I could have Tums for the burning in my throat but was told I had to make do with ice chips.
At this point I lose track of time and have no concept of how often I'm having contractions. All I know is the answer is "often". I end up laboring in the bed where they've lowered the bottom half. So kinda like a chair but cushy and comfy for the most part. DH remembers to fan me and asks often if I want ice chips.
I remember P checking me again at 8cm and I remember asking for drugs. In my childbirth class (we had only gotten through the first two classes) I was told that an epidural isn't the only pain control drug. I asked for those "other" drugs but was told that I couldn't have them at that point because they were afraid of them affecting the baby, especially because she wasn't full term. I remember being upset and in a lot of pain but P really reassured me that I was "almost there" and I had gotten that far so could get through it without drugs. The "wish list" that I filled out that morning had the box checked that said I wanted to try to go drug free but if it got to the point of wanting them, I'd ask for them. I cried uncle and got nothing. At that point I had no choice, I had to proceed without the drugs.
Eventually I got to 10cm and was told I could start pushing. I was under the impression that the pushing would be the shortest part. It wasn't. Looking back I am not sure how long I pushed. DH and I estimate from 30 to 45 minutes. The worst part of pushing was lifting my legs up each contraction. That pain was worse than the "ring of fire" that I've heard about. I kept not wanting to put my legs down between contractions because of the extreme discomfort I was feeling lifting them back up again. Then the nurse wants to constantly change the pad that is under my butt so I kept getting asked to lift my butt. We all know why she needed to change those out.
P kept telling me how close I was yet she was still leaving the room here and there as was the nurse! There was a shift change at 7pm and at one point DH and I felt like he was going to have to catch the baby. Of course looking back I was totally clueless on how long I would end up pushing. P eventually came back in and said something to the effect of "well, I better get suited up now". That's when she put more layers of "protection" over her scrubs, booties over her shoes, draped the end of the bed and pulled the table of instruments closer. Now is when I knew she was serious that I was "close".
At one point P puts her fingers on my pelvic bone to help the baby get over it. They tell me they see her head and mention how much hair she has. P says she's "washing her hair" which I assume was some type of antiseptic. DH is amazed at what he sees. I am asked if I want a mirror. To be honest, I would've liked to see it but that was the LAST thing on my mind. At that point I was concentrating on my pushing, pulling my chin to my chest and just trying to stay grounded. I said no to the mirror. What I would've liked is a video tape. I could've just gone and watched it later.
P kept telling me to push like the last push. I eventually just decided that I was going to pretend I was taking the biggest dump of my life because that was the kind of push she was looking for. I remember the push that got her head out and just assumed that the rest of her would slide out, isn't that what you see in the movies? That's not what happened. After her head came out I still had to push again to get the rest of her out. She came out crying and was immediately placed on my chest and DH was told it was time to cut the cord, which we indicated on our wish list that he'd like to do.
I couldn't believe that I had our baby in my arms! She was wrapped up so I couldn't count toes but she seemed perfect to me.
....to be continued (and I know there are a few details that I need to go back and add here.)
