My water broke last Sunday night. I called the DR who said to come in if they got to 5 minutes apart for an hour or at 5 am so they could induce contractions. Of course my body needed induction. Miguel was so antsy he could barely wait. We got the hospital at 5 and went right to a room. Our nurse was great. The DR saw me around 7 am and they started the Pitocin about 8 am. This meant my contractions were coming faster than normal and gained intensity quicker. It also meant that my uterus was not working hard enough, not contracting like it should be.
At some point after they started the meds, I threw up red jello. I KNEW I would get sick.
At 9:15 am I asked for an epidural. I was only 2 cm, but it hurt. I blame it on the Pitocin. The right side of my body got more of the epidural than the left because it sort of wore of in my abs and left thigh right before pushing time. But the epidural guy, an older man, was really good about it all. I felt sick again during that time and he waited patiently for me to heave nothing into the bucket. After I got the meds I drifted in and out of sleep a lot while my cervix was dilating.
The nurse made me use an oxygen mask for the last half of labor to help with baby's heart rate. They also had to use an internal device to effectively track my contractions. Normally it's done from the outside of the belly. I didn't leave the bed to walk or pee at all since I'd needed the drugs early and the device inside of me.
Miguel kept the parents updated and did really well during all of this. By about 3:30 pm I was fully dilated and feeling nauseous. I knew my nerves were getting to me because at one point I hoped that my cervix wouldn't dilate so I could just have a C-section and not have to push. I am SO glad that didn't happen. The nurse was the only one there and at 3:40 we were starting.
The delivery began like this: Nurse to Miguel, "Okay, you're going to take that leg and lift and push when the contractions start..." Miguel and I had not prepared for him to be a part of this or to even see that part of my doing that!! But I was glad he could help and I think he was happy to support me in that way. He even counted with the nurse and cheered me on. At one point I blew my pushing because he kept telling me I was doing a good job and it nearly made me laugh, so I asked him to just count and let the nurse cheer me on. It worked pretty good. They kept saying I was doing good but I know the first 20 minutes I pushed were useless. I tried to push like I had to poop but I couldn't feel anything except my head about to explode.
I need to insert here that at some point in the beginning of pushing I had my oxygen mask over my face in between pushes and said, "Luuuuke, I'm your mother," a la Star Wars. Then I laughed at myself. The nurse and Miguel humored me and laughed but the mood stayed light and was really not what I expected, which was good.
That is when the nurse and Miguel suggested I try using the mirror. So I kept breathing in my oxygen while she got a mirror and positioned it. At first I was grossed out by the thought and it also made me feel helpless cause I couldn't see what all my effort was for. But at least when I pushed I could see whether I was trying to push the bowling ball out of my butt and if my face was maroon from pushing wrong.
The DR showed up between 4:15 and 4:45 pm. I was so glad to get my DR and not the partner, although she would have been just as good. Dr. Brothers was great! She was encouraging but strict at the same time about my pushing and very enthusiastic when I did it right. She said my contractions weren't strong at all and that I did all the work, not my uterus. Yeah, I'd say I did all the work!! It was so weird to see the head crowning, and also disappointing because I was pushing so much and so little was coming out. The DR would talk to Luke and tell him he better be good and come out, and Miguel said she would tickle Luke's head as it was sitting there on the edge of the coming into the world. At a certain point I stopped using the mirror so I could close my eyes and concentrate on pushing. The whole time they had me pull my thighs toward me while they pushed against me. It just wasn't what I expected, but I didn't really know what to expect.
Around 5 o'clock they called for a baby nurse and the DR said she thought it would only take one more push. I thought, "Yeah right, you're being encouraging, so I'll just prepare myself to keep pushing." But the good Lord saved me from all but one more push. I pushed hard, eyes shut tight, and then she said, "Don't push anymore." She pulled him out and they placed him on my chest and kind of cleaned him up. I can't remember it all real well, but they wrapped him up and he was crying away. I mentioned that his head was so misshapen but I know it's normal. They took him to get measurements, do the Apgar test, and Miguel went with to watch and take pictures. The DR said I had a minor 2nd degree tear, which she did a good job of preventing worse, I watched in the mirror during delivery. She sewed me up and everyone made small talk while Luke wailed away. I looked over and said, "Is that the placenta?" She said yup, it looks like a liver. It was gross looking but I wanted to see what sustained life for my baby for all those months. Miguel saw the amniotic sac attached to it too.
So, after it was all said and done, Luke was born at 5:07 pm on Monday, August 17th, 2009.
He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. He measured 19 3/4 inches long. He passed his Apgar test for reflexes and coloring. In fact, while in the hospital, he passed all the tests they performed on him.
It's so crazy to think of what I did to get him here. I know people do it every day but to do it and then look at him is so awesome. Besides the early contractions, I felt very little pain, nothing from my waist down. At one point during pushing the epidural ran out but they didn't refill it because it would be pointless and I needed to start feeling again. The whole day seemed more calm than expected and I decided that Luke would not be an only child. I could do this again- the worst part was morning sickness in the beginning of the pregnancy.
He is very cute and already making faces and looking around alert. He's breastfeeding well and finally sleeping well in his co-sleeper with us. It's all going better than expected but I'm sure I'll hit a breaking point soon. I'll just have to take it out on Miguel though. I may have forgotten some things, and I'll update or make a new post. Here are some pictures of my little baby.
.jpg)
More pictures, info about his first week in this world, and his first check-up to come!
-Megan, finally a mom
Awwww....what an amazing story Megan. I'm glad you didn't have much pain. I loved the part where you said you could do this again. I'm so happy for you and Miguel! I hope that one day when I am pregnant I will be able to take things as light-hearted as you did.
ReplyDelete