I Owe You a Birth Story

So, here's the long, drawn out tale of Naomi's birth.  I know, I know, it's two weeks late.  Now that we are starting to get used to having her here, I promise, I will catch up on blogging.  Besides, I have some awesome things to share, like my baby shower, a surprise visit from the in-laws, and general baby cuteness.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I promise to return to the world of the living very soon!

Sunday, even at my baby shower, I was cramping, like regular period cramps. Which, unbeknownst to me, are actually contractions (already a parenting fail). Sunday they were somewhat mild and irregular, so I didn't think too much about it. Sunday night they really intensified in both frequency and severity, because I think I slept in shifts of 20 to 30 minutes. I still thought they were just cramps. On Monday, I went over to MyMom's house to complain, and do some shopping/returning (remember that infant death trap that was gifted by my MIL? There was NO way that thing was safe - will include details in my Baby Shower post, promise!). I picked up some last minute items, and struggled through stores, occasionally having to stop and catch my breath through contractions.

By Monday night, they were 7 to 8 minutes apart, and lasting at least a minute long. We called the OB emergency line, the OB on call had me chart them for another hour, and call her back. At 8:30 pm, she told us to go to the hospital. At 9 pm, we arrived at the hospital. We were pretty sure we were going to be monitored for a few hours and snet home, so we just left the hospital bag in the car. The L and D nurse started monitoring, and eventually checked my cervix. She said I was about 3 cm dialated, and at least 70 % effaced. They decided to admit me, so I called up my mom, told her the story, and said she could come if she wanted. Of course, she showed up a short while later with some snacks and trashy magazines. Now, at this point, I was cranky, scared, and hungry. And already tired from a crappy night of sleep the night before. Also, all day long, I toyed with the fact that I might be in labor, so Monday, the only thing I ate was a bagel, some sauteed spinach, and grilled asparagus. Not really enough food!

So, labored all night, no drugs, yay! Around 3 am (I think? I can't remember) my water broke. But the baby's head was so low, it wasn't like te gush you expect. It was a trickle, but it was different from the other leakage I had experienced. For most of the night, I was progressing at a decent pace. I think when my water broke, I made it to 5 cm, and 90% effacement. I think the baby was already at the -1 position, so Heidi, my nurse, really thought big things would be happening by 8 am.

I kept laboring, and contractions kept increasing in strength and frequency. I toyed with the idea of drugs at one point, but kept trucking through. Eventually I dialated to 6, 7, and 8 cm. It seemed to take forever. Around 11 am, still no baby (obviously), I was SO uncomfortable, frustrated, and hungry beyond belief. The nurse said I was finally between 8 and 9 cm, so they decided to call the doctor to come around 12 or 1. She came, and she agreed that there was progress, but sounded hesitant. She suggested waiting one more hour to check progression.

All this time, The Hubs was awesome. I knew he would be good and supportive and all that, but he was way above and beyond. He held my hand through every contraction, kept me calm, and reminded me to breathe and kept me moving positions. I was really impressed with him. My mom was helpful too, it was nice to have her there, so if the Hubs needed to go get something to eat or drink, or nap, he could do so (and keep himself useful), without feeling guilty ot like he was leaving me high and dry.

When the doctor came back at 2 pm, she called the nurse over to check my cervix again. They gave eachother some looks, and said that I was back to 4 or 5 cm dialated. Um, WTF? Turns out, baby wasn't facing the back, she was facing the front. As she kept dropping, the pressure she applied basically made my cervix start to swell shut. Awesome. It was at this point that I was informed that we would be doing a c-section. Now. It wasn't an emergency situation, per say, but since I was still unmedicated, she didn't want to put any more unnecessary stress on me or the baby. She left the room, I had a mental breakdown. I knew it was for the best, I was just overly exhausted and emotional, and at this point, very invested in a med-free birth. so, they started prepping me, and giving the Hubs the run down. The worst part was still having contractions at this point...I didn't want to work through them anymore, and it would still be a while before I would get any medication. They wheeled me into the OR around 2:30, where they administered a spinal - epidural wasn't necessary, since I just needed the one dose of medication, not a continuious stream. They started the surgery, and just before they pulled the baby out, they called the Hubs in. He sat behind the curtain, up by my head. You could feel them moving all the organs around and all these gross noises. It was so surreal. When they pulled her out, there was an actual pop, it was SO gross! But then I heard her cry right away, it was so loud, and the best noise I have ever heard. I looked at the Hubs, who told me it was a girl. He was so cute. He was genuinely surprised, and filled with emotion. They took her to the other side of the room to clean her up, and I made him follow with a camera so he could take pictures and show me while they were finshing up the surgery.

They finished up pretty quickly, again, so weird, being able to feel all the pressure, but no sharp pain. The Hubs carried her back to the LDR room, and I was wheeled in shortly thereafter. She was born @ 2:47, and we were back in the room by 3:30. I was pretty impressed. She orginally weighed 8 lbs, but had peed by the time they took her official weight a few minutes later..7lbs and 14oz. She was 21 inches long, and had a perfectly round head (no egg shapes, yay!). She is so beautiful, and just perfect.

 

I am still having some issues with the c-section.  Again, I know it was for the best, and I know the doctor wouldn't have decided this if it wasn't necessary, but lots of body image issues with the ugly looking scabby incision.  I know that it's not going to be a scabby incision forever, but I don't like to look at it.  It scares me that any other children will also have to be delivered via c-section, and I hate the lack of independence that comes along with this surgery.  I am so grateful to have Naomi here with me, and she truly is the best thing in my world.  I need to get over my issues, and I am sure that it will come in time.  And I have the perfect distraction to help me overcome that: