Little Miss Allie decided she was ready to join the world 2 and a half weeks early. My plan had to been to make it one more week at school, finishing my plans for my maternity leave and celebrating the week before Christmas with my students. God had other plans though and Allie arrived in His timing, not mine. It was perfect. :) Here's the timeline of that crazy, but amazing day:
1:20pm
My water broke as we were heading out the door to church. Aaron had just put my socks and slippers on me (because I couldn't reach my feet at this point and because I didn't have any shoes that fit me anymore due to insane swelling.) We weren't positive that it was in fact my water breaking and I unsuccessfully tried to convince Aaron to let me go to church anyway. It was the week before Christmas and I knew I'd be missing out on singing Christmas carols and the sea of candles across the sanctuary. Nope, he wouldn't let me go. We watched online and I promptly started having contractions. They were very difficult to time and the PA we talked to over the phone said my water probably didn't break (it had) and I could hang out at home and come in around 10pm if I was still having contractions (she wound up arriving a little after 9pm). I could have gone in to be checked, but I didn't want to be sent home like my best friend had been twice (she had her son the day before!) I would rather go through early labor in the comfort of my own home.
· 3:00pm
I start straightening up around the house and getting Tracker’s food into bags in case this was the real thing and we needed to go to the hospital. (My brother Matt would be coming over to take care of the Trackman.) I texted Sar, who was in the hospital recovering from having Brodie the previous day, to tell her I was now pacing around the house eating Christmas cookies.
4:00pm
Contractions seemed to be about 10 to 12 minutes apart. The break in between was SOOO nice! They were pretty bad when they hit and I tried many different positions, but nothing helped. I would lay on the bed in between hugging a pillow, but when another one hit, I would jump up and try to walk it off and switch positions…nothing helped. Each one was lasting 2 to 3 minutes. Aaron was looking online and said contractions are supposed to last between 45 seconds to a minute…he then attempted to tell me that was I was experiencing wasn’t contractions. I said, “Well, then what are they?!?!”
Contractions intensified and seemed back to back. I asked a helpless Aaron why I wasn't getting any break in between them. They just seemed to keep coming one after the other with no reprieve in between. He called the doctor again and I refused to talk to her because the pain was relentless and I could barely talk through the contractions. The nausea and hot flashes/chills had kicked in too. She said me not being able to talk to her was a good sign that I should come in.
· 5:15pm
We were on our way to the hospital. I had to sit in the backseat because I was sooo uncomfortable and needed to stretch out a bit and there wasn’t enough room in the front seat. I brought a container with me and it was a good thing I did seeing as though I threw up as we pulled into the hospital (from the nausea from the contractions, not from Aaron's driving.) The pain was getting pretty unbearable. We got upstairs to the check-in desk and I was pacing back and forth. I had to sign a few papers and it looked nothing like my signature since I signed it as fast as I could. All I have to say is thank the Lord we filled out all the rest of our paperwork ahead of time and pre-checked in. Do people really stand there having to fill out all that stuff while in labor?!
· 5:40pm
In triage…I was in so much pain and just wanted to get things moving. The nurse tried unsuccessfully to get my IV in my left arm. OWWW, man did that hurt! She used a smaller needle and got it on the right arm, but that hurt just as bad. I kept thinking, "Hurry up already lady!" The doctor came in and was getting ready to do an internal exam. Just as she was about to, she took a look and said, “Woah! No need for an exam. She is grossly ruptured. It’s safe to say you won’t be leaving here empty handed!” They said I was 4-5 centimeters already and my contractions were about a minute apart. No wonder why I felt I wasn’t getting any break! Finally there was a pause in between contractions and I said, “So, how about that epidural?” They wheeled me into the delivery room and the anesthesiologist was in there waiting for me. Praise the Lord! Aaron texted Mom and Dad letting them know that their presence was requested at the hospital.
· 6:15pm
The doctor and nurses said they would get me comfortable and then let me get settled in to watch the Sunday night shows. They told me typically it takes about 1 hour per cm. Even though the contractions were less painful, I was still feeling a lot of pain in my back. I tried laying on my side, but the pain was just as bad. I had Aaron text my best buddy from school Michelle asking her to call in for my sub. I tried to tell him I would email her sub plans later. He said I was crazy and the anesthesiologist shook her head, laughed at me and said, "You must be a teacher!"
6:50pm
They let Mom and Dad come in the room. I was shivering and shaking from the epidural. I still had a lot of pain in my back and was feeling the contractions. I made a comment about how I wish I were a sea horse since they are the only animal that has the male as the one who is pregnant. They were talking about taking a look at my epidural to see if there was anything else they could do to make me more comfortable. They decided to check me quickly before just to see if I had progressed. The doctor checked and said, “Ohhh yeah! You are 9 and a half centimeters! You’re just about ready to push!” I was in shock. I couldn’t believe things had moved along that quickly! I had been expecting to sit around for 4 or 5 hours before it was time to push! I told Dad if he was freaked out that he could go in the waiting room, but I didn’t care if he stayed. At this point I didn’t care about much aside from getting my daughter OUT of my body. Mom told me that Matt, Chris, and Annie were in the waiting room. I was surprised because I didn’t realize they had planned on coming.
It was time to start pushing. I had thought that all I needed to do was to get to the epidural part of my labor and I’d be good. WRONG. The pain in my back and the crazy intense pressure was unbearable. I held my legs back and we started the process that would take about an hour and a half. Sar had only had to push for 15 minutes the day before with Brodie and she never felt a thing! Everyone’s story is certainly different!
I had a great cheering section throughout my pushing. Dr. Florescue, two nurses, Aaron, and my parents. It was really hard not knowing exactly how much I was progressing. I really wished I had a number…like if they told me I had 30 pushes, I could count down. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. I said afterward that some of the cheering was empty praise and then there was the for real cheering where I knew I was making progress! I could hear the excitement in everyone’s voices as we got closer and closer to meeting our baby girl. I heard Aaron say in an amazed and excited voice, “There’s her head! She’s got hair, babe!” At one point, the doctor asked if I wanted to feel Allie’s head. I said no, but a little later on when she offered again, I reached down and felt her head right there, ready to come out. I was getting really tired and my legs started to shake, feeling really weak. As the pushing went on, I heard more and more real cheering about my progress and the nurse went over and turned on the light over the cradle thingy. That was encouraging because I knew if she was doing that, then she was preparing for my baby to be there soon! I finally felt like I was getting to the end and I just wanted to push as long as I possibly could to get her out. The doctor asked Aaron if he was going to cut the cord. I knew the time was moments away.
· 9:19pm
FINALLY I pushed and I could feel her head come out so I kept pushing and pushing and the rest of her little body followed! Excitement in the room built and the doctor picked her up to have Aaron cut the cord. He almost did in the wrong spot, but the doctor showed him where to do it. :) They asked if I wanted to hold her right away. Of course I did!! They put her crying on my chest and I just held her, exhausted and relieved. She was finally out! Her little hand grasped my hospital gown...I'm pretty sure it's the same hand that punched her way out. She came out with her hand right next to her face. I told the doctor the few days leading up to this moment, I had told Aaron, "I swear it feels like she's punching through my cervix!" The doctor said that's probably was she was doing and it most likely helped move things along!
Aaron got to do the fun stuff, like watch her being weighed and getting her tiny footprints done...while I had the privilege of having the doctor reach back in 7 or 8 times to get the remainder of my placenta that hadn't come out. Just when I thought the pain was over! Hoolllyyyy cow! Finally, I was stitched up and done. I didn't even find out until a few days later that Aaron had been crying when Allie came out! I was looking through pictures and he was holding Allie and his eyes looked teary. I asked him if he had been crying and he said, "Are you kidding me?? I was bawling!" I guess I was a little absorbed in getting her out and didn't notice everyone's reaction. I wish I had it all on video although I never would have allowed a video camera in anyway.
Aaron, Mom, Dad, Matt, Chris and Annie all took turns holding our little peanut in the delivery room...which was awesome because I had been told I would only be allowed two people in the delivery room. Dad went downstairs and got us Subway and I had cold cuts for the first time in 9 months. Unfortunately, turns out a hospital Subway is about on par with a mall Subway so I don't count that as my first post-pregnancy cold cut experience.
After everyone left, our amazing nurse Andrea helped me into a wheelchair and handed me my daughter. She moved us to the recovery room and she and I marveled at the amazingness of a new baby. I stared at my little Alexandra and said, "It's just so hard to believe she started out the size of a poppyseed. Now look at her...everything's developed and she's perfect!" We said our goodbyes to Andrea although we wished she could have been our nurse the whole time we were there. She said she was so glad she had us as patients and for sure would see us at The Father's House sometime. (She was a traveling nurse and just recently moved to Rochester and was looking for a church.)
Aaron left to get something from the car and I sat there in the hospital bed holding my little girl, still in disbelief at the whirlwind from the past 12 hours. I looked at her and said, "You are fearfully and wonderfully made, you know that? I love you." as I got teary-eyed for the first time. (I think the pain and exhaustion when she first entered the world had prevented any earlier teary-eyed moments I would have thought I would have.)
The next day and a half was filled with friends, family, nurses, doctors, food delivery people, a photographer, a lactation consultant, housekeeping, and about 87 more people who are hired just to come annoy you once you've finally fallen asleep for a few minutes. And thus the journey of not knowing whether it was night or day began...we had entered parenthood. :)
December 18, 2011
6 lbs. 4 oz
19 1/2 inches long
Absolutely perfect.
Great birth story Beth! More memories to come!
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