Even on Friday, I was sure I was having false labour for 3 hours until about 8 pm, then everything changed and I just knew I was finally in real labour. We took DS to his grandparents and settled him in for the night and stuck around for the contractions to get stronger and then headed to the hospital. We get to L & D triage where they checked my blood pressure which was unusually high, and measured the contractions and the baby's HB. Then they re-measured my blood pressure, and it is once again in my normal range. The internal exam shows that I'm 2-3cm dilated-exactly the same as my appointment on Monday. I tell DH we're going home to spend the time in a more relaxing atmosphere so we don't spend the next four hours walking the halls.
We get home around 12:30 am, and I decide to take a long relaxing bath while DH catches some sleep. My contractions would no longer allow me to get any sleep. At about 2 am, I finally have some bloody show, and I know that it's time to get serious about going to the hospital as my contractions are now coming 5 minutes apart. I wake DH and let him know that it's time to head back to the hospital. As I head to the laundry room to find something that still fits that's clean, my water breaks. It is now 2:30 am. Now I find another change of clothes, throw half a roll of paper towels onto the floor so I don't slip and fall, and head out the door with amniotic fluid still gushing from between my legs.
DH makes it to the hospital in 7 minutes, a record for him. We are booked back into L & D triage by 2:40 am. The nurse now goes through the whole process we went through before, and when she checks me for progress, she pushes the baby up to allow more fluid to come out. I'm now dilated 4-5 cm and quite elastic. The whole bed is now soaked and she's getting other nurses to bring her stuff to mop up even more. This was not a gentle nurse. She tells me she's doing this so there's no chance of the umbilical cord coming out before the baby does.
Once she's finished this, I get to ride the bed all the way to my room where I'll be delivering in about an hour.
We get to the room and I get all hooked up again and checked as well since my contractions are now getting really close together and quite intense. I'm now 6 cm dilated. DH is by my side the whole time making sure I have everything I need, or want. As the contractions get closer and more intense, I just grab a hold of him as if for dear life. He holds back and helps me get through the contractions. They put an IV into my arm. I have no idea why and hook up a bag of fluids.
At 4 am, I tell DH that I'm going to have to get an epidural this time as the pain is more than I can handle. The nurse checks me again, baby is still way up there, and calls for the epidural to be administered. The meds cart gets to the room, they're looking for one last piece of medical equipment they can't find, and the nurse decides to check me again. baby has now dropped. I'm fully dilated and will not be getting any pain relief. It is now 4:10 am.
Not 5 minutes later, the contractions take over, and I'm at the mercy of the nursing staff, and DH is doing all he can with a wife that's not listening or complying with any request as the pain is beyond what I was expecting. They put my feet in the stirrups and the contractions continue to push the baby out. I'm told not to push. I'm not pushing. I have no strength to. They make a call to the doctor on call. Baby is on her way out, with or without the doctor. Without any help from me, the contractions expel the baby.
As the doctor walks in, LO makes her way into the world screaming. It is now 4:20 am. My assigned nurse has now caught the baby. The doctor takes over and checks for any tears. There are none. He orders the oxytocin to expel the placenta. I have no idea if this was really necessary or not, but the next thing I know, the placenta is on the way out with him "gently" tugging on it.
I don't remember it hurting so bad with any of my other deliveries, but I'm glad it's over. Baby girl is now laid on my chest. I remember nurses telling me she needs to be weighed and measured, and me wanting to hold on to her. I let the nurses take her, and get her back in no time. Her temperature is slightly elevated. I get her back and make sure there is nothing there between the two of us and start nursing her. She nurses off and on for the next 2 hours in 20 minute sessions. It is pure heaven. The check her about 2 hours after birth and her temperature is .1 degree lower so the nurse is not concerned. I get her back and lay her on my chest, skin to skin and keep her there until I'm awoken by my OB. My OB is so happy with what she saw, she quietly leaves the room to let us get some more rest. When the nurse takes LO's temperature an hour later, it is completely normal. Life is great. Everything is right in the world.
