It’s Been Awhile…

My last post was in October 2009. I was contemplating a birthday gift for my husband. What I didn’t know was a day before my husband’s birthday was an OB checkup gone to hell. I had gone in for a monthly prental checkup. I was 31 weeks when I told my OB that I was already feeling contractions and I had some spotting over the weekend.

He immediately checked my cervix and found that I was 2cm dilated. At 31 weeks that meant, I was in preterm labor. Not good because full term is 38 -40 weeks. I was put on complete bedrest. No moving from the bed unless I urgently had to.

I was given medication to control the contractions. These meds made my heart rate increase and made me really jittery. I was not allowed to drive or walk. I endured bed rest for 7 weeks.

Baby Emma arrived full term after her induction on December 21, 2009. At my 38 week checkup, my OB suggested an induction. I was nervous because Megan arrived normally. I didn’t know how the induction would progress or would it cause me discomfort. But with Christmas right around the corner, I wanted Emma to arrive at a determined day. I didn’t want to have a baby on Christmas day or New Years.

So after a really well rested pregnancy, I scheduled my labor and delivery. At 7:30am, I checked into L&D, had to fill paper work, answer questions regarding my health, and waiting for the good doctor to arrive to get the ball rolling.

I was already 5cm dilated at my last prenatal checkup and about 80% effaced. The doctor arrived at 8:45 and told the nurse to start pitocin. I was already contracting through the night so when pitocin hit my bloodstream, the contractions got stronger almost immediately.

With Megan’s birth, the contractions were gradually getting stronger. I could pace my breathing and I knew with each contraction to just endure the pain a little longer.

With Emma’s birth, my breathing felt ragged and fast pace. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t slowly increasing in pain but exponentially jumping from one pain level to the most intense pain level. I was telling myself I was a level 5 pain now I’m at an 8! What is going on?

Well what was going on, is that I was fully dilated at 9:20am and I felt the urge to PUSH! I was frantic and with the nurses trying to hold me back from pushing, made me want to push even more. The doctor was MIA. He had gone back to his office. So at 9:45 he came rushing in. It was the most horrible 20 minutes of my life, not being able to push.

At 10am I had my baby girl. Very little lacerations, thank goodness. And I fully recovered after 2 weeks. With Megan recovery took 10 weeks.