It's been 3 weeks, and both babies are asleep, so I'd better hammer this out while I can. =)
**Disclaimer - if labor/birth stories make you squeamish, just skip to the pictures. I am going into detail for those that want to know.**
On the day of the 27th, my doctor's office called to move up my induction. It was supposed to be for 4 the next morning, but apparently they hadn't ever actually scheduled it with the hospital, so the only thing open was for 10pm that night. I really didn't want to be induced, but I was already 7 days past my due date, so Tyler and I decided to say ok. We didn't tell anyone, and in the end it didn't matter. Around 8 when we were getting ready to leave, I had a BIG gush of fluid, and I knew my water had broken. I wasn't having any contractions, and none started after that, so we just went about finishing getting ready and putting Jake to bed. (My mother in law came and stayed with him that night.)
When my Julie (my mother in law) and Bob (father in law) got there, Tyler and Bob gave me a blessing, and we got going. On the way, we stopped at Del Taco. I really wanted a chicken soft taco and a sprite. Then we headed up to Reno.
When we got to the hospital, I got all set up in my room and the nurse confirmed I was leaking fluid, but it wasn't very much at all. She told me I was 3-3.5cm dilated, and about 75% effaced. At about 1am, they finally started the pitocin. It did absolutely nothing. It gave me very light braxton hicks contractions, and I was able to sleep through them. I had requested that they only give me a low dose of pitocin, so it was never turned up past an 8. (Funny side note - during all the admitting questions, the nurse asked the standard, "Is there any kind of abuse I should know about?" Tyler happened to be snoring at the time, which isn't a normal thing. I told her no. Then I looked at Tyler, then back at her, and said "Just neglect." And we both started laughing. I really loved that nurse. She was awesome.) At some point during the night, my water stopped leaking.
When my doctor got there in the morning, I was not in labor. He got there at 8:30 and checked me, and I was still just 3-3.5cm and about 75% effaced. He completely broke my water, and things immediately started happening. The contractions I was having started to get less and less comfortable. I requested a labor ball and alternated bouncing/rolling on that and standing up for about an hour and a half. (I did have to pee 2 or 3 times in that hour and a half, but I dreaded it SO much - sitting on the toilet made contractions about ten times more painful.) The nurse kept coming in and asking me if I wanted the epidural. Tyler was also asking me a lot. I had really wanted to do it without, but I gave in and requested it. Big mistake. My nurse turned off the pitocin and started the fluid bolus in preparation for the epi. The anesthesiologist came in about a half hour later and started it. When my nurse turned the pitocin off, my contractions got much more manageable, and by the time the anesthesiologist was done, so were my contractions. So I learned that I wasn't going to be able to turn the pitocin off at any point.
Because I wasn't having contractions anymore, I didn't realize at first that the epidural wasn't working. My legs were tingly, and I couldn't move them well, so I just assumed it was. My first clue should have been when I could feel the nurse checking me. (At that point I was 4.5-5cm dilated and 100% effaced.) And then again when I could feel everything when she put in the catheter. (Incredibly uncomfortable, by the way.)
As the pitocin started to kick back in (they turned it back on to a 4), the contractions started getting really intense. (The pain was always really low, like where I would feel a menstrual cramp, even before the epidural.) I called the nurse in and told her that it wasn't working. She pushed the button and had me switch sides. Still nothing. So I could feel everything, but I could not move to deal with them. So I just laid there and moaned in pain. (lol) At this point, my sister in law Christina was there. (I had asked her to come for support. I wish I had waited for her to decide about the epi! I probably wouldn't have gotten it.) She was so helpful and so supportive. She brought a massager and was massaging my back and helping me breathe through contractions. SO wonderful! (Christina - you should be a doula.) Tyler decided at about 11:15 to go get lunch, since he hadn't eaten since we stopped in Carson City on the way to the hospital. I started to feel a TON of pressure with every contraction. It really is like they say - it feels like you REALLY have to poop. Not a fun sensation when you are trying to relax and you can't move. The pressure got a lot stronger, and after about ten minutes it was constant - even when I wasn't having a contraction. Christina called the nurse and told her I was feeling a lot of pain and a lot of pressure. It felt like she took forever, but it was probably only 3-5 minutes. It was 11:25 at this point, and she checked me and said yep, you're complete. She started setting the bed up, and getting the room ready. I could feel my body pushing the baby down. There was so much pressure, and absolutely no way I could have stopped it. She told me to roll on my back and I asked her if I had to. (I thought it was going to get a lot more uncomfortable if I did.) She said no, but that it would be easier to push on my back. So I let her help me roll over.
While all of this was going on, Christina was calling Tyler and telling him to get his butt back up there. (I could hear him over the phone saying "already?")
Once everything was set up, the nurse told me to do a practice push, and then told me to stop, I didn't need to do anything, he was right there. (I asked for a mirror at that point, but I guess they don't do that at that hospital. There weren't even any available, so she she had me reach down and feel his head. That was weird.) At this point I couldn't feel individual contractions anymore. It was all a ton of pressure and felt like one big contraction, but they told me I was still having individual ones. My doctor got there at about 11:45 and got suited up and ready, and I started pushing at about 11:50. I did hard pushes through 4 contractions. (Which was really just 4 pushes. I pushed as hard as I could, and tried to keep pushing when I took a breath. Pushing seriously felt great. It was a huge relief from all the pressure. I could still feel it, and it hurt, but it felt better than sitting there doing nothing with all that pressure. The worst part of it was my doctor put his hands in around the baby's head to keep him from regressing in between pushes. I felt that ring of fire when he was crowning, and then it was that much worse with my doctor's fingers around his head. OUCH! He was born at 12:02 pm. Three and a half hours of labor! I was shocked. I had expected to push for an hour like I had with Jake. He was also able to be delivered directly onto my chest. I was so happy about that! (Jake had to be taken away immediately because he had passed meconium.) Tyler was supposed to cut the cord, but I guess my doctor (he was a jerk) "forgot," and cut it himself. Baby was 7lbs even, and they measured him at 17.5 inches. (We think that he just wouldn't stretch out all the way for them, because at his 2 week appointment he was already 20.25 inches. Jake grew an inch in that first 2 weeks, but I seriously doubt that Everett grew almost three.)
But overall, it was very fast, and relatively easy. I had a small first degree tear. (The worse part of that was he left the top stitch a little too long, so it was poking my from the inside.) As soon as I could fully put weight on my legs, I was up and walking around. I was going to walk up to my post partum room, but I got really light headed when I stood up, so the nurse wouldn't let me.
My mother in law and her mom came up about 2 hours after he was born, and Jake got to meet his brother! I also got to be there for his bath, but I didn't take pictures. =(
**Disclaimer - if labor/birth stories make you squeamish, just skip to the pictures. I am going into detail for those that want to know.**
On the day of the 27th, my doctor's office called to move up my induction. It was supposed to be for 4 the next morning, but apparently they hadn't ever actually scheduled it with the hospital, so the only thing open was for 10pm that night. I really didn't want to be induced, but I was already 7 days past my due date, so Tyler and I decided to say ok. We didn't tell anyone, and in the end it didn't matter. Around 8 when we were getting ready to leave, I had a BIG gush of fluid, and I knew my water had broken. I wasn't having any contractions, and none started after that, so we just went about finishing getting ready and putting Jake to bed. (My mother in law came and stayed with him that night.)
When my Julie (my mother in law) and Bob (father in law) got there, Tyler and Bob gave me a blessing, and we got going. On the way, we stopped at Del Taco. I really wanted a chicken soft taco and a sprite. Then we headed up to Reno.
When we got to the hospital, I got all set up in my room and the nurse confirmed I was leaking fluid, but it wasn't very much at all. She told me I was 3-3.5cm dilated, and about 75% effaced. At about 1am, they finally started the pitocin. It did absolutely nothing. It gave me very light braxton hicks contractions, and I was able to sleep through them. I had requested that they only give me a low dose of pitocin, so it was never turned up past an 8. (Funny side note - during all the admitting questions, the nurse asked the standard, "Is there any kind of abuse I should know about?" Tyler happened to be snoring at the time, which isn't a normal thing. I told her no. Then I looked at Tyler, then back at her, and said "Just neglect." And we both started laughing. I really loved that nurse. She was awesome.) At some point during the night, my water stopped leaking.
When my doctor got there in the morning, I was not in labor. He got there at 8:30 and checked me, and I was still just 3-3.5cm and about 75% effaced. He completely broke my water, and things immediately started happening. The contractions I was having started to get less and less comfortable. I requested a labor ball and alternated bouncing/rolling on that and standing up for about an hour and a half. (I did have to pee 2 or 3 times in that hour and a half, but I dreaded it SO much - sitting on the toilet made contractions about ten times more painful.) The nurse kept coming in and asking me if I wanted the epidural. Tyler was also asking me a lot. I had really wanted to do it without, but I gave in and requested it. Big mistake. My nurse turned off the pitocin and started the fluid bolus in preparation for the epi. The anesthesiologist came in about a half hour later and started it. When my nurse turned the pitocin off, my contractions got much more manageable, and by the time the anesthesiologist was done, so were my contractions. So I learned that I wasn't going to be able to turn the pitocin off at any point.
Because I wasn't having contractions anymore, I didn't realize at first that the epidural wasn't working. My legs were tingly, and I couldn't move them well, so I just assumed it was. My first clue should have been when I could feel the nurse checking me. (At that point I was 4.5-5cm dilated and 100% effaced.) And then again when I could feel everything when she put in the catheter. (Incredibly uncomfortable, by the way.)
As the pitocin started to kick back in (they turned it back on to a 4), the contractions started getting really intense. (The pain was always really low, like where I would feel a menstrual cramp, even before the epidural.) I called the nurse in and told her that it wasn't working. She pushed the button and had me switch sides. Still nothing. So I could feel everything, but I could not move to deal with them. So I just laid there and moaned in pain. (lol) At this point, my sister in law Christina was there. (I had asked her to come for support. I wish I had waited for her to decide about the epi! I probably wouldn't have gotten it.) She was so helpful and so supportive. She brought a massager and was massaging my back and helping me breathe through contractions. SO wonderful! (Christina - you should be a doula.) Tyler decided at about 11:15 to go get lunch, since he hadn't eaten since we stopped in Carson City on the way to the hospital. I started to feel a TON of pressure with every contraction. It really is like they say - it feels like you REALLY have to poop. Not a fun sensation when you are trying to relax and you can't move. The pressure got a lot stronger, and after about ten minutes it was constant - even when I wasn't having a contraction. Christina called the nurse and told her I was feeling a lot of pain and a lot of pressure. It felt like she took forever, but it was probably only 3-5 minutes. It was 11:25 at this point, and she checked me and said yep, you're complete. She started setting the bed up, and getting the room ready. I could feel my body pushing the baby down. There was so much pressure, and absolutely no way I could have stopped it. She told me to roll on my back and I asked her if I had to. (I thought it was going to get a lot more uncomfortable if I did.) She said no, but that it would be easier to push on my back. So I let her help me roll over.
While all of this was going on, Christina was calling Tyler and telling him to get his butt back up there. (I could hear him over the phone saying "already?")
Once everything was set up, the nurse told me to do a practice push, and then told me to stop, I didn't need to do anything, he was right there. (I asked for a mirror at that point, but I guess they don't do that at that hospital. There weren't even any available, so she she had me reach down and feel his head. That was weird.) At this point I couldn't feel individual contractions anymore. It was all a ton of pressure and felt like one big contraction, but they told me I was still having individual ones. My doctor got there at about 11:45 and got suited up and ready, and I started pushing at about 11:50. I did hard pushes through 4 contractions. (Which was really just 4 pushes. I pushed as hard as I could, and tried to keep pushing when I took a breath. Pushing seriously felt great. It was a huge relief from all the pressure. I could still feel it, and it hurt, but it felt better than sitting there doing nothing with all that pressure. The worst part of it was my doctor put his hands in around the baby's head to keep him from regressing in between pushes. I felt that ring of fire when he was crowning, and then it was that much worse with my doctor's fingers around his head. OUCH! He was born at 12:02 pm. Three and a half hours of labor! I was shocked. I had expected to push for an hour like I had with Jake. He was also able to be delivered directly onto my chest. I was so happy about that! (Jake had to be taken away immediately because he had passed meconium.) Tyler was supposed to cut the cord, but I guess my doctor (he was a jerk) "forgot," and cut it himself. Baby was 7lbs even, and they measured him at 17.5 inches. (We think that he just wouldn't stretch out all the way for them, because at his 2 week appointment he was already 20.25 inches. Jake grew an inch in that first 2 weeks, but I seriously doubt that Everett grew almost three.)
But overall, it was very fast, and relatively easy. I had a small first degree tear. (The worse part of that was he left the top stitch a little too long, so it was poking my from the inside.) As soon as I could fully put weight on my legs, I was up and walking around. I was going to walk up to my post partum room, but I got really light headed when I stood up, so the nurse wouldn't let me.
My mother in law and her mom came up about 2 hours after he was born, and Jake got to meet his brother! I also got to be there for his bath, but I didn't take pictures. =(
Baby boy didn't have a name until the day after we left the hospital. (I was supposed to stay for 48 hours because I was strep B positive, but they cleared us both and we got to leave the next evening.) Our top choices going in were Max, Owen, and Declan. But he just didn't fit any of them! We thought that he had a more sophisticated look, and could pull off a "bigger" name. We finally decided on Everett Alan Hines. (An "old man" name that I had suggested before, but Tyler wasn't really a fan of. When I suggested it again, it fit him perfectly. Alan is Tyler's middle name.)
And now what you've all been waiting for...pictures!!
And now what you've all been waiting for...pictures!!
 |
| Final belly picture! 41 weeks. |
 |
| During a contraction |
 |
| Finally meeting Mr. Tiny |
 |
| His hair was so dark! It still is, but it's lightening up. And it's curly when it's wet, but dries wavy. (Like mine!) |
 |
| PUT ME BACK! |
 |
| Daddy and his second son. |
 |
| Brothers meeting for the first time! |
 |
| Hugs. <3 |
 |
| I love them. |
 | |
| Going home |
 |
| Jake and Everett. (They don't really look alike in this picture, but looking at others they do!) |
2 comments:
Congratulations Tristan!!! Yeah for a new baby. I love the name Everett. And it sounds like we had some similar no-epidural action going with our babies. Pretty sure you handled it better than I did. =). I too thought that the doc sticking his hands all up in there was the worst! ha ha! But you do kind of forget afterward when you have your little person with you finally...I guess.
Amazing post! Congratulations!
Post a Comment