E is Born Part 3

Why so many parts you may ask? Well, it's because I would like to remember it all. It's already getting hazy, so I have to get on this more...

So up we go to labor and delivery. I no longer remember any time schedule, and to tell you the truth, I don't even know if I was aware of the time then. There were so many things to occupy my already struggling brain. I know I lay in that bed from darkness to light to darkness again.

My first nurse was very nice. She brought an anesthesiologist in, and we discussed whether I would be having an epidural or not. E's heart rate kept stuttering during contractions, so they said they wanted me hooked up to the monitors at all times. I didn't necessarily agree, but I'm not a medical professional and was worried about my baby. The only way I was going to try to labor without drugs was if I could move through it. Since I was dilating so slowly and wouldn't be able to do that, I decided on an epidural. I was also afraid since I had been having high blood pressure incidents when exhausted during pregnant, that the same thing would happen during labor if I didn't get some rest. And the contractions were painful enough that I was not going to rest. In fact, I had started to feel them in my back. I had dreaded the possibility of "back labor," so when they suggested that may be it, I completely denied that was possible.

The anesthesiologist that gave me the epi was so sweet. She sounded a lot like my Filipino mother-in-law, and that was comforting at such an uncertain time. However, the process itself was not painless (for me) as I had been told. The pressure itself was extremely uncomfortable to me. On top of that, the lidocaine must not have been quite right because I felt a sharp jab when she was inserting the catheter. I jumped and caused both Hub and I to worry about paralyzing myself. Nice. I also rubbed that poor nurse's arm raw in my anxiety.

But once it started working? Ooooh blessed relief. I could move my legs and feel them some, but nothing hurt; the perfect epidural they told me. The best thing about it? I could no longer feel the cervix checks. It was about this time that my favorite nurse of my stay came in - Aubrey. She brought me the most delicious grape juice I ever tasted, gave me oxygen, and broke it to me that since I was still only 5 cm dilated, that we'd have to talk Pitocin. We were also going to need to start thinking about IV antibiotics since my water broke so early. (2 more dreadeds - coming true!) All through this time my most darling FavoriteOB (not on call :( ) was calling to check on me and relay messages of support through Aubrey. Have I ever mentioned how I adore that man? And from the sound of it, so does the rest of that hospital.

Anyway, we went ahead with both treatments, and Hub and I plugged in earphones and got some sleep. We went on a Pitocin yo-yo ride from then on. I'd progress rapidly. They'd back it off. Then I'd stall. At one point, we were sure we'd have a baby by 2pm, then by 5pm, then we stopped guessing. Sadly, Aubrey's shift ended, I got a second dose of antibiotics and got a little lost in the shuffle. I started to feel more pain - then a little more. I pushed my "extra dose" button for the first time in over 20 hours. I told the random nurses who were covering the gap. They didn't believe me. I longed for Aubrey.

Finally I was assigned 2 more nurses. I assume one was learning as she seemed hopelessly clueless. An equally green anesthesiologist came in and - how surprising!! - noted that there was no more medicine in the epi bag! Shocking that the patient has a clue! Too bad she took the time to chat with the nurses before refilling my bag. By that time, I was feeling almost everything.

The 2 nurses who came in spent a lot of time gossiping about Aubrey and anyone else they could think of as if labor causes one to become deaf. They paid little attention... so little in fact that they often didn't hear me when I told them a contraction was coming and Hub had to call for them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. They checked me and by this time I was 9.5 cm dilated. (you need to get to 10.) There was a little lip of cervix covering his head that just wouldn't move, so they tried to get me to move to all kinds of positions to work it out. It took hours. My grandmother was there to see me, but waited and waited and waited.

There was no doubt that I was in back labor and that he was probably face up by this time. Finally, we found a position that moved the cervix and it was time to push at around 7pm. I was exhausted.

I think one more part about labor, and then one about the aftermath, and I'll be done. Shooting for finishing in under a month. haha.