Tiff
LIKE A BOSS
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Okay, here it goes as best as I can remember:
We got to the hospital for our appointment at 7:30am. We immediately were hooked up to the Non Stress Test machine to make sure everything with the baby was fine. At about 8:20am, my OB came in to put in the first dose of gel to help induce labour. I was still 1cm dialated, and my cervix was still high and thick. They said to see how I reacted to the first dose of gel, and go from there.
About 20 mins later, I started cramping like crazy. It really, really hurt. The pain was mainly in my back, making it next to impossible to sit down. I couldn't even sit down to go to the bathroom, it'd bring on agonizing pain. We tried walking laps around the birthing unit, but that didn't help either. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't walk, I couldn't lay down... it was awful. Finally I laid down in bed with some heat packs to help.
At about 12pm, my OB came back to assess me. I had progessed to 3cm dialted, so he went ahead and broke my waters. I didn't feel that, but once my waters went the contractions came on in full force. I was in totally agony. Honestly, kudos to people who do it without pain relief, because holy hell... I couldn't cope at all. Every time the nurses touched me it'd seem to bring on another contraction. Finally 20 mins later the guy came to do my epidural. I felt like he was taking forever, and at one point I mentioned that I didn't care if he paralyzed me, just to get it in, and get it in NOW.
Once the epi was in, the difference was like night and day. Before it, I couldn't talk to anyone as it forced me to be in reality and realize how much pain I was in. I'd just try and breathe through the contractions and stay focused and whatnot. After the epi I could talk, laugh and smile and feel human again. I wouldn't hesitate to get it again in a heartbeat. I was feeling more comfortable at about 1:30pm or so, and the nurses said it was pretty much a waiting game now and that they'd check me again at about 4pm.
At about 2pm they did an internal as I had a recent grad in the room (she was amazing!) and the nurse was showing her how to feel for effacement of the cervix. They were pretty shocked to see that I had progressed to almost 8cm dialted in the course of the 2 hours since the epi. So 5cm in 2 hours. They told us to start calling family members to come to the hospital as they didn't expect it to be long before I delievered. At 3:40pm I told the nurse that I was getting an urge to bear down, so she checked me and sure enough I was fully dialted.
At 4pm I started pushing, but didn't know if I was doing it right as I couldn't feel anything from the epi. I didn't realize how strenuous it is to push, it really wiped me out between contractions. I couldn't really feel the contraction, just a tightening that built up and then the urge to bear down. 45 mins later she was almost fully in the birth canal so my nurse buzzed my OB to come in. He got there at 4:50pm, and I started pushing again. Everyone kept telling me to open my eyes, I didn't want to as I was concentrating on having effective pushes. Finally P was like "OPEN YOUR EYES!!!" and sure enough her head was already out and I was able to watch the rest of her come out. It's surreal!
At 5pm on the nose Claire Laura Ivie Lawson was born, weighing 7lbs, 9oz. Daddy cut the cord while she was on me, and then they brought her to the warming machine to do her tests. I didn't even feel the placenta coming out. I did tear a bit, so I had some stiches... but they didn't need to use forceps or a vacuum extractor, so that was good.
I can't believe how much I love my little girl! I've heard other people say it before, but truly she's my heart outside of my body. I love her SO much!!!
Here's some pics:
We got to the hospital for our appointment at 7:30am. We immediately were hooked up to the Non Stress Test machine to make sure everything with the baby was fine. At about 8:20am, my OB came in to put in the first dose of gel to help induce labour. I was still 1cm dialated, and my cervix was still high and thick. They said to see how I reacted to the first dose of gel, and go from there.
About 20 mins later, I started cramping like crazy. It really, really hurt. The pain was mainly in my back, making it next to impossible to sit down. I couldn't even sit down to go to the bathroom, it'd bring on agonizing pain. We tried walking laps around the birthing unit, but that didn't help either. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't walk, I couldn't lay down... it was awful. Finally I laid down in bed with some heat packs to help.
At about 12pm, my OB came back to assess me. I had progessed to 3cm dialted, so he went ahead and broke my waters. I didn't feel that, but once my waters went the contractions came on in full force. I was in totally agony. Honestly, kudos to people who do it without pain relief, because holy hell... I couldn't cope at all. Every time the nurses touched me it'd seem to bring on another contraction. Finally 20 mins later the guy came to do my epidural. I felt like he was taking forever, and at one point I mentioned that I didn't care if he paralyzed me, just to get it in, and get it in NOW.
Once the epi was in, the difference was like night and day. Before it, I couldn't talk to anyone as it forced me to be in reality and realize how much pain I was in. I'd just try and breathe through the contractions and stay focused and whatnot. After the epi I could talk, laugh and smile and feel human again. I wouldn't hesitate to get it again in a heartbeat. I was feeling more comfortable at about 1:30pm or so, and the nurses said it was pretty much a waiting game now and that they'd check me again at about 4pm.
At about 2pm they did an internal as I had a recent grad in the room (she was amazing!) and the nurse was showing her how to feel for effacement of the cervix. They were pretty shocked to see that I had progressed to almost 8cm dialted in the course of the 2 hours since the epi. So 5cm in 2 hours. They told us to start calling family members to come to the hospital as they didn't expect it to be long before I delievered. At 3:40pm I told the nurse that I was getting an urge to bear down, so she checked me and sure enough I was fully dialted.
At 4pm I started pushing, but didn't know if I was doing it right as I couldn't feel anything from the epi. I didn't realize how strenuous it is to push, it really wiped me out between contractions. I couldn't really feel the contraction, just a tightening that built up and then the urge to bear down. 45 mins later she was almost fully in the birth canal so my nurse buzzed my OB to come in. He got there at 4:50pm, and I started pushing again. Everyone kept telling me to open my eyes, I didn't want to as I was concentrating on having effective pushes. Finally P was like "OPEN YOUR EYES!!!" and sure enough her head was already out and I was able to watch the rest of her come out. It's surreal!
At 5pm on the nose Claire Laura Ivie Lawson was born, weighing 7lbs, 9oz. Daddy cut the cord while she was on me, and then they brought her to the warming machine to do her tests. I didn't even feel the placenta coming out. I did tear a bit, so I had some stiches... but they didn't need to use forceps or a vacuum extractor, so that was good.
I can't believe how much I love my little girl! I've heard other people say it before, but truly she's my heart outside of my body. I love her SO much!!!
Here's some pics:
She is beautiful 
"heart outside my body"....that one got me!!!
