Seity
Mom to Gabriel and Samuel
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I woke up with mild contractions at 5:30 am lasting 30 seconds on Monday 2/4/13. I lay in bed for 30 min to see if they continued before getting up to time them. They didn't stop, but never really got intense, longer, or closer together all morning. I knew they were contractions because the feeling was exactly the same as the early ones with Gabriel, but basically felt like the mildest of cramps. Considering how textbook things progressed with Gabriel I was expecting them to slowly get stronger and closer together and his started at 10 min apart and these started at 5 min apart, so I was a bit disheartened to think maybe it was going to be a lot longer labor. Around 1 pm, they had only intensified a tiny bit and on a trip to the bathroom there was finally a sign of progress in that I lost a tiny bit of my mucus plug. I called the midwife about them since they hadn't stopped all day and because of the plug loss. She said try and rest because it could be either early labor or false labor. I still firmly believed it was the real deal and no chance of things stopping and was still nervous about a quick active labor, but felt she was right and it was too early to head to the hospital. So I lay down in bed to see what would happen. They immediately got stronger, which I was happy about, but went from 4 minutes apart to 8 minutes apart. After an hour I got up and they were definitely intense, I actually was doing a little breathing through them, but still about 7 minutes apart and similar to the ones I felt at work with Gabriel. Standing or walking again made them closer together, but the second I sat down they would get farther apart, but at least they stayed strong. I had two shortly after moving to the couch that were so strong my husband was all 'Whoa, let's get to the hospital'. I was a bit hesitant since you hear all about heading in when they are 1 min long, 5 min apart, and it's been going on for an hour and mine were 45-50 seconds, 7 min apart and had only been like that for 30 minutes, but I decided that as quick as things went last time I should call and head to hospital. When I called, I simply said that things had gotten intense and I was headed to the hospital and to let the midwife know. I didn't want to give them the chance to tell me it was too early.
Gabriel threw a fit going out the door because he wanted to go in my car and not daddy's truck and I wasn't in any mood to put up with it. Alex came back from putting my bag and his overnight bag in the truck and heard me yelling at him. So, scooped him up and bodily carried him to the truck. When I got there he was screaming and wanted me to buckle him in. Fine, so I do that and he's crying and we head off to my friends house, which is conveniently located (literally) right across the street from the hospital. I had told her early that morning that I was in labor and not to go to work and had started to feel bad about it by 2 pm when I was still sitting at home seemingly going nowhere. I had sent her a quick instant message as we headed out the door, so she'd know to expect us finally.
As soon as I got in the truck, the contractions got farther apart again. I only had 2 contractions on the drive over to her house, which is about 20 min and started to doubt my decision to head to the hospital, but luckily the midwife called me back right in the middle of one of the contractions, so seemed satisfied that I was on my way in.
When we got to my friend's apartment, I walked Gabriel to her door, just to make the contractions get going again. He wanted to stomp around in the snow and I'm all, "C'mon, move it, I've got to go to the hospital already!" I'm mid contraction as she opens the door and I basically hand her screaming toddler and am like, "Have fun with him. Hope he calms down for you soon."
Got to hospital at ~4:20 pm. Basically that's the last entry on my contraction timer and I stopped timing them as we pulled into the parking lot because it seemed silly at that point to continue. Meanwhile, still walking through them and they're intense enough that I need to breath a little, but I'm still worried I'm going to be checked and told I'm only 2 cm or something. Check in at the front desk and decide to walk up to the maternity ward. I figure any walking I do can only help me at this point. I check into the maternity ward, get undressed and am pleased to see what I assume was either the rest of my mucus plug or the bloody show they talk about in my underwear. Basically a small blood tinged blog of mucus (lovely image, I know). They put on monitor on me and the midwife checks and says I'm at ~4-5 cm and 100% effaced. I was really happy to hear that. I reminded them I wanted the intrathecal and started filling out the assorted paperwork they brought me. Nurse and midwife step out while I'm doing this and I'm standing filling it out and watching the heart rate monitor.
Breathing through some much stronger contractions. I have to stop and groan through these. Finish the paperwork and decide to lay down on my side for the contractions and use the handrail to grip on hard to during them. The nurse comes in to put in IV to prep for intrathecal shot and I'm all, "Yes, please!" As she's putting the needle in my hand I have a contraction so strong that I couldn't help pushing a bit. She yells, don't push and rushes out to get the midwife. The midwife comes in and bring the OB doctor on call with her to assist. Turns out the ward was full of off duty nurses doing training and the OB was the only person available to assist. She does a quick check and tells me I can push whenever and my waters are bulging. I asked if I was really at 10 cm already because I just couldn't believe it. The OB replied, "Hun, you're at 11!" LOL! The midwife broke my waters and said push when ready. I felt instant relief upon the waters breaking and I had to wait for next contraction. I remembered exactly how to push from last time and on the next contraction pushed out his head. Holy crap that hurt. The midwife yelled at me to stop pushing the second the head was out. OMG, but that was hard to do! Talk about agony, not pushing while mid contraction. He had the cord around his neck, but not tight, so she wanted to unwrap it before I pushed out his body. Of course, I didn't know that until after, but she said stop, so I listened. Told me it was OK to push again and then was like stop pushing, I could feel that she was trying to ease something out and assumed it was his shoulders and that she had to help that out a little to minimize/prevent tearing. Turns out that this time it was because the bugger had his hand and arm up. Again told it was OK to push and one last push and I felt that jellyfish body come out. Ah, the relief to know I was essentially done with the hard part. Quick wipe of the baby and he's on my chest.
They do delayed cord clamping, so waited for cord to stop pulsing and neither me or my husband are interested in cutting it, so had her do it. She commented that she doesn't get to cut it often. I don't really get the appeal personally, but I guess we're just weird like that.
I did tear again and she had the nurse put it down as 2nd degree, but only after some discussion because it was basically a 1st degree tear except for one small portion.
It was pretty obvious that he was bigger than Gabriel, which everyone expected, but we were still thinking maybe 6.5 lbs and everyone was surprised when he weighed in at 7 lb 2 oz and 20 inches long.
I figure between the time it took to park the truck, check in at the front desk, walk up to the maternity ward, change into the gown and get the monitor put on and then finally checked by the midwife it was probably around 4:40 when I was found to be 4 cm and Samuel was born at 5:15 after only 5 minutes of pushing, so active labor was probably about 30 minutes. 45 min at most.
Gabriel threw a fit going out the door because he wanted to go in my car and not daddy's truck and I wasn't in any mood to put up with it. Alex came back from putting my bag and his overnight bag in the truck and heard me yelling at him. So, scooped him up and bodily carried him to the truck. When I got there he was screaming and wanted me to buckle him in. Fine, so I do that and he's crying and we head off to my friends house, which is conveniently located (literally) right across the street from the hospital. I had told her early that morning that I was in labor and not to go to work and had started to feel bad about it by 2 pm when I was still sitting at home seemingly going nowhere. I had sent her a quick instant message as we headed out the door, so she'd know to expect us finally.
As soon as I got in the truck, the contractions got farther apart again. I only had 2 contractions on the drive over to her house, which is about 20 min and started to doubt my decision to head to the hospital, but luckily the midwife called me back right in the middle of one of the contractions, so seemed satisfied that I was on my way in.
When we got to my friend's apartment, I walked Gabriel to her door, just to make the contractions get going again. He wanted to stomp around in the snow and I'm all, "C'mon, move it, I've got to go to the hospital already!" I'm mid contraction as she opens the door and I basically hand her screaming toddler and am like, "Have fun with him. Hope he calms down for you soon."
Got to hospital at ~4:20 pm. Basically that's the last entry on my contraction timer and I stopped timing them as we pulled into the parking lot because it seemed silly at that point to continue. Meanwhile, still walking through them and they're intense enough that I need to breath a little, but I'm still worried I'm going to be checked and told I'm only 2 cm or something. Check in at the front desk and decide to walk up to the maternity ward. I figure any walking I do can only help me at this point. I check into the maternity ward, get undressed and am pleased to see what I assume was either the rest of my mucus plug or the bloody show they talk about in my underwear. Basically a small blood tinged blog of mucus (lovely image, I know). They put on monitor on me and the midwife checks and says I'm at ~4-5 cm and 100% effaced. I was really happy to hear that. I reminded them I wanted the intrathecal and started filling out the assorted paperwork they brought me. Nurse and midwife step out while I'm doing this and I'm standing filling it out and watching the heart rate monitor.
Breathing through some much stronger contractions. I have to stop and groan through these. Finish the paperwork and decide to lay down on my side for the contractions and use the handrail to grip on hard to during them. The nurse comes in to put in IV to prep for intrathecal shot and I'm all, "Yes, please!" As she's putting the needle in my hand I have a contraction so strong that I couldn't help pushing a bit. She yells, don't push and rushes out to get the midwife. The midwife comes in and bring the OB doctor on call with her to assist. Turns out the ward was full of off duty nurses doing training and the OB was the only person available to assist. She does a quick check and tells me I can push whenever and my waters are bulging. I asked if I was really at 10 cm already because I just couldn't believe it. The OB replied, "Hun, you're at 11!" LOL! The midwife broke my waters and said push when ready. I felt instant relief upon the waters breaking and I had to wait for next contraction. I remembered exactly how to push from last time and on the next contraction pushed out his head. Holy crap that hurt. The midwife yelled at me to stop pushing the second the head was out. OMG, but that was hard to do! Talk about agony, not pushing while mid contraction. He had the cord around his neck, but not tight, so she wanted to unwrap it before I pushed out his body. Of course, I didn't know that until after, but she said stop, so I listened. Told me it was OK to push again and then was like stop pushing, I could feel that she was trying to ease something out and assumed it was his shoulders and that she had to help that out a little to minimize/prevent tearing. Turns out that this time it was because the bugger had his hand and arm up. Again told it was OK to push and one last push and I felt that jellyfish body come out. Ah, the relief to know I was essentially done with the hard part. Quick wipe of the baby and he's on my chest.
They do delayed cord clamping, so waited for cord to stop pulsing and neither me or my husband are interested in cutting it, so had her do it. She commented that she doesn't get to cut it often. I don't really get the appeal personally, but I guess we're just weird like that.
I did tear again and she had the nurse put it down as 2nd degree, but only after some discussion because it was basically a 1st degree tear except for one small portion.
It was pretty obvious that he was bigger than Gabriel, which everyone expected, but we were still thinking maybe 6.5 lbs and everyone was surprised when he weighed in at 7 lb 2 oz and 20 inches long.
I figure between the time it took to park the truck, check in at the front desk, walk up to the maternity ward, change into the gown and get the monitor put on and then finally checked by the midwife it was probably around 4:40 when I was found to be 4 cm and Samuel was born at 5:15 after only 5 minutes of pushing, so active labor was probably about 30 minutes. 45 min at most.
