For WEEKS I had been having contractions. They started off mild, more of a tightening like Braxton Hicks, nothing major, but definitely contractions. The first weekend they started Eric was convinced the baby was going to make his appearance. I, on the other hand, was not as optimistic. I didn't want to get my hopes up and I just had a feeling. They came on very regularly, 5 minute intervals for hours and then tapered off and disappeared into the night. The next day they would come back, again, regular, continuous. But nothing that would make me believe it was time. That first weekend our neighbor came over to decipher my contractions since she just had a baby a few months ago and determined that my contractions where like the painless ones she'd had that actually led to her quick and easy delivery. Oh, how I hoped mine would turn out the same!
I called the advice nurse that first weekend the contractions started to get her opinion on my status since we were going to be driving an hour away for a wedding and she believed that these contractions would lead to my delivery within a week. I made it through that week.
At my appointment at the end of that week, my doctor believed she'd probably be seeing/hearing about me having the baby within the next week. Yup, made it through that week as well. Contractions coming and going, but not increasing in frequency. Great.
At this point, it had been two weeks and I was a mere week from my due date. On the Monday of that week, the contractions were stronger and were coming every 5 minutes. Okay, I thought, let's call and see what they say. Off we went to L&D around 5PM. They checked me, 3.5cm. Not enough to admit. We waited and walked for two hours and still no change; back home we went. Bummer.
Somehow, the contractions did not keep me awake that night and I slept soundly. When I woke up the contractions were still there, still painful, still 4-5 minutes apart. I did not want to go in and have them send me back home again. But, at 1PM, after walking to the library and having to stop every few minutes, I finally decided to call again. The nurse agreed we should go back, BUT...there was no room! Ahhhh! They were going to send us all the way to Redwood City but at the last minute the nurse decided they'd make it work. Thank goodness.
We were admitted for observation and again am told I haven't progressed. Oh, man. At this point I start crying, am feeling very frustrated, and tell Eric I want to go home. He convinces me we should stay because they will check me after two hours before they will send us home again. I begrudgingly decide to stay even though I'm not feeling optimistic; despite the fact that my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more painful.
A little over two hours later, they finally check me. I very clearly remember the doctor's name was also Johnson and thinking this was a good omen. =) Five and a half centimeters! I laughed/cried while the doctor, nurses, and Eric all cheered. It was about time! This meant I could finally be admitted and placed in a regular room and not the itty bitty uncomfortable room they put women in for observation. It also meant time for the epidural! This time around I wasn't going to wait it out and see how far I got. As soon as I was uncomfortable, I wanted drugs.
Once we were in our huge room, they quickly came in and started the procedure for the epidural. It felt like it took them a long time, but once they finished and the drugs were administered I felt great. From this point on, which was about 5PM until hours later, I felt fabulous! Eric and I hung out watching TV, reading magazines, listening to the music we brought, and chatting with our awesome nurse.
They checked me a few hours later and said I was moving along. That continued for a while until they decided to break my water to get things moving along faster. Things did progress faster after that and a while later I started to have a lot of pressure and pain. They checked me again and said I wasn't fully dilated yet so they brought in the anesthesiologist to give me other pain killers so I could feel better and get some rest. Whatever she gave me was heavenly! I quickly fell asleep, I believe it was around 1AM and slept for a while. When I woke up they checked me and said I was really close. It was at that point that they started to question Sebastian's position.
Oh, Sebastian. There were three doctors that started to check me and try and figure out what position Sebastian's head was in. He was definitely head first. Good. He definitely had his chest toward my back. Good. But....what was that they felt at the opening? An ear? An eye? A forehead? Well, it took a while and a lot of discussion amongst the doctors and with us, but they finally figured out he was "face presenting." Something that is very, very rare. Basically, he was facing the exit. It's funny now, but he still loves pushing his head back in that position. I have to be careful because his heavy little head will quickly bounce back. He loves looking around. Anyways, at this point they bring up the fact that I cannot deliver him vaginally if his head is in this position. One option is to give me pitocin to make my contractions stronger and hopefully push his head into the right position. We try that option and it doesn't work. The only other option is to try pushing and see if it moves. I pushed a few times and he moved lower, but his little face did not adjust. At that point it was time for the c-section.
Since he'd moved lower when I pushed, I could not get them to move me into the OR and give me more drugs fast enough. The pressure/pain was unbearable. But, since it wasn't an emergency, they went along with business in a slightly faster pace. It wasn't fast enough for me! They took care of some things in the room and then wheeled me into the OR. They did a bunch of things (drugs!), the doctors and nurses chatted, they brought Eric in, and at 6:17AM on the 18th, Sebastian was born! It felt like forever before I actually got to see him and I had to wait even longer to hold him, but once I did it was fabulous. He nursed immediately and I got kiss and snuggle my little guy.
It's a little disappointing to think about how I labored all the way to the end and then ended with a c-section. But it was really the only way he could have come out. At least, out of the 12 or so hours that I was in active labor, I was only uncomfortable for a few. My boy also came out very healthy and that's all that really matters.
We were admitted for observation and again am told I haven't progressed. Oh, man. At this point I start crying, am feeling very frustrated, and tell Eric I want to go home. He convinces me we should stay because they will check me after two hours before they will send us home again. I begrudgingly decide to stay even though I'm not feeling optimistic; despite the fact that my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more painful.
A little over two hours later, they finally check me. I very clearly remember the doctor's name was also Johnson and thinking this was a good omen. =) Five and a half centimeters! I laughed/cried while the doctor, nurses, and Eric all cheered. It was about time! This meant I could finally be admitted and placed in a regular room and not the itty bitty uncomfortable room they put women in for observation. It also meant time for the epidural! This time around I wasn't going to wait it out and see how far I got. As soon as I was uncomfortable, I wanted drugs.
Once we were in our huge room, they quickly came in and started the procedure for the epidural. It felt like it took them a long time, but once they finished and the drugs were administered I felt great. From this point on, which was about 5PM until hours later, I felt fabulous! Eric and I hung out watching TV, reading magazines, listening to the music we brought, and chatting with our awesome nurse.
They checked me a few hours later and said I was moving along. That continued for a while until they decided to break my water to get things moving along faster. Things did progress faster after that and a while later I started to have a lot of pressure and pain. They checked me again and said I wasn't fully dilated yet so they brought in the anesthesiologist to give me other pain killers so I could feel better and get some rest. Whatever she gave me was heavenly! I quickly fell asleep, I believe it was around 1AM and slept for a while. When I woke up they checked me and said I was really close. It was at that point that they started to question Sebastian's position.
Oh, Sebastian. There were three doctors that started to check me and try and figure out what position Sebastian's head was in. He was definitely head first. Good. He definitely had his chest toward my back. Good. But....what was that they felt at the opening? An ear? An eye? A forehead? Well, it took a while and a lot of discussion amongst the doctors and with us, but they finally figured out he was "face presenting." Something that is very, very rare. Basically, he was facing the exit. It's funny now, but he still loves pushing his head back in that position. I have to be careful because his heavy little head will quickly bounce back. He loves looking around. Anyways, at this point they bring up the fact that I cannot deliver him vaginally if his head is in this position. One option is to give me pitocin to make my contractions stronger and hopefully push his head into the right position. We try that option and it doesn't work. The only other option is to try pushing and see if it moves. I pushed a few times and he moved lower, but his little face did not adjust. At that point it was time for the c-section.
Since he'd moved lower when I pushed, I could not get them to move me into the OR and give me more drugs fast enough. The pressure/pain was unbearable. But, since it wasn't an emergency, they went along with business in a slightly faster pace. It wasn't fast enough for me! They took care of some things in the room and then wheeled me into the OR. They did a bunch of things (drugs!), the doctors and nurses chatted, they brought Eric in, and at 6:17AM on the 18th, Sebastian was born! It felt like forever before I actually got to see him and I had to wait even longer to hold him, but once I did it was fabulous. He nursed immediately and I got kiss and snuggle my little guy.
It's a little disappointing to think about how I labored all the way to the end and then ended with a c-section. But it was really the only way he could have come out. At least, out of the 12 or so hours that I was in active labor, I was only uncomfortable for a few. My boy also came out very healthy and that's all that really matters.
