This is your birth story as remembered by your Mommy...
When I had finally given up all hope that Ellie was going to make her arrival prior to the scheduled induction, she decided to get things going.
Friday morning, on June 20, I was just getting out of bed at 7:25 when I felt a gush of fluids. I had either just peed my pants or my water had broken. I stood there, quite calm, contemplating what to do. Finally decided after another gush that it was definitely amniotic fluids and not urine. So, what's a girl with three boys running around the house waiting for breakfast to do? She makes her bed of course. And picks up the dirty laundry on the bedroom floor. Packs the personal hygiene items in the bath bag for the hospital trip and then begins making phone calls.
The first one, to my mother's office, where I reached the superintendent and he had to remind me she doesn't work on Fridays during the summer. Called her cell next and requested a ride to the hospital. Second call, my neighbor Summer to beg a favor. Bryson's last swimming lesson was scheduled for later that morning and they were going to be doing their level testing. I didn't want him to miss it and asked if she could take him. She was happy to help. Third call, my mother again...or was it father? I remember they called me and they were both talking. Anyway, my brother, Daniel, offered to take the boys for the day. This saved me my next phone call which would have been to my other brother and his wife to take care of the boys as we had originally planned.
With nearly all the phone calls made I waddled downstairs, got my boys dressed, and made breakfast. I was good and didn't eat anything, though I really wanted to. With the boys settled at the table I waddled myself back upstairs and got the hospital bags, infant carrier, and boppy hauled down. Next I packed the boys' bags for spending the day with someone else. Then, I made the last and most important phone call. I called Casey who had only been at work about an hour to let him know Ellie was on her way. I didn't call him first because I knew he would leave work right away and just pace around the hospital waiting. I was so right. He left work after we hung up (I was still waiting at home on my ride mind you, 45 minutes away from the hospital.) and went straight to labor and delivery where he told them I'd be coming in and they equipped him with a wheelchair to pick me up at the entrance.
After finishing up with Casey's phone call I wondered what on earth was taking Mom so long and I began to get a little impatient. I knew that delivery could still be several hours away, but I also knew sometimes babies come super fast. My concern over the timing was increased because of a little thing called Group B Strep. I tested positive for it and was told it meant that I would need to be given antibiotics before delivery to protect Ellie from getting sick. Mom finally waltzes in...freshly showered and pampered...no rushing there. LOL. Okay, maybe not pampered much...she didn't take the time to blow dry and flat iron her hair like she really wanted to. But, still!
The boys all went their separate ways with their newly appointed guardians for the day and Mom and I headed north for the hospital. I wasn't feeling any contractions, but still leaking fluids. TMI? Maybe, but it's my labor and delivery story to tell. Nearing the hospital I called Casey to tell him which entrance we'd be at...Entrance A. He says, great I'll meet you there with a wheelchair.
My husband...my sweet, loving, he would lay down his life for me, husband... does not handle baby arrivals well. It's cute looking back on each of my children's deliveries how nervous and completely scatter brained he becomes...but not so helpful the day of.
Mom pulls up to Entrance A expecting a quick drop off. Casey's nowhere to be seen. Call him again...
Me~ "Babe, where are you?"
Loving, but lost Husband~ "Entrance A....where are you?"
Me~ "No, I'm at Entrance A and you're not here. You're at the wrong entrance."
Loving, but directionally challenged Husband~ "Uhhh..."
Me, a little less patient, and certainly not amused~ "Look around. Do you see any signs saying where you are? How about a hospital staff member you can ask? Volunteer with a name badge? ANYBODY WITH A PULSE YOU CAN ASK TO DIRECT YOU TO ENTRANCE A?!"
Mom cuts in~ "He's probably at the second entrance."
Me to that adorable Husband of mine~ "Never mind. Stay where you are. We'll walk to you."
Then, muttering silently (that's a thing right...? muttering in your head?) "Don't worry, Babe. We'll get the bags and walk to you, no wheelchair necessary. You've had AN HOUR to familiarize yourself with the hospital and you STILL ended up at the wrong entrance!"
Did I mention I was feeling a little less patient at this point and maybe my own nerves were a little out of whack as well...? ;) In the wheelchair I go and away to labor and delivery I'm wheeled by that helpful hubby of mine.
Got checked in and changed in the room, met my first nurse and then she was called away to another room. Five nurses later in the span of about fifteen minutes and I finally had an IV going with the antibiotics. They were all working as quickly and efficiently as possible, and I don't intend for this to be a complaint at all. I include this to illustrate just how busy the labor and delivery floor was the morning I was admitted.
Things settled down a little in the other rooms and I met my nurse who would stay with me for the remainder of the delivery process. Her name was Shannon and she's the best nurse I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in my three hospital stays. She was calm, encouraging, efficient, friendly, and answered my every last question with patience. She also put up with a huge host of family in and out of the room just after delivery. Once things in my room had calmed down, she reminded me to order something to eat while she was still cleaning up and tending to Ellie and I asked if she'd had a break at all that day, or been able to get lunch in at some point. I was pretty sure she hadn't since she was by my side most of the time. She told me she had a banana and that after finishing the charting she was getting to go home and enjoy a grilled supper prepared by her husband. She was the on-call nurse that day. I was very glad to have been the recipient of her care!
Once Shannon got everything rolling in the computer system she did a check to see how far dilated I was. I was at a 5. Contractions were still very small, and I could feel them a little. Mom, Casey, and I chatted and listened to some music while we waited for my labor to progress.
The OB came in not long after that to talk to me about speeding the labor process up. I immediately balked at the suggestion because I knew there hadn't been enough time for all the antibiotics I thought I was supposed to have. I think she was a little taken aback at my hesitation and explained further that because little Miss Ellie's water had broke on its own there really wasn't a barrier of protection there anyway. And, on top of that little Miss Ellie had gone ahead and released her poop before being born.
BTW...Grossest experience of my life. I could not get over how gross it was. Bless all you nurses out there that deal with meconium (fancy name for baby's first poop) babies on a daily basis.
So, they put on a bag of Pitocin to speed up the contractions and about an hour in I began feeling the contractions and needing to concentrate to get through them. At this point I requested an epidural. I was having trouble controlling my breathing through the contractions and my nurse offered to give me Stadol to relieve some of the pain. The anesthesiologist showed up fairly promptly. I had what felt like only a minute of rest between contractions when she came in. Her hands were ICE COLD. She apologized for it and those ice cold hands were the only pain I felt having the epidural put in (besides the contractions that were getting faster and stronger with each one). With the epidural in successfully, she told me after about four contractions I should start feeling some relief. Well, before that fourth contraction after having it in I began to feel some relief. It was short lived. I honestly believe at this point that minor relief I experienced only briefly was from the Stadol and not the epidural.
Not a happy face on that girl.
I was checked again and dilated to an 8. Things began to move very fast after that. Ellie wasn't liking how I was laying. So they had me switch to my side. My mouth felt as if it were filled with cotton balls. I kept worrying about the smelly breath I had to be pushing out in my feeble attempt to control my breathing during contractions. Ellie didn't like that side and they flipped me again. The contractions felt like they were back to back with no rest periods at all. Mom was in my face doing the Lamaze breathing techniques I was never taught since I've never taken a birthing class. It's a good thing she was too. I was beyond the point of being able to use my own brain to concentrate on breathing through the contractions. I remember the nurse putting an oxygen mask on me. It didn't last long on my face. I remember yanking it off on one of the times I adjusted my body in an effort to get Ellie's numbers back where they belonged. Time became irrelevant and truthfully I had no concept of how much time passed between events.
I felt a little out of body through the active labor process. I can remember thinking in my head I was being too loud through the contractions...just whining about how much it hurt and attempting to figure out how to breathe. Casey assures me it wasn't that bad, he may be biased. The nurse checked me again and I was at a 10. Of course I already knew this because I vaguely recall say/screaming I could feel her moving down. Every time I had to say/scream any words, somewhere inside my head, in the calm out of body experience place, I could hear myself saying "Geez...simmer down already." I remember also audibly apologizing for being loud through the contractions. Everyone in the room assured me it was okay, I was doing just fine, great job...of course they were saying that! Who wouldn't want to encourage the crazy screaming woman in terrible labor pains to keep working to get that baby out? Casey fed me ice chips in between screams, I mean contractions, and Mom kept Lamaze breathing with me.
The OB came in right away, and some other people who set everything up for delivery. The OB told me to push on the next contraction. I said/screamed I couldn't tell when I was and wasn't having a contraction. I didn't mean to say/scream it, but I had lost all control over anything at that point. Shannon calmly said to me, "I'll watch the monitor and tell you Julie." So, they watched the monitor and then it was time to push. Four or five excruciating pushes later she was out at 1:04 pm and I immediately felt the relief of her making it through the birth canal. She gave a good hearty cry and they laid her on my chest while the nurse practitioner scrubbed her down and wrapped her up in a couple of blankets. Ellie was bright eyed and calm laying there on my chest. Mom didn't have a chance to grab the camera to take any pictures prior to this point because she was busy coaching me through labor. Once Ellie was out and I returned to my normal self, one filled with self-control where voice volume was concerned, she began snapping photos.
I was so happy to have her out and in my arms.
She's screaming here...but wasn't for long.
The nurse practitioner cleaning her up a little.
There's my nurse Shannon!
Two very happy new parents.
Ellie was looking a little grumpy, but was very calm.
The room was cleaned up and Ellie was weighed, measured, inked her footprints, and all that good stuff before we brought the boys in to meet her and then the rest of the family. For the record, she weighed 6 lbs. 14.6 oz. and measured 18 3/4" in length, with a head circumference of 13 1/2".
Getting weighed.
Wishing somebody would swaddle her back up.
Just look at those perfect toes.
Snuggling with her elated Momma.
Ready to meet the rest of her family.
What a story. Each of my children have unique and beautiful birth stories. Ellie's was full of hiccups along the way, but in the end everything turned out just fine. She was delivered as a full term healthy baby, the Group B Strep didn't affect her, and the placenta was successfully removed without any resulting infection. How thankful I am for that. Not every birth story ends this way. I do not take one moment of the process for granted, the good or the bad. In the next post I'll be sharing all the photos of the family who were there to celebrate her arrival with us.
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