Y, M & S: The Beginning: Part 2 (or, the birth story I've been waiting 18 months to write)

Don't judge... the minor details here are going to be hard to come by... I'm writing it now, that's what matters!

Ok, some background first.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Why This Week's Update is Late

Yesterday I had an ultrasound in the OB/GYN's office to check on the baby's growth (the doctor had been saying I was measuring large). Well, come to find out, she is HUGE, not just large- she is measuring 38 weeks instead of 35, but all in proportion (her head is 38 weeks, her tummy is, her femur bone is). Her weight is calculated to be 7 lbs 9 ounces ALREADY (they said the margin of error is about a pound, which is still crazy because either way she is on track to be at least 10 pounds at 40 weeks). They will NEVER let me (or her) get that far though, so it is much more likely that we are looking at a July baby instead of an August baby.

But we did see her labia, so it's definite that she's still a girl, and also that she's not bald! She has hair! Which I never knew you could see with an ultrasound, but that was so cool. She is also really low, her head is right THERE and she seems like she is ready to come out sooner rather than later. So I really have been getting kicked in the lungs, just as I thought. Also I found out why people have been saying "I look so small for August 2"-even though she is a giant- apparently I have a long abdomen and I hide it really well. She has lots of room in there- so yay for me being a big girl, for once, lol.

Afterwards, I had an appointment with the OB and my blood pressure was high (they took it 3 separate times) and it HAS been steadily climbing the past couple check-ups. But yesterday I guess it was TOO high because she sent me to the hospital right from the doctor's office. But after all the blood work and everything, I was totally fine, and actually, my blood pressure was absolutely fine as soon as they tested me there. The baby got monitored the entire time I was there, and she was fine too. I did have a little bacteria in my urine but they gave me antibiotics to ward off any infections. SO 3 hours later all we had a prescription for a generic antibiotic and nothing to be worried about.

My doctor wants me to come in once a week from now on (although my next appointment isn't until next Thursday- earliest she can fit me in, go figure...) and I will probably have ultrasounds every 2 weeks for as long as they let me go... but this is me saying I know I will never be allowed to get to 40 weeks.

So it's just wait & see time, although as soon as I got home last night, I DID start having my first braxton hicks contractions... my body just loved me yesterday and decided to kick me while I was down I guess! Even though I have enjoyed being pregnant I am thinking that I'm okay with her coming sooner rather than later... we both seem to be ready and willing. Not to say that I won't miss it, but both of our bodies are telling us time is almost up I think.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Last 2 Appts

I had an appointment on Thursday where I was told we will have to do non-stress tests twice a week, and an internal exam proved that at least these silly contractions were at least doing something, I was 1 centimeter dialated! The test went fine, she was doing good and my contractions were minor. Monday I went again and same thing, she looks good and her heartbeat is still going strong!! I have another one tomorrow ( I will be living at the doctor's office from now on I think) for the monitoring and hopefully another internal to check on my progress! If nothing then we wait some more until Monday the 18th when I have a non-stress test in the morning and an ultrasound in the afternoon- this is the one we've been waiting for- to determine just how big she is and what the plan will be!!

So, whether or not I entirely agree with it now, we got scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks. At that time, I was about 2 centimeters dialated and had some pretty lame contractions at home, mostly during the nights. But as they say, every contraction is one less you have to have later.

It's funny how much things would have been different if I was having her now, but I became this person that I am now through her, diving into the parenting and birth world....

Anyway, we went to the hospital at about 6:00 pm. Settled in around 7:30 pm or so. After the preliminaries I was given one type of induction medicine vaginally. It didn't do squat! We wasted about 4 hours waiting around for it to kick in and do something. I was on Group B Strep meds, and they wanted me to get 2 rounds in before she arrived, so I finished one of those during those four hours, but absolutely nothing else was accomplished. So around 11 we had the attending doctor come in and talk about trying a second inducer, don't ask me what they were called, this was 18 months ago now LOL... anyway, that one got placed in, and we go ready to wait some more. Holy fast and furious. All of the sudden I think I jumped to 6 centimeters and I was just laying there (since I was on the IV drip) (annoying). Any time I went to the bathroom (I was also receiving fluids, so this was often) I would jump like another half a centimeter, not kidding. I was also strapped to the fetal monitor the whole entire time and it felt much better to sit up, so finally I did. While I was sitting up my water broke and it was like I asked to be discharged or something the way I was pushed down and adjusted- the nurse said that bad things can happen with my water breaking and me not being monitored- and I was like uhhhh ok. Incidentally, the baby also cracked my back real good swimming down :-) So this was probably around 1 am. My god I finally was feeling something!! The water breaking was like the hoover dam escaping because then I started making some noise, especially when they did an internal exam at that point. I think I might have been moaning. Anyway, having my water break and being at 6 cm put me on the top of the epidural list, and I think I got that around 4 am. Sorry, I know this isn't very accurate, it's kind of a blur....

Around 6 am, I was 8 centimeters, they put in a catheter and again as soon as my bladder was emptied I dilated more. Contractions continued one on top of the other and around 6:45 am I had an internal that had the nurse calling me 9 cm and the doctor saying 10 cm. Imagine being told that you are on track to have a 13 lb baby and your labor is going really, really fast. At least, it seems like super fast to you. Because you are about to have a 13 lb baby come barreling out of you at this speed!! And now imagine being told to "hold it". Because your doctor isn't in the building yet! Ohhhh. I think she got there at about 7:15.

There was no need for practice pushes or any fooling around. I *think* I held it in pretty good, but I might have had 2 involuntary pushes, it was really hard to tell with the epidural, but I could definitely still feel when I had to push. I did the next part silently. I don't know why. I'm not a Scientologist that insists on having silent births. Just a fact, so I'm putting it here :-) She had me push about 3 times, and Sophia's head was out. A couple more, and I had a super healthy, 8 pound 4 oz girl!

My "enormous, must induce this woman!!" baby, Sophia Emily born July 27th at 7:53 am

Bruce did NOT want to cut the cord. Yuck. My mom did. She said she's good from now on. LOL. Placenta was "nice and big and healthy". Sophia was suuuuper quiet. I half expected the doctor to spank her to get her to cry like in the movies LOL. I only had 5-6 stitches, a second degree tear.

As long as my blood pressure went down and Sophia's billirubin levels (jaundice) were good, I requested early discharge. I got my wish- We went home a day early!