My labor and delivery

 

Ella Mae Thompson

Born 9:53 a.m. on November 10, 2012

 

This is my adorable baby. And she is the reason that the not so pleasant story I am about to tell does not matter to me at all anymore. She made everything worth it. But of course I will still tell the story!

 

 

If you read the story of my pregnancy (if not, you should go check that out here), then you know that I agreed to be induced. I realized after I agreed that I wished I hadn't, but I didn't change the plans. I hate that I missed out on the spontaneity of just going into active labor, but because all of our family lives out of town (KT and I just came to Tuscaloosa to attend the University of Alabama, Roll Tide!) I decided it would be the easiest for everyone involved. I also do like to have things happen by a schedule somewhat, so I thought it would also make it easier for me. It didn't, but it was worth a shot. Now I have heard that being induced makes labor more painful, but I don't have anything to compare it to so I can't tell you if it does or not. The following is how my days ahead went, but this is just my story. It doesn't mean that you or anyone else will have the same labor that I did.

 

 

I was to be induced on Friday, November 9. That was two days before my due date. In some ways that week went by incredibly fast, such as not having enough time to get everything ready even though I technically had 9 months. In other ways, the week drug itself out so slowly that I could barely stand it! But finally Thursday arrived. I knew I wasn't supposed to eat anything the morning of the induction, so I chowed down on some Taco Bell at 7 p.m. Thursday night. Then I tried to get some sleep before the big day. That was definitely a fail, but again, it was worth a shot. We had to be at the hospital at 5 a.m. on Friday so by 4 we were up and getting ready and putting our bags in the car. Deanne, one of my best friends, took the day off of work so she could be there for the whole thing, which was super sweet of her. She arrived at 4:30 and by 4:50 we were headed the few miles down the street to the hospital. Walking in felt so surreal. I just kept thinking that when I left there I would be taking a baby home with me. And not just any baby, my baby! Despite my anxiety, we made it to the maternity ward...just to be told the hospital was full and we would have to wait for a room. WHAT!! It felt like I was trying to check into a hotel. But there was nothing we could do about it, so KT, Deanne, and I resigned ourselves to waiting in the recovery room I would be put in after delivery. So we waited, and we waited, and we waited. Family members started showing up around 8 a.m., but there was still nothing happening so we just kept sitting in the room trying to make small talk.

 

 

At about lunch time they came to start my IV, which ended up being a disaster. I warned the nurse that even though my veins are big they tend to blow very easily. "But you have such good veins!" she said. I agreed with her but reiterated my point. She went ahead with her task...and blew the vein on my left hand. For anyone that hasn't had a vein blown, it's painful. Really painful. But I gritted my teeth and accepted her apology. I hesitantly held out my right hand for her to insert the IV in. She put it in...and blew my vein. Finally she agreed with me that my veins blew easily. I am so glad it only took two blown veins to convince her. :-/ She didn't try again. So I went back to waiting. And did I mention that I hadn't been able to eat ANYTHING this entire time?? Because I hadn't. It was pushing early afternoon when the nurses finally let me have a cup of Jell-O and a cup of broth. The best broth I have ever tasted! Fortunately, everyone else around me was able to eat eat eat. And when I say "fortunately", I mean it was fortunate that they couldn't hear me cussing them out in my head!

 

 

After a full day of doing nothing but watching T.V. in a hospital room, I was finally called back. Apparently, the baby boom that was happening in the hospital slowed down enough that they could squeeze me in. So at 4:05 they started my pitocin. Luckily this nurse was able to get the IV in the first time! They broke my water at the same time. Which literally involved them sticking what looked like a giant crochet needle inside of me and snagging the bag. It was not a pleasant feeling. Water came flowing out, but it didn't stop like I expected. It kept coming. The nurse told me that it would keep coming and I would just have to deal with it until my epidural was put in. Then it would still come out, but I'd be too numb to feel it. Great, I thought, I feel like I am constantly peeing on myself. Then I just started doing even more waiting. After a while, my contractions started coming but they weren't intense yet. At around 6:00, the nurse came in and asked if I wanted to go ahead and get my epidural. I told her I didn't need it yet, but she said that if I didn't get it then that I would have to wait two more hours because they were starting a C-section. Scared that if I waited too long my pains would be too bad, I agreed to go ahead and have it put in. This is where my labor really starts taking a turn for the worse.

 

 

The lady came in to put my epidural in and asked me to sign some paperwork saying they weren't responsible if something horrible happened. I signed it. :-/ Then they sat me up and leaned me forward over the edge of the bed. KT and my nurse stood in front of me. She stuck something into my back that caused quite a bit of pain. I gasped, but she said that it wasn't pain I was feeling. It was "just pressure" she said! I'm pretty sure I know the difference, but I just tried to stay still. Everything she did just became more and more painful. I could barely stay still. I was crying my eyes out while KT and the nurse tried to hold me in place. My legs were spasming back and forth. The lady handling my epidural kept telling me to be still, but I couldn't control it. I tried to tell her that in between sobs, but she just told me to stay still again. This turned out to be a very long process. By the time she finished, I was hurting so badly! Then to my utter dismay she said "Oh no, I put it in your blood vessel by mistake." My heart sank because she said we would have to re-do everything. I had to go through the entire painful experience again. I remember telling KT that if it didn't work this time I couldn't do it again. The second time made my legs spasm even more. Finally, after what felt like hours, she said she was done and it was in the right place. I was so incredibly relieved. Then she said "I'm sorry it was so painful. I just realized the numbing agent did not work." Um, ya think??? Those weren't tears of happiness I was shedding. So the whole ordeal ended up taking about an hour, which is much longer than it normally does. But I just kept telling myself that it was okay because I made it through the first hurdle.

 

My epidural started taking affect and it was great! Minus the numb legs that you can't move and having to have a catheter, which they do not hide at all, everything seemed to be going great. But seriously though, why can't they put your pee bag in a more discreet place so people can't see how much you have peed already!?!? Anyways, I settled myself in to wait out the arrival of my baby girl. KT, family, and friends were there to keep me company.

 

Fast forward a few hours, and things start looking not so good anymore. The blood pressure machine automatically checked my blood pressure about every 15mins. My blood pressure dropped extremely low, so every 15mins the alarm went off. The nurse had to come in and turn it off repeatedly. Ella's heart rate also kept dropping, so I had to keep turning from side to side. I also had to put on an oxygen mask. This all contributed to neither KT nor I being able to get any sleep that night. But I felt comforted by that fact that I wasn't by myself. KT held my hand the entire time, even when he was trying to sleep on a couch by my bed. :) So this process went on for the majority of the night. Around 4 a.m. my epidural started wearing off. The pain became excrutiating. Contractions are not fun! I bawled more poor little eyes out. KT, my mom, his family, and our friends all watched me cry that ugly cry. At the time, I didn't care at all, but now it's a little embarrassing. But the great thing is that they were all there showing their support! Even when that meant sleeping on uncomfortable hospital chairs in the waiting room. At 5 a.m., they re-dosed my epidural. Immediate relief. For an hour. By 5:00, I was back in the same position. I kept pushing my epidural button but to no avail. The epidural was gone, and I wasn't getting it back. :(

 

I dealt with this for the next few hours. The nurses tried to re-dose my epidural again, but I didn't even have the "water sensation" flowing into my back this time. I knew there was no help coming from that. They tried to give me different types of medicine to fight the pain, but it just caused me to get sick to my stomach. I started throwing up into a lovely pink bucket in front of KT, two nurses, and the doctor. Unfortunately, since I got induced so late my regular doctor had already gone home, so I had the on-call doctor. It was still a woman, which I was happy about, but I really wanted MY doctor. (Being delivered by her was another reason I agreed to the induction) At about 8:30 I got the urge to push. It's a strange feeling, but you suddenly just can't NOT push. I asked KT to let the nurse and doctor know. They came to my side and the pushing began.

 

"Push like you are having the biggest bowel movement ever!" ordered the doctor. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I tried. Of course then I was worried that I really would push out something that didn't need to come out, but I avoided that. Thank goodness! I pushed and pushed and pushed. I did my best to hold my chin down and my legs back. There is a lot involved with pushing out a baby! Then the doctor asked me if I wanted to watch. Uh, no. Not at all. And I told her this. Did she seem to care if I wanted to or not? Apparently not. Suddenly there was a big mirror beside my doctor with EVERYTHING on display. There was a reason only KT and I were in the room. That kind of thing is just not my cup of tea. I didn't want myself nor anyone else seeing that. But there it was on full display! And then to my horror, KT was suddenly at the foot of the bed looking at everything too! The doctor demanded he come look. I felt so exposed. Even while giving birth I didn't expect to be on display like that! But, I digress. Next thing I knew the nurse quickly took the mirror away, and I felt the nurse jab me with something sharp. OW!! She asked if I could feel it. DUH! Then she asked what kind of feeling it was. "A sharp, jabbing pain," I retorted....then she called for the lidocaine. I knew this was the part I had been dreading the most. The episiotomy! For those of you who don't know what this is: it's where they cut you open to make the baby come out easier. The lidocaine was to numb me. They apply the lidocaine with a NEEDLE! Not much better to me, but whatever. She took the scissors and did the deed. I closed my eyes and told myself not to jerk away. Then it was over. Yay for that! I had to do a little more intense pushing because Ella's head was stuck on my pelvic bone. But finally I gave one more push and she was out enough for the doctor to grab her. It was done. She was here.

They wrapped her in a blanket and put her on my chest for me to see her. A feeling came over me that is truly indescribable.I touched her hand and knew I was in love. True, unconditional love. The kind that I will never have for anyone else besides my child (and future kids). She was perfect in every single way. And then they took her. And I remembered I wasn't done yet. The doctor had to remove my placenta. But that was much easier than I expected. I didn't even have to push it out. And then I was really done (except for the catheter). I could take the oxygen mask off and just stare at this beautiful little girl that KT and I had made. It was true bliss from then on. :) (and I could finally eat again!)

Ella was born healthy and gorgeous! She did have a couple problems with her blood sugar levels and temperature dropping low, but nothing that wasn't easily remedied. She was all ours and we were able to take her home two days later. And our new lives began.

Now, I won't say that I forgot the pain of labor and delivery as soon as she was born. It really is the best birth control! But she did make it all worth it. I don't know if I'll ever do an epidural again, but it will be quite a while before I have to think about things like that. For now, I will just continue to be in awe of how amazing this perfect baby really is!

Since you know my full story now, go read some posts to find out what life with a baby is really like! Well, what it's like for me at least!