Birth Day

Today is the day! We decided to go ahead with an induction. Here is how the day went:

4:15 wake up at home

5:00 check in to labor and delivery

5:30 3 cm

5:45 hooked up to monitors and get my IV (took 2 tries)

6:00 start pitocin

6:15 start watching hgtv, so far so good

7:00 contractions coming every 3-4 minutes, new nurse came on shift, she has 30 years experience 

7:30 Dr came to check me. Still 3 cm but he went ahead and broke my water. Craziest feeling! I even got the big classic gush.

9:30ish played cards and beat the husband

11:00 upped the pitocin and the contractions seemed to be never ending. I had the nurse check me and I'd progressed to 4 cm. decided it was time for an epidural.

11:30 the anesthesiologist came and began placing the epidural. Took a few tries to get the catheter placed but felt great once it was in.

12:00 Dr came to check on me

1:00 another check and now I'm at 5 cm!  The epidural is great, I can still move around and feel the contractions but no pain. Feeling great about the decision for pain relief!

2:30 time to turn over and do a quick check, 6 cm! I'm definitely more numb than earlier but still feeling good.

3:30 managed a little nap that was quite refreshing! Time to sit up, I'm so numb that I'm not feeling any of the contractions. 

4:30 Another check and I'm at 8 cm! Starting to get a little feeling back and feel some contractions. Hoping to get to 10 by the next check!

6:30 Dr comes in and checks and we need to turn the baby. She was face up and needed to be face down. They had me push a few times with the contractions as they turned her. I guess I'm a good pusher and seemed to instinctively know how to do it, such an odd thing to be proud of but I am! My pushes and the turning got the baby past the lip of the cervix and got her turned the correct direction and the next thing I know they are telling me I'm ready to really push! I was surprised but also excited since before turning the baby I was only at 8 cm.

7:00 begin actual pushing. It felt good to push and do something productive rather than sit and wait. I knew that she would be here that day but anticipated taking 3 hours or so to push her down and out. The nurse and my family were great, everyone was calm and quiet while encouraging me. I tried to just breathe when not pushing and focus on seeing my little girl and asking God to see us through. I actually enjoyed the pushing phase because it at least felt productive and since I had the epidural the pain was very manageable! 

8:00 began to feel tired but really trying to continue with strong productive pushes. My contractions never really had a strong pattern so sometimes the contractions take forever to come and sometimes there is no time in between. This stresses baby out a bit so at 

8:15 the Dr comes in and suggests using forceps for one contraction to guide her past my pelvic bone. Everyone gets prepped and gowned, lights are dimmed, we wait through a few contractions and push a few more times. Dr inserts the forceps and at

8:31 my beautiful Caroline Joanne is born! Once her head is out her shoulders come out pretty easily and then she just slips out. I hope that I never forget that feeling! The feeling of my daughter being born has been the most amazing physical experience, there is relief and joy and exhaustion all mixed together. Both Chris and I cry and then he cuts the cord and she is placed on my chest. She is the most beautiful being in earth! Chris keeps stepping back until I remind him that they can all work around him, it's his daughter and he gets to be as close as he wants!

While I hold my little girl the placenta is delivered, apparently huge and very healthy looking. There is some tearing so Dr stitches me up, thankfully I'm still mostly numb in that area! 

9:30 the nursery nurses come in to weigh and measure, Caroline is 8 lb 9 oz and 20 inches long. She is healthy and other than a few marks from the forceps she looks incredible! She comes back to me very quickly (maybe 5 minutes later, but always in my sight). Once back I begin to nurse her or attempt to, she doesn't like to open her mouth but we work together and get a few good sucks. 

Chris leaves to take my mom back to our house to sleep. 

They ask if they can take her to the nursery to bathe her or if I'd prefer it done in the room. I opt for in-room and so that's what they do, Chris watches and takes notes on how to do everything. I cry because he is already such a wonderful and caring dad, just like I knew he would be!

We stay in the labor & delivery room for a long time. Chris holds Caroline while I get some pain meds and try walking to the bathroom for the first time. I nearly pass out in the bathroom but manage to make it to a chair to sit down. Other than that incident I'm doing really well.

12:30 am they finally move us to the mother care wing. I can't believe L & D are over! Caroline stays with us and suddenly it's just the three of us alone together. I think that we are both in a little shock.

And that is what happened on the day that you were born!