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At this time last week there was concern from my doctor about baby Ellison. Billy left work immediately and met me at the doctor's office. After speaking with my doctor we developed a new game plan {Pitocin, Epidural, healthy baby} and headed over to the hospital. I was amazed at how many other pregnant women were in the waiting room...waiting on a room! :)
I eventually got a room...but no bed!!! haha
It really was comical.
At 6:00PM they finally got me hooked up to the monitors and saw that baby Elle was healthy and perfect. When I heard that I got so excited and told the nurse I had no problem going home. I was not kidding. I seriously thought she was telling me I could go home and I was gladly heading towards the door. Sadly, she told me that wasn't an option, but we could adjust the game plan and try for that natural labor. That made me happy. I was 4cm, 60% effaced, and -2/-3 station
I had clearly been crying, but no time for tears...baby was doing PERFECT and it was time to meet her!!!
But still no bed...
And then we got a bed!!! Woohoo!!
Picture time!
At 8:15PM they started a slow drip of Pitocin on level one. I knew my best bet to get the party started was to NOT BE FLAT ON MY BACK IN THAT HOSPITAL BED!! :) So, I stood and stood. Each time the doctor or nurse would come in they would say, "You're STILL standing?"
The doc knew it would be a long night so he headed down for dinner. Me? I had downed two packs of PB crackers on the way over to the hospital from the doctor's office. You can't run a marathon on empty and you sure can't labor without fuel either! :)
At 9:00PM the Pitocin was bumped up to 2
I was having "contractions", but to me it just felt like pressure. I had experienced "TRUE" contractions with Lynden's natural birth and this wasn't touching it.
At 10:25PM I was 5cm, 70% effaced, and -2 station
You know the bed they brought?...here they are wheeling it away again!!! I kid you not.
And then they brought me another so I thought I better sit on it or they might take it away too! ha No, it was at this time I decided we needed a few "Kodak moments" before things got ugly...
Pictures last forever and ugly pictures last longer!! hahaha I needed some pretty pics before my make up got all messy. ;)
Always the funny guy...
Me and my momma, Ellen, Ellison's namesake...
At 11:00PM they talked me into getting into bed
At 11:20PM the Pit was bumped to 3
AND BOY COULD I FEEL IT THEN!!!!
At 11:25 {Thank the good LORD!} the Pit was dropped back DOWN to 2
At 11:45PM the Pit was dropped DOWN to 1!!
My body was finally kicking in with its own contractions...YAY!!!!
At 12:25AM we bumped the Pit to .5 and I was 6/7cm, 100% effaced, and yet still -2 station
At 2AM {yes, I couldn't believe I was still pregnant either!!! baby, baby, please come out wherever you are!} I was 8cm and...you guessed it, -2 station
At 2:10AM I got in the shower and I didn't want to come out! It felt soooo good and it took so much of the pain of the contractions away. It was waaaay better than the birthing tub I used with Lynden ever thought about being! :) I stayed in until 2:45AM.
At 3:15AM they broke my water and we had great hope that THAT would be the key to getting Ellison to DROP, baby, DROP!!
I continued to labor here, there, and everywhere. I was so fortunate to have a nurse that is also a doula and she was a great coach for me and Billy. It's crazy how you forget how to breathe when you're in severe pain! It's nice to have someone remind you, "deep, long, breaths..."
For the next three hours my contractions increased in length, intensity, and proximity! They became so excruciating that I kept asking the nurse if she had turned the Pit back on. I had a lot of piggy-back contractions, just one on top of the other, before one could end another would begin. I also noticed that I had started having a lot of back pain and I was starting to get discouraged. This was nothing like Lynden's natural labor and birth. It was soon discovered by my doctor that Ellison was tilted and sunny-side up. I tried to focus and more importantly, relax, but I just couldn't take the pain anymore.
At 6:00AM, 10 hours of contractions, the doctor checked me and I had made no progress...still a 9cm on one side, 10cm on the other...and sunny-side up. I couldn't take it anymore and requested some pain meds. They gave me 3ml of morphine. It took the edge off, but not enough edge!!
At 6:45AM they gave me 2ml MORE of morphine. Again, baby girl's head was pushing on my tail bone and causing the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced. I needed relief!
Around 7:00AM they gave me Demoral and it was worthless. ha It just made me slur my speech. What a dumb drug. haha
Finally, at 8:15AM, after 12 hours of contractions, I knew the only way I was going to be able to relax and let my body take over was to get an epidural. So I got in the bed and before I knew it the anesthesia team was there and I couldn't have been happier. They were so quick and wonderful and even granted my wishes when I requested they NOT wait until my current contraction was over, but to get the show on the road. I could take NO MORE. And when they finished and I lay there in the bed, I just cried.
Cried.
Cried.
Cried.
I had so many emotions. I was so tired of working through the pain and getting nowhere. I was so upset that it had to play out like that. I had dreamt of a repeat performance of Lynden's labor and birth. I just wanted her to come when she was ready and she just wasn't ready. I just needed a release, so I cried.
As the pain wore off and I began to relax I started drifting into la-la land. I planned to take a nice long nap, rest up, and be ready to have a baby when I awoke. And just as I started dozing off, Little Miss Sunshine decided to make her debut. I knew she was coming so I said, "Someone better go get a nurse because she's coming. But I really wanted to take a nap!"
Sure enough, the nurse confirmed my suspicion, the doctor {my doctor! Not the nice "on-call" doctor I had had during the night. And he was nice, but I was happy to have my "real" doctor. yay! } appeared and at 9:08AM after a push or two, Miss Ellison Lee Stain arrived. And, as I have been with all my babies...I was so happy to not have that baby in my belly anymore!
Sweet relief.
It was o-vah!!!
Oh, thank you Lord.
I felt good. :)
My hardest, longest, most painful labor and my smallest baby...
8lb 8oz, 21" {as determined by the pediatrician's visit on 7/2}, TONS of dark hair
She will be a week old tomorrow...how is that possible?!
