So here's some details from my labor. If you're not interested, feel free to just scroll down and look at the pictures. I just don't want to forgot about the day, so I figured I'd document it here......
For most of January, we were expecting Paige to come anytime, especially when I learned I was dilated to 2cm on January 11 and then 4cm on January 18 (my 35 1/2 week pregnancy appointment). So for 2 weeks after that, I had multiple doctors appointments and basically sat on the couch trying to make sure the baby would stay put inside of me. I even managed to teach myself how to knit and finished a baby blanket during that time :) But once I made it to my January 30 appointment and past 37 weeks, I decided it was finally time to start moving again. And lo and behold, when I went back into the doctor on February 2, I got my ticket to labor and delivery when we found out I was 6cm dilated.
So by 10:00am, I was in a labor and delivery room, getting ready and signing paperwork (and Mike was on his way back to the main hospital to finish rounding). By 10:45am, I was finished with the paperwork, hooked up to the monitors, and my IV was in. Around 11:30am, Mike had come back to check on me and my OB arrived shortly thereafter to break my water. I was actually 7cm dilated at this point and contracting with no pain, so we decided to see how I'd progress with no pitocin. I also decided no epidural this time.
At noon, Mike goes to get lunch. I'm having contractions around every 5 minutes, though they are not regulated yet and not painful. Here's Mike at 12:30, after he's eaten lunch in front of me :)
Around 1:30pm, I'm 9cm dilated, not really feeling any pain, just a little bit of pressure, so they start giving me the smallest dosage of pitocin to see if the contractions can get more regular. Here's how I looked at 2pm at 9.5cm dilated.
I finally started to feel something soon after at this point, but it really was not that painful. I was even texting my mom right before 2:30pm :) Shortly after that though, we learned that I was still 9.5cm dilated, so to see if we could move things along, I turned on my side. Within 5 minutes, I finally started feeling contractions and they became intense. After a few of these, I finally felt the need to push. Immediately, my OB rushes in, they get everything ready and I start pushing. Ironically, the need to push left me and all I felt was pain, but I pushed anyways. I know I did not push that long, put it felt like an eternity pushing the baby through the birth canal. And at this stage, I really couldn't tell if I was pushing effectively or not. If it wasn't for my OB continually saying during each push, "I see good rotation, I see good rotation," I would not have thought the baby was moving at all. I also remember turning to Mike part way through this stage and telling him I couldn't push any longer because I was so exhausted. It wasn't until the baby's head crowned that I could actually tell the pushing was working. Then I just wanted the baby out, so I kept pushing after the contraction to get the head, then shoulders out (I even think the shoulders were more painful than the head).
I remember seeing them hold the baby up and I must have thought I saw something because when I heard them say, "It's a girl!" I was in shock. Then after that, everything became a bit of a blur because I was in quite a bit of pain and completely wiped out. I remember Mike handing her to me, but because I was in such discomfort, I told Mike to just hold her.
So the nurses weighed her and cleaned her while Mike took a few pictures.
You two sure do make pretty babies. Been waiting to see pictures so we were happy when we saw these this a.m. Congrats and hugs to the children. Love, Kevin and Patti Hoock
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