Okay here's the birth story, I know you were all holding your breath.
It started on the day before 38 weeks, it was Sunday, September 8th, we thought, this might be the last weekend as a family of three, so let's do something fun. I decided I really wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and go to the beach. I packed us up a nice lunch and off we headed. When we were done with the sand and playing Baby Fox wanted to walk around, we figure, hey maybe we can get labor started if I walk around a bit. I was getting contractions, but nothing that stopped me in my tracks and nothing that was time-able.
Monday morning I see some blood, so I call the doctor and he has me come in to do monitor baby. Everything was fine, baby was great and I was about 4cm dilated. Doc said he thought I would go into labor on Sept. 11th (the day that Mr. picked). For the rest of the day I felt mild contractions, but nothing to write home about. Figuring since I could walk and talk through them, they were probably Braxton Hicks. We put Baby Fox to bed about 8:45 and just as I was walking out of his room I felt a contractions that made me stop for a second. Then about 5 minutes later I had another one. I told Mr, I think we should start timing them now. So time them we did, I started getting things ready, I wanted to charge the battery in my camera, and put the load of laundry in the dryer so that I could pack some of that stuff to go with us. We were sitting on the couch trying to decide what to watch, when Mr. decides, you know I think we should start heading to the hospital. I said what? It's only been 20 minutes, what happened contractions have to be 5 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute for an hour? He said we needed to get a move on. He called my aunt who was going to be there with us to tell her that it was time (she lives about an hour away - her bags were already packed and in the car). Also called my parents telling them it was time. I told Mr. I wanted to take a shower first. He told me to hurry.
While in the shower the contractions were getting closer together, maybe every 3 minutes. It took so long to get anything done because I would have to stop and breathe through a contraction. Mr kept telling me, I don't want to deliver this baby at home! Hurry up. I really wanted to take off this nail polish that was worn and needed to be taken off, but Mr said that I didn't have time to do that. I told him to grab it an that I would do it when I got there. My parents finally got there around 10:20pm and Mr ran us out the door. Of course I had a contraction when I got to the bottom of the stairs, my parents said that they were certain that I was going to give birth right then and there.
*side note - the camera battery didn't charge fully, never got into the camera and my clothes were still in the dryer drying when we left.
The ride to the hospital was brutal! Man sitting still while going through intense pain like that was HARD! I kept having to tell Mr to slow down and to not drive so fast over ditches and stuff. Luckily the hospital is only 10 minutes away. We got there and had to go through the ER, while I was getting out of the car, a worker came up to us with a wheel chair, he told Mr to go get me checked in (hesitant, he did since he wanted to speed things along) and that he would wait there with me while I worked through my most recent contraction. I got into the wheel chair and then proceeded to have another contraction as soon as we got inside, and then had another one while they finished checking us in.
We FINALLY made it to labor and delivery and I told the nurse that my contractions were about 2 minute apart. She said okay, let's get you checked and settled in. She later told me that because I was smiling and not screaming my head off she didn't think I was that close. I changed into my gown and as I was getting into bed, literally, one foot on the floor the other on the bed, my water broke. I told Mr, I think my water just broke, either that or I am peeing myself. The latter would have been so embarrassing. The nurse checked my progress and she told me that I was 5-6 cm dilated. I told her that I wanted an epidural. She was very responsive and got someone in to give me the iv, so I could start fluids and get my blood work done. Pain is all I can describe, I kept thinking, just get these fluids in me, I had to keep my left arm still for the iv, I felt like I was going to break the bed rails I was gripping them so hard, trying not to move my arm. My contractions are practically on top of each other now, and the nurse finally gets the iv fluids going. I ask how long for me to get a bag of fluids, they said 20 minutes. I kept thinking, okay 20 minutes, I just have to do this for 20 minutes, I really hope the doctor can get the epidural in me fast! The nurse then says, let's check to see if you've progressed at all. She informs me that I'm now at 9cm. What?! Wasn't I just at 5-6cm like 10 minutes ago?! I say, does that mean no epidural? She says, at this point that is very unlikely. I could hear in the background that they called my doctor and the on call doctor and they'd see who made it there first. Suddenly one leg is in a stirrup that appeared out of no where. I was laying on my side so they said I had to rotate and put the other leg in the stirrup, I said that I was more comfortable the way I was. All of a sudden I felt the need to push, so mid contraction I scream I have to push! And I start doing so, simultaneously they put my leg in the other stirrup. They told me to stop and that I was going too fast. They asked me are you pushing to push or are you having a contraction. It made me stop and think and I said pushing to push. I didn't have to wait long another was coming and strong. I started screaming and pushing with everything I had. I felt her come out, and then the doctor (some random doctor that happened to be there? I have no idea who it was), and she said to push one more time and she was out. Just like that, I had a natural labor with no epidural. I didn't sign up for it, but wouldn't change it for the world. Quite frankly I don't think I could have handled that much pain for longer then I did. I don't think I could have waited for the epidural to relieve the pain, that would have been another hour or so. I'm also certain that anyone in the hospital who wanted no epidural was now changing their mind after listening to me. She was born at 11:08pm, 25 minutes or so after getting to labor and delivery. Yep it happened that fast.
My aunt arrived about 15 minutes later and my doctor arrived about 10 minutes after that.
Me and Mini Fox minutes after birth.
In the baby warmer trying to raise body temperature.
All warmed up and cuddling mommy.
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| Notice the orange nail polish that I wanted to take off, but happy I didn't cause Mr might have had to deliver her in the ER parking lot. |
And that's it, Mini Fox's birth story. Unfortunately things happened so fast we didn't get any before pictures...darn.
