Birth Story

Okay everyone, here is our birth story starting from Monday, Jan 11th!

So, for the 10 days prior to this I have been looking forward to Monday! That meant I was going to leave the antepartum wing in the hospital and head over to Labor and Delivery! I was so excited! Everytime a nurse came in my room I would ask, "is it time to go yet"? Finally about 5:30 that evening they loaded me and all my stuff up and headed over to L&D. Did I mention I had all my stuff packed since 10 that morning! Anyway, we made it over to L&D and I finally felt like I was going to have a baby the next day!! The nurse inserted a medicine called Cervidel which is supposed to soften the cervix, and make it more condusive for labor. At that was it - the medicine stayed in until 6am the next morning! Let me just say, between the thoughts of having a baby the next day and the bright lights that were outside our window, I didn't get any sleep - maybe 45 minutes tops!! Jeffrey got some sleep, so at least 1 of us was well rested!

Bright and early the next morning (1-12) the nurse came in to remove the Cervidel and start the Pitocin drip! So, we were on our way to having a baby! I didn't really feel any different for the first 30 minutes or so, so I didn't think it was working! The nurse kept coming in and increasing the dose to get me in a good contraction pattern. Finally about 7am or so, I was able to feel some contractions! They weren't painful at all, just felt like little cramps every once in a while.

At about 9am my doctor came in to break my water. OH MY GOSH!!!! That is the most painful thing I have ever gone through! He was sure the labor process would speed up after that, and in my mind I still thought we would have a baby by early afternoon. Not shortly after I reached the "good contraction pattern" - one every 2-3 minutes, but they still weren't very strong. No need for the epidural yet!

About 2pm or so my doctor came back in to see what progress I had made. Well........I was only 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Not much progress at all. Keep in mind, we have been at this since 6am! It was a little upsetting that I wasn't further along, and the Dr felt the same way. At this point I should be further along. So he gave us 3 options: 1) go ahead and have the c-section 2) keep laboring until baby comes on her own - who knows how long it would take at that rate or 3) give it a little longer and see what progress we have made. Jeffrey and I decided on option 3. At this point I was still feeling okay. Most of the labor pain was in my back, so that REALLY sucked. We set a goal of 5 cm dilated for when the Dr came back - if we were there, then I would keep laboring. If not, we were going for the c-section.

Well, about 5pm came around and the Dr was back to check my progress. I was praying that I would here the magic "5cm"!! Needless to say there was NO CHANGE!!!!!! I was still only 2 cm and 50% effaced. So, we gave the go-ahead to have the c-section. It was a very emotional decision for us to make, but it was the right one for us. Brighton's heart rate had turned from nice, easy hills to jagged, sharp peaks. I was exhausted, and worried that she was being put under too much stress. So, after a few tears and saying goodbye to our family, we headed down the hall to the operating room.

Poor Jeffrey had to stand at the end of the hall in a corner all by himself while they got me all prepped and put on the table. He said that was the worst part! All he could do was think about how his life was going to change in a few short minutes...we really were going to have a baby! I was so relived when he came in the room and sat next to my head! Then the fun began! All I could feel was a lot of tugging and pressure. The next thing I knew, they said, "Okay, you are going to feel a lot of pressure...here she is"! Then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world - her first cry! Dr. Uribe showed her to me over the sheet, then she was gone to get cleaned up. She was still in the same room so Jeffrey was able to go over there and watch everything and take pictures. The nurses actually let him measure her head and length. Finally they brought her over to me, and we had our first family photo! She was beautiful!

After she was all cleaned up, Jeffrey went with her to the nursery while they finished up with me. Then I had to go to recovery for an hour - that sucked not being able to be with her. Luckily my mom and dad were able to come in there and keep me company. Then, it was off to my room!

So that is our birth story. The birth didn't go how we had planned in our minds, but the end result was the same - a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Why would anything be different with the birth - the pregnancy and everything leading up to this day didn't go as planned either! It was like someone was telling me, "give it up, I am the one in control"!!

I will add another post about our hospital stay in the next few days or so. Right now it is time for Miss Brighton to wake up and eat! Thanks for reading!