Let me tell you something: our baby boy is just a month old and it is already one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I am pretty sure that Curt would agree.
Everyone always says that you cannot be prepared for what comes after giving birth, and it is completely true. You can read the books (which have actually helped with soothing Miles when he is upset) and take the classes, but it is nothing like the real thing,
And I can't stress this enough: we have been doing this for a month. ONE MONTH.
But Miles is so sweet and lovable, and I wanted to share our birth story with all of those that have been asking and so that I have a record of it somewhere, cause let's be honest...I will not actually be doing a baby book.
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, I started feeling some cramping in my lower back. I had been feeling period-like cramps for a couple days and at my appointment a week before, I was dilated 2 cm. We knew it could happen anytime and I immediately wondered if the inconsistent cramping was Braxton Hicks or the real deal.
I went to work and the cramping was getting more consistent, but it didn't hurt and was all in my back. I started timing the contractions, and went home around 11:30 to be more comfortable, and that is when things got more painful.
I walked round the house for hours, took a bath, and drank a ton of water to make sure it wasn't false labor, and around 7:00 p.m., the pain was getting strong enough that I was having trouble walking. So we packed the car up and drove the 20 minutes to the hospital.
They hooked me up to the monitors for about a half hour and determined I was still in early labor, and I hadn't progressed since my last check-up the week before. They said they would give me morphine and send me home to "sleep through the night."
I immediately cried, due to the news and a particularly painful contraction (oh, and my contractions were all in my back...back labor is horrible, horrible, horrible). Like anyone could sleep through the night with contractions every five minutes. And morphine does nothing to ease that pain.
Since the hospital is small and it was after hours, I had to wait for the morphine order to go through. I sat in the room for an hour, crying in pain and frustration as the contractions got stronger. Thankfully, I was slightly hysterical, because the nurses heard me and felt I was heading into active labor.
They received permission from the doctor around 9:30 p.m. to keep me overnight and monitor me. At this point, I was still waiting for my morphine, but they wanted me to labor in the tub for awhile, and when I couldn't stand that anymore, they hooked me up to my monitors and had the doctor check me. I had dilated to 3 cm so they told me I could stay permanently! But no epidural...boo.
I got my morphine and while it probably did take the edge off, it really felt useless. I was tired between contractions thanks to the morphine, but couldn't sleep. At this point, I lost track of time, and I am not sure when the doctor finally came back to check on me, but I had dilated to 6 cm very quickly. And my first question?
"Can I have an epidural now?!"
They called the anesthesiologist, but since it was late at night, they had to bring him in from home. I have no idea how long I labored until he got there, but I had reached the transition phase of labor (the most painful part of contractions) and I was not a happy camper.
By the time he had finally inserted the epidural (around 1 a.m.), I had dilated to 9 cm and was going to start pushing soon. Thankfully, most of the pain was gone, but I could still feel the contractions in my backside because Miles was so far down.
In the end, being able to feel the contractions helped me with pushing, and I was still able to move my legs a bit. I ended up having the epidural for about two hours of the 18 hours I was considered in labor. I am not gonna lie, the epidural was the best thing EVER and I wish they had given it to me sooner, but since I progressed so quickly, there wasn't much they could do (at least that's what I told myself so I wouldn't strangle the doctor).
The actual pushing was really laid back, and I was actually able to joke and talk with the doctor between contractions. There was only one slightly nerve-wrecking moment when they broke my water and found the meconium in it, which is not good for the baby. However they had the pediatrician on hand right after he was born, and he was completely fine.
I barely felt the actual pushing part (thank you, epidural!!) and I only pushed for a half hour with pretty much no pain. Little Miles was born at 3:19 a.m. on July 23.
Other than the transition phase of the labor, it wasn't all too horrible. Painful, yes. But it was pain with a purpose...until that transition. At that point I wanted to rip the baby out and my uterus with him. I can't believe I ever thought I would go through labor without an epidural. More power to those that can do that, but I am definitely not one of them.
In the end, we got a beautiful and very healthy baby boy. With no complications and a fairly short labor for a first baby, I would say our family was very blessed!
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| 7 pounds 9.5 ounces and 19.5 inches long |
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