The drive to the hospital was, well, semi eventful actually. We had to take a detour because of construction, and on top of that my waters were STILL flowing. That's right, once your water breaks, it doesn't stop. No one told me this!
Finally we arrived at St. Mary's downtown. Dan helped me out of the Jeep and moments later I was in a wheel chair and rushed to labor and delivery. Everything was happening so fast. I checked in, and a nurse took us to the LAST, yes, the LAST available delivery room. I remember her saying "We're busy tonight!". For a moment I wondered where I would have ended up if that room was occupied.
Thankful to get out of my wet clothes (ew), I threw on a hospital gown and patiently waited to be "hooked up". At this point, I was still smiling!
10:30 PM - I was hooked up to the contraction and heart rate monitors, and given my IV. This was a part of labor I was dreading actually. If you know me at all, I HATE needles!!!!! Looks pleasant, doesn't it? Face palm.
The resident doctor came in to check for dilation. I was 2cm and 100% thinned. He immediately recommended Pitocin (a drug that speeds up labor), but I was quick to say "no drugs!". Because my water broke, they wanted to move things along quickly so I didn't get an infection. The doctor was very adamant about wanting to administer the Pitocin, but he respected my wishes and let me ride out my own contractions...
3:30 AM - Six hours had passed, and passed quickly! Dan slept on and off in an uncomfortable looking chair while I breathed through mild contractions watching late night TV. They were still consistent, but didn't pick up in intensity. I felt comfortable. They checked my cervix again. Only 3cm. The very concerned resident doctor was HIGHLY recommending Pitocin at this point. Since hours had passed with little progress, my likelihood for infection was escalating. I hesitantly agreed, but requested the lowest dosage. The nurse administered the drug through my IV, and within an hour I was in full blown active labor. The contractions came quickly, and the pain was intense. I white knuckled the sides of the bed during each one....and Dan claims a few cuss words may have left my lips. Remember to breath, I kept thinking. Dan was great about comforting me, and watching the monitor to let me know when each contraction was coming to an end. As much as I didn't want any intervention, it was starting to get unbearable. I know Pitocin is known to make regular labor contractions MORE intense, so with receiving that drug unplanned, my labor plans were quickly botched. When they checked me again, I was 5cm. I couldn't imagine waiting another 5cm without any relief, so I asked for the epidural.
I was in so much pain, things started to get a little foggy at this point. I remember them making me sign a form. I could barely breath, let alone read and sign my name on their clipboard! But I did, somehow. The thought of an epidural terrified me before labor, but in the moment it was very welcomed. The process took nearly 20 minutes, but shortly after, relief! I was finally resting comfortably in bed again. The contractions were even stronger (according to the monitor), but I felt nothing! Funny thing is, I could still move my legs and wiggle my toes. I wasn't expecting to have any movement of my lower half, so this amused me.
After receiving the epidural, I was dilating quickly, so they took me off the Pitocin and let me ride out my own contractions. Yay!
7:00 AM - My delivery doctor arrived and I was checked again, 8cm!! It was almost go time! The nurses were helping me move into different positions to help position the baby for birth. Again, I was amused I had so much movement after the epidural. I was on my hands and knees for 30 minutes at one point!
My delivery doctor checked me again during a contraction, 9.5cm. I was in the transition phase, and beginning to shake. The nurse told me this was common, and gave me an oxygen mask to help me breath. The babys heart rate was dropping, so my doctor quickly put on her scrubs and was prepped for delivery! I sensed some concern from the nurses and doctor regarding the dropped rate, but I was confident my baby was OK. I just knew he was. I remember feeling excited, and very focused. I was determined to push this baby out vaginally, and quickly! I jokingly told my doctor I'd have him out in 30 minutes. She looked at me like I was crazy!
10:00 AM - Time to push - finally! A nurse held my leg on the right and Dan held my leg on the left. The plan was to push for 10 seconds, every other contraction. My delivery doctor asked if I wanted a mirror so I could see. The thought of having one before never crossed my mind, but in the moment I wanted nothing more than to see my baby come out. "YES!" I exclaimed excitedly.
The first push felt odd because, well, I couldn't FEEL anything. I couldn't even tell I was pushing. Everyone kept screaming, "Harder! Keep pushing!" but my body just felt like I was lying there giving no effort. Thankfully, whatever I was doing, was working. After several pushes, my sons head was crowning. And yes, I saw ALL of this in the mirror. What a rush. After 6 or 7 pushes, he was almost here. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Again, the doctor expressed concern about the heart rate and said "If we don't get him out on this next push, I'll have to use the vacuum." Hell no, I thought, and pushed as hard as my numb, unresponsive body could. "The heads out! Do you want to grab him?", the doctor asked me. Without hesitation I reached down for my son and pulled him out and onto my chest. Tears streamed down my face and Dan's, as we fell in love with this beautiful baby boy we had just brought into this world.
10:39 AM - Sawyer Sullivan Bennett was born, and he was perfect.
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