How Michaela came into the world

[Jinxiewolf]

 Monday, June 29th we had a normal, scheduled  28 week doctor appointment. Car wouldn't start - -yay. Had to call and reschedule, again, and my doc said he was dropping us. We had rescheduled too many times. I rang him back and he finally agreed to see us the next day.

Tuesday - Went in for routine exam. It didn't go badly, but it was uncomfortable. He checked my cervix, which wasn't even 1 cm dilated, and barely effaced. I figured for another late baby. After the exam I had an appointment with a dietician for my GD, which was pleasant. But before I was to leave my OB wanted to check my BP. It had been high through most of the pregnancy - and kept getting higher. 185 over 95. He said we were looking at preeclampsia. I was to go to labour and delivery for monitoring. So what started out as a routine checkup with errands planned for after turned into a day in a hospital bed. There went grocery shopping. There went birthday shopping. Ok though. DH still had enother day off work. We could go tomorrow. Except when we were released at 8 pm we were told we needed to be back again tomorow, for another day of monitoring. My poor little man had been so good all ay, sitting bored in a hospital room. I felt so bad. A nearly 3 yr old shouldn't have to do that. We'd been there since 10 am. Gotta check into day care for wednesday.

Wednesday. July 1st Canada day. Day care closed.  I should have known. It looked like Logan was going to have to go again, poor guy. So we spent another day in a hospital room, not sure what was going to happen or when I'd get to go home. Finally the Dr. came to see me around 3 pm. He thought we need to move things along. He wanted to induce. "When", I asked. "Today", was his response. I think my jaw hit the floor. There was no way I could do that! I had no child care! DH would have to take Logan home. I would be in labour all alone. I was terrified. The Dr. agreed to let me go home and come back thursday, when hopefully we'd have child care.

Thursday -  DH had to take more time off work. Day care was full. We went in and ended up just being monitored again. Poor Logan spent another day trying to be good. My OB informed me we would be starting induction on Friday. Or Sunday. Apparently our maternity ward has limited staff on weekends and they were concerned if the baby had high needs that they wouldn't have adequate staff. In the end they decided on Friday.

Friday. Finally had child care. We went into to be induced with a procedure that I had never heard of. Induction through irritation. A balloon catheter was to be inserted in my non-dilating cervix and put pressure on it until it decided to dilate. It sounded uncomfortable and it was. Though later I was informed that the uncomfortable bit may have been when he swept the membranes. My OB told me I could go home, get things in order and come back if the balloon fell out or I started active labour, or if my water broke, or in the morning. Went home, peed, lost balloon. Went back to hospital. Apparently the ballooon only falls out at 4 cm. That was a good sign I guess. He wanted me to stay overnight, but I wanted to do labour at home, where I could be comfortable. After siging an AMA form I was allowed to go. At home I had some contractions finally. Very weak, very few, and very far between. I slept all night, starting to have anxiety attacks about going back to the hospital. But no labour. In the morning I was bleeding a little, so back we went to the hospital.

Saturday - Logan went into day care. We drove to the hospital.  We weren't dilating any more, we weren't having contractions. The doctor decided it was time to break my waters and start pitocin. I needed an IV, but my hands were so swollen with edema they couldn't get a vein. I freaked. I totally panicked. I said I wasn't comfortable with the induction anymore. My OB said they would send me to Ottawa.  A kind nurse though sent my OB away to help calm me down, and finally I agreed to the induction. The Dr. did my IV for me with novacaine, then broke my water at 11 am. I talked him into waiting for the pit until we could see if breaking my water started labour. He agreed to wait an hour. Things got busy and the wait ended up being 2, 2 and a half hours, but still no contractions. I started to despair having a c-section. And so the pitocin began.

Contractions started coming now, harder and more frequent. We discussed pain relief. I wanted nitrous, maybe demoral, but no epidural. I had TV in my room and we watched a Friends marathon. I was high on nitrous oxide. It was nice. But then the contractions got harder. So we started the good drugs. It took the edge off, but the pain was still pretty intense. By my 2nd dose of demoral I was too hot. DH used a cool cloth on my head and nothing felt SO good. Hell, the clean, wet, cold cloth even SMELLED nice. About 15 minutes into my 2nd dose of good drugs I started asking for more. The OB nurse decide to check my cervix. Fully dilated. I could push soon, she told me. Oh god the pushing! The next contraction I started feeling the irrisistable urge to push, and I was scared. This was going to hurt for sure. The nurse went to call the doctor, and after that first push the baby started to crown. I took a breath, literally dumping the cool water on my head now and I waited for the next contraction. It hit. It hurt, then, amazingly, it was over. The baby slid out in that one push.A push that I didn't even try to push. No more pain, only relief, and maybe 5 minutes of pushing, if that. I began to sob, to shake. They said she was a girl, but after that alot went fuzzy. I remember mostly sobbing and shaking as the doctor made it in to deliver the placenta which took SO long compared to the baby itself. I kept asking if she was ok. I asked what her APGAR was - 8, then 9. Good! Finally I could have her back, and I was able to gaze into the face of my precious little princess. She was perfect.

[poli_sci_mom]

Jul. 11, 2009 at 8:49 PM

congrats. I'm glad everything went well!!!