Thursday, June 5, 2008

Labor Story -read at your own risk.

Many of you are doing the same thing that we are and using your blog as a type of journal. I have to add my labor story because I am sure that very soon I will forget. Then again maybe not..


Wednesday, May 28th (Hunter's Birthday)
   Today was the last official day of school -students had yearbook signing on Thursday and Friday. Teachers were required to be there until Saturday. I had my doctors appointment at 2:00 that day. As a teacher there are many monotonous end of the year check out things that you have to do. I was hoping that the doctor would induce me at our appointment so I made sure everything was completely done.  Administration allowed me to have my follow up meeting early -they were still surprised I was there. So Wednesday at 2:00 I left hoping that I would not be returning until August. As Tim and I went to my appointment I was very excited and nervous and then she informed me that she could not start me until a week after my due date -boo :( However she said she would strip my membranes. So she did and she replied "That was a really good one, I think that is going to work I will hopefully see you tonight." I left thinking absolutely nothing of it. All day Tim continued to say are you having any contractions now. Think of the cellphone commercial "Can you hear me now?" only it was Tim, "Are you having any contractions now?" This became very annoying considering that I was not. So we all were outside playing baseball for Hunter's birthday -yes even me.

The night came to an end and we headed home to visit with our neighbors -the glider we had purchased had arrived that day and our neighbor brought it home with him. So as I sat at my neighbors watching So you Think you can Dance, Tim set up the glider in the nursery.

At midnight I started having sharp pains in my back I didn't really think anything of it because I tend to get them randomly all the time. At about 1 am I decided to start timing them just out of curiosity -I did not tell Tim this (can you imagine it would be the cellphone commercial stuck on repeat forever). After a few of them I realized that they were about 10 minutes apart so I decided to inform Tim. He whipped out his ipod (much to quickly) to continue timing when they were starting and how long they lasted while getting dresses to leave as if I had told him I was in labor. By about 1:30 am I was still having back pains and they were 4-6 minutes apart so we decided we better go to the hospital better safe then sorry. 

We reached the hospital at 2:00 am. We were not sure if the doors were open so Tim pulled right up to the doors got out to check and ran back to the car and reply as he was driving away to go park "The doors are open." You think he could have let me get out there but no he drove around to the parking lot and did not even take the closest spot available. Oh I teased him for pretty much the whole time we were there and you are all welcome to tease him as well. At the hospital they checked my cervix, etc and hooked me up to a monitor. They have to monitor you for one hour. I was at a 3 1/2 and 90% effaced just like at my appointment and the back pains were contractions. They have to monitor you for an hour just to make sure everything is ok -the nurse said they will probably send me home because they are not very strong. After an hour the nurse said the need to double check the babies heart beat because he did not have 2 somethings so I would need to stay their another 2 hours and try to get some sleep then they would be able to send me home. At about 5:30 am the nurse came in again. My contractions seem to be getting worse in my head I though if they send me home I am not going to have any idea when to come in or what labor is. When she came in she examined me and said she had spoken to my doctor and she said I could have my epideral at anytime.  News flash -I had been told I was going home for the last 3 1/2 hours and now I could have an epidural. Well Tim became wide awake at that point. 

The nurse gave me my IV- the first time my vein blew up (not literally you know what I mean) and rolled so she had to try a different spot. As she was putting it in a second time I told her "I think I am going to throw up - I am going to throw up." The poor nurse she told me that is ok just turn your head to the side because she was still trying to get my IV in. So there I was throwing up as she put in my IV -yes I know it paints a beautiful picture. 

At 6:45 am the anesthesiologist was called in to give me my epidural. My mom had arrived and was there as well. As he put in the epidural Season 9 of Friends was  playing in the background -the best thing I ever did was to bring a season of friends with me. I would suggest it to anyone. As he was putting in the epidural I was humming and singing random tunes -and unfortunately not in my head but out loud.  As soon as the anesthesiologist had finsihed (which was about 1-2 minutes) he said, "Well I am off to Europe!" Nothing like making a little extra cash before you go. 

Hour and hours went by luckily I could not feel a thing. Tim, my mom, and I spent the next 6 hours watching Season 9 of Friends! I continued to progress right along track centimeter by centimeter as each hour went by. During this time I was becoming very hungry. Tim went and got a little caesars pizza and him and my mother ate as I watched. At 11:20 am the nurse came in and said I was dilated to a 10 so in an hour they would get started. . At 12:20 the nurse came in and had Tim count while I pushed while my mom gave me ice chips in-between each set. Once we were far enough in the delivery the nurse called in my doctor. It worked out perfectly that I was ready right during her break in-between patients.  Ian was facing postpartum, meaning his head was facing up so the doctor had to turn him. After an about 50 minutes of pushing at 1:20 pm Ian Bruce MacNair arrived when the doctor laid him on me he peed...I am guessing that was a heads up of what is to come.   

Tim thought that the doctor was going to spike the baby as he came out and yell touchdown.
The worst part about the entire labor (you may make fun of me and I don't care) but the worst part was the IV.  It hurt the entire time and kept bothering me. The best part of course is the little angel sleeping soundly to the side of me. 

4 comments:

The Heaton's said...

it was fun to read your labor story and compare! some of the things you said i was laughing because i remember having the same experiences; especially your last comment, about the worse part about the labor & delivery was the IV. my worst part was the catheter...i hated that stupid thing so much even with my epidural the catheter still hurt. it's funny how the worst part was not the actual labor or delivery!!!

april said...

so glad you shared; we all love a good labor story; i smiled a lot too as it reminded me of my own (i think i threw up with almost all of my deliveries). evan pooped on me while he was on my belly - i didn't notice until they took him off. i hate catheters (and not feeling anything from waist down) so much that i skipped the epidural after that. i actually loved a completely natural birth. (but i'm also blessed to never have had contractions build up. there was always space in between my contractions and yet i'm progressing. thanks to genetics, nursing came easy too. i know, i know. you can hate me.)

Josie said...

I agree, the IV was the worst part for me! I cried when I got my epidural, not because of it being painful, just because I was so scared of it, I couldnt help it! I was so embarrased! Catheters are terrible too! Expecially when they have to do it after you deliver.... I guess they are also good though because after they did my first one I went from like a 5 to 10 in an hour! He is so cute! Cant wait to see more pictures!

Justin and Stacey said...

Loved the story! I still need to write mine down!! All of these memories came flooding through my mind as I was reading. Yours seemed to go a little more smoothly than mine. :) Anyways, that's another story. What a cute little boy you have!! It is so nice to have your mom there to let you know that everything will be fine and to help all the hormones calm down. :) The little video was so sweet. You guys did good!