Okay, so I was right about thinking that labor was imminent. I re-read my last entry on Wednesday morning and things had changed a lot by the afternoon. I went to the OB's office and was 2-3cm dilated and 80% effaced, up from 1cm dilated and 50% effaced the week before. She told me to make an appointment for the next week, but that she didn't think I'd make it until then. What she didn't say was that she didn't think I'd make it even until the weekend. I'd told my friends that I didn't think I'd make it to the weekend and that I thought Thursday would be the day. Now, I meant that I'd start to give birth on Thursday and have the baby the same day, but it happened that I started on Wednesday and still had him on Thursday.
When I left the OB, I attempted to go to the library to stock up on books for delivery, thinking I'd have maybe a 7 hour labor since the last one was 11 hours. I got a couple of yards from the car and was so doubled-up and cramping that I simply turned back around and got into my car and went home. Didn't pass go, collect $200 or even stop at a drive-thru. Usually, if I'm out of the house alone - MAJOR LUXURY - I take advantage and get an errand or two done, stop at 7-eleven and get a Slurpee or some other indulgence that's grown too cumbersome with a toddler. But I just went home and took off half of my clothes. Later, my friend Carol stopped by to bring me something and I didn't even get dressed for her, I just reached out of the door and grabbed her bag and said hi. I was very uncomfortable and spent the rest of the day/evening on the sofa, sans computer, which you know is rare!
By 9ish, contractions started to feel like they might be real ones and not just hyped up Braxton Hicks. I stayed in a bit of denial because it seemed inconvenient. By 10pm I was sure, but just timing it so that I didn't have to leave the house too early and either be sent home, or have to wake Myles up for no reason. I called the doctor at 10:50, thinking that it was only going to get later and I'd be more embarassed calling even later. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart. I'd had 2 of the really bad, really real ones that you can't talk through - the kind that make you whimper aloud. I called Mark during the first one and couldn't answer him when he asked what I wanted him to do. I didn't know. I did want him to just shut up asking me questions and stand within grabbing range, but that was about it for clarity of mind. My OB said, go to the hospital now, which I thought was weird because I've heard all these stories of the doctors telling you to wait it out. But not my doc. Apparently, she told me later at the hospital that she'd already thought I wasn't going to last long since seeing me in her office earlier, so she wasn't at all surprised to be receiving a call.
We left home, I called my friend Lauren who lives close to the hospital and Mark dropped me off at the door of ER, took Myles to her house and then joined me. The hospital had a labor and delivery room shortage, so I had to go on a gurney for the first hour or so. They took their sweet time getting someone in to register me and interview me and when they finally did, I was already 7-8 cm dilated! They started looking a little harder for a bed at that point and got me into a room within the next 30 minutes. They called my doctor and the anesthesiologist (not a good experienece) and we were on our way. By the time the doctor got there, I think we finished within an hour. I think I pushed for a solid 30 minutes before we realized he wasn't coming out without an episiotomy (#2). His heart rate was starting to drop, so we did it and he was out by the next push. Mark almost passed out and was instructed to stop, drop and please don't roll. He recovered fairly quickly because we have nice pictures of Cole cleaned up on the warming tray. 5 hours, start to finish and we had a brand new bouncing, baby boy.
By now it was about 6am on the East Coast so I called folks who were probably up getting ready for work. I don't think we updated FB, or if we did, it was by phone because there wasn't even enough time in that room for me to have set up my computer or anything. We got in there and delivered a baby. Period. With Myles, I'd had tons of time to surf, sleep, hang out. This time, the suitcase was still packed and we were down to business.
When I left the OB, I attempted to go to the library to stock up on books for delivery, thinking I'd have maybe a 7 hour labor since the last one was 11 hours. I got a couple of yards from the car and was so doubled-up and cramping that I simply turned back around and got into my car and went home. Didn't pass go, collect $200 or even stop at a drive-thru. Usually, if I'm out of the house alone - MAJOR LUXURY - I take advantage and get an errand or two done, stop at 7-eleven and get a Slurpee or some other indulgence that's grown too cumbersome with a toddler. But I just went home and took off half of my clothes. Later, my friend Carol stopped by to bring me something and I didn't even get dressed for her, I just reached out of the door and grabbed her bag and said hi. I was very uncomfortable and spent the rest of the day/evening on the sofa, sans computer, which you know is rare!
By 9ish, contractions started to feel like they might be real ones and not just hyped up Braxton Hicks. I stayed in a bit of denial because it seemed inconvenient. By 10pm I was sure, but just timing it so that I didn't have to leave the house too early and either be sent home, or have to wake Myles up for no reason. I called the doctor at 10:50, thinking that it was only going to get later and I'd be more embarassed calling even later. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart. I'd had 2 of the really bad, really real ones that you can't talk through - the kind that make you whimper aloud. I called Mark during the first one and couldn't answer him when he asked what I wanted him to do. I didn't know. I did want him to just shut up asking me questions and stand within grabbing range, but that was about it for clarity of mind. My OB said, go to the hospital now, which I thought was weird because I've heard all these stories of the doctors telling you to wait it out. But not my doc. Apparently, she told me later at the hospital that she'd already thought I wasn't going to last long since seeing me in her office earlier, so she wasn't at all surprised to be receiving a call.
We left home, I called my friend Lauren who lives close to the hospital and Mark dropped me off at the door of ER, took Myles to her house and then joined me. The hospital had a labor and delivery room shortage, so I had to go on a gurney for the first hour or so. They took their sweet time getting someone in to register me and interview me and when they finally did, I was already 7-8 cm dilated! They started looking a little harder for a bed at that point and got me into a room within the next 30 minutes. They called my doctor and the anesthesiologist (not a good experienece) and we were on our way. By the time the doctor got there, I think we finished within an hour. I think I pushed for a solid 30 minutes before we realized he wasn't coming out without an episiotomy (#2). His heart rate was starting to drop, so we did it and he was out by the next push. Mark almost passed out and was instructed to stop, drop and please don't roll. He recovered fairly quickly because we have nice pictures of Cole cleaned up on the warming tray. 5 hours, start to finish and we had a brand new bouncing, baby boy.
By now it was about 6am on the East Coast so I called folks who were probably up getting ready for work. I don't think we updated FB, or if we did, it was by phone because there wasn't even enough time in that room for me to have set up my computer or anything. We got in there and delivered a baby. Period. With Myles, I'd had tons of time to surf, sleep, hang out. This time, the suitcase was still packed and we were down to business.
Here I am now in the second photo in a proper hospital bed in our own room.
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