my husband rocks

Since I got pregnant Mike has been nervous about the delivery. Like nervous he was going to pass out, throw up or both.
We got our instructions of how things were gonna go down.....

GAME ON.

Mike stayed up with me at first. My mom and twin sister took the legs. They did a terrific job.

Eventually my mom had to pee and Mike took her place. He was awesome. He stayed in one piece. And upright. He encouraged me in a way that I didn't expect but appreciated in a million ways. They were all awesome - coaching me to the finish line. Telling me about her hair. I kept thinking - I KNEW IT! And it made me push harder so I could SEE it! I honestly don't remember much of how things happened - they just did. I used the mirror for one push - but I really didn't need to see ALL of that.... And then before I knew it and 2 hours later - "ONE MORE PUSH". I cried. again.

Oh ya - and suddenly - transformer bed. doctors and nurses everywhere. and BABY!!!

More crying. From everyone. Mike cut the cord. I just stared at this brand new baby girl laying on my chest - amazed. totally amazed. and wondering how in god's name SHE came out of ME! Oh ya, and I thought she was pretty cute too.

It was a surreal experience and I look forward to doing it a few more times. just not anytime soon.

OH - remember all those people that were there before? Almost all of them stayed. all night. and got to meet her shortly after she was born. We have some pretty supportive friends and family.

And then I got to have breakfast!!

we're having a party...

or a baby. Same diff.

Did I mention that I had 14 (or maybe more?) people hanging out at the hospital with me waiting on this baby to show up. We were the life of L&D. Party on....
Oh ya. So I made it to 4cm. Had some pretty strong, long contractions and the next time they said "so - do you want the epidural NOW?" at about 10:30p I accepted that epidural with a big fat drug seeking smile on my face.

It was really not that terrible. I was really scared - you know - big needle. in my back. EEEKKK.

He was gentle. It felt like I hit my funny bone. in my hip. STA-RANGE.

And then the numbness started... very slowly. I could feel and move my legs the entire time, except they felt like they weighed 200 lbs a piece. But no pain.

then we waited. Or watched movies....

Look how much better I look now that I got the drugs. And a little button to push in case I needed more.

And then they increased the pitocin which brought on some crazy strong contractions and from the looks of that monitor I could have made out with the anesthesiologist because those bitches would have HURT!

Did I mention that this entire time I was STARVING? All I thought about was how hungry I was! And sleeping....

So ya time for bed yet? Every time I attempted to sleep - something would happen. Someone had their hand up my vagina every 15 minutes. Or at least it felt like it.

My little one, her heart beat and the crazy strong contractions were not doing well together. Every monitor would start going crazy and as soon as I could open my eyes there were 10 people in my room and half of them were looking between my legs.

I'm not sure I ever really got scared - I think I knew I had no choice but to lay there and let them do whatever they needed to.

Eventually she calmed down but it was a long process of stop the drugs, calm the baby, insert some new monitor into my cervix, start the drugs - repeat from the hours of 11p-5a.

I did learn that an internal monitor makes the baby's heart sound like a ping-pong ball and that an amnio infusion is just as infusing as it sounds.

By the time all was said and done - I had about 5 wires/tubes/monitors coming out from between my legs plus my IV plus my epidural... I couldn't have ran away even if I wanted to.

Also. I could not stop shaking. All I wanted to do was get warm, but I wasn't cold. Eventually someone told me this was totally normal. Nice.
No one got much sleep......

I woke up eventually feeling like I was going to puke my guts out. And I did.

Then the nurse said - oh look, you're at 10. Let's start pushing.

And I cried.

"holy shit I am going to have a baby. NOW"

so you wanna have a baby?

Or the beginning of my birth story...
I am sure you remember how freaking miserable I was - swollen, miserable, can i have a baby yesterday PAH-LEAZEEE.
What I may have left out that 10th month is that my blood pressure was slightly bipolar, always going up and down then way up again. It caused even more swelling. Finally that last week, it was higher and higher. My feet were bigger than ever [picture a rubber glove filled with water] and I could barely wear my flip flops!
Anywho - at my last doctor's appointment on good friday, after I had finished work, picking up my sister & getting my eyebrows waxed [um, because I couldn't continue on without doing this], the doctor FINALLY decided that maybe I had gestational hypertension.
And yes in fact, you should have your baby. TODAY. Oh, and your cervix is so ready.
I could have kissed her.
Instead I cried.
We made my reservation at the hospital, called the husband.
Went home to SHOWER and EAT [i had to get my eyebrows waxed remember?] then we left

We called everyone who needed called.
We got to the hospital at 3.
Checked in.
Filled out lots of paperwork.

At about 5p we started the induction.
BUT I had been contracting and dilating on my own. score.
Next up: Pitocin & Foley bulb.
The Pit - really it wasn't that bad, not for me. I mean ya, the contractions hurt but they were tolerable. The foley bulb - exactly what it sounds like. A big balloon shoved up in my cervix filled with saline. To "aid in dilation". it worked.
Then they broke my water when I was at 4cm.
Um. It was gross. and warm. Kinda like I could not stop peeing, but I wasn't. And it would gush. Ohhh joy. I attempted to walk after this - I made it one lap and I couldn't handle the leakage.
I didn't need the drugs yet but I didn't want to chance it. I knew they were going to increase that pitocin and um ouchy....

I bet you can't guess what happened next.....