Not bad for one day, eh?

Thursday, February 8th:


8:30AM to about 10:00AM

• Drop off #1 at school
• Buy flowers for friend who just had her baby (at the same hospital and using the same midwives I would be using).
• Go to Midwife appt. and learn that I am INDUCIBLE! (doubt that is a real word, but it works!). I am 3 cm. dilated, 70% effaced and a 10 on the Bishop Scale. Midwife tells me to either A) Go to the hospital and be induced B) Wait until Monday to be induced. I decide to talk with DH and call her later that morning.
• Go visit friend in hospital and see her adorable daughter.
• Go home and talk with DH

10:00AM to 11:00AM

• Talk with DH about the pros and cons ("I could wait and see if I just "go" on my own" vs. "We want this done, don't we?")
• Talk with my mom about what would work with her schedule
• Decide to do go for it!
• Call midwife
• Wait for midwife to call back
• At approximately 10:30AM, midwife calls and lets me know that in order to be induced that day, I had to be to the hospital to check in by 11AM. That's right. Thirty minutes! I only have thirty minutes to get there!
• Frantically call babysitter for kids (amazing how nobody is home when you need them) and then be proud of myself for having my bags packed a week ago... :)
• Get to the hospital right on time.

11:00AM to 1:30PM

• Get checked in, undressed, all that crap, and get my IV put in.
• Get antiobiotics going (I was positive for Strep B)
• Midwife comes, and she starts my pitocin and breaks my water

1:30PM to 5:30PM

• Watch a lot of "24" with DH on his laptop
• Call to make sure kids are okay; call siblings and parents to let them know we're having the baby that day
• Endure the contractions very well, especially considering that the nurses keep raising the pitocin level.

5:30PM to 7:45PM

• Highest level of pitocin! SUCK! It hurts like hell (no other word can describe it: It's HELL).
• The contractions are so hard and sharp (good word, too: SHARP) that I don't think I can handle it anymore. Midwife and DH and Labor/delivery nurse help me with the pain and use counter pressure while I breathe, breathe, breathe and concentrate on relaxing
• Gets to the point where I'm crying, and finally begging for the epidural.
• Luckily, my midwife, knowing I really don't want the epidural convinces me to take some kind of med (femoral?Fem?Something?) that takes the edge off and makes me loopy. For 20 minutes I can completely relax between every contraction and I can get through each one as well.
• Pushing! HOLY COW! I'm pushing!
• Five series --only Five series (contractions) of pushing! And out he comes right at 7:45PM
• He was turned towards my thigh, but he was ready to come out --Still can't believe how quickly he came
• No episiotomy; just tore a little bit
• Midwife places him on my chest --he's so wonderful! I'm crying and laughing and crying and lauging...
• DH got to cut the cord! For the first time! Yay for DH!

7:45PM to 10:30PM

• Placenta won't come out
• I'm bleeding badly (hemorrhaging!)
• Baby's just fine and is so beautiful
• Placenta finally comes out in one piece
• Bleeding gets under control with whatever suppositories they stuck inside of me (I have a history of bleeding a lot during childbirth).
• Get sewn up --just a few stitches
• All cleaned up
• Baby weighs 8 pounds and 5 oz. and is 21 1/2 inches long and his hair is so dark and he has so much!
• Nurse our sweet boy for a while
• DH takes him to be cleaned while I eat some dinner (man I was starving: STARVING! --and will continue to be until about 3 days later).
• Nurse Baby boy again --this time is better.
• Sleep. Sleep! Nice, beautiful sleep...