We got checked into to the Labor & Delivery floor around 11am, and after that, things just happened in a blur. Our awesome nurse came in and started all the "things" that get started. We got our ID bracelets, I got the monitors put on me to measure the baby's heart beat and my contractions, I got an IV put in, etc. In the beginning, it was just surreal that we were finally there - after 9+ long months of waiting, we were finally at the hospital waiting for our Sprout to arrive!
Matt called my mom since we'd asked her to be in the room with us, and told her to head on over and I tried to rest in between contractions since I hadn't slept the night before. Matt did a great job of taking care of me - whether it was to rub my feet or go get me popsicles from the snack area - he was right there with me the whole time. The contractions continued to stay around the 3 minute marker but started getting stronger, and the doctor came in around noon to break my water. They wanted to give me pitocin since I still wasn't dilating much past the 3 cm mark, but I already knew I didn't want pitocin without an epidural. I had been hoping to not have an epidural at all, but after the night I'd just had and the exhaustion I was already feeling, I thought it would be best to get it and hopefully be able to rest some. I didn't want a c-section and had heard of situations where the mother is too exhausted to push so they end up having to have a c-section. So, I did the epidural and Thank God I did! At first it only took on my right side and I could still feel the contractions on my left side, so they had to call the anesthesiologist back in to get it to take on my left side. After that finally happened, I was in heaven! I essentially fell asleep and slept through the entire afternoon! They did end up giving me pitocin, but the amount was so very little, I remember looking at the IV bag and asking if I'd even gotten any because it was still full!
When I finally woke from my nap around 5pm I felt nauseous and like I was going to throw up. In the back of my mind I'd remembered something from our birth class that we'd learned - that some women dilate so fast that they get nauseous - but didn't really put two and two together. The doctor came in, saw the "bucket" sitting next to me if I ended up needing it and decided to check me out. That's when she popped her head back up and said - "the reason you're feeling nauseous is because you're 10 cm dilated and it's time to push". WHAT? I'd been just 3 cm dilated only a few hours ago - and now I was ready to push? Even the nurses were surprised and when our nurse from the morning heard the news (we had been reassigned to another awesome nurse earlier) she stopped by to share in the surprise that I was already ready to push! (I guess most people take longer!) From there, it was a whirlwind of activity getting everything set up and ready for Sprout's arrival! I started pushing at 5:15pm (while complaining that the epidural wasn't working anymore!) and my contractions were coming about every 1-2 minutes. Matt was by my side the whole time (even when I yelled at him "don't just stand there, do something with your hands! Touch me!") and my mom took pictures. Don't worry, I won't be posting any of those - they're for Matt and me only!
Looking back - it was all so surreal, from getting admitted to being told it was time to push, to hearing Matt announce "it's a girl!" and watching him cut the umbilical cord. It brings tears to my eyes just remembering how our little Sprout finally joined our family and made us complete.
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