Saturday, June 23, 2007

A Birth Story

Everybody's got one.

I know you've been waiting with baited breath...
For whatever reason, I do feel the need to document the occasion, as many have done before me. If only for myself. And you internet.
I will try to keep it brief.
Feel free to skip this post entirely if it's just TMI.

First of all, I was concerned about how I would know when it was time to go to the hospital. Last time my water broke, and that was a pretty good sign for me. I figured if it didn't break this time, how would I know?
Ummm...not an issue.

I'd been having crampy (crappy?) Braxton Hicks contractions all day. Lots of them. But I normally have a lot, so I wasn't overly anxious. I had a Dr.'s appt that afternoon, but with no great panic. I was 3cm's at 3pm. My Dr. (or rather her replacement as she was away on a 3 week vacation) suggested it may be early labour, but maybe she'd see me again next week.

6:50pm
Intense labour contractions start. Maybe 5-7 minutes apart. Did I mention INTENSE.
Call nice neighbour to come over to watch kids until sister can HUSTLE IT OVER ALREADY! (She kindly watched the twins with my mom while we were away)

7:00pm
Throw bags in car and race to hospital while honking and using flashers to get people out of the way. Did I mention contractions getting closer and more INTENSE?
Luckily it was not still rush hour and their wasn't too much construction on Glenmore Trail or baby would have had to been named Glenmore. After her birth place.

7:15ish (I didn't really check the time here)
Arrive at hospital. Freaking out about contractions as they are still close and INTENSE. 6-7cms.
Get checked out by maternity ward, they dawdle around a bit and move me to a delivery room, while I loudly request a freakin' epidural already.

7:16-8:12
CH and nurses try to help me while we wait for the Epidural Guy. He's on another job. I request louder. Contractions are getting closer, longer and INTENSELY PAINFUL.
Epi Guy comes and fumbles around a bit. Almost gets into fist fight with CH. Everyone is getting INTENSE.
My water breaks. Watch your shoes!
This is out of control! Epi Guy finally finishes. Thanks for nothing.
PUSHING!! I will refrain from going into too much detail here. Let's just say I was 'unprepared' emotionaly and physically for the INTENSITY of my natural birth. I had fully expected to be drugged and relaxed.
Oh yes, and the on-call Dr. arrived somewhere in there. She was lovely.

8:13
Hello Baby!
A few stitches and everyone is friends again. Except us and Epi Guy. We're not friends.

*noteworthy*
I was watching Veronica Mars when my contractions started. Just a random episode on tv. Coincidence??

4 comments:

Mrs. M said...

Am so glad that it's all over for you...Baby is here and you're all healthy. Yay!! This blur we call life with children will bring lots of laughs, sometimes after the fact, but laughs none the less.

Two Mittens said...

Yes, I think if I wasn't me, I'd totally be laughing at me.

Peace Sweet Peas said...

With E I was totally in the zone with my fantastic doula and it was intense but it was all good. With Z I thought I was an old hand now didn't need the support of a doula - was I completely insane? It freakin hurt so much more than with E. 2-3am I was in bed and they were starting to be hurtin and I knew this was it. T decides he should try and get some sleep??? So from 3-6 I was hanging around and it was freakin hurting more. I woke up T and we called our babysitter who eventually decided to answer the phone????(this was a guy friend of T who clearly didn't understand that we would be calling him at all hours of the day and night to come over). The 30 minutes waiting for him to arrive were starting to get really bad. The 30 minutes in the backseat driving to the hospital hanging onto the handle above the door - were unbelievable. I rolled into the maternity ward yelling for an epidural and didn't stop until I got one. It freakin hurt so much worse than with E because I just couldn't get into the zone of relaxing and going with the pain. I so hear you Mrs. Mittens. I so hear you.

Two Mittens said...

30 minutes to the hospital???!!!
Baby E would have been born in the car!
Having babies is crazy business...