The Delivery Story

Here's my story.  Well, I guess I should say here's our daughter's story....

Tuesday evening, August 16, about 10:00 pm, I looked at my husband and said, "I have the weirdest sensation in my upper thighs."  It wasn't painful.  Wasn't like a cramp or my legs falling asleep or pins and needles.  Just a sensation is the best way that I can explain it.  We didn't think too much about it and went to bed.  I was up every 1/2 hour with this "sensation" and the need to pee.  So, at 12:30 am, I told my husband that I was obviously not going to be able to sleep and I didn't want to keep him up since he had to work the next day and I went downstairs to the couch.

This continued until about 2:00 am.  Sometimes it was 30 minutes apart.  Sometimes it was 15.  Always this sensation in both upper thighs and the need to pee.  I looked this up on the internet, well, attempted to look it up because I couldn't find anything about upper thigh sensations related to pregnancy.  I have 2 pregnancy books and I started looking in them.  Finally, in "The Mayo Guide to Pregnancy," I found one line that mentioned that contractions could take place in the upper thighs.  Seriously?  I had never heard of this before.  I called the hospital and spoke to the ob nurse on duty and she confirmed that it sounded like I was in the early stages of labor, but that it could go for about 20 hours, so I should get some sleep or take a shower and come see the doctor when the offices opened at 8:00 am.

About 2:30 am, I went upstairs and woke up my husband to tell him that I was apparently having contractions in my upper thighs and that I was going to take a shower and then he needed to get up and help me time them.  I took a long, hot shower and shaved my legs.  If this was really "it," then I was going to have smooth legs.  After the shower, I put lotion on my nicely-shaved legs and took my pacing husband downstairs to time the contractions.

The contractions were about 7 minutes apart and lasted 30-90 seconds.  For some of them, my legs would start uncontrollably shaking before the contractions started.  That was really, really weird.  About 4:00 am, I called the hospital again to tell them the timing of the contractions and see what I should do.  Since they were not consistent at 5 minutes apart or lasting a consisten 60 seconds, they told me that I should rest and come see the doctor when the offices opened at 8:00 am.  The nurse said that I could come through the ER, but that I would see the doctor quicker if I just went to the offices that were below the hospital.

So, we continued timing and they never were consistently 5 minutes apart.  I quit coming back out of the bathroom to lay to the couch since that no longer was comfortable.  The only position that I could get any sense of comfort was sitting on the toilet.  Between 4:30 am and 5:30 am, I stayed on the toilet and the contractions remained sporadic.  At 5:30 am, I called the hospital again to tell them that I was now having bloody discharge and that the only comfortable position was the toilet.  I spoke to the nurse for a while and she asked me if I had a contraction while I was on the phone with her.  Yes, I had.  Well, she said that since I could still talk through them and they weren't consistent, it was a good idea to come to the doctor's office at 8:00 am when they opened, but that it did sound like I was in the beginning stages of labor.  She also said that walking was a good idea and that if I wasn't very dilated, then the doctor would have me walk and come back. 

I had horrible visions of being one of "those" pregnant women who go to the hospital and get sent back home.  At 6:00 am, I didn't care if I was going to be one of those women or not.  We were going to the doctor's.  From my toilet-sitting position, I gave my husband directions of the things we needed to take with us to the doctor's and we were off.  The thought of sitting in the car was simply horrible, but, praise the Lord, the second position I tried was not too bad and I stayed there for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the doctor's.

We called both of our parents and told them that we were on the way to the doctor's office and that we would call them after I was examined and let them know if they needed to come.

When we got to the doctor's office, my husband told me that the contractions were about 3 minutes apart.  He could tell this because of the intensity of my prayers.  He said that every 3 minutes they got so much louder and more intense.  I remember very little about the car ride.  My eyes were closed almost the entire ride and I didn't move from the one position that was comfortable.  I do remember that at one point, my husband asked how bad the contractions were and I told him that they were definitely manageable.  Then, immediately, I got the most intense one that I think I had up to that point.  I grabbed the door handle and quoted the Bible, how I am redeemed from the curse of the law and how Jesus went to the cross and took the curse for me so that I may receive the blessings of Abraham.  Thank the Lord that I only had one intense contraction like that on the way to the doctor's office.

We arrived at the doctor's at 8:15 am and checked in.  The only question they asked us was if my water had broken.  No, it hadn't.  As I was standing in the waiting room, I turned around and my mom was there.  She hadn't waited for us to call her after the exam.  She just came straight to the doctor's.  I think she may have beat us to the office.  They immediately called me in to the exam room and told me to get undressed and sit and wait for my secondary doctor to come examine me.  (My doctor was in the middle of surgery.) Ummm, no, thank you.  I refused to sit down.  As I stood there, waiting for the doctor to come, I held onto the sink and beat my head against the cabinet above it, wondering where in the world the doctor was.  Then, I felt a huge gush go down my leg.  I sent my husband out of the room to go tell a nurse that my water broke.  She came into the room and gave me a towel.  While I was trying to clean up, the doctor came in.  He saw that I was cleaning myself and so he turned around a walked out.  When I found out that he went to another patient, I couldn't believe it.  My water just broke and he was making me wait even longer! 

About 9:15 am, the doctor came into the room and examined me.  He told me that I needed to sit down.  No, thank you.  I was not going to sit down.  It was not going to happen.  He informed me that he couldn't examine me unless I got on the table.  Finally, I said, "You just need me to lay down, right?  You don't need me to sit down."  He confirmed that was correct, so I stood in front of the table with my back to it and literally fell back so that I was laying on the exam table.  When he examined me, his eyes got as huge as saucers and he said, "You are having this baby! No wonder you don't want to sit down." 

"Is it too late for an epidural?"  I asked.

"Yes.  We have to get you to the delivery room immediately.  You are having this baby!  Nurse, get a wheelchair and get her upstairs immediately.  There's no time for you to put on your clothes, we'll just get blankets to cover you." 

So, they took off with me in the wheelchair, going the back way to the delivery room, taking corners on 2 wheels.  My husband went to the waiting room and sent my mom with me while he went to register me in the hospital.

When I got to the delivery room, the nurse there examined me and told me that I was ready to have this baby.

"Is it too late for an epidural?" I asked.

"Yes, you are at 10 centimeters."

"Are you sure that it's too late for an epidural?"

"Yes. It's too late."

When my husband got to the delivery floor, my primary doctor was sitting at the nurses station with her feet up, reading the newspaper.  He thought for sure that he had missed the delivery.  No, we were still waiting for everything to happen.

About 2 hours after my initial exam by the doctor, I had the uncontrollable urge to push.  Grabbed my legs, 3 counts of ten.  Pushing hard.  Next contraction, grabbed my legs, 4 counts of ten.  What?  I expended all of my energy on the 3rd count.  My mom says, "pant like a puppy."  What?  My hands started slipping because my legs were slimmey from the lotion I had put on them that morning.   My husband was standing at my shoulders and my mom was sitting in a chair with her head in her hands. The nurse was at my feet.  I can't believe that I put so much lotion on my legs.  This would be easier if they were dry.

I look at the nurse and say, "I don't want to do this any more."  (At least, my mom tells me that I said this very matter-of-factly.)

The nurse asks me if I brought bows because the baby has a full head of dark hair.  Apparently, she didn't care that I decided I didn't want to do this any more.

2 more pushing contractions and my doctor comes in the room.  This huge light comes down from the ceiling.  My doctor puts on scrubs. 4 more counts of 10.  Baby Girl is born!  The doctor asks my husband if he wants to cut the umbilical cord.  No, he doesn't.  She asks me.  No, I don't.  She asks mom.  No, she doesn't.  The nurse cuts it.  They whisk our girl to the big bassinet with lights on it that is in the delivery room.  Congratulations all around. She is born August 17, 2011, at 12:11 pm.

They take my baby to the nursery.  I want to go see her.  No, I can't because I'm still bleeding too much.  My husband stays with me.  My mom goes with the baby.  The nurse is worried about all the blood.  She keeps pushing hard on my abdomen and more and more blood comes out.  I didn't get an IV for pain medicine, so they can't put blood clotting medicine in the IV.  Three nurses try to get an IV in my hands and arms, but it just won't work correctly.  I get a shot of medicine for clotting.  The nurse still pushes on my abdomen.  Hard.  Finally, after a few hours of her pushing every 30 minutes or so, the membrane from the water sac comes out and the bleeding subsides. 

They bring my baby back from the nursery.  She is perfect.  We start getting to know each other.  Thank God for our perfect baby girl.  She is definitely an answer to our prayers.

God has been so good to us throughout this entire adventure.  We had a great team of healthcare professionals caring for us.  Contractions were not nearly as horrible as many people have described.  The delivery process was doable.  Recovery has been fairly easy.  Most importantly, He has given us a perfect little girl.