Tuesday evening (5/5), I was in the hospital for some monitoring when contractions started up. They started up pretty strong, but they weren't lasting too long, or coming consistently. They were measuring on the monitors and gaining strength as the night went on though. We arrived home from the hospital around 7:30, had some dinner and got the girls settled in for bed. Christian and I watched "24" while I did some work on the computer, and the contractions just kept coming stronger and faster. I sent myself to bed around 10:00PM with things picking up, but I didn't see much sleep in my future.
As the night progressed, I started tracking my contractions with an app on my phone. They ranged from 7-10 minutes apart pretty much all night, lasting about 45-60 seconds each, probably about a 5 on the pain scale, and there was no sleep anywhere in sight. Christian woke up in the morning and hopped in the shower, not really aware of what had been going on all night (he was sleeping on the couch). When he finished showering, I told him I didn't think he'd be going to work today...that things were happening and I was pretty sure this was it. We got the girls ready and he dropped them off at school. I took a shower, walked around, making sure things didn't die down with activity. Just the opposite really...as I got more active, the contractions came faster and stronger; more like 4-5 minutes apart, and around a 7 on the pain scale. Christian made me some oatmeal and we called the hospital. Because if my previous c-section and the fact that this is my 3rd, they told me to come in. So, I quick packed my bag and we were off.
We arrived at the hospital around 10:00AM. They checked me into triage, got the monitors going and took down my information. The midwife eventually came in to check me and I was dilated to a 1.5, around 80% effaced and baby was starting to drop, but hadn't made a ton of progress yet. Just like with the girls, the monitors were showing that my contractions were pretty strong, even though things weren't progressing much. The midwife talked to the OB's to come up with a plan, and officially checked me into a room. I was staying, and this was happening, and I was getting VERY nervous!
Once I settled into my room, they hooked up the monitors, took some blood, got an IV going along with an antibiotic for my GBS. I couldn't believe things were actually happening. The first plan of action was to try to get my cervix to soften faster. Because of the c-section I'm limited in induction options, but they agreed to try a transvervical foley balloon. It's a catheter like decvice that is inserted and hooks to the cervical wall. Every 30 minutes or so the nurse pulls on it and the irritation is supposed to help soften the cervix, making the contractions more favorable. It was uncomfortable at first, but didn't take long to forget about. After about 45 minutes the nurse came to pull it, and the whole thing came out. She called the midwife in, unsure if it had just worked faster than expected, or if it wasn't inserted correctly. The midwife checked me and I was dilated to 3.5 now and around 85% effected, so, a little progress.
As time went on, the contractions were becoming pretty unbearable. They weren't "ready to deliver" strong yet, but they were coming non-stop, one after another, and I had quite a ways to go yet. At that point, I gave in and requested an epidural. I was hoping I would be able to avoid it, like with Amelia's labor, but things were just so different, and I was already in so much pain. So, around 2:00PM in came the anesthesiologist, and in went the epidural. I have to admit, it was pretty heavenly then for a while. I spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening relaxing, watching some TV and napping My mother in law came up a while later to bring Christian some dinner and hang out with him for a while since I was pretty out of it. At epidural time, and for quite some time after, I was dilated between a 5 & 5.5, just not going anywhere. It was getting very frustrating. My mom stopped up with the girls around 6:30PM. I was excited to see them, and we were hoping things would progress and maybe they would meet their new sibling before the night was over, but no such luck. They left around 7:45PM and headed home, and my mother in law wasn't far behind.
They checked me again around 8:00PM and I still wasn't going anywhere too fast. The midwife and OB talked again and decided to insert and internal monitor so they could get a good gauge on how strong the contractions really were. After about 30 minutes of monitoring, they agreed to start some pitocen. I expressed some concern over it, just because I know pitocen can be a big leading factor to c-sections, but they felt really comfortable with it, and thought at this point, it could only help things.
At about 9:00PM I was up to a 7/7.5, almost completely effaced and baby was moving down fast. We were finally feeling hopeful that things were progressing, and while the epidural was still keeping my contractions at bay, I started feeling a lot of pressure. The pressure got stronger and stronger, and before long it was almost constant, and I was almost in tears. We called the nurse in and she asked if I felt like I needed to push. In all honestly, at this point, I couldn't tell what was going on. It was so different that my labor with Amelia...with her, I KNEW that I needed to push, there was no question about it, but this time around, it just felt like pressure. At this point, the midwife team had changed, and my midwife, Ann, was actually on duty. That was pretty exciting, she was finally going to delivery my baby for me after seeing her for so many years. She came in, and while I was not quite at a 10, this baby was coming. They got everything set up, took the bed apart, and it was time.
The pain, the pressure, the exhaustion...everything was setting in. I had so many emotions running through me...fear, excitement, anxiety. Pretty much everything. I finally cleared my mine, beared down and pushed. After 9 minutes, I felt the baby come out and a huge relief fall over my body. I couldn't believe it was finally over. I had done it...all of my self doubt and worry didn't matter, I did it. I heard a tiny cry out, looked at Christian and asked him what it was, and with a slight laugh in his voice he said "It's a girl!".
Yes folks, at 9:59PM on May 7, 2014, we welcomed our 3rd baby girl into our family. Meet Eliza Jane, the final piece to our little family puzzle. 7lbs 14ozs, 20" long and perfect as can be!
They placed her on my chest, cleaned her off and I couldn't help but let out some tears of joy. I couldn't believe I was finally meeting this little person, and that I got to feel the joy of meeting our baby for the first time again. There really isn't anything like it. I was just in a daze, in complete admiration for a while. Pretty oblivious to anything going on around me really. Just staring at this new, perfect little person.
Meanwhile, I delivered the placenta and they started cleaning everything up. I did have a couple tears, including a 4th degree, but none of that mattered. I couldn't feel anything while focused on my new little girl. After holding her for a while, and nursing, they took her to take her measurements, footprints, weight...all that fun stuff. I FINALLY got to eat something, and man was I starving! And a short time later they wheeled us up to my postpartum room. The nurse got us settled in, helped Christian give her a bath and we settled in for the night. With that, our lives were completely changed. And we couldn't be more excited about it!
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