This is the super long version...
Let’s just say that Ricky got the point after I posted this post about my 40 wk appt. update at 9:25 pm on Wednesday night. That, your labor vibes (thank you!) and all the walking I did at the mall that day probably helped too. ; ) But literally, about 20 minutes after I posted, I started to feel contractions. Even though they hurt, I thought they were Braxton Hick’s since they were only lasting about 30 seconds. So I decided to go to bed…but the contractions kept waking me up every 5 minutes or so.
Now, for some unknown reason, I was in denial that this was the real deal and proceeded to lie in bed, in pain, for two more hours. Yes, stupid I know! Rick woke up around midnight, found me awake and breathing pretty heavily through my contractions, so he decided to stay up with me and time them. They were very consistent at 4 minutes apart but they were still only lasting 30 – 45 seconds. I always thought the rule of thumb was that a true contraction would last at least a minute or longer and I was still in a little bit of denial. Thank God Rick has a brain that is in working order since he convinced me that there was NO denying that I was in active labor.
So, we immediately called our parents and finished packing our hospital bag. It was past midnight now and I knew right then and there that neither set of our parents were going to make it in time to get to the house to be here while Mia slept. And our backup plan of taking her to the neighbor’s house got axed when they told us they were leaving for out of town the day before! So around 1:00 am, we headed to the hospital with Mia in tow. She was wide awake in the car and super excited that she was about to meet her baby brother very soon.
When I checked in to triage, I was at a whopping 8cm! I couldn’t believe my ears – although at this point the contractions were intense and coming every 2 minutes. I had actually thought about the possibility of going au natural and not getting an epidural so when they asked me if I wanted one at L&D, I was really indecisive. I can’t blame her whatsoever but one of the nurses mentioned that I wouldn’t know how long I’d be pushing for and then I had a flashback of Mia’s birth where I pushed for an hour and a half. That sealed the deal for me and so I caved since I was in so much pain and still had 2 cm left to dilate. My water had also broken during a contraction which in turn caused the contractions to be even more insense.
When the anesthesiologist arrived, she told me that the epidural would probably only take the edge off since I was getting ready to push soon anyway. Well, she was exactly right – but it was absolutely perfect! The pain was pretty much gone but I still had the insane urge to push. So probably 20 minutes after receiving the epidural, I was fully dilated and ready to get the show on the road. Three pushes later, my precious baby boy entered this world at 3:10 am. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. He was placed on my chest and I just looked at him in awe.
Sooooo...I guess they weren't kidding around when they said your subsequent labors go much faster than the first. From the start of the first contraction to when Ricky was born, I was in labor for only 5 and a half hours!!! That's just crazy! And, I still can't believe the fact that I only pushed three times! Three times - that's definitely a feat I’m very proud of!! : )
Now remember, Mia was in the L&D room the entire time. We tried to distract her with coloring books and cartoons but apparently she was very intrigued when it came time for me to push. The nurses said that she did see some of the birth and her eyes opened up really wide when he came out. I still can’t believe that she was there for the whole thing but everything happens for a reason. She doesn’t seem traumatized and I suppose it will be a great story to tell her when she’s older. :)
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