Birth Story - Alexandra Violet (LONG)

[purplecow0206]

So, I'm finally getting the chance to write this.

On Monday, Jan. 6th, I had a number of high blood pressure readings, so I was sent to triage at the hospital, and sat there for 4 hours to be told that everything looks fine. I was sent home to do a 24 hour urine catch, though the nurse thought it was unnecessary. I asked her what to do if I went into labor in the middle of it, and she said to just abandon it. I had this fear that I'd get 12 or 14 hours into the urine catch and go into labor, causing all that time and energy to be a waste.

However, Alexandra had different ideas. At 1:15 AM on Tuesday morning, I feel a pop really low and get a gush of fluid soaking my panties as I sit up. Contractions didn't start right away, so I called the doctor's emergency line and they told me that the doctor would call me back in 20-30 minutes. I didn't want to go in only to be sent home!

Fast forward 10 minutes, and the contractions start coming - 3 minutes apart and 40-45 seconds in length. In other words, intense. By the time the doctor called back, I was ready to go to the hospital no matter WHAT the doctor said. Fortunately, she agreed that we should make our way to the hospital, so we got into the car and I tried to crawl away from the pain the entire time. On the way, I turn to DH and say, "Screw waiting, I'm getting the epidural as soon as they will give it to me."

We get to the hospital and go through the emergency room to the maternity ward. Another woman came in with me, and I was slightly jealous that she was so calm! They pulled a wheelchair out for me and the security guard that escorted us to the maternity ward pushed me. I just kept on breathing and reminding myself that once they got me checked in, they could start the process for the epidural. They get me through pretty quickly and put me directly into a labor room, where I proceed to strip down as soon as possible to get into the hospital gown. All I could think was every step was a step closer to the epidural. The nurse asked me if I wanted the epidural when we got into the room, and I said, "YES!"

DH follows a few minutes later (after getting all the paperwork with the check-in desk), and they get the monitors on me and I roll on my side as the contractions continue to come about 3 minutes apart. I'm grabbing the side of the bed and desperately trying to remember to breathe. DH is there and getting me to look at him and breathe, and the nurse is trying to help me breathe as well. The doctor comes in between contractions, and checks. 4 cms apart and 100% effaced, ready for epidural!

I continue to breathe, and our friend who we were planning to come and help gets there. Soon after she gets there, the anesthesiologist comes in. She's explaining what she needs to come through. I'm trying to listen to her, but am thinking "Please, just give me the drugs!" Finally, she kicks DH and our friend out, I sign a paper, and they bring the good stuff in. I had 2 contractions while she was inserting the epidural, one of which I still needed to keep still because of where she was in the process.

20 minutes later and I'm feeling so much more comfortable. DH and our friend comes back into the room, and the next few hours of laboring are nice and calm. I doze in and out and feel the contractions, but am NOT in pain at all.

Around 6:30, the doctor comes and checks on me and does another check. She looks up at me and says, "Are you feeling a shift in the pressure?" I'd been feeling the pressure more in my butt, and had mentioned it to the nurse who just thought it was needing to poop. I mentioned it to the doctor then, and she said, "You're fully open, and the baby's head is here. If you're ready, you could start pushing any time." I was shocked, sure that I'd be there for a while longer. They start getting everything into place for labor and the baby started slipping lower. The nurse wound up having to re-adjust the monitor for the baby's heartbeat 2 times in about 15 minutes.

Around 7:00 or so, the doctor comes into the room and everything was ready for labor. She gets there, checks everything, pulls the catheter, and tells me to start pushing whenever I'm ready. The nurse grabs one leg, and DH is helped with the other, and I was talked through pushing. 2 big pushes and 2-3 more smaller pushes, and Alexandra was on my chest!

The emotion that came over me at that time was indescribable. I've heard about love at first sight, but never realized how it would feel to be holding this fragile little girl in my arms, and knowing that she was our responsibility and put into our lives to love us and to be loved by us.

[bananapancakes]

Congrats! Thanks for sharing your story.

[natablue]

Thank you for sharing!

[Deleted]

Congrats! I love your story and hope my labor and delivery go as smoothly as yours did!

[Myrrhine]

Awwww. Congrats on your baby!

[IndiaInk]

Congratulations! Her name is beautiful! Glad it went so quickly for you!

[timorousbeastie]

Congratulations!

[theatre4life]

Congratulations! I hope you both are doing well now.

[shelbyann]

Congrats! It sounds like everything went really well.

[greencrayon]

Congratulations!

[sh10]

Congrats!!

[Deleted]

Congratulations!

[pixiedust]

Congrats! And your ending thoughts were beautiful.

[pinotgrig]

This totally made me tear up - what a great story! Congrats!

[D2M]

Congratulations and welcome, baby Alexandra! I love her name. Very strong.

[robinsbff]

congrats - great story, thanks for sharing!

[changedname]

Congrats! Great story!

[bugandbibs]

Congratulations!

[mannah]

Awesome! Thanks for all the details. Congratulations!!

[Cricket0619]

Congratulations!