2 Years of L
On this, the second anniversary of L's birth, I thought I would post L's birth story-- I've never published it here on this blog. It's fun for me to look back on "what I was doing that day"! If you don't like reading about people giving birth, best skip over this post.
It was such an exciting day, that day you came into our lives, little L! Happy Birthday!
Here's what I wrote on that day:
We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of L--- E----, born June 3 2010 at 8:30 AM. She is 8 lbs, 12 oz and 21 inches. Labor and delivery were a positive experience for all, and we’re now relaxing with our new little gal in the hospital while Grandma & Grandpa are with N at home. Here’s the story of how it all happened!
On Wednesday afternoon, I was watching N cook me a second lunch in her play kitchen. I felt a little “pop” and a trickle of water... leading me to believe that my water had broken. When I went into the bathroom to check, however, I didn’t find much evidence of that. I put N down for her nap, still feeling some moisture and trickles but no solid evidence that my water was really broken. I tidied up the house and laid down for a nap, all the time waffling about whether to call M and/or the hospital. I was feeling mild contractions every 10 to 20 minutes-- but I had been feeling contractions off and on for weeks so I didn’t want to take that as a sure sign of anything. When M called to let me know he was on his way home from work, I explained the situation. His opinion was that I should call the hospital and go in to be checked. I agreed. Since my sister Bethany was coming over for a visit anyway, we asked her to stay with N, then called the hospital to tell them we were coming and hopped in the car.
The nurses were expecting us when we arrived. One nurse took us into a room, hooked me up to a fetal monitor, and did a preliminary test to see if the leaking fluid was indeed amniotic fluid. That test came back positive. My contractions were registering on the monitor about every 10-15 minutes at that point. The doctor came in to examine me and I was 3 centimeters dilated, so she decided to admit us to the hospital. We made the necessary arrangements to stay the night. The doctor said that since my water was fairly certainly broken, they would induce labor in the morning if the contractions didn’t pick up on their own.
When a new doctor came on duty later that evening, she informed us that she would be doing a more accurate “speculum test” to determine whether the fluid I was leaking was actually amniotic fluid. She said that if my water hadn’t broken, she didn’t feel comfortable inducing me. Being almost a week past my due date, I was pretty disappointed to hear that-- we might be sent home after all! So after a few hours she did the test, and it came back negative for amniotic fluid. But at that point I was 4 centimeters dilated, so the doctor offered us the option of spending the night to see if labor would keep progressing on its own. We agreed that that would be a good choice.
Labor progressed throughout the night, and I slept when I could between contractions. They averaged 5-7 minutes apart, but sometimes I would get a longer break (10 or 12 minutes) so I could rest. (In labor with N, on Pitocin, the contractions were much more regularly spaced and I didn’t have the luxury of these longer breaks.) I also took a sleeping pill the nurses offered that helped me rest. By about 4:00 that morning, however, I was getting pretty uncomfortable just laying in bed. At about 5 I woke M and asked if he would walk the halls with me. He did and the movement really helped. We bumped into the doctor in the hallway and told her that things were getting uncomfortable. She asked if I wanted her to break my water so we could get things moving along. I readily agreed.
We returned to our room and the doctor came in. She examined me, and I was at 7 centimeters (you can start pushing at 10 cm). So the doctor said that there was no need to break my water since I had progressed so far on my own. I decided at that point to get into the tub (they have this amazing whirlpool tub at the hospital!) and that helped SO much to keep me relaxed. While I was in the tub, my Mom and Dad arrived and I got to say hi to them. It was so nice that even at this intense point in labor, I was still getting some 5-minute breaks between contractions, so I could still talk with people and be sort of normal when I wasn’t contracting.
When I started to feel the urge to push we knew it was time to get me out of the tub (the hospital doesn’t allow water births!) The contractions started to string together without any breaks. I laid on the bed in the tub room, and the doctor checked me-- I was 9 centimeters. They were encouraging me not to push yet, but the urge was pretty strong and I was having to breathe pretty hard to avoid pushing. The nurse and the doctor were having a miscommunication about whether to put me in a wheelchair to wheel me back across the hall to the delivery room, or to just wheel me in the bed I was on. At that point I was in between contractions so I told them I thought I could try to get into the wheelchair. As soon as I tried to get up off the bed I contracted. I think I said, “NO! I’m laying down!” and I did. With that contraction I started pushing-- I couldn’t help it. I remember them wheeling the bed as I was pushing. They encouraged me to breathe through the rest of that contraction. I think at that point they asked if my Mom and Dad could come and take pictures. I said yes. With the next contraction the doctor said I could push if I wanted... and I did. That contraction subsided and the doctor told me I could reach down and feel the baby’s head. I remember thinking, "I don't want to feel the baby's head, I just want to get her out!!" When another contraction came, I pushed again, and she was out! They put her up on my chest and she was purple-ish and bloody and crying and SO beautiful! I was so excited to finally have her in my arms. She was born at 8:30 AM. M cut the cord, I delivered the placenta, and they stitched me up. While they were stitching me up and I was holding her, she was rooting around all over my neck wanting to nurse-- hungry girl!! I remember wishing they would hurry up so I could just nurse her already! I nursed her and she did beautifully with minimal help. The nurse took her and cleaned her, and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa got to hold her while I ate a huge omelette for breakfast!
She has been a really great baby from the first moments and we really feel blessed. We’re about to go home from the hospital now, a family of four!
It was such an exciting day, that day you came into our lives, little L! Happy Birthday!
Here's what I wrote on that day:
We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of L--- E----, born June 3 2010 at 8:30 AM. She is 8 lbs, 12 oz and 21 inches. Labor and delivery were a positive experience for all, and we’re now relaxing with our new little gal in the hospital while Grandma & Grandpa are with N at home. Here’s the story of how it all happened!
On Wednesday afternoon, I was watching N cook me a second lunch in her play kitchen. I felt a little “pop” and a trickle of water... leading me to believe that my water had broken. When I went into the bathroom to check, however, I didn’t find much evidence of that. I put N down for her nap, still feeling some moisture and trickles but no solid evidence that my water was really broken. I tidied up the house and laid down for a nap, all the time waffling about whether to call M and/or the hospital. I was feeling mild contractions every 10 to 20 minutes-- but I had been feeling contractions off and on for weeks so I didn’t want to take that as a sure sign of anything. When M called to let me know he was on his way home from work, I explained the situation. His opinion was that I should call the hospital and go in to be checked. I agreed. Since my sister Bethany was coming over for a visit anyway, we asked her to stay with N, then called the hospital to tell them we were coming and hopped in the car.
The nurses were expecting us when we arrived. One nurse took us into a room, hooked me up to a fetal monitor, and did a preliminary test to see if the leaking fluid was indeed amniotic fluid. That test came back positive. My contractions were registering on the monitor about every 10-15 minutes at that point. The doctor came in to examine me and I was 3 centimeters dilated, so she decided to admit us to the hospital. We made the necessary arrangements to stay the night. The doctor said that since my water was fairly certainly broken, they would induce labor in the morning if the contractions didn’t pick up on their own.
When a new doctor came on duty later that evening, she informed us that she would be doing a more accurate “speculum test” to determine whether the fluid I was leaking was actually amniotic fluid. She said that if my water hadn’t broken, she didn’t feel comfortable inducing me. Being almost a week past my due date, I was pretty disappointed to hear that-- we might be sent home after all! So after a few hours she did the test, and it came back negative for amniotic fluid. But at that point I was 4 centimeters dilated, so the doctor offered us the option of spending the night to see if labor would keep progressing on its own. We agreed that that would be a good choice.
Labor progressed throughout the night, and I slept when I could between contractions. They averaged 5-7 minutes apart, but sometimes I would get a longer break (10 or 12 minutes) so I could rest. (In labor with N, on Pitocin, the contractions were much more regularly spaced and I didn’t have the luxury of these longer breaks.) I also took a sleeping pill the nurses offered that helped me rest. By about 4:00 that morning, however, I was getting pretty uncomfortable just laying in bed. At about 5 I woke M and asked if he would walk the halls with me. He did and the movement really helped. We bumped into the doctor in the hallway and told her that things were getting uncomfortable. She asked if I wanted her to break my water so we could get things moving along. I readily agreed.
We returned to our room and the doctor came in. She examined me, and I was at 7 centimeters (you can start pushing at 10 cm). So the doctor said that there was no need to break my water since I had progressed so far on my own. I decided at that point to get into the tub (they have this amazing whirlpool tub at the hospital!) and that helped SO much to keep me relaxed. While I was in the tub, my Mom and Dad arrived and I got to say hi to them. It was so nice that even at this intense point in labor, I was still getting some 5-minute breaks between contractions, so I could still talk with people and be sort of normal when I wasn’t contracting.
When I started to feel the urge to push we knew it was time to get me out of the tub (the hospital doesn’t allow water births!) The contractions started to string together without any breaks. I laid on the bed in the tub room, and the doctor checked me-- I was 9 centimeters. They were encouraging me not to push yet, but the urge was pretty strong and I was having to breathe pretty hard to avoid pushing. The nurse and the doctor were having a miscommunication about whether to put me in a wheelchair to wheel me back across the hall to the delivery room, or to just wheel me in the bed I was on. At that point I was in between contractions so I told them I thought I could try to get into the wheelchair. As soon as I tried to get up off the bed I contracted. I think I said, “NO! I’m laying down!” and I did. With that contraction I started pushing-- I couldn’t help it. I remember them wheeling the bed as I was pushing. They encouraged me to breathe through the rest of that contraction. I think at that point they asked if my Mom and Dad could come and take pictures. I said yes. With the next contraction the doctor said I could push if I wanted... and I did. That contraction subsided and the doctor told me I could reach down and feel the baby’s head. I remember thinking, "I don't want to feel the baby's head, I just want to get her out!!" When another contraction came, I pushed again, and she was out! They put her up on my chest and she was purple-ish and bloody and crying and SO beautiful! I was so excited to finally have her in my arms. She was born at 8:30 AM. M cut the cord, I delivered the placenta, and they stitched me up. While they were stitching me up and I was holding her, she was rooting around all over my neck wanting to nurse-- hungry girl!! I remember wishing they would hurry up so I could just nurse her already! I nursed her and she did beautifully with minimal help. The nurse took her and cleaned her, and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa got to hold her while I ate a huge omelette for breakfast!
She has been a really great baby from the first moments and we really feel blessed. We’re about to go home from the hospital now, a family of four!
Comments
Post a Comment