Birth Story - Part One

After my testing at the hospital on Thursday night, Josh and I headed home destined for a very low key weekend. I stayed home from work on Friday, my due date came and went with very little fanfare, and we spent Saturday and Sunday relaxing and running a few last minute errands in the hopes that we would be meeting our little girl soon. I went to bed Sunday somewhat anxious for our growth ultrasound and doctor's appointment the next morning.

Monday morning, I rolled over and glanced at the clock at about 7:30. As I laid there, I noticed a slight cramping feeling. Different than the contractions that I'd been having over the past few days, but I wasn't sure if it was really anything at all. So, I continued to relax in bed while I waited for Josh to open his eyes. Wouldn't you know it by 8:00 am, I had felt a couple more of these early contractions at about 10 minutes apart.

After Josh is up and moving about, I casually mention, "I think I might be having some real contractions." The look on his face was priceless. I think he wanted to panic, but I quickly followed up by telling him that I really didn't know if this was anything, they could stop at anytime and we should just continue with our morning as scheduled. Our appointment wasn't until 10:30, so I went about getting a shower, made sure I had everything packed, etc. Josh thought twice about getting on the elliptical, but I said, "what else are you gonna do - stare at me for 2 hours?" By 10:00 am, we were both showered and ready to go, the car was packed with all of the necessary hospital essentials (just in case) and we were off.

Our growth ultrasound was relatively uneventful, other than the fact that they estimated Miss Olivia to be 9 lbs. 7 oz. - oh dear God!! Fluid levels and all other measurements looked fantastic, and we headed upstairs to see the doctor. Of course my blood pressure was a bit elevated (they should really just surprise you with it, so you don't have the chance to work yourself up), but after a few more checks it was fine. I am now dialated 2 cms, which the doctor stretched to 3 cms, and they want to hook me up to the monitors for a bit before we head off. Keep in mind, I'm still having contractions anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes apart at this point. They're definitely uncomfortable, but I can still talk through them.

After about 30 minutes on the monitors, the baby looks great and they allow Josh and I to head off. Before leaving, I ask my doctor if it's possible for these contractions to just stop, and she told me that with this being my first baby, yes, that was definitely a possibility. To be honest, no one seemed concerned that I might have this baby anytime soon.

Upon leaving the office, I was pretty sure that I didn't want to go sit at home. First, Josh and I grabbed a bite to eat and after tossing around a few ideas, I decided that I just wanted to go walk around the mall. It would give me something to look at as a distraction and I could get my body moving to see if these contractions were really going anywhere. So at about 2:00 pm, into the mall we went.

At this point, I think I knew that the contractions were getting a bit stronger, but I was still anticipating their abrupt end and our return home, still pregnant. So, Josh and I basically just started strolling through the mall. Every 6 minutes or so (Josh is still timing things) our walk slows to a crawl and I grab Josh's hand as a contraction hits. I am now having trouble talking through them as well. This continues on for about 2 hours, believe it or not. We walk around both levels of the mall and begin making our way through Macy's.

Nearing the end of our walk-athon, I'm starting to realize that things are intense (contractions are anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes apart) and walking is becoming difficult. We're passing through Macy's and I suddenly see a huge stand alone dressing room. I make Josh follow me in and I proceed to get down on all fours while I make Josh put pressure on my lower back. I stay there for two contractions and realize that something needs to change.

At this point, I make yet another phone call to my mother, who happens to work at the hospital where we're delivering and is also the other half of my labor support team. I've been communicating with her all day, but I'm now finally convinced that this could be the real deal. And, when I told her that contractions now felt like my pelvis was splitting into two pieces, I think she was convinced as well. Looking back, I really can't believe I was considering it, but at the time, I was wondering whether I should head back home to continue laboring or get to the hospital. I just had a fear in the back of mind that I would be one of those women to arrive to Labor and Delivery only to find out she's still at 3 cms. However, since rush hour traffic was quickly approaching and I couldn't imagine the long car ride home through my contractions (we were only minutes from the hospital) we made the decision to head over to L & D.

We parked, took the elevator up, and my mom met us at the admitting desk at approximately 4:45 pm. I had to pause through a couple of contractions while answering some questions and filling out a bit of paperwork, but I'm still managing the pain quite well at this point. Labor and Delivery is bustling, so they move us to a triage room in order to get me checked out. I get hooked up to a couple of monitors, and at 5:00 pm a nurse comes in to check me and declares that I am in fact at 5 cms. Thankfully, some progress and it appears that I'm here to stay.

Part Two coming soon...