We'll continue from going into labor & delivery. Beautiful room, hardwood floors, my own bathroom with shower, loved that room! I spent the next 21 hours in this room. It was about 2:30 PM by the time I got settled in the room. My water broke at 10:30 AM. I didn't feel a single contraction until I got settled in the L&D room.
Ouch! The good thing is I practice yoga and really learned my breathing exercises well. These really do help, girls! I was going to do my best to do this without an epidural, because we didn't know if Phoebe was going to have to go right to the other hospital for surgery. We knew if that happened, there was no way I was going to stay checked into the hospital where I delivered. I had to be with my baby. I didn't want to wait for an epidural to wear off. I also have to admit, I don't like needles. I never even looked at the needle they used for amnio. Not even after they did the procedure. I laid down in denial that anything was going on until I got the big bruise on my belly later. I'd also heard of women whose spinal fluid was all messed up after having an epidural. I'm a bit of a control freak. I figured I could do this on my own.
Apparently I was pretty good at controlling the pain. The doctors and nurses were pretty surprised at my strength (me too!). There was a woman I could hear screaming in the next room. They told me she had an epidural and was still screaming.
After 6 PM my contractions started to fizzle. At midnight they gave me pitocin in my IV. It gave me a nasty metal taste in my mouth. They said I could eat mints, so I made someone go to the snack machine and get me some.
Oh, I almost forgot the support crew. They really were a crew. Since we were trying this natural, and I finally agreed to have it videotaped, I asked my friend Wendi to do this. I told my husband he had to be my support guy with my breathing, so he couldn't tape it himself. So my friend Wendi came and she was great. Her husband drove her and he stayed in the waiting rooms all night with the other family members in waiting. Also, I asked my SIL, Nicki, to be there, as she was going to be the Godmother and she'll probably never get to have her own children (she has Lupus). She probably wishes right now that she wasn't there, but that'll come later in the story. Since she doesn't drive, my other SIL, Darci, drove her to the hospital. We decided to ask Darci to stay.
Let's take a count. I had the following in the support crew - Tom (DH), Wendi (videographer), Nicki (godmother/aunt), and Darci (aunt). You're only really allowed 2 additional support people other than your coach/spouse, but I think they let me go since I wasn't having drugs.
The other thing I really remember prior to pushing was that around 4 AM the doctor came in to check on the progress. I was 7 cm dilated at the time and progressing nicely since midnight when they started the pitocin. Apparently I was very calm. The doctor thought I must've requested an epidural while he was gone (I always reserved that right to still ask). He said, "You're fine now that you have an epidural (looking up over my shoulder for the meds). Wait, you don't have an epidural! Are you OK?" Me: "Fine." Dr. "OK, keep going."
Stay tuned for Part 5! Oh, by the way, at first I didn't like the doctor that was delivering. He was the only male doctor in the practice, and I had him for my 32-week checkup where I had already gained 35 pounds. He made a comment about my weight and that I should stop gaining weight. I almost told him off, because it was all baby. My belly was huge, and I was only eating healthy food. I rarely ate ice cream or junk food. He turned out to be great in L&D, though.
Ouch! The good thing is I practice yoga and really learned my breathing exercises well. These really do help, girls! I was going to do my best to do this without an epidural, because we didn't know if Phoebe was going to have to go right to the other hospital for surgery. We knew if that happened, there was no way I was going to stay checked into the hospital where I delivered. I had to be with my baby. I didn't want to wait for an epidural to wear off. I also have to admit, I don't like needles. I never even looked at the needle they used for amnio. Not even after they did the procedure. I laid down in denial that anything was going on until I got the big bruise on my belly later. I'd also heard of women whose spinal fluid was all messed up after having an epidural. I'm a bit of a control freak. I figured I could do this on my own.
Apparently I was pretty good at controlling the pain. The doctors and nurses were pretty surprised at my strength (me too!). There was a woman I could hear screaming in the next room. They told me she had an epidural and was still screaming.
After 6 PM my contractions started to fizzle. At midnight they gave me pitocin in my IV. It gave me a nasty metal taste in my mouth. They said I could eat mints, so I made someone go to the snack machine and get me some.
Oh, I almost forgot the support crew. They really were a crew. Since we were trying this natural, and I finally agreed to have it videotaped, I asked my friend Wendi to do this. I told my husband he had to be my support guy with my breathing, so he couldn't tape it himself. So my friend Wendi came and she was great. Her husband drove her and he stayed in the waiting rooms all night with the other family members in waiting. Also, I asked my SIL, Nicki, to be there, as she was going to be the Godmother and she'll probably never get to have her own children (she has Lupus). She probably wishes right now that she wasn't there, but that'll come later in the story. Since she doesn't drive, my other SIL, Darci, drove her to the hospital. We decided to ask Darci to stay.
Let's take a count. I had the following in the support crew - Tom (DH), Wendi (videographer), Nicki (godmother/aunt), and Darci (aunt). You're only really allowed 2 additional support people other than your coach/spouse, but I think they let me go since I wasn't having drugs.
The other thing I really remember prior to pushing was that around 4 AM the doctor came in to check on the progress. I was 7 cm dilated at the time and progressing nicely since midnight when they started the pitocin. Apparently I was very calm. The doctor thought I must've requested an epidural while he was gone (I always reserved that right to still ask). He said, "You're fine now that you have an epidural (looking up over my shoulder for the meds). Wait, you don't have an epidural! Are you OK?" Me: "Fine." Dr. "OK, keep going."
Stay tuned for Part 5! Oh, by the way, at first I didn't like the doctor that was delivering. He was the only male doctor in the practice, and I had him for my 32-week checkup where I had already gained 35 pounds. He made a comment about my weight and that I should stop gaining weight. I almost told him off, because it was all baby. My belly was huge, and I was only eating healthy food. I rarely ate ice cream or junk food. He turned out to be great in L&D, though.
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