I wrote Kelsie's birth story down and put it in her baby book but since Karissa is already almost 6 months it is apparent that isn't going to happen. Before I forget more I'm going to document here. It's probably more information than you want to know but I'm posting anyway ;-)
Tuesday, February 1st Josh was shoveling snow at the airport. I was overdue 2 days by my due date and due in 3 days according to my doctors. I didn't want Josh to leave because it could take up to an hour to get home or longer depending on the snow and ice fall but I didn't really have any signs of labor so he went. I joked that I was going to call him as soon as he got out there and tell him that I was having contractions even if I wasn't so he would come home. I was convinced my labor was going to be short and we wouldn't have time to take Kelsie to the babysitter and then to make it to the hospital. (The original plan was to have my mom come down to watch Kelsie but it would take at least 2 hours from the time I called to tell her to come to get here. Between possibilities of false labor and predictions of lots of snow we made a back up plan of taking her to the babysitter until my mom could get there.)
I had a few mild contractions and realized they were coming pretty regularly about 20 minutes apart. I let Josh know but I really didn't think it meant much as they were so mild. They continued for a few hours and stopped. Josh didn't get home until about 3am only to have to go back a few hours later. I was able to sleep.
Wednesday, February 2nd. Josh was back shoveling snow for his second round, he had come home to sleep for a few hours and went back. Sometime around noon I started having mild contractions again. They would come every 5 or 6 minutes and then not for 10 to 20. Josh called to check on me and I gave him the update and told him I'd call him if it progressed. I wasn't as worried because it was the middle of the day now and I wasn't really believing this was it.
Josh came home and took a little nap. Sometime in the evening I began more officially timing the contractions as they were starting to be more regular. They were about 6 minutes apart but still mild. This pattern lasted several hours and I was positive this was going to be the night. I stayed up late, took a shower, fixed my hair, packed my suitcase, then realized nothing was changing so I better sleep while I still could. I was still quite sure that I would wake up during the night and we'd go to the hospital.
Thursday, February 3rd. What? No contractions? Josh had a class that was supposed to last all day and they weren't allowed to bring their phones in. He went but being the sneaky guy he is brought his phone and I was to text him if anything changed. I had an OB appointment at 10. The roads were terrible (remember Josh shoveling the 2 nights prior) but the doctor was only a few miles away and there was no way I was missing my appointment. I think I drove about 5mph the whole way there but we made it, white knuckles and all. (And my doctor did too more importantly)
When I got to the waiting room I noticed I was starting to have contractions again. I mentioned what had been going on to the doctor but he wasn't too impressed. I had been dilated to a 1 the week before and was sure after all these days and hours of contractions my body had made some serious progress. I never had any of that with Kelsie. I was dilated to a 2. Seriously? I was still convinced that due to all this "work" I had been doing that when labor really started it was going to be super quick. The only encouraging thing was that I had been dilated to a 2 when I went into "labor" with Kelsie. (That was totally different though because I was already in the hospital preparing to be induced and didn't even know I was in labor until I was a 9. Seriously - I had an epidural though - it's a long story)
My contractions never stopped once I left the doctor and I began to have some other reasons that I thought this actually really might be it that I'll spare you from . I talked to Sarah, my friend, and Kelsie's babysitter for the first 2 years who would be watching her and to Josh around lunch time. I called my mom who insisted that she could leave right then but between the roads and so many false contractions before this I didn't want to jump the gun so quickly. I always thought there would be a clear distinction when labor really began and I hadn't gotten it.
I got Kelsie down for a nap and called my mom again. My contractions were getting closer to 5 minutes apart and she insisted to get to the hospital right now. If I wouldn't have been planning a natural birth I would have considered it but I knew that most likely I would need to complete what I could at home to make this more likely. Around 2, I realized today was definitely going to be the day (that I would go to the hospital at least) and told Josh to come home. We took Kelsie to Sarah's around 3:45, boy was that a long and bumpy ride. General stress of me + icy roads + labor = not enjoyable ride.
I think we got home about 4:30, and at this point the contractions were pretty uncomfortable. Honestly, looking back, I thought I was farther along than I was and so was giving into the pain a little more than I should have. I wanted Josh to know it was hard work ;-) Really, it wasn't pleasant but little did I know . . .
We left for the hospital around 6 but by the time I got checked in and to a room it was 7. The majority of people going in are NOT planning on doing things naturally and so come earlier in their labor. Again I was sure I was already pretty far along and was not happy things were taking so long. (Just wait, I'll show them, they'll check me and I'll be ready to push, that will teach them to take so long.)
Heather, my nurse, checked me and I was dilated to a . . .
wait for it . . . .
wait for it . . . .
a 4!
You've got to be kidding me. I've been laboring for the past 3 days to get from a 1 to a 4, and the past several hours have been tough. Well things are really going to speed up now that I'm really feeling the contractions. The nurse called Dr. Smith and since he had seen me that morning, and knew I had dilated went ahead and admitted me. She said she would check me again in an hour. (She wasn't excited to hear that I wanted to do things naturally which I was prepared for and told her nicely that I wouldn't forget they had epidurals available and if I changed my mind I would ask. She never mentioned it again) Josh and I followed our Bradley book recommendations, he helped me through the contractions, and I relaxed as much as possible for the next hour.
An hour passed and I was so anxious to hear about the progress I had made. The nurse checked me again and . . . . .
wait for it . . .. .
wait for it . . . .
I was a 4! A flipping 4 are you kidding me. It was then I realized that this would be a long night.
After encouragement from my nurse I got up and walked for the next hour as much as I could with a couple breaks to rest. The contractions came much closer together when I was walking but were less intense. When I would lay down I would feel like I was getting a break because I would have less of them but they would be stronger. I was confused. I really thought labor was more cut and dry than that but I should have figured out by that point I was wrong.
Another hour passed and I was a 5 and the next several hours continued that way. Supposedly things are supposed to speed up once you are dilated to a 7 so that was my goal. I walked, I laid down, I tried sitting (terrible idea), so then I walked and rested some more. Once I was dilated to a 7 I decided I couldn't walk anymore, so I laid down for the remainder of the labor. Josh was awesome, and so was my nurse. She came in anytime I needed anything and was always very good about waiting to bother me until my contraction was over. The contractions were really intense at this point but I handled it. There were probably only 10 or less contractions that were the worst and luckily they came spaced out. It was mostly when I started trying to do something when they were coming on, or lost control relaxing and got tensed up. It was absolutely night and day between the pain of a contraction when I would relax and when for some reason I wasn't able to.
At some point around an 8, I became a zombie, I think all the endorphins were kicking in. I don't remember much, and I wasn't responding much to anyone except for some incomprehensible moaning. Finally I was a 9, and I knew it. We got the nurse in and the doctor (who was sleeping down the hall) was called. Honestly, it was amazing, I could feel my body trying to push the baby out.
He got in there and it was a little after 3. After a few pushes and I few screams later out came Karissa Grace at 3:32am, Friday, February 4th.
They immediately asked me if I would do it again (naturally), I said not right now and Josh said yes ;-) Dr. Smith thought I was crazy, but he was nothing but encouraging to me none the less. It was truly an amazing experience.
The rest of the story continued soon . . .Tuesday, February 1st Josh was shoveling snow at the airport. I was overdue 2 days by my due date and due in 3 days according to my doctors. I didn't want Josh to leave because it could take up to an hour to get home or longer depending on the snow and ice fall but I didn't really have any signs of labor so he went. I joked that I was going to call him as soon as he got out there and tell him that I was having contractions even if I wasn't so he would come home. I was convinced my labor was going to be short and we wouldn't have time to take Kelsie to the babysitter and then to make it to the hospital. (The original plan was to have my mom come down to watch Kelsie but it would take at least 2 hours from the time I called to tell her to come to get here. Between possibilities of false labor and predictions of lots of snow we made a back up plan of taking her to the babysitter until my mom could get there.)
I had a few mild contractions and realized they were coming pretty regularly about 20 minutes apart. I let Josh know but I really didn't think it meant much as they were so mild. They continued for a few hours and stopped. Josh didn't get home until about 3am only to have to go back a few hours later. I was able to sleep.
Wednesday, February 2nd. Josh was back shoveling snow for his second round, he had come home to sleep for a few hours and went back. Sometime around noon I started having mild contractions again. They would come every 5 or 6 minutes and then not for 10 to 20. Josh called to check on me and I gave him the update and told him I'd call him if it progressed. I wasn't as worried because it was the middle of the day now and I wasn't really believing this was it.
Josh came home and took a little nap. Sometime in the evening I began more officially timing the contractions as they were starting to be more regular. They were about 6 minutes apart but still mild. This pattern lasted several hours and I was positive this was going to be the night. I stayed up late, took a shower, fixed my hair, packed my suitcase, then realized nothing was changing so I better sleep while I still could. I was still quite sure that I would wake up during the night and we'd go to the hospital.
Thursday, February 3rd. What? No contractions? Josh had a class that was supposed to last all day and they weren't allowed to bring their phones in. He went but being the sneaky guy he is brought his phone and I was to text him if anything changed. I had an OB appointment at 10. The roads were terrible (remember Josh shoveling the 2 nights prior) but the doctor was only a few miles away and there was no way I was missing my appointment. I think I drove about 5mph the whole way there but we made it, white knuckles and all. (And my doctor did too more importantly)
When I got to the waiting room I noticed I was starting to have contractions again. I mentioned what had been going on to the doctor but he wasn't too impressed. I had been dilated to a 1 the week before and was sure after all these days and hours of contractions my body had made some serious progress. I never had any of that with Kelsie. I was dilated to a 2. Seriously? I was still convinced that due to all this "work" I had been doing that when labor really started it was going to be super quick. The only encouraging thing was that I had been dilated to a 2 when I went into "labor" with Kelsie. (That was totally different though because I was already in the hospital preparing to be induced and didn't even know I was in labor until I was a 9. Seriously - I had an epidural though - it's a long story)
My contractions never stopped once I left the doctor and I began to have some other reasons that I thought this actually really might be it that I'll spare you from . I talked to Sarah, my friend, and Kelsie's babysitter for the first 2 years who would be watching her and to Josh around lunch time. I called my mom who insisted that she could leave right then but between the roads and so many false contractions before this I didn't want to jump the gun so quickly. I always thought there would be a clear distinction when labor really began and I hadn't gotten it.
I got Kelsie down for a nap and called my mom again. My contractions were getting closer to 5 minutes apart and she insisted to get to the hospital right now. If I wouldn't have been planning a natural birth I would have considered it but I knew that most likely I would need to complete what I could at home to make this more likely. Around 2, I realized today was definitely going to be the day (that I would go to the hospital at least) and told Josh to come home. We took Kelsie to Sarah's around 3:45, boy was that a long and bumpy ride. General stress of me + icy roads + labor = not enjoyable ride.
I think we got home about 4:30, and at this point the contractions were pretty uncomfortable. Honestly, looking back, I thought I was farther along than I was and so was giving into the pain a little more than I should have. I wanted Josh to know it was hard work ;-) Really, it wasn't pleasant but little did I know . . .
We left for the hospital around 6 but by the time I got checked in and to a room it was 7. The majority of people going in are NOT planning on doing things naturally and so come earlier in their labor. Again I was sure I was already pretty far along and was not happy things were taking so long. (Just wait, I'll show them, they'll check me and I'll be ready to push, that will teach them to take so long.)
Heather, my nurse, checked me and I was dilated to a . . .
wait for it . . . .
wait for it . . . .
a 4!
You've got to be kidding me. I've been laboring for the past 3 days to get from a 1 to a 4, and the past several hours have been tough. Well things are really going to speed up now that I'm really feeling the contractions. The nurse called Dr. Smith and since he had seen me that morning, and knew I had dilated went ahead and admitted me. She said she would check me again in an hour. (She wasn't excited to hear that I wanted to do things naturally which I was prepared for and told her nicely that I wouldn't forget they had epidurals available and if I changed my mind I would ask. She never mentioned it again) Josh and I followed our Bradley book recommendations, he helped me through the contractions, and I relaxed as much as possible for the next hour.
An hour passed and I was so anxious to hear about the progress I had made. The nurse checked me again and . . . . .
wait for it . . .. .
wait for it . . . .
I was a 4! A flipping 4 are you kidding me. It was then I realized that this would be a long night.
After encouragement from my nurse I got up and walked for the next hour as much as I could with a couple breaks to rest. The contractions came much closer together when I was walking but were less intense. When I would lay down I would feel like I was getting a break because I would have less of them but they would be stronger. I was confused. I really thought labor was more cut and dry than that but I should have figured out by that point I was wrong.
Another hour passed and I was a 5 and the next several hours continued that way. Supposedly things are supposed to speed up once you are dilated to a 7 so that was my goal. I walked, I laid down, I tried sitting (terrible idea), so then I walked and rested some more. Once I was dilated to a 7 I decided I couldn't walk anymore, so I laid down for the remainder of the labor. Josh was awesome, and so was my nurse. She came in anytime I needed anything and was always very good about waiting to bother me until my contraction was over. The contractions were really intense at this point but I handled it. There were probably only 10 or less contractions that were the worst and luckily they came spaced out. It was mostly when I started trying to do something when they were coming on, or lost control relaxing and got tensed up. It was absolutely night and day between the pain of a contraction when I would relax and when for some reason I wasn't able to.
At some point around an 8, I became a zombie, I think all the endorphins were kicking in. I don't remember much, and I wasn't responding much to anyone except for some incomprehensible moaning. Finally I was a 9, and I knew it. We got the nurse in and the doctor (who was sleeping down the hall) was called. Honestly, it was amazing, I could feel my body trying to push the baby out.
He got in there and it was a little after 3. After a few pushes and I few screams later out came Karissa Grace at 3:32am, Friday, February 4th.
They immediately asked me if I would do it again (naturally), I said not right now and Josh said yes ;-) Dr. Smith thought I was crazy, but he was nothing but encouraging to me none the less. It was truly an amazing experience.
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