So, here is the story.
I had my regular 39 week OB appointment on Monday, September 22nd. At this point, I hadn't had any contractions or even Braxton Hicks contractions as far as I knew. (And I assumed you'd know them when you felt them.) Mom had told me that she had contractions for weeks before I was born and so I was expecting that our baby girl would probably not be arriving for a while. Chris and I were getting so excited for her to come! To help myself not be disappointed, I told myself she probably wouldn't be born until 42 weeks--sometime mid October. As soon as I'd convinced myself of this, little Theresa decided to prove me wrong :)
Starting the next day (Tuesday), I began to have contractions. I also had the bloody show. I was working from home and it was kind of funny to be tutoring people in English while feeling like I was in a squeeze press. The contractions felt like menstrual cramps and I wasn't too worried about them. I still thought labor was weeks away. Still, just to make sure to move things along, I was taking morning walks with my neighbor, Margie. I'd heard walks were the magic way to bring along labor :)
Chris was so cute during all this time. Every day he kept asking if it was time yet. He couldn't wait to meet his baby girl. He took me out for a special date on Wednesday night, thinking it might be our last chance for a while. Later he also told me he thought it'd be good to get me a nice, filling meal in case I was about to go into labor!
Fast forward to Thursday: I told Chris I was having a pizza craving and so we decided to walk to Pizza Hut, which was about 1 1/2 miles from our house. This was not such a smart plan! Along the way I had to keep pausing for contractions. They were definitely getting stronger but I still thought I at least had a few more days until baby would arrive. We had a really nice dinner and I ate way more pizza than I realized was possible for me. We walked home and the contractions kept coming. I tried to rest at home but they kept getting stronger and more frequent. It finally hit me that this was probably the real deal. Labor really started to intensify around 10 pm and so I started timing and charting my contractions. They were getting pretty painful and I tried to distract myself by cleaning up and tidying up as much as possible--good old nesting instincts. I was amazed at how much I got done between contractions! Little did I know, I probably should have just been resting! By 1 am, my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and pretty regular (and painful). From what I'd read, this meant it was time to go to the hospital. Luckily, I'd finally packed my hospital bag the day before! We got everything ready and started to head out.
Oh, I forgot a funny story! While I was laboring, I also was trying to eat and drink as much as possible because I knew I wouldn't be allowed anything but ice in the hospital. I told Chris I really wanted a milkshake as we were laying down trying to sleep. So, we got in the car and drove around trying to find some place that was open. All this time I was having pretty painful contractions which seem to feel worse in a car! Finally, we found a place! I had to use the restroom like crazy and so I had Chris drop me off at Walmart and he went to go to the drive through. I didn't have shoes on and probably looked ridiculous hobbling to the bathroom in my pajamas, trying my best to look normal. Chris was still in the drive through line when I was ready and so I stood out in the parking lot, pacing around. The restaurant was across the parking lot and so I decided to slowly make my way there. The walking and the cool night air actually helped a lot, but again, I'm sure I looked pretty wild contracting and hobbling along in only socks and pajamas.
Anyway, around 1 am, we drove to the hospital at last. Chris dropped me off right at the ER entrance. I had to pause for a big contraction before going in. While trying to check in, I was panting and kept having to pause to contract. Finally, I was checked in and a nurse from labor and delivery came down to meet me. She asked if I wanted a wheel chair and I said I thought I could make it. We started walking down the hall and I had to pause every few steps to contract. I decided the wheel chair might not be such a bad idea if I wanted to make it to L & D in less than an hour :) In the L & D wing, I was sent to the triage room. The nurse told me to relax so she could check a few things but I was panting and contracting like crazy. Relaxing was not something my body seemed to understand. To me, the contractions seemed very painful but manageable. They were like extreme menstrual cramping. I was pretty sure I'd be dilated to at least 6 centimeters. However, after being examined, I was told I was only at 4 centimeters! I almost started crying. I couldn't believe it. I was told I could stay in the hospital or go home for a few more hours. If I stayed in the hospital, I wouldn't be able to eat anything and would be on an IV and have restricted movement. I didn't want that and I wanted to avoid interventions and so I decided to go home. While in the hospital, my contractions had become irregular and spaced back out to 8-13 minute intervals. The instant I left and started moving again they started to increase in strength and frequency again!
Feeling somewhat discouraged, we went home. I tried to rest, but laying down was the most painful position. I couldn't hold still. For hours, I wandered the halls as Chris tried to get a little sleep. At this point he still wasn't sure if he'd have to go into work the next day. The contractions were becoming much longer and much more painful. I'd thought I'd gotten to the worst of them hours before but I was definitely wrong. The pain started to feel more like a sharp stabbing going all the way through to my back. It was the worst pain I'd ever experienced and kept increasing. I was worried I might accidentally break off different parts of our house I was using to pull or push on during contractions! I tried to rest when I could but this usually led to an extra painful contraction after a few minutes of rest. I worked hard to use good breathing techniques and to talk myself through things. I'd heard and could feel that the contraction pains were like waves with peaks of pain. When I felt one starting I'd breath to myself "ride the wave; ride the wave" and it seemed to help me get through the peaks and know the pain would at least subside for a while. Finally, around 4 or 5 am my contractions were quite long and more like 2 minutes apart in regular intervals. I woke Chris up and told him I really felt it was time to go this time. I had tried my best to wait as long as I could. I felt so drained of energy. I'd been up since about 5am Thursday morning when Chris had gotten up to get ready for work, so at this point it'd been 24 hours since I'd slept.
We got back to the hospital again and had to go through the same steps again. This time, to my gratitude and surprise, I was dilated to 8 centimeters. Originally, I had really wanted to do a natural birth. However, I felt so worn out and was in such pain that I decided to ask for an epidural. I felt, for me, it was the right thing to do. In retrospect, I think I could have gone through with a natural birth, had I known I only had a few more hours to go. However, I was worried that my labor might go on for many, many more hours as I knew it often did and I didn't think I could carry on without getting a little rest. Plus, I'd heard that sometimes an epidural could help a fatigued mom actually give birth sooner. As I waited, a wonderful nurse encouraged me and talked me through my contractions. She was very empowering and told me how well I was doing and what great control I had. She coached me in breathing and it helped a lot. I wish I had had her with me longer. It made a big difference to have someone there who seemed to feel so confident in my abilities. Chris and I both knew so little (even though we'd read a lot). It helped to have someone around with experience.
Eventually, I got the epidural after waiting about an hour and continuing with long, painful, frequent contractions. It was such a relief. I was finally able to rest a little and felt so grateful. I was continuing to dilate and it wasn't long before the doctor was called. My doctor actually wasn't available but another OB about whom I'd heard great things was able to come--Dr. Maria Torres. Around 7 am, I was fully dilated and ready to push. The epidural drip had been stopped and all throughout I'd still been able to move my legs (due to not getting a huge dose) and so thankfully I was able to push, though I couldn't feel much. I wish I'd been able to feel more for pushing. There were several nurses and Chris all around me. It felt wonderful to be encircled by people there to help. Chris was so funny and cute and kept telling funny stories in between pushing sessions and making everyone laugh, believe it or not. He'd been great supporting me, especially in the last hour as I was in the most pain and waiting for the epidural.
As I was pushing, I could hear that our baby's heart rate didn't sound right. The doctor and nurses didn't seem to worried, but they were talking about it. I kept asking questions. Her heart rate sounded way too slow. All throughout labor, I'd been praying for help and strength. At this point, my prayers increased in fervor for the health of our baby and for her safe delivery. I really wanted to avoid a C-section, and prayed she'd be able to be born vaginally if possible. Dr. Torres decided to use the suction cup tool to help on my next pushing session. After one or two tries with this tool to help, Theresa was born at 8:11 am. She was given to me right away and the instant I saw her I burst into tears. I felt so much love for her, so much gratitude. I wanted to hold her forever. I'd heard newborns don't always look pretty but to me she was absolutely beautiful. I just held her and held her. My own sweet baby. It was amazing. I couldn't stop crying with joy.
Chris got to cut her umbilical cord and later she was washed and weighed and everything. She weighed only 5 pounds, 12 ounces and was 18 inches long. I couldn't believe such a small girl was so difficult to push out! From there began our journey as parents. We spent two days in the hospital with our sweet girl and then brought her home. Mom came to join us the day we went home and provided great help. Today is Theresa's 2 week birthday and she is healthy and well. I'm so very grateful to God for her. We went in this morning for her 2 week pediatric appointment and she has surpassed her birth weight and grown a little, too! She now weighs 6 pounds and 1 ounce and is 19 inches long. She is a wonderful baby. People kept telling us our whole lives would change with a baby. I thought I knew what they meant. I didn't. But they were right. We love our girl so much--more than we could imagine. We are so thankful she made it safely into the world.
Looking back, in some ways I wish I had gone through with my plans of having a fully natural birth. However, I prayerfully chose to have the epidural and I think it helped me have a more positive birth and post-birth experience overall. I felt proud of myself for all of the hours of labor I went through and felt at peace. I still do. I'm grateful God was with me every step of the way. I'm grateful Chris was by my side all the way, too. And I'm so very grateful little Theresa entered the world healthy and well. She is a true gift and light in my life <3
Congratulations on your little one!!! She is so beautiful. I loved hearing about your story as well. Thanks for sharing!
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