When we got to the door, Kenny jumped out to help me, and the sweet old gentleman valet came out with a wheel chair. The valet does his job well and made Kenny get back in and pull the car up further, I guess he didn't really sense the urgency of the situation. The wheel chair he brought was the world's worst wheel chair and seemed to be set up for a much larger person than me. Kenny was rushing and the foot rests were not cooperating, he started off with my feet dragging. My purse fell off my lap to the ground. The valet didn't realize that I was in labor and that we needed to go to directly to Labor and Delivery and directed Kenny the opposite way to the pre-natal care offices. I guess I should have prepped Kenny a little better since he didn't attend the birth class with me. We definitely should have done a practice run. Somehow, I managed to redirect Kenny to the L&D side. When we came off the elevator, the nurses gave me one look and said to take me straight in to a room, they'd do the intake later.
In the room, a nurse helped me up and I immediately begged her for an epidural. I had no idea how much longer this intense pain was going to last, for all I knew this was only the half-way point and I couldn't stand it any longer. She calmly told me that I needed to get into a gown first and they'd check to see where I was at. I couldn't undress and put the gown on myself, so they helped me and got me to the bed. The nurse checked to see how far I was dilated and was confused for a bit until she realized that she couldn't tell because the baby's head was crowning, she said it was time. She stayed there with her hand on the head while she gave instructions to prep the room and call the doctor. Mom said the room suddenly was full of people moving crazy quickly and Kenny was impressed with how the bed was like a Transformer. The nurse told me to just breathe and do not push.
Dr. Meyer, my doctor, happened to be there already, prepping for an operation and he arrived in just a few minutes. He told the nurses to let me push and they talked me through my next contraction, saying that on the next one I would push and they were going to count to ten and then I could rest. They didn't have time to hook me up to anything, but they got a monitor on the baby and we could hear her heart-beat. Kenny was to my right and was encouraging me and telling me that I was doing great and that we could hear the baby's heartbeat. When it came time to push, I remember being super worried after I finished and the baby wasn't out yet. I was asking if she was ok, and Kenny said she was right there, he could see her. I opened my eyes and saw her head full of hair. The doctor told me that I was probably going to tear, and asked me if I wanted him to do an episiotomy. He said it would make the baby come quicker and with less pain and I quickly said yes.
It took pushing through two more contractions before our precious baby girl was delivered. Her delivery was about seven minutes total, yeah quick. Our precious baby girl was born at 7:52 am, not quite half an hour after we arrived at the hospital.
When they held her up to me, the first thing I saw was her beautiful red lips and they put her right to my chest. She wasn't very messy at all. She cried just a little bit. They cut the cord and stitched me up, but I didn't really know anything else was going on once she was in my arms. They immediately took her hand and foot prints and got her bands on her ankle, all while I held her. After a little while they took her aside to weigh and measure her and Kenny went with her. She was 7 pounds and 3 ounces and 20 inches long. I remember shaking and feeling so cold and being scared by the shaking, but they said it was perfectly normal after the adrenalin rush I had just had. When the nurses had finished with everything, including lots of the intake type questions that they hadn't had time for, they brought her back to me diapered and wearing the tiniest, cutest little robe onesie thing. We got some sweet family time to ourselves and then the visitors came.
I had heard so many birth stories and been so full with anticipation. I said just a few days before my labor began that it was certainly nice to hear all the stories, but I was ready for my own and I hoped it wouldn't be one that nurses told stories about. I think Annaliese's speedy delivery story probably at least made it around that day. It was amazing, a miracle, and dare I say, easier than I had expected. Back labor is not fun, but I wouldn't trade it for a build up to those transition contractions that came after showering, no way. I had been ok with the idea of an epidural, I really didn't think I would be tough enough for an un-medicated birth. I'm so thankful for the way it all happened though and proud that I got through without anything. Even if I didn't really have a choice.
I'm rambling now. I could go on about our hospital stay, which was just until the next afternoon, and what it was like bringing Annaliese home. There's so much precious to remember. I won't keep going, but this inspires me to keep this journalling through blogging as our precious little one grows. I do believe I'll treasure this modern baby-book I'm gathering.
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