7:00 am: My alarm went off, and I was dragging. Even though it was my last day at work (and it was even a half day!), I didn't want to go! I sat up and my realized that my shorts were soaked through. My first thought was "Oh great, I peed the bed since I now have an old lady bladder!" When I stood up, a small amount dripped to the floor. I woke up David and told him that I'm dripping fluid!! As I walked into the bathroom, it continued. I called the doctor, and she said that it sounds like my water broke, and I need to go to the hospital! Every few minutes, another gush would come out. I went through a few pads and pairs of shorts in minutes. It was such a weird feeling as we were half rushing to get dressed and make sure the last minute things were packed. I was still in disbelief that this could really be the day. I didn't want to get my hopes up.
8:00 am: Admitted to the hospital and a nurse checked my cervix. I was ruptured!!! Dilated at 2 cm, and she could feel the baby's hair! Ahhh! We couldn't believe it! We spent the next few hours just watching tv and hanging out. I walked around the hallway for a good 20-30 minutes and was feeling completely normal! I was anticipating a long day of labor and assumed Nico wouldn't be born until that night.
Feeling good wandering around the hallways
10:05 am: David and I were casually talking, and out of nowhere, an intense pain came over me. I didn't know what to do! It was miserable! Within seconds I was asking for pain medication! It was a lot worse than I thought the initial contractions would be. When the IV pain medication didn't change things much, I started to worry. I was only 2 cm dilated and already couldn't handle the pain?! I didn't want an epidural so early because of cost (I already knew my out of pocket cost based on length of time the epidural was in. Yeah, I know I'm cheap), plus then I'm stuck in bed alllllll day! I felt like such a wimp that I was already wanting it. Contractions occurred consistently every five minutes. As they would come on, I desperately grabbed David's hand and tried to focus on my breathing. After about 8-10 of those, I decided I was done and bring on the epidural! The anesthesiologist was busy with someone else, so the next 10-15 minutes seemed like hours!
I had David take a pic to see if I looked as miserable as I felt!
11:30 am: The anesthesiologist entered the room and I already started to feel better! Any serious or life threatening risk with this epidural that I had thought about in the last few months did not even cross my mind. All I wanted was to get that thing in me and working! David was advised to leave the room, so he decided to go get some food within a mile of the hospital. I felt a slight pressure as she inserted the needle, and I could feel it moving around in my spine, but I wouldn't call it painful. I was so focused on staying still and slumped down so the process would happen as fast as possible. With the next contraction, the pressure was lower and I felt as if I could push Nico out. Following the procedure, the nurse checked my cervix, and it was at 5 cm! They told me to call David right away and tell him to get back here!
12:00 am: The epidural was successful! I couldn't even feel when a contraction was occurring. The nurse checked again... 9 cm!! She called in other staff members to help get me into a delivery room asap, because this baby was coming out soon!!! As I was being wheeled down the hallway, it still had not hit me that we were having this baby?! Everything was such a blur and happened so fast. When we got to the room, they wanted me to flip over on my elbows and knees for a brief period of time. They also called for NICU nurses to come in the room, which scared us. I asked why they were in the room, but I got no specific answer other than reassurance that there was little concern and everything was fine. (I found out afterwards that Nico's heart rate had dropped to 90 bpm and the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Scary stuff.)
12:15ish pm: The pushing began. And this is when my top fear kicked in- having a stroke while holding my breath for prolonged periods of time! They wanted me to bear down and push for 10 seconds, but I just couldn't do it. They said 7 sec was acceptable. Ok, deal! I pushed 2-3 sets of 7 seconds for only a handful of times. The nurses and doctors were very encouraging and helped me through it. I had a female doctor on staff do most of the work since my doctors hadn't made it to the hospital yet because of the unusually fast progression of labor. She was applying pressure down there with her finger and told me to press down into that spot. All I felt was the sensation of trying to have a bowel movement- no pain. Dr. Shimer did show up just in time for the last few pushes. When he told me that Nico was almost out and one more push may do it, I gave it all I had and it was the coolest feeling. I don't think I've ever been so motivated before in my life. I was ready to meet the little guy.
David was far across the room AND behind a curtain! I didn't even catch him peeking around, but he told me he did! At least he "made it." My prediction was always that he would pass out or be stuck on the toilet! Poor guy.
12:46 pm: After the final push, I waited to hear the sound of his cry. He whimpered a little bit initially as they held him up for me to see. I couldn't believe that I was looking at my son. All that I remember thinking is that he was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. He began to cry within 15-20 seconds, and it was the best sound that I've ever heard. I watched Dr. Shimer cut his umbilical cord and then the nurses grabbed him to clean him up. I couldn't help but become overwhelmed with emotion as I looked over to David and saw his face peeking around the curtain at me.
Since I only got to stare at him briefly before they grabbed him and put him on a table, I was anxious for them to clean him off and let me see him and hold him. I had been looking forward to those first few minutes of bonding for so long. David came over and we just kept saying over and over again, "He's so cute!" We were the happiest we have ever been standing there as a family of 3.
That day went by so fast! Both sets of grandparents came to meet Nico about an hour after birth. They all commented on how great his coloring was, how long his fingers were, and how cute his lips were! He's just perfect. They all soon went to eat lunch while we were taken to our new room. We spent the afternoon just hanging out in there. Anne came to visit Nico, and then the grandparents came back for a while. David and I had a few hours to just ourselves before he left to tell "the girls" (dogs) the news of their little brother. In those few hours, Nico opened his eyes for the first time and had a 5-10 min period of alertness. It was such a special time!
After he left, I spent a majority of the night just holding and starring at him. Breastfeeding went alright and he successfully fed for 3-5 minutes at a time. He had his first dirty diaper in the middle of the night, and I had to call the nurses to ask for help since I've never changed one before! Reality hit me at some point in the middle of the night, and I became overcome with emotion. I couldn't thank God enough for our little miracle.
It was an amazing first day. And the Rangers won too!
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