6lb 13oz
19.25 inches long
3:11pm
Wednesday - August 9th, 2006
August 8th 2006 - Tuesday started out like any other night wasn't tired enough to fall asleep yet so stayed up and watched some tv and was on the computer. "In The Womb" came on at midnight and was watching a bit of it finally decided to lay down on the sofa around 3am August 9th. It seemed like as soon as I fell asleep I was woken up with pain in my back that started about 330am got on baby center chat and asked the other ladies online if they thought I might be in labor. Decided to wake up John at 4am because I knew it was the real thing. He got up and out of bed and we started to time my contractions which were mostly in my back they were about every 3 minutes apart and averaging 20 seconds duration. But at my 37 week appt. I was 3cm/50% effaced so I figured I might go right into active labor.
We called the midwife about 5am and she said wait until they were a consistent 60 seconds long. So hung up and then they became 40 seconds in duration at 3 minutes apart. So called midwife back and she said try getting on all fours or try getting in the bath tub full of warm water since the pain was in my back. Tried getting on all fours but the pain was un-bearable so tried the tub and it seemed to ease the pain some. Got out and decided I am going to the hospital called midwife and they called me back and it was Laura and she said she was on her way to the hospital. He drove about 80mph with the emergency flashers on almost all the way to hospital.
Got to the hospital (thankfully already pre-registered) around 9am they took me back to triage were I had to strip down and put on a nightgown, pee in a cup, get weighed (182lbs), blood pressure, and tons of questions. They asked from a rating of 0-10 how I was doing on pain management I said a 6. Lady came back and checked me and I was 5-6cm/85% effaced so they admitted me. They wheeled me back to the labor & delivery room in the meantime John called my aunt Mary & his dad and they were both on there way. They put an IV in my right arm in which they gave me some medicine through especially the GBS (group b streptococcus) which I tested positive for when I was about 35 weeks pregnant. I was supposed to have 2 doses before I had Savannah.
My midwife arrived about 1030am in which I was asked previously if I wanted an epidural and decided to wait for her to get there to check me to see if I really needed it. Once she got there she had me get up on all fours on the bed to try to ease some of the pain and pressure on my back, it seemed to help some. She then checked me and from that position I was 9.5cm and with just a lip on my cervix. To get an more accurate check I decided to lay down on the bed so she could re-check me which was the same. She then told me about the epidural that she assumed it would be too late since I was this far already. I am glad she told me that because I decided not to get it, but then she offered me Nubian and I was like "yes please". that way it would relax me some and give time for the lip on cervix to disappear. She had to keep reminding me to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth.
Got my Nubian and then the nurse in the room asked how my pain management level was and I said a 4. Nubian only last about an hour (probably because I was only given half a dose). She then checked me again which I was the same, then an hour or so past and Nubian started to wear off so they gave me another half dose. Then around 1p or so I started having the urge to push (feels like you have to poop) so was checked again and I was ready to push. My aunt Mary & John were in the room on each side of my bed holding my legs up and back as I pushed after a bit they used the stir-ups to help then they both held my hand. I mainly wanted to hold hands when I was having a contraction. I kept my eyes closed every time I had one to try to keep me focused.
One thing that was funny that I did was look at the time and realized my soap opera was on so I told John to turn it on which he did (need I mention I was in the pushing stage) then he turned it up and I was like turn it back down. Mary was like I don't think she wants to watch it, and he said well she told me to turn it on. My contractions during pushing stage were a bit erratic. I guess because I couldn't feel the small ones After each push she was getting closer because they had to keep moving monitor on my belly that detects her heartbeat. It seemed like every push I had by the time I had another contractions she went back in. Finally she started to crown and everyone was like she has a full head of hair. Laura (CNM) asked me if I wanted to feel her head I said "no that's okay" (now I wish I had) I felt all kinds of pressure and asked if I could push she was like yes. I wasn't sure if I could or not when I didn't feel contractions finally after pushing a couple hours she flopped right out, and along came the water behind her. She came out on a wave. =)
She tore me pretty good what they called a 2nd degree rip because she had her arm stuck up next to her head probably would have had her sooner had it been out of the way. She came out and was put on my chest she was bluish looking. I was like "is she a girl? "is she a girl"? And she was. John cut the umbilical cord and then they took her to the other side of the room under heat and done her apgar which was an 8/10 I believe. Then after she was cleaned up a bit and such she was handed to daddy. In the meantime I delivered the placenta with a small push everything looked good and was attached. The nurse then handed Savannah back to me and she put her to my breasts while I was being stitched up but before she started they gave me a dose of Stadol. She then checked my anus to make sure it hadn't reached and tore it, which luckily it didn't go that far.
Johns dad & Lisa (my cousin)came into see her then she went to the nursery room. And I was wheeled in bed to my room. I was weighed a couple days after and I went from 182 to 168 then when I came home a week later I weighed 160. I guessed on a website when she was going to be born and such, and I had August 9th 3:20p -20inches long. I pretty much planned her birth.
Overall had a wonderful experience and am glad I was able to write this down as in time it seems like a distant memory because once she arrived all the pain and everything was worth it. No wonder most women don't talk about the bad aspects of labor because they forget all the pain they endured.
In My Daughters Eyes Song/Page
