I better write this down now before I forget!
Sunday my Dr. ordered a NST (non-stress test) to see how baby was doing while the Dr's were out of town. Evan and I got to the hospital, got hooked up on all the machines, had an ultrasound and they sent me home within the hour. We made it back to the last 2 hours of church and everyone, including myself, was suprised that I was there!
My friend told me how she was so mad that she was still pregnant that she got down on her hands and knees and started scrubbing the floor. She told me I was too nice and needed to get mad, so I decided to go with her advice. As soon as I got home and put Kelsey down for a nap, I started sweeping the entire downstairs, moved all the chairs out of the way and got out the mop. Then I got on my hands and knees and scrubbed all those spots that I've been too lazy to get and worked my butt off. After a good couple hours of that I was completely exhausted and my feet were the size of balloons and I couldn't move! I had to sit on the counter later that night and soak my feet in ice water so the swelling would go down. (Thanks Sam, no seriously)
The next morning (Labor Day) we woke up and were deciding what to do that day. 8:30am I started getting some, what I thought were gas pains and kept having to run to the bathroom. At about 10am these little pains kept coming so I decided that maybe I should time these. They started at 15 min apart and by noon they were 8 and then 4 minutes apart. Since last time I was induced and I hadn't talked to my Dr. yet about signs of labor and when I need to go in because we thought I'd be induced, I really didn't think it was hapenning. I called the Dr's office to see if anyone picked up, but of course on a holiday no one did. Evan decided to call the hospital and talk to L&D and they told him if I was feeling uncomfortable that he should bring me in.
We dropped off Kelsey at Jill's around 12:30p and were on our way to the hospital. We arrived at 1pm and Evan dropped me off at the Emergency room. Everyone was staring at me, and I really didn't want to make an embarassing scene so I tried not to make any weird faces when I was feeling pain. This little old lady, bless her heart(I wanted to get up and walk myself to L&D) wheeled me to L&D or so we thought we were going there! She took me to the wrong side of the hospital and realized she was lost so we turned around and finally found L&D (the funniest part, not at the time, was that she kept going over every single bump in the hallway she could find that would send pain shooting up my back, ohhhh I wanted to strangle her!)
They give me a gown, get me in a room, Evan makes it in about this time and we are sitting in the room for 20 min before I finally make Evan go see if they are going to hook me up to machines. "Oh I'm sorry I completely spaced it, we'll be right in!" nurse says. Um ya, hello, kinda dying over here. They hook me up, check me and they say "oh wow, you're at a 7!" A 7, really!!!!
Waiting for them to hook me up to something.
I was still in denial that I was actually having contractions and thought they still were going to send me home. They said, oh no we are admitting you. They really picked up the pace after that and rushed me into a delivery room. They asked me, "Do you have a birth plan or anything" I said, "No, all I want is an epidural". They took my bloodwork and had to wait for that to get back to give me one. My contractions were really intense at this point, not sure if its because of the realization that I was actually in labor or just because contractions hurt :).
Here's me at a 9, so glad I put makeup on that morning :)
I was screaming really loud and hated that I probably sounded ridiculous but I didn't care, it freakin hurt! (These contractions at a 9 were comparative to my induction last time at a 1, pitocin and cervadil really make intense contractions when you're not doing it naturally. I prefer this way a lot better.)
The on call Dr. came in, checked me and said I was at a 9 and that I wouldn't be able to get an epidural!!! I cringed at the thought of feeling the pain of pushing a baby coming out. I don't feel like I need to feel that, nor do I need to prove anything to myself. I just want the pain gone so I can enjoy it!
At 2:30pm I had stayed at a 9 for an hour and they finally got the bloodwork done, called the Anesthesiologist to see if she could even make it in the room in time before this baby came. They broke my water, sat me up and told me to stay very still. As she's putting the needle in I got the worst contraction yet and started pushing because I couldn't help it. I stayed so still even though it was soooo hard to, because getting that epidural was sooo worth it to me. We got it in and they immediately told me we had to push, I'm thinking, what! but I just got the epidural in, its not going to even be workin yet. But, we had no choice Brooklyn was coming now!
Getting the epidural, hallelujah!
At 3:15pm I pushed and by 3:30pm the last time I pushed, the epidural finally kicked in and I didn't have to feel the head or anything else, thank goodness! She came out and they suctioned her and she immediately started crying, the best cry you will ever hear.
They brought her to me and I was in utter shock that Brooklyn was here so fast. We made it to the hospital at 1pm and at 3:30pm she was in our arms. It was such an amazing, fun experience and were are so excited that's she's here!
She weighed in at 8lbs 5oz and was 20.5" long.
Evan's mom was able to come down and help with Brooklyn after she was born. Let me just tell you how nice it was to have her here to help out. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, held baby, played with Kelsey, scrubbed walls, cleaned chandelier (never would have thought of that one) and so much more!
