I'm busy being a Mom. Part 2.

December 19, 2008

I arrived at the hospital a little after midnight, and had to get checked in through the emergency room. My mother works at the hospital so naturally she was stopped by everyone to talk to her. I felt the 2 women in Admitting were moving so slow. I don't know if it was because I was in pain every 10 minutes or if they were just really slow. Of course they both knew my mother as well so they were catching up on God knows what. Finally someone comes down with a wheel chair to take me up to labor and delivery and I don't want to be wheeled up becuase I think it's embarassing, I'd rather walk. But no such luck. I had to be wheeled. The girl who was in charge of getting me to the right place happened to go to school with my older brother so she was talking to me but at this point I couldn't talk through my contractions, and was annoyed at the fact that she wouldn't just be quiet.. but I didn't say anything. They take me to the labor room and hook me up to all sorts of monitors, and an IV. They were going to check to see how far I have dilated. I was waiting for them to tell me I was 1 cm and send me back home, which at this point I was dreading. Good news. I was 4. I was happy with this because my plan was to try and stay at home as long as possible because heading to the hospital for the fear of being sent home. Once we knew I was staying my mother texted my sister that she can come up. She lives about 20 minutes away but I swear it felt like she was there in 5 minutes. All the sudden time felt like it was flying by. I was unhooked from the monitors and was told that I could walk around the halls. Well you think they'd make it more interesting as you're walking around the small little hallways. Maybe put some TV's up there or something. The nurse found it strange that I put my underwear back on to walk around, but at this point, I hadn't yet been exposed for the world to see, there was no way I was walking around with my ass hanging out of the back of the paper thin hospital gown. They didn't even offer me another one to put around me. What the hell was up with that? I was checked again at 3:30 am and was still at 4 cm. I asked for the epidural and got it around 4:30 am. I loved the anestesiologist (i know that's spelled wrong). He was so nice and really friendly. I was really scared about getting the epidural because I thought that I'd flinch when he put it in my back and I'd become paralized. Obviously that didn't happen. I was prepared for the epidural to kick in and for me to actually feel like I was paralyzed. But it actually wasn't like that. It took the edge off of the pain, but I still felt the pressure of the contractions and it wasn't like a dull pressure it was like something I"ve never felt before. I just tried to think of something to compare it too, but I couldn't. My legs and my belly felt like mush, and it felt like your mouth does when you've been given novacain at the dentist. Shortly after the epidural my water broke. It was such a strange feeling. It literally felt like a water balloon that was filled with warm water broke. I started to freak out a little bit because when my mother was in labor with my head came out with with the water. I was secretly hoping that would happen with me so I didn't have to push, but that did not happen. I was checked again and had made it to 6 cm. Progressing quite nicely for my first baby. My doctor finally arrived at 6 am and when she checked me I was already at 9 cm, and the baby's head was all the way down. The dr got into what looked like one of those biohazard suits and I was ready to push. My mother was on the right side holding my leg back, and my sister was on the left. I'll spare you all the 'gross' details. But what I found to be annoying was everyone kept saying oh the head is right there, the head is right there, and I'm wondering where the hell is this head because it feels like the head is no where near being out. They could see the head, and all her hair. At one point the dr pretended to be a hair dresser and took her fingers and pulled up a little bit of hair and pretended to be cut. I didn't think it was funny at the time, but found it to be hysterical days later. The strangest thing I thought was that they were saying her head was "right there" but I still felt her feet all the way up by my ribs. I guess she was straightening out. I pushed for about 40 minutes. I was on a mission to get her out, and was told I was an excellent pusher. Woot Woot. I'll spare you all the gross details but at 7:22 am. Almost exactly 24 hours from having my very first contraction Avery Noelle perfectly entered this world.

Avery's very first picture. Only minutes old.