Lucy June's Birth Pt. 2

31 October 2013

PART 1

We left the clinic just before 5:30, and I had a massive contraction as we got into the car.

6cm.

I was devastated. All I could think about was how much labor I still had to endure. For Jake's labor, we arrived at the hospital and I was already at an 8, my dilation was slow but steady, and it still took me three more hours before I was ready to push.

This time around I seemed to be dilating even more slowly. 2 cm in 6 hours. At this rate, I would be in labor for twelve more hours. (I do math in my head when I'm stressed. It's genetic.)

We drove the sixty seconds to the hospital, and as we got out of the car I told Jacob we should take a walk. It was a beautiful evening, and as soon as we went through the hospital doors there was no coming back out. He thought that was a great idea.

Then a contraction hurtled me onto the asphalt, and I decided that was the last contraction I was having outside, and we made our way to the front doors. My uncle - a nurse in OB - buzzed us into the maternity wing and gave me a huge hug. He said they'd been waiting for me. I smiled feebly and proceeded to have another contraction in the hallway.

I tried to keep it together. After all, I was only a 6. Laboring women don't get to be drama queens in the hallway at a 6. They weighed me and ushered me into my room. Then began the lovely process of checking me in.

The nurse handed me a gown and a cup and sent me to the bathroom. Contraction in the bathroom. I climbed into the bed, and the nurse tried to hook me up to the wireless fetal monitor. Contraction. She hooked me up to the regular fetal monitor instead and almost managed to start placing the Hep lock. Contraction. The nurse placed the Hep lock. Contraction.

In the brief time between contractions, I stared at the birthing ball in the corner and thought that I had to start MANAGING these things because they were ROYALLY kicking my ass. There was absolutely no way I could go on like this.

The nurse started to take my medical history, but with the first question I headed into a new contraction and I got on my hands and knees on the bed. I brusquely told her to wait, and then I thought to myself: "If you want the hospital staff to feel positive about women going natural than you can't snap at OB nurses."And so I apologized for inconveniencing her (???) and went barreling into The World's Worst Contraction.

My mom reminded me to relax my face and keep my voice low because I kept surging up into a whimper. It was pretty pitiful. By the end of the contraction I was just saying: "Pressure. Pressure. Pressure. Pressure."

The nurse asked if I felt like I needed to have a bowel movement.

I answered yes and then thought maybe I did just need to have bowel movement. So it was decided that I should go to the bathroom. It would've been wise for the nurse to check me at this moment, but I had JUST been checked in the office...

So I went to the bathroom, and as soon as I sat on the toilet I had another earth-shattering contraction and I got down on my knees on the floor. At the end of the contraction I felt the baby crowning, and I thought: "6cm or not I'm going to push this baby out right here right now. I don't care what they say. I just won't even go out there." After the contraction, Jacob and my mom helped me back to bed; the nurse had run to get my doctor who was waiting for me as I fell on my side on the bed. She checked me, called for an emergency cart, and then turned to me.

"You're complete." She said. And I remember thinking how beautiful she was at that moment. "You can push on the next contraction."

 Baby's head was out about 45 seconds later.

The cord was wrapped around her neck so my OB had me stop to make sure it was loose enough, which it was, so she told me to keep pushing. I pushed but I wasn't in a contraction, and I remember thinking "This isn't working at all." Within a few seconds the next contraction hit, and baby was delivered. All 8 pounds of her. And Jacob and I were in total shock. Only 33 minutes before we were walking through the hospital doors preparing ourselves for a long night of laboring.

Lucy June. Minutes old.
Disheveled and on top of the world
She has her father's feet. (i.e. HUGE) (Jake inherited my deformed pinky toenail so I guess we're even.)

Opie and NanaSuz playing Dr.
Jake showed up, gave his sister one glance, and promptly fell in love with the birthing ball.

I drank my weight in Recharge and a couple hours later went to the bathroom and peed like I haven't peed in 9 months. I didn't think I even needed to go, but then I sat and peed for something like 90 seconds. TMI? Probably. But this is a blog.

Recharging
Recharging
Birth is over and blogged. Now off to the real work.

21 comments :

  1. She looks so ready to be out and meeting everyone in that first picture! I teared up (like I always do)...beautiful story!

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  2. OH my gosh! 1) I absolutely loved reading your story, 2) I love the way you write, and 3) I know I haven't seen you in forever but it is so neat to be able to keep up with you on your blog! You have a precious family and your pictures almost made me tear up:)

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  3. Holy cow, you transitioned fast. Awesome! The picture of both your boys kissing you is awesome, and the last one, it's like I can see how proud of you he is and how proud you are that you just birthed a gorgeous baby girl. Ahhhh, tears!

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  4. "And I remember thinking how beautiful she was at that moment." Haha! I love it! And congratulations!

    This time around I was being told not to push, even though I was a 10, because the OB was running late, presumably after having gotten a bagel on his way to work that morning. I would have hurled some obscenities if I hadn't been too busy having contractions and pushing anyway, because seriously, you don't need an MD to put your hands out and catch a baby, ladies, and they weren't the ones with a child splitting their body in half.

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  5. This is exactly like what happened to me. Except we were not at the hospital until 10 minutes before she came. The women in my family go from 5 to 10 in like 20 minutes and as a result we've have babies born ..well just about everywhere! Thank God it went so fast after all! Congrats!

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  6. Such a pretty baby! I had a similar experience with Betty, regular contractions around the house for a couple hours, nothing too serious, then one gigantic contration and I knew we had to GO RIGHT THAT SECOND. No one at the hospital believes pregnant women though, so they put me on a metal table in the exam room and I had her right there seconds later! That'll teach 'em. :0)

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  7. I love it! And I laughed at your comment about peeing. Totally. Not only do you get to go the longest without peeing than you have in the last nine months, but then when you do it's like ... whoa. Never peed before in your life. This is the TMI comment.

    But your story of how fast it was all happening brought back memories of May 8th. This was a beautiful story and thank you for sharing, Katie. All my love to the Rhodes family.

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  8. That almost made me cry!! My last three were like that - super slow and then my water would break and I'd go from 4 or 5 to 10 and having a baby in about 50 minutes. Two pushes and a baby. And she's seriously the most beautiful baby..!

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  9. What a BEAUTIFUL story! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  10. Love! She was so thoughtful to make sure you had a good story for the blog.

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  11. Oh wow! What a beautiful story! I had a similar experience with my fourth, and I was so ready to labor for a million more hours but as soon as I walked into the birth centre I felt like I had to push and five minutes later he was done and born! Its shocking and so, so, wonderful! She's so beautiful and you look so great! Hope you're still doing great!

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  12. weep, weep, weep. I'm pregnant, so that's my excuse, tho I probably would have been moved to tears anyway. Great story--thanks for sharing. And I CAN'T wait to meet her (and introduce her to Emma!), whenever that may be.

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  13. She really is one of the most beautiful newborn babies I've ever seen. Beautiful story. Love you.

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  14. Okay I don't know why I didn't comment on this when I read this the first time (oh yeah, five day old baby so probably we can blame it on Conor, right? Right.) but I cannot believe how refreshed you look.

    I'm like you, so concerned about being nice to the nurses. And you remind me of my mother-in-law because she transitions crazy fast after slow labors.

    Beautiful story, beautiful newborn (agree with Meg!), beautiful family!

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  15. Randomly found your blog today and just wanted to say--I had my fourth in August and none of the pre-labor has gotten any faster...it still takes me forever to get to a five (even with some pitocin this last time around). BUT, the last five cm... they went from about six hours with the first to about ten minutes with the last! I was like you leaving the doctor's office when I was only a 5 many hours (and much pain) into labor, but thankfully I was holding a baby in my arms about 15 minutes later. My husband almost missed the birth b/c he was calling my mom to tell her I was still at a 5! It was shocking, but wonderful!

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    Replies
    1. My husband missed half the actual birth because he was up by my head "coaching" me thinking we were ages away from baby. I have NO idea what to expect for #3 (Lord willing there is a #3)!

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