A week ago today I went into labor. I couldn't have said for sure it would happen that night but I knew it was coming soon. I knew that anytime in September was probably fair game but had no prediction of when my little one would finally arrive. He was due on the 15th but born on the 12th. For most of my pregnancy I trained my brain to believe he would come later rather than sooner. This birth experience was different for me in many ways, making me feel like I was a first time mom. With my other two boys, I had an induction. Both were for different reasons but both of them were very similar so that was all I knew. I was excited this time about letting nature take it's course but also nervous because I didn't know what to expect. With the other two I had no signs of labor before being induced. I never dilated before and never had any noticeable contractions. I was nervous this time that may be I wouldn't know if I was going into labor or that maybe my body wouldn't be able to go naturally. With my inductions I was sent in overnight and given a drug called cervidil. That was all I needed to go into labor and contractions started pretty strong. Eight hours later both times, I had a baby boy! Both times I chose the epidural and it gave me great relief. I never felt a thing when they were born.
So here we are with number 3. In the days before his birth I could feel things changing in me. All my check ups at the doctor of course showed no physical signs that labor was coming but I wasn't too surprised. At home I would have different mood swings. One day I would feel really anxious and irritable and have a sense that I needed to get things done. The next day I would feel normal and good and when I would leave the house everyone would tell me how great I looked! I felt like pregnancy for the most part was agreeing with me. Last Tuesday I started out the day feeling great. I went to our first Mom2Mom meeting and had some errands to run that day. By evening though I was incredibly exhausted and feeling anxious again. I didn't want to talk to anyone or be around people. My husband of course had to work that night and I really just wanted him to stay home. When I woke up the next day I was not feeling too much better but I knew I could do what I needed to do. Brad offered to stay home but I told him not too. I was pleasantly surprised a little later in the morning though when he called and said he was on his way home to help me out! I guess somehow we both knew it was coming. He came home and did a few errands for me and we went to lunch and had a nice afternoon. That night around 8 is when contractions started. I had been having some irregular ones off and on for a couple of days before. That helped me feel like maybe I really would know when labor was starting! The contractions kept going but at first I still wasn't sure. Around 10 or so I wondered if this was going to be it. I hated the idea of going to bed and waking up in the middle of the night and trying to get everything ready to go so we called labor and delivery and then we called my sister and decided to go on in around 10:30-11:00 that night. I still wasn't really sure at that point and was scared that they would just send me home and I really didn't want to be the false alarm girl. After we arrived and got settled they checked me and said I was really only dilated to 1cm. Hmmm...not the greatest news. They told me to walk the halls for an hour to see if labor would progress. So Brad and I trailed the halls of the labor and delivery floor, stopping for contractions and listening to the sounds of a screaming woman. I felt like the contractions were getting more intense but it wasn't quite as fast as it happened when I was induced. Listening to the woman screaming as she gave birth to her child was making me feel really anxious. I felt relief for her when her screams stopped and I heard her screaming baby instead! After an hour the nurse came in and checked me again. Bad news, nothing had changed. She went and reported to the doctor who said to send me home. At this point I was already extremely tired and just wanted the contractions to stop so I could go to bed. I was very upset and broke down and cried. The nurse said they might stop when I got home or I could end up back there. I had a feeling they weren't going to stop. She told me to go home and take a bath and rest. So that's what I did. Somewhere around 2:00 in the morning we were back home. I took a bath which was actually very relaxing and then got in bed to try and sleep. At that point all I really wanted was sleep. The pain kept getting worse though and after only 2 and half hours at home we were headed back to the hospital. My sister said she was pulling an all nighter and had left after we got home but said we could call her if we needed to go back in. So we called and she came back. I think we were back at the hospital by 4:30 or 5 and I was now dilated to 3! I got a room, answered some questions and told them yes, I will be wanting an epidural. I knew it would be a good 2-3 hours before I finally got it. By the time it came I was more than ready. I was beyond exhausted and in a lot of pain. It was sweet relief when they finally came! At that point I was ready just to kick back and rest. I told Brad he should do the same because before that I wouldn't let him out of my sight! Instead of sleeping though, he had a snack, went and moved our car to the parking garage and then came back to grade some papers! After I got the epidural they had checked me and I was still only a 3. I was a little concerned but so tired I didn't think much of it. They called my doctor who came in to break my water and hopefully speed up the process. I think it was probably around 8 in the morning at this point.
After a little while had passed I noticed that I could still feel some pain on my right side. The medicine had not made it's way as much over there and I was feeling the contractions in one spot. I asked to turn over to my right side because I thought I would be more comfortable. Before I moved they checked me again and I was surprised to hear that I was already about 6-7! I laid on my right side for a while but the pain kept getting worse. They gave me an extra shot of the happy juice but honestly that didn't seem to help either. I could totally feel the intense contractions on my right side! I then began to shake and started feeling nauseous. It was pretty awful. I had never had this experience before. Like I said, with the last 2 I had the epidural and didn't feel a thing after that! The nurse checked me again and said I was at 9! Before I knew it they were paging the doctor and getting things ready. Just as they were getting ready, my friend Anne showed up. We had invited her to be there if she could and she was able to get there just in time! I wasn't sure if I would like having someone extra there but both Brad and I agreed it turned out to be very helpful!
They got me all set up and within 10 minutes I pushed out a baby! This was not a happy 10 minutes though. I could FEEL the baby coming out. I never felt that with the other two. I think it made the experience way more intense feeling an almost 9 pound child come out of me! Mason Alexander was born at 9:49 the morning of September 12, 2013. He weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz and was 20.5 inches long! He was only known as baby boy at that time! This was my longest labor and my biggest child!
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I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people. To my husband, Brad who is my biggest helper in life. I'm so thankful to have him as the father of my children! To my friend, Anne who made it to the birth and was a great support to us not just now but even with the last two little ones! To my sister, Melissa who came over in the night and took care of our kids. To my dad and step mom for also helping take care of our kids. To the awesome nurses at Carle. Susan, the first nurse when we got sent home was very encouraging and helpful. When we came back we had a couple of different ones but nurse Rachel was probably the best! She was fun and helpful and supportive! To the people who have already brought us meals and the people who have signed up to bring us meals! It's so nice to not have to worry about dinner! Thanks to my cousin AJ for visiting and pitching in to help with a few chores and to our friends Colin and Lynette who visited and brought me a birthday cheesecake and also helped out so much! :) There are lots of thanks to go around and I will do my best to try and thank people personally! Just know that we are truly grateful!
So here we are with number 3. In the days before his birth I could feel things changing in me. All my check ups at the doctor of course showed no physical signs that labor was coming but I wasn't too surprised. At home I would have different mood swings. One day I would feel really anxious and irritable and have a sense that I needed to get things done. The next day I would feel normal and good and when I would leave the house everyone would tell me how great I looked! I felt like pregnancy for the most part was agreeing with me. Last Tuesday I started out the day feeling great. I went to our first Mom2Mom meeting and had some errands to run that day. By evening though I was incredibly exhausted and feeling anxious again. I didn't want to talk to anyone or be around people. My husband of course had to work that night and I really just wanted him to stay home. When I woke up the next day I was not feeling too much better but I knew I could do what I needed to do. Brad offered to stay home but I told him not too. I was pleasantly surprised a little later in the morning though when he called and said he was on his way home to help me out! I guess somehow we both knew it was coming. He came home and did a few errands for me and we went to lunch and had a nice afternoon. That night around 8 is when contractions started. I had been having some irregular ones off and on for a couple of days before. That helped me feel like maybe I really would know when labor was starting! The contractions kept going but at first I still wasn't sure. Around 10 or so I wondered if this was going to be it. I hated the idea of going to bed and waking up in the middle of the night and trying to get everything ready to go so we called labor and delivery and then we called my sister and decided to go on in around 10:30-11:00 that night. I still wasn't really sure at that point and was scared that they would just send me home and I really didn't want to be the false alarm girl. After we arrived and got settled they checked me and said I was really only dilated to 1cm. Hmmm...not the greatest news. They told me to walk the halls for an hour to see if labor would progress. So Brad and I trailed the halls of the labor and delivery floor, stopping for contractions and listening to the sounds of a screaming woman. I felt like the contractions were getting more intense but it wasn't quite as fast as it happened when I was induced. Listening to the woman screaming as she gave birth to her child was making me feel really anxious. I felt relief for her when her screams stopped and I heard her screaming baby instead! After an hour the nurse came in and checked me again. Bad news, nothing had changed. She went and reported to the doctor who said to send me home. At this point I was already extremely tired and just wanted the contractions to stop so I could go to bed. I was very upset and broke down and cried. The nurse said they might stop when I got home or I could end up back there. I had a feeling they weren't going to stop. She told me to go home and take a bath and rest. So that's what I did. Somewhere around 2:00 in the morning we were back home. I took a bath which was actually very relaxing and then got in bed to try and sleep. At that point all I really wanted was sleep. The pain kept getting worse though and after only 2 and half hours at home we were headed back to the hospital. My sister said she was pulling an all nighter and had left after we got home but said we could call her if we needed to go back in. So we called and she came back. I think we were back at the hospital by 4:30 or 5 and I was now dilated to 3! I got a room, answered some questions and told them yes, I will be wanting an epidural. I knew it would be a good 2-3 hours before I finally got it. By the time it came I was more than ready. I was beyond exhausted and in a lot of pain. It was sweet relief when they finally came! At that point I was ready just to kick back and rest. I told Brad he should do the same because before that I wouldn't let him out of my sight! Instead of sleeping though, he had a snack, went and moved our car to the parking garage and then came back to grade some papers! After I got the epidural they had checked me and I was still only a 3. I was a little concerned but so tired I didn't think much of it. They called my doctor who came in to break my water and hopefully speed up the process. I think it was probably around 8 in the morning at this point.
After a little while had passed I noticed that I could still feel some pain on my right side. The medicine had not made it's way as much over there and I was feeling the contractions in one spot. I asked to turn over to my right side because I thought I would be more comfortable. Before I moved they checked me again and I was surprised to hear that I was already about 6-7! I laid on my right side for a while but the pain kept getting worse. They gave me an extra shot of the happy juice but honestly that didn't seem to help either. I could totally feel the intense contractions on my right side! I then began to shake and started feeling nauseous. It was pretty awful. I had never had this experience before. Like I said, with the last 2 I had the epidural and didn't feel a thing after that! The nurse checked me again and said I was at 9! Before I knew it they were paging the doctor and getting things ready. Just as they were getting ready, my friend Anne showed up. We had invited her to be there if she could and she was able to get there just in time! I wasn't sure if I would like having someone extra there but both Brad and I agreed it turned out to be very helpful!
They got me all set up and within 10 minutes I pushed out a baby! This was not a happy 10 minutes though. I could FEEL the baby coming out. I never felt that with the other two. I think it made the experience way more intense feeling an almost 9 pound child come out of me! Mason Alexander was born at 9:49 the morning of September 12, 2013. He weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz and was 20.5 inches long! He was only known as baby boy at that time! This was my longest labor and my biggest child!
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I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people. To my husband, Brad who is my biggest helper in life. I'm so thankful to have him as the father of my children! To my friend, Anne who made it to the birth and was a great support to us not just now but even with the last two little ones! To my sister, Melissa who came over in the night and took care of our kids. To my dad and step mom for also helping take care of our kids. To the awesome nurses at Carle. Susan, the first nurse when we got sent home was very encouraging and helpful. When we came back we had a couple of different ones but nurse Rachel was probably the best! She was fun and helpful and supportive! To the people who have already brought us meals and the people who have signed up to bring us meals! It's so nice to not have to worry about dinner! Thanks to my cousin AJ for visiting and pitching in to help with a few chores and to our friends Colin and Lynette who visited and brought me a birthday cheesecake and also helped out so much! :) There are lots of thanks to go around and I will do my best to try and thank people personally! Just know that we are truly grateful!
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