Emilee’s story begins a few days before her actual birth. Starting Sunday, March 25, 2012 (38w4d), we decided to try natural induction methods to see if we could get labor started on its own. I took a bath, did acupressure points, etc. I did have some contractions but they stopped pretty soon after I stopped the induction techniques. Monday night, we tried again with absolutely no success. Tuesday night, we tried yet again.
This time, I ended up with pretty strong contractions. I started timing them and they were 5 minutes apart and lasted for about 2 hours. I contacted our doula but we weren’t sure it was the real thing yet. So David and I decided if this was real labor, I should get some sleep. I laid down and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the morning and all contractions were gone. Wednesday night, we tried but without the bath and again, they just went away as soon as I stopped.
Wednesday was also when I was officially 39 weeks and I had an OB appointment. I was 3 cm (1 cm progress from the previous week). He seemed convinced that I would be having this baby soon, but I was still undecided. By Thursday I had decided in my mind to stop all natural induction methods and just let labor do its own thing and if still nothing had happened by Sunday, I might try again. Sometime during the day, I had convinced myself that we should try again that night because my doctor wasn’t on call that weekend and if I was going to have a baby before the weekend, that night would be the night to do it.
All day Thursday, March 29, 2012, I had been having the same Braxton-hicks contractions that I’ve had for weeks. No regularity or consistency. I left work at 5pm and was going to go pick up my son from daycare. Before I left I went to the restroom and there was a tiny bit of pink so I got excited that maybe this meant something but could just be a very early labor sign and real labor was still days away. On the drive home, I started to notice that my contractions were coming more often but I could easily breath through them and didn’t even need to stop or anything. I joked at the daycare that I might be in labor, but I really was joking.
When I got home, David had made steaks on the grill and it was a really good meal. Still trying to time my contractions, but I think I was missing the beginning of them and they were still feeling like Braxton-hicks contractions. After dinner, we went on a walk (through our very hilly neighborhood). We even met a neighbor who was about 34 weeks pregnant and we were joking with her about how I might be in labor. This whole time I was texting our doula and trying to decide if this was real labor or not. She had to work that night so she was trying to decide whether to call in as well. She ended up calling in and I started thinking that this wasn’t real labor and she had just called in for nothing and it was all going to end up just like Tuesday night.
At home, I took a shower and then I realized I had lost my mucus plug and was definitely having bloody show. That made me think this was real labor and that I would be having my baby soon, but I was thinking the next day or so based on how light my contractions were. We put our son into bed and made sure our bag was packed. Around 8pm, I called my dad (who would be watching Noah) and told him that we thought we were in real labor but he had time and there was no need to leave yet.
Sometime around 8:30pm, the contractions turned intense. They were to the point where I had to stop and sway during each one. They were coming 2.5 minutes apart at this point which was a little scary that they got that intense and close together that fast. I told the doula to start making her way. We called my dad back and told him to leave. Both my dad and the doula showed up around 9:30pm. We had moved downstairs at this point and unlike Noah’s labor, the best place was actually on the couch. The contractions seemed harder to manage on the couch but I enjoyed being there between contractions more. David was rubbing my feet in between contractions which felt great. The doula suggested getting down on hands and knees but that seemed to hurt just as much as the couch. I was also having some intense pressure down there. The pressure was there even between contractions and the doula thought it might be smart to think about heading to the hospital soon.
I thought she was crazy. There was NO way I was that close to delivering and I didn’t want to labor at the hospital for that long. I had a few more intense contractions where it was getting to the point where it didn’t matter where I was, it hurt and I was having to moan and sway through them. So we all got in the car. The ride to the hospital was horrible! Every bump and turn made me feel like I was having another contraction. And I couldn’t sit on the chair since the pressure in my bottom was so intense.
We arrive at the hospital around 10:30pm. I, of course, had a contraction right as soon as David let me out and I’m sure the people standing outside thought I was crazy or something. I stood there with David and then walked inside and waited at the counter. The lady asked if I need to go upstairs (meaning to Labor and Delivery) and I shook my head. She called and I just stood there, not saying anything. The doula showed up shortly after and I had another contraction with her. Then David showed up. We kept waiting.
I think the intake person at the ER was getting concerned and called back up to L&D several more times. FINALLY, someone came down and I got in the wheelchair. I had a contraction in the elevator which was incredibly painful sitting in the chair. She started wheeling me towards triage and into a room there. The whole time I was thinking “Seriously, I’m going to have a baby, why do we have to mess with the triage room”. I guess finally the nurse thought the same thing and decided to send me to a regular room. On the way to the room, I had another contraction and told her to stop. I guess I was being a little loud and one of the nurses wanted them to move me. Haha.
Finally get into the room and it was about 11pm. I change and crawl onto the bed and they hook me up to the monitors. I still couldn’t sit on my bottom so I was on my side leaning against the side rail. They hooked up my hep lock which I still thought was a little crazy and it hurt worse than the contractions. They called my doctor and told him they thought I was close and he should make his worse. Finally a nurse checks me.
9.5 cm!!! With just a little lip left. I was so happy I was that far along. I was really worried I would only be 4 cm or something and would have to continue laboring this hard for another 10 hours, like with Noah’s labor. Around this time, my sister-in-law, Alicia, showed up. I was so glad she made it. They called my doctor back and told him to hurry. The next contraction I started pushing involuntarily. I couldn’t help it. Luckily my doctor showed up just after that.
They broke down the bed and the doctor started getting dressed. The next contraction I pushed and the head started coming out. Next push, her head crowned and the doctor stopped me because her cord was wrapped around her head twice! Then the third push the rest of her body slipped right out.
After she was out, I had to wait several minutes to have another contraction to delivery the placenta. In the meantime, the doctor learned that the girl next to me was actually my doula and asked her if she would like to deliver the placenta. So finally I had another contraction and pushed and out came the placenta.
Emilee weighed 6lb 11oz and was 20 inches long. I had no tearing. I have recovered a lot faster this time than with my son, although the cramping has been a lot worse. Emilee has been breastfeeding very well although her latch is really shallow, but hopefully she will get better soon.
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