On Friday, August 7th, I was sent to Labor and De
livery, once again, from my regular OB appt, due to high blood pressure. It was 160 over 120. Yikes. finally, I had two options, which were both really the same option. Induce that evening, or induce the following morning. I hoped for the best, as they set me up to the monitors and set baby's heart beat up for monitoring as well. Jimmy was headed to the softball tournament. My parents were headed to
our house for the weekend, hoping that the
baby would arrive sometime that weekend.An hour later, I was calling them letting them know that I was admitted and that they would be starting a 1 ml of pitocin overnight to ripen my cervix, which was 4 cm and 75% effaced already.
They traveled to the hospital with a turkey sub for me ( maybe I subconsciously thought of Jen Barnes's trukey sub), which I could eat before the pitocin was started.
The Nurse, Nancy, came in and started my IV line. I had never had an IV before, so this was a little scary.
Once the sub was eaten, my parents and Jim headed home for a good nights sleep. Pitocin was started and I TRIED to get some rest...to little avail.
At 5:30 am , I heard the lady next door pushing and screaming and I cried as I listened to her husband tell her how great she was pushing. 20 minutes later, she was screaming again as she
was being mended. I vowed that I wouldn't scream...wow...was I wrong later that day.
2 hours later, Cindy, my midwife came in with Sue, the L&D Nurse who had taught our birthing
class, to break my water. My cervix had ripened to 5/6 cm overnight, which was great!
It took a bit, and just a little discomfort, but they broke my water with their crochet hook.
About 30 minutes later and increase in pitocin, my labor pains, began to get a little
uncomfortable.
An hour later, Jim and my parents arrived at the hospital. I was miserable. So, miserable, my parents opted for a trip to the Tractor Supply store...WHAT??? I guess I was more miserable than even I remember.
Upon their return, I was in the mindset of something
new...something I said I would never get...The dreaded EPIDURAL. YES PLEASE!!!
I went back and forth with the idea of the epidual. I wasnt even sure it would work.
After a chat with my midwife, who let me know that even if I got the epidural, I was "still a real mother" and would still be a part of the labor process.
Call in Dr. White! the epidural was on it's way and I was 6 cm dilated and completely effaced.
15 minutes after the epidural was in, I was in heaven, Yes, heaven!
Every intervention, starting with induction, had led me to this, and after the pain of pitocin
contractions, I was a-ok with it all. No pain w
as good.
Pam, Jen, April, my in-laws visited.
I was strapped to the bed now, of course, due to the epidural. My options of birthing ball and massage and WHATEVER else I had planned, were gone now.Hours went by, and I was dilating further. They upped the pitocin.
I got a fever. They shut off the epidural and pitocin. I was now dilated to 9 cm.
The contractions started to come back into my plane of thought. I asked if we could increase the epidural. They said no.
There was a catheter inserted. There was a monitor hooked to baby's head.
The heartbeat dipped twice, causing the midwife to alert the doctor on call. He began to monitor
the baby's heart rate at home. They said it could be the baby getting lower in the birth canal or a sign that the baby didnt like labor. If it turned out to be the second of the two, we were going to have to discuss "the next option"...you all know what that meant.."c-section". By now, I was
ready for a c-section in mind. All I wanted was a healthy baby and for the pain to be over.
An hour went by, I went to 10 cm. Guess what?? No c-section...I was going to have to push this "at least 9 lber" out. OMG! Please give me a c-section was all that I could think.
The bed came down, my mom and jim took their appropriate places. Cindy, the midwife, and Sue, the Nurse, took their places. They told me to take a deep cleansing breath, hold it, grab the back of my knees and push from my bottom. I took a deep breath and blew it out, didn't hold
it.
First push...completely unsuccessful! Needless to say, for the next 1 1/2 hour, I pushed...and pushed...and in between pushes I cussed and screamed and begged for a c-section. Nobody
listened to me...they all knew that I could do this...I could deliver this baby...this suprise...this miracle.
Hour 2 arrived and I decided to listen to the midwife and push like I "had to poop"...guess what?? You really do poop. I won't sugar coat it for any of you. I pooped, right there, in front of my husband, my mom...and I didn't care. My mom said: "You can do this...you have acc
omplished everything you have ever wanted, this is the last thing!" I told her to: "Shut Up!"
My husband said his arm hurt. I told him to "shut up" also, just added some flowery language.
Finally, I felt "something" very low and knew I had to get it out. By now, I had pushed for 2 hours. I looked at my mom and Jim and realized that "something" was down there and they
could see it. I wanted to see it too, but more than anything, I wanted to experience relief.
"Is this the ring of fire?", I asked. That is when the baby's head crowns.
My mom said, "You read to damn much!"
Sue, the nurse, grabbed my face, told me that I was close, and that I WAS going to do this. PS: Sue taught us this "approach" for women in labor that "panic" during our birthing class.
There, I was, the "panicking laborer", the "begging for an epidural, begging for a c-section laborer". I needed this LITTLE MIRACLE to get out!
I mustered all my strength. By now, the epidural was long gone. The pain was back...oh ye
s...it was back!
I pushed. There was a head with long black hair...at least that is what they told me.
I pushed some more...oh dear jesus...this MUST be the ring of fire!
Cindy said to give her one more good push and to stop so that she could suction the baby's nose out.
The head appeared, along with a little hand. As with all of the baby's ultrasound pictures, the hand was up above the head. They pushed the hand back in. They suctioned.
Then, cindy said, ONE BIG PUSH! I was glad to oblige. Out came a baby.
"WHAT IS IT???" I yelled.
The baby wasnt making any noise, so everyone was focused on getting the baby rubbed up and awake. Jim had helped to catch.
My mom was the only person who had a view and wasn't helping.
"IT's A GIRL!!!" My mom said.
A girl...a little girl...in that moment I yelled out...."I REALLY WA
NTED A
GIRL!"
That pain...it really does go away in that moment.
I only had eyes for AUDREY. Her name is "Audrey", I said, "Audrey Joy"
The rest is the boring stuff...I delivered a placenta and alot of blood...too much blood. They had to give me a shot to slow my bleeding.
Audrey laid on my belly for 15 minutes while her umbilical cord pulsed. There, she managed to poop on me.
Even that seemed like an amazing miracle. Jimmy cut the cord. He cried. I cried. My
mom cried.
They stitched me up. Yowza!
My mom and Jim and I and everyone present celebrated. Audrey was finally...after 39 weeks
and 1 day short of her original due date...here!
After all the worry and waiting and wondering and hoping and praying and...did I say worry...SHE was here.
She has her dad's chin and his nose and his lips...and...well..she looks just like her dad.
BUT, she has my feet and hands, so that is worth at least something.
God's power and grace and love amaze me. He really did take a little of both of us and shape this amazing little person, he shaped her and knit her together, just as he had promised.
August 8th at 5:30 pm exactly, our little miracle, Audrey Joy Salter, arrived. She weighed 7 lbs 2 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. After she left the nursery, she weighed 7 lbs 9 ounces officially. She is perfect. She is a blessing. She is here.
