I woke up to a painful cramp, not even a contraction really...brushed it off and went back to bed. I woke up again with the same pain, this time I looked at the clock. It was 5:45 am. I figured I should get up and pee, even though I didn't want to move because that meant rolling my huge self out of bed, which would mean an automatic contraction, Went to the bathroom and noticed I was leaking a little fluid, only about the size of my fist, and it was mixed with some mucus. Combined with the knowledge of how insanely low her head was the night before, and the fluid (which didn't even get my pants wet...it was so minimal), I knew I had to wake up Jared because things were moving along. I said, "honey, it's time" and he woke up and called his dad to come over to watch Judah. I got in the shower and that's when the contractions really started. I got out and started to blow dry and straighten my hair...by that time, I realized I should probably time them. They were 3 to 4 minutes apart but not that bad....
Jared loaded everything up. His dad was here sitting quietly on the couch as I slowly puffed past him to find a good place to sit to put on my sneakers. We got in the car and I started to feel much better. I relaxed and did my make up because the contractions spaced out to anywhere from 6-10 minutes apart.
I had some tough contractions in the car, but nothing like when I was in labor with Judah. I studied my Bradley book in the days and weeks prior so when the contractions came, I went into them really confident and with a sense of peace, rather than chaos. I visualized the contractions building to a literal peak, then climbing back down them. It helped to realize I was already many seconds into them and there were only 30 seconds left and it would feel better. I dug my fists in to the car seat and lifted my bottom up. It felt SO much better. I grabbed the handle on the ceiling and pulled myself up. That felt SO much better. I practiced relaxing every part of my body and tried to melt into the seat. All of those things helped.
We pulled in to the parking lot and Jared asked me if I wanted to be dropped off at the door. I didn't want to stand by myself waiting for him to come back so I said no and we went and parked. As we parked, I started to get out of the car and looked at the entrance. I had walked from that parking lot to that entrance a million times before, but that day, it seemed impossible. I took about 10 steps from the car ans was hit with a contraction that very literally stopped me in my tracks.I made it back to the car and held on to the car until it passed. I knew there was no way I could walk, and back into the car we went.
We pulled up to the emergency room entrance and parked right outside the door and left the car there...just like we did when I was in labor with Judah. Jared got a wheelchair and wheeled me in and parked me right outside of the registration cubicle's door. I was glad there was no one in the waiting room, but it still made me a little anxious and nervous. Just then, another really intense contraction came, and I started weakly and painfully calling out Jared's name. He was probably only talking to the lady for maybe a minute, but it felt like forever. She said he could take me upstairs.
We got off the elevator and buzzed into maternity. My very, very least favorite nurse met us and told us what room to go into. At that point I started to panic because I couldn't believe the only person I didn't want was the one that was going to be taking care of me.
We got into the room and I started having another contraction. The nurse told me I had to give a urine sample. I got up out of the wheel chair and slowly walked into the bathroom. As soon as I sat down, I realized that my body wouldn't--couldn't-- go. I sat there for a minute, really uncomfortable, and all of a sudden i felt almost like a tiny pop and tear sensation...Like a pinch. I felt an overwhelming feeling of needing to bear down. I wondered for that split second what was going on...The nurse kept calling my name to check on me (the door was closed). I couldn't answer her. She opened the door and said "if you don't have to go, you don't have to go!". All of a sudden, my body bared down and I started making a deep guttural noise. The nurse told me I needed to get up so she could check me. I told her I couldn't and she raised her voice a little bit telling me I had to get up and that I can't have the baby in the toilet. She came over and pulled my pants the rest of the way off and whipped the cup towards the trash can.
i got up on the bed and she checked me--"You're fully", she said. Jared walked in from parking the car just as she was getting ready to check me.
My midwife walked right after Jared. The nurse said, "she's fully dilated, but you can check her if you want..." Next thing I heard was, "yep, go ahead and push. Her head is right there!" Jared said as soon as she went to check me, he could see her head.
Pushing was the most amazing experience! I felt so calm. There was no chaos like I experienced with Judah's birth. Jared held one of my legs and a nurse held the other. They attached handle like things to the sides of the bed for me to hold on to and give me great leverage during pushes. I remembered pushing from Judah's birth. I remembered everything I studied in my Bradley book. I pushed with all my might and kept all my energy downward. I rested. I kept my eyes shut because as soon as I opened them, I felt my body begin to tense. I got distracted by what people in the room were doing, what they were saying, where they were going. I relaxed every inch...every centimeter of my body. I pushed again, let out a small yell, and her head was out. I rested. I felt myself almost melt into the bed. I had never, ever in my whole life feel that relaxed, that euphoric (Jared told me after that he was getting really nervous and was about to ask the nurses if I was okay because of body went so limp in between pushes). I pushed one last time and with another yell, she was out.
Aylah arrived at 8:09, less than 2.5 hours after waking up for the day, after being at the hospital for less than a half hour, and after 3 pushes. My jam packed birth plan was followed exactly to the t...amazingly enough because the nurses never even had the chance to see it.
She was lifted onto my stomach and i was praisin' God and praisin' Jesus like a southern baptist haha. I looked at her...she was so tiny! Jared helped me take off my tshirt and bra because he knew how very important it was for me to have skin to skin and try to nurse right away. She was a little sleepy with her latch right away, but we cuddled for a while before they took her to my bedside to weigh and measure her. Once she came back, she began nursing really well and I was so relieved.
The rest of our stay was pretty uneventful. I only had a small first degree tear that only required 3 sutures. I was able to get out of bed very shortly after she was born. I wasn't sore like I was with Judah, didn't have the massive swelling I had with him, my bleeding was minimal this time, and my bones didn't feel like they were shattered. What am opposite experience--a healing experience. Such a blessing.
Jared spent the first night and went home to be with Judah the second. We were released Monday, around lunch time, and Jared brought me to the health food store where he always picked up my goodies (so I didn't need to rely solely on hospital food!), and I got the most glorious turkey rueben I have ever laid my taste buds on.
...and so it began. We started our drive home with our new little life in the backseat of our CRV. Praise be to God!
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