With my 3 previous pregnancies, I had contracted a lot, only to arrive at the L & D with very little progress happening. The difference this time was that I wasn't contracting as much, but I was much more uncomfortable. I chalked it up to being pregnant in the sweltering summer heat. (Last year was that terrible drought with extreme heat....ugh....) I pretty much just sat around trying to stay cool.
At my 37 week visit I was dilated to a 3. I was pretty excited since I had told myself to expect a 1, maybe a 2. At the next week's visit I was a little deflated to hear "No change." I resisted the urge to cry. I was soooo miserably uncomfortable. So a week later when I went to my check-up, I did prepare a little "just in case", but was not really letting myself get my hopes up too high. To say I was excited would be an understatement when I heard the doctor say, "You are a 5. How about you stick around and have a baby today?" **YAY!!** (No wonder I was so incredibly uncomfortable!)
So the hubby loaded the kids up and took them to their grandmother's house and then hurried back. (We have a history of quick labors!) I had my son send out a status update on my facebook from his ipod before he left the hospital and lost the wi-fi signal.
Meanwhile, I got checked into L & D and had all the usual poking and monitoring going on. I did have a few new "procedures" because this was baby #7. I found that quite interesting.
Shortly after I arrived and got checked in it was time for shift change. I was pretty excited to discover that my fellow homeschooling mama (who is a L & D nurse by night) was just arriving and would be my nurse. As she was leaving for work, her daughter said, "Hey, Mom, Mrs. C. is in labor!" (She had just seen my facebook update.)
I was a little nervous about a friend being that "up close and personal", but when it was all said and done, it was wonderful to have her there! She was a SUPER good nurse and took excellent care of me!
While Josue was still gone with the kids the doctor stopped by to check on me. He asked how long it would take Josue to get back. (He was there for the previous 3 quick, quick deliveries.) Then he broke my water to get things started.
My mom showed up and so did my husband. Things were starting to happen, but not really quickly. The nurse checked my cervix and told me I was a 6. I was slightly disappointed by that since I was starting to feel things pretty good and I didn't want them to put me on Pitocin. She left the room to call the doctor to report my progress. I decided to take a bathroom break when she left. Boy, did that really make a difference! The combination of gravity when I stood up combined with the bladder being emptied out of the way really caused things to get moving.
I urgently pleaded for my husband to get the nurse back in. She was still on the phone with the doctor. When she got there, she found that I was now a 10 and the baby was coming. (I had already told her that!)
This was the first delivery that I felt the baby was coming and there was no stopping her. I began to plead with her to not try to make me wait for the doctor. She told me to try not to push, but to also not try to hold the baby in. "If she comes on her own, let her."
The doctor did make it, but only barely. Once he was there, I pushed twice and my sweet baby girl was born.
Happy First Birthday, Esther!!!
(My "Day-Late" Firecracker Baby!!)
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