Birth Story

JZN

Born Summer 2010
 7 lbs, 2 oz, 21.5"

Tues, 10pm: Starting very mild contractions. Was able to sleep through the night.

Wed, 6am: Use the bathroom and discover bloody show.
6:30am: A says goodbye to leave for work. I tell him that today might be the day. He asks if he should stay home from work. I say, "No, I'll call you if anything happens."

Noon: Alan comes home for lunch, as usual. He tells me that he has taken the rest of the day off and is beginning his paternity leave/vacation.
Afternoon: Contractions are coming more regularly - every 15 min, lasting about 30 sec. I am practicing my breathing techniques. A is timing the contractions. I find a way to take a nap - don't want to be tired for labor! A texts his family and mine. I must have talked with everyone at least once. They are asking me how I feel and if it hurts ;). I leave a phone message with a girlfriend. She calls me back and we chat for about an hour. We are both in great anticipation!

Early evening: I feel better leaning on something during them. I am using the breathing techniques.
Evening, 8pm: I remember the time because that is when So You Think You Can Dance comes on. Contractions are 10 min apart, then 8, then 5 min apart. I use my exercise ball to lean on during contractions. I feel them most pronounce in my lower back. Definitely don't feel like talking during a contraction, but generally, still in happy spirits!
8:30pm: Call the answering service for my OB. She calls back a few minutes later. Just happens to be one of the doctors that I hadn't yet met in the practice I go to. She gives me the OK to go to the hospital. Alan calls his parents to come up. He makes sure all the bags are ready to go.

9:30pm: A's parents arrive at the house. I'm really nervous now because this means that we're really headed to the hospital.
 
10:15pm: Arrive at the hospital. Have to use the Emergency entrance because after 8pm. I tell the receptionist/nurse that I'm in labor. She tells me to have a seat. She'll call a nurse from the Maternity Floor to come get me. I sit down. A paces and gives me the "why do we have to wait down here?!" look.

10:30pm:  I am wheeled to a triage room on the Maternity Floor. They just want to make sure I'm far enough along to admit me. Nurse finds that I am 5 cm dilated (yay!).


I am not sure the time of the following events:

• I get strapped to a monitor every hour or so. Nurses need to see how Jacob is responding during a contraction. I have to be on my back for these. Contracting on my back is PAINFUL! I can't wait to be able to sit up again.
• Things are going good. Using my exercise ball. A is massaging my lower back. Then...
• My water breaks, which is the strangest feeling, during one of the monitoring sessions. Once my water broke, the contractions started coming on more frequent and stronger/more painful. I contemplate getting an epidural. I ask the nurse how much worse did she think the contractions would get. She lied said that they wouldn't get any worse - but THEY DID! Around 7 cm, I was asking for some sort of narcotic to "take the edge off". I don't remember it making any difference.
• Once the post-water-breakage contractions started, I wanted to lie on my side and hold A's hand. He breathed with me, and after a contraction would say, "You can squeeze my hand harder." Oh, careful what you wish for!!!!!! By the time I was 4 hours into pushing, A wished he had no bones in his hands because I was crushing them.

After every contraction, I'd ask A if he could see the head. He answered "no" every time. But he said I was doing good because he could see J get lower and lower in my abdomen. About 2 hrs of pushing (3:30am, Thurs), I keep telling Alan that I can't do it anymore. The nurse jokes with me that I can come back tomorrow to finish up. Push, push, push - a feeling that words cannot describe and no one could possibly prepare me for. I could feel J's skull putting pressure on my lower back the ENTIRE TIME because he was facing front instead of towards my back. I knew in my mind that a good push would help J down the birth canal faster, but my body was afraid of the pain, so I held back, I admit.

4 hrs into pushing and was still far from crowning (5:30am, Thursday). My OB comes in and says it's time for a C-section. I look at A, and without words, we agree. I couldn't push anymore. I ask her to give me something until they can give me the spinal block for the C-section. She gives me something to stop the contractions but it doesn't work because I'm already so far into labor. I remember the anesthesiologist coming in to give me the low-down on the spinal block and consenting to a C-section. Though I had my eyes closed, my fists clinched onto the side of the bed, I told him that I was listening and to please read faster so I could be done soon!

Thu, 6:34am:  Baby Boy Ng is born (we hadn't chosen a name yet)! He's beautiful, handsome, and has so much hair! J goes to see J in the warmer and cuts the cord. J is brought back and we get a family photo together, taken with one of the nurse's cameras (not the one you see above, sorry).

Next up...Postpartum roller coaster