My pregnancy was wonderful (after the 12 week visit drama was over). Everything was smooth sailing except I continually measured big. Ultrasounds showed him measuring around 9 pounds. Not really a big deal but it did make me a little nervous. I mainly wanted to experience going into labor on my own since with Bentley I never had a uninduced contraction. There were lots of other things I had on my birth plan, but this was a big want for me.
Well, I got my wish. On Saturday, May 15 (my due date), I started having contractions at 8 a.m. I had already had two false labor episodes but these felt different. They got closer together and more paiful throughout the day and we went to labor & delivery at 8 that evening. I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes, but I was only 3 cm so they didn't want to keep me. I tried to sleep but woke Paul up crying at 3 a.m. and back to hospital we went. There was no progress so they sent me home again. At this point I was very frustrated and in a lot of pain. I have a pretty low pain tolerance so I thought well maybe I'm just a wuss. Later Sunday morning contractions were still 5-7 min. apart so we headed to the hospital again. We stopped just outside labor & delivery for me to go to the bathroom, and while I was in there my water broke. I was wearing gray yoga pants so I had to walk the rest of the way and into the unit looking like I had majorly peed my pants. I was still only 3 cm but they had to keep me because my water had broken.
Fast forward a bunch of hours of pitocen and I was dialated to 6 cm. Chance's heart rate dropped way low during each contraction and he only liked it when I laid on my right side. My epidural continually wore off and they had to keep giving me more medicine (this happened with Bentley too). I developed a fever so they stopped checking me to avoid introducing even more bacteria. My mom and sister arrived sometime while all this was going on and Paul left me with my mom to go pick up Bentley and take him and my sister to our house. I wrote down every time they checked me so I could later put the timeline in Chance's baby book. Suddenly I felt the worst pain ever and the need to push. The midwife rushed in and I was still only 6 cm. I don't know how long this went on. It felt like 5 hours, but it might have only been 30 minutes. She asked me what I wanted to do. I remember saying I just want to cry. I want it to be over. I give up. So the OB came in to talk to me about a c-section and we waited for Paul to get back.
It all happened very fast from there. Being wheeled to the operating room and so much going on around me. I was so so tired. They had to give me even more epidural medicine and it made me shiver violently. If it wasn't for that I probably would have slept through the whole thing. Chance was born at 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 16, almost 40 hours after contractions started. I could barely open my eyes to look at him. They had to take him to the NICU though to get an IV for antibiotics since I had an infection during labor.
I could probably write a whole post about how strange the c-section was for me. After they pulled him out the anesthesiologist said, "there goes her pressure." Someone asked what it is and she says 80/40 and then starts massaging the arteries in my neck. I remember thinking this is it, I'm dying. But no one was really acting concerned or panicky so I figured it was okay. Paul watched the whole thing and I asked him 100 times "what are they doing now?" It felt like it took forever. I had a cyst on my ovary that they removed and they just kept talking about it. I wanted to say hurry up already. I was shaking so hard the whole time and it was just really annoying me.
Afterward I would think "what if." What if the pain wasn't as bad as I remember? What if I wasn't such a wuss? What if I didn't have to have a c-section? Mommy guilt gets you no matter what. They told me though, as they were pulling him out, that he wouldn't have fit. He never descended into my pelvis, he was just too big. He was also facing up and the wrong part of his head was pressing on my cervix. No matter how he came out we are so thankful to have him here with us, happy and healthy.
Here is our first picture. This shows how tired I was. I was really trying hard to open my eyes and smile.
He was a big boy.
not sure why i just now saw this was posted, but whew, it stressed me out. i had no idea you had a c-section. strange feeling, huh? you should feel no guilt--he is here and healthy. glad that is all over, huh?
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