The Details

So our story picks up right where I left off after my last doctor's appointment. I haven't mentioned this before, but we were planning on having a natural childbirth. I also didn't mention that I was Group B Strep positive. Even more, I didn't mention that at that last appointment, my doctor told me that he would induce me that day if I wanted to, or I could wait until Friday. Well, I really didn't want to be induced, we were going for natural, which he knew, he was just giving me options. I told him I'd talk to the hubs about it and let him know asap if that was what we wanted. So driving home from Logan that day, Corey and I discussed it, and we decided we really didn't want to do that and would just hope for the best.

When we got home, I googled 'natural induction' and read a bunch of things. So for the rest of the day on Wednesday, I was doing something that I'd read about. If I was sitting down, I sat on the floor with my legs out and moved my upper body in circles or back and forth. Or I was on my hands and knees moving in circles or back and forth. I took a walk around the block. Corey rubbed my feet. I took a warm bath. I tried to think positively about the birthing experience and my baby. I tried to be happy and calm and not worry about things.

Then, we went to bed.

2:00 am
I woke up with a minor cramping feeling, thought it was weird, tried to go back to sleep. I feel it again, try to brush it off again (honestly, it didn't feel like I remembered contractions feeling like). I felt it again and decided I had better watch the clock. I felt them again 3 more times, timed them, they were all 3 minutes apart.

2:30 am
I wake up Corey and tell him I think I'm having contractions, but I'm not completely sure and they aren't that bad yet, but just so you know. So I try to sleep in between, but they were continually 3 minutes apart. It takes Corey a few minutes to process what I said, then he jumps up and gets dressed and starts gathering things together. I already had a bag mostly packed so he starts grabbing the rest of the things on my list and putting everything on the kitchen table. I put some clothes on, but I'm not much help because I'm having contractions every 3 minutes still. They start getting bad enough that I have to lean against something and concentrate on breathing. It felt good to move around, so I got on my hands and knees and moved in circles.

3:00 am
Corey is ready to go and wants to leave for the hospital. I tell him no way because these just started, my water hasn't even broken, and it's just too early. I didn't want to go there and have to wait for hours when I can wait perfectly comfortable in my own house. So I let him call the hospital and tell them we're probably going to be on our way soon. He also calls our friend, Stefanie, who was the designated babysitter for Nathan, and tells her that we will probably be needing her soon. I am continually having contractions every 3 minutes. To fill the time, Corey also does the morning motel stuff like counting the money and printing out the cleaning list for the maid. (we totally laugh about that now). Contractions are starting to get a little more intense, and I have kind of a bad one and tell Corey "I don't think I can do this." He of course reassures me and then gave me a blessing. It helped and I felt more in control and calmer after that.

3:30 am
I finally decide that we can head to the hospital so Corey calls Stefanie again. Stefanie arrives and we start telling her a little about how the last hour-ish has gone, where things are if she needs something, and that we'll call my mom as we leave for her to come up and take over. While we're talking, I have another contraction, have to stop talking and breath. Then when it's over I look up at her and she says 'No epidural, huh?' We all laugh, get our things, and walk to the car.

4:00 am
We finally leave for the hospital. Since there is almost no one on the road, Corey is definitely taking advantage of that and driving rather fast. Contractions are getting worse. As I get louder, Corey's foot gets heavier and we go faster. He flashes his brights at the two cars in our way for them to pull over and us to go around them. We slowed down at red lights, made sure no one was coming, and went right through them. The same with stop signs. Corey was hoping that a police officer would pull us over so that we could get an escort to the hospital. There was one time I looked over at the speedometer. He was going 108 mph. And that apparently wasn't the fastest he went.

4:15 am
We pull into the hospital parking lot. Yes, Corey drove from Tremonton to Logan in 15 minutes. He pulls up to the door and I try to get out, but have another contraction. Corey got a wheelchair for me, which ended up being good because it would have taken us at least twice as long to get up there. I have another contraction in the elevator. We go to check in at the window and the lady asked for my ID and our insurance card and who the pediatrician was going to be. Of course we left everything in the car, including my purse. I could only talk between contractions, so I answered what I could. After having the second contraction in front of her, she finally said, "Let's just do all this later and get you back there." So we get back to the room and the nurse asks if I feel like leaving a urine sample. I said, after the contraction was over, "Yeah, it would probably be a good thing to relieve right now." So I pee in a cup, have another contraction while sitting on the toilet, and start undressing to put the hospital gown on. We get the bottom half off, excluding my socks, and I have another contraction. The nurse could hear me and opens the bathroom door. Just as she does so, my water breaks. The nurse says, "Bed. Now." I was like "I'm trying!" But it was really hard to walk. I immediately felt like pushing. Corey and the nurse helped get me to the bed while fluid is still coming out along the way. By now, there's like 5 nurses in there, all doing their own thing to get everything ready really fast.

4:28 am
I get on the bed and they strap the band thing around my belly that monitors things on the computer. One nurse asks if she can check me and says, "Dilation complete." Another nurse says, "The doctor is on his way." Another nurse says, "I want you to say Hee Ho when you feel like pushing." I'm squeezing Corey's hand with strength I didn't know I had and trying to remember to say Hee Ho (which really did help, when I remembered). Then I remember a nurse saying something like, "Ok, she's crowning." and another said, "We need to get this baby out now." Then another says, "Ok, you can push now." and I said, "I can push?!" so I pushed only a couple of times, and then...

4:38 am
A new baby girl was born.

No, the doctor didn't make it. Nora was delivered by the nurses. I'm just glad we made it to the hospital at all. The doctor arrived in time to deliver the placenta and stitch up my tear. It wasn't even my doctor though, ironically. My doc was on his way out of town for his daughter's track meet and just wasn't there at that exact moment. It was the same doctor that delivered Nathan though. Sometime right after, one of the nurses said, "There's still fluid coming out..." Corey and I just laughed and said, "Um, yeah, extra fluid."

Because I was Group B positive and didn't get an antibiotic (you're supposed to have it at least 4 hours before the baby is born. I wasn't even in labor for 4 hours...) we stayed at the hospital an extra day so that Nora could be monitored.

As a whole, this delivery compared to Nathan's delivery was a much better experience. I felt a lot more in control of my body. I knew what I needed to do when I needed to do it. I could move around way sooner. My belly has even gone down faster. I would definitely do a natural birth again.

And now for some pictures.

The last pregnant picture we got. This was at 38 weeks. Nora was born at 38 weeks 5 days.

A family of 4

Coming home

Pictures from Nathan

Home at last

Such a cutie