The Long Ass Birth Story

I woke up, wide awake at 12:30 Wednesday morning, which happened to be my due date. And when I say I was wide awake, I mean it. Something just felt different so I walked around the house for a while, got on the computer, walked around some more. Around 2am I decided to try to lay down again. I went into the guest bedroom so I wouldn't disturb Ryan. He woke up and noticed I wasn't in bed so he came and checked on me. I told him I didn't feel quite right, that I wasn't in labor but something seemed a bit "off" to me. He went back to our bedroom to go back to sleep upon my insistence.

A few minutes later I got uncomfortable laying down so I sat up and decided that since I was up, I would go ahead and go potty so I wouldn't have to in 30 more minutes. By the time I got to the bathroom, my panties were completely soaked through. I called for Ryan and told him I thought my water might have broken. I was very paranoid that I had just peed my pants though, I had heard many stories of that happening to women. Ryan got me some dry panties and a pad and I changed and went to the recliner to try to catch some sleep. I went to push myself back in the chair and felt another big gush come out. Sure enough, another pair of panties were soaked.

At that point, I was somewhat certain my water had broken, but still had the fear that I was just repeatedly peeing my pants. So....I went downstairs to Google. Google told me to walk around to see if there were any leaks. Yep, there were. I decided to call the BirthCare Center and of course they told me to head in to be checked. Ryan was back to sleep, oblivious to my self-diagnosis, so I went ahead and finished getting ready for the hospital and in all my vanity, put my makeup on.

I woke him up at 5:30, he grabbed a quick shower and off we went. We stopped at QuikTrip so I could get something small for breakfast since I knew once we got to the hospital, I wouldn't be allowed to eat anything. We got to the hospital around 6:30 and it was confirmed that my water had indeed broken. I was not contracting, so after all of the admissions mumbo-jumbo, we started walking the halls. I say walking, but really we were almost jogging. The nurses were even laughing at us. After a long while of that, with still no contractions, we started adding some squats into the walking routine.

It came to the point that antibiotics needed to be started because after the water has broken, the uterus and the baby aren't protected anymore and infection can set in. Dr. Cobb also wanted to start me on a mild dose of Pitocin to get me going. I agreed and after being hooked up to Pitocin all day long with still no super painful contractions, we decided to turn it off at 11pm so I could get some rest.

At 5am, the Pitocin was turned back on, but this time we were doing the same amount used for an induced labor, which was about double the previous day's dose. The first several hours went by and my contractions were definitely different than the previous day. They were painful, and were markedly getting longer, stronger, and closer together. By 1pm I was in some serious pain. I thought for sure I was at least 7 centimeters. I was waiting for Dr. Cobb to get there to check me. By the time she got there, the pain was absolutely indescribable! They told me most people are pushing at a Pitocin level of 16 and I was at a 30!!!

I had told myself that if Dr. Cobb checked me and I was at least 7 centimeters, then I would keep going on my quest to have a natural delivery. Imagine my disappointment, and actual hysteria, when she told me I was only a 5. I completely lost it! I knew at that point, I needed to have the epidural. Dr. Cobb knew how much I wanted a natural delivery so she convinced me to try laboring in the tub for a while. I agreed and at about that time, my IV line got jacked up and my arm starting hurting and swelling really badly. They removed the IV (and thus the Pitocin) while I got in the tub. My pain level went from a 10+ to about an 8.5. I started to think that maybe I could do it without an epidural....until they put my IV back in and the Pitocin was back. Holy Crap that stuff is brutal.

I was crying in the tub, my contractions were not even 15 seconds apart. I couldn't even catch my breath. Ryan did his best to help me stay with my birth plan, but I was done. D-O-N-E. I even told him to shut up once (sorry, honey) when he was trying to talk to me during a contraction. They ordered the epidural for me and I got out of the tub.

When they made me lay down in the bed and wait for the anaesthesiologist, the pain increased big time. Laying on my side made everything so much worse and I asked Ryan to kill me...and I meant it. It was horrid. I was 6-7 centimeters by that point but I had no interest in continuing without some pain medication. The doctor arrived and they gave me a therapeutic dose of the epidural so I could still feel some contractions and I could still move my legs, which was nice. I think I got the epidural sometime around 3 or 3:30.

Dr. Cobb came in and reassured me that it was okay that I asked for the epidural and she hoped that I wouldn't be disappointed. I told her the only thing I regretted was that I hadn't asked for it hours ago! By 5:45, I was complete and ready to push. I pushed for an hour and a half. It was hard work, especially with what a porker he was! I watched everything in the mirror, which was really cool and it really helped me push more effectively because I could see the progress I made each time. At 7:15pm, Tucker Shay made his entrance into the world! It was hands down, the best thing I have ever done in my life. I cannot say enough good things about all of my nurses at the BirthCare Center and especially Dr. Cobb, who made sure I had the birth experience I had dreamed of. I absolutely cannot wait to do it again!