It all started last Sunday- I awoke to what felt like menstrual cramps, they didn't hurt (YET!) but they were definitely out of the ordinary. I told Tommy I thought this was it, so we started timing them. They seemed to be pretty consistent, as opposed to braxton hicks contractions which I had been experiencing for weeks, but they were inconsistent and not in any way painful.
Tommy decides to take my car to get gas since it is our only vehicle with a car seat base at the moment. He comes back with donuts (isn't he amazing?), which I eat after a quick hot shower. My contractions were getting closer together at this point so we clean up the house a bit, finish packing our hospital bag, and drive to the hospital. At this point they are probably a 5 on a 1-10 pain scale.
We get to labor and delivery around 11:30am and they check my cervix. The nurse tells me I am still at 3cm (had been since my appointment a week before). She tells me to walk around the hospital or grab a bite to eat, and since my pain is now around a 6 we decide food is a better option. We return after about an hour to get rechecked and I am now dilated 4cm. This is good, but apparently not good enough to emit me, so she asks us to take a walk and come back in 2 more hours. At this point walking is not an option, so we find a bench inside the hospital cafe and I lay down on it. My contractions at this point hurt like hell and put me into tears. I'd say I was at a 9 on the pain scale at this point.
After laying on this bench for about an hour and a half in the worst pain of my life, we return to L&D to get checked again. This time they tell me I am still at 4cm, and they want me to go home. Inside I was furious, "how can you tell me to go home like this?" I couldn't imagine taking one more step let alone riding in a car to my house. The doctors answer to this is a shot of morphine (umm.. in my buttcheek. It HURT!)
On the ride home I quickly feel the effects of the morphine. I'm tired like it's no ones business. I can't keep my eyes open, but I STILL feel the awful contractions. I have about 5 on our way home. So we get home, my mom comes over to help, and I try everything possible to ease the pain I am experiencing. I try laying down.. walking around our house... taking a bath... to crawling in shear agony down the hall telling Tommy and my mom over and over that I can't do this while in tears. At this point my pain level is past a 10.
Around 9:45pm we head back to the hospital after laboring at home for three hours. As soon as we pull up, Tommy rushes in to get a wheelchair for me, I tell him I want to time it so he's not wheeling me in mid-contraction so we wait a minute until I'm sure I'm not going to have one and we book it in to the emergency room.
As soon as we walk in everyone knows my name and I'm being wheeled as fast as possible to a delivery room. I'm so tired from the morphine I can't keep my eyes open and I'm shaking uncontrollably from adrenaline. Next thing I know I'm being stripped of my clothes and poked with needles. They check my cervix and I am 7-8cm! Holy cow. I'm glad we didn't wait at home any longer...
All I can think about at this point is getting an epidural. Oh man. As soon as I got it I was in HEAVEN. And to whoever said it was painful to get an epidural... I didn't even feel it. I could have kissed my anesthesiologist. From here on out everything was amazing.
I started pushing at about 1:00am, and Blakely Grace Baines arrived at 2:10am on March 24, 7 lbs and 1.8 oz, 21" long.
Pushing didn't hurt at all for me until her head was pushing its way out. I got to see her head and pull her out. Most incredible experience of my life. I guess I swore twice and apologized each time which made everyone laugh. I must have been the nicest patient they've ever had! Tommy was great as he helped in any way possible. My mom was in the delivery room too, and was another big help.
All in all my delivery experience was great! Well.. From the epidural on :) She was worth every ounce of pain and I wouldn't change it for the world!
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