Mommy Talk #8

This week's topic at Mommy Talk is:

Your Birth Story

This is going to be a long post, so brace yourselves! Here are the birth stories of my 2 girls:

With Emma, I was 3 days from my due date. My baby shower was supposed to be at 11am that Saturday morning, but I woke up at 3:30 am with contractions. Since this was my 1st, I wasn't sure if they were the real thing, so I went downstairs and watched some tv while timing the contractions. Isn't it strange, the things we remember from childbirth? I distinctly remember sitting on my blue couch, Seinfeld reruns on tv, contractions every 5 minutes apart. After a couple of hours, I decided that I was in labor and I woke Todd up and told him I thought we should head to the hospital. Contractions were very manageable that this point, so the ride to the hospital was uneventful.

We arrived at the hospital around 6am, and did the usual checking in, strapping on the fetal monitor, and being observed for an hour or so. I sat in the jacuzzi tub for an hour after that and then my midwife arrived and wanted to check me. She ended up breaking my water at 8 am and then got me up to walk. My contractions went from manageable to out of control! I barely made it across the room before I was begging to get back in bed. By 10am I was ready to push, but feeling very overwhelmed. The one shot of Stadol that I'd been given had worn off, and I was feeling everything! An hour and a half later, at 11:28am, Emma Rose was born! They really had to suction her out afterwards, so I didn't get to hold her for a while. I also had a few complications personally, so I'd say it was going on 1 pm before I really got a good look at her!

The second time around, labor began much like the first! I woke up at 3:15am and new I was in labor. My contractions went from 10 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart in an hour. I woke Todd up at 4:15 and then made the call to my parents and babysitter. I finally called the doctor around 4:45 and said I'd probably be to the hospital in about an hour. Labor was really intense, and I had a hard time moving around. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart when I was sitting, but when I'd get up to get ready, they were around 2 minutes apart. Our babysitter called from the drive-thru in McD's, and asked if I wanted anything. I remember thinking, "Are you out of your mind? Who wants to eat at a time like this? I just need my epidural!" She arrived at our house at 5:30am and I practically ran out the door.

This time the drive to the hospital was very intense. My contractions were right on top of each other and I couldn't think straight. Todd later said that he was worried because I sounded the same way that I sounded at the end of labor with Emma! We pulled into the ER and they wheeled me up to L&D around 5:55am. Things went fast and furious- my doctor hadn't arrived yet and I was told that I was fully dialated. I started crying because I knew I wouldn't get an epidural and I remembered how horrible it had been the last time. But in minutes, my water broke and I HAD to push. The resident told me to wait, but I said, "I have to push, and I'm going to push- I can't wait!" One push later, Ella Olivia was in our world! She was born at 6:12 am, barely 3 hours after my labor started!

Looking back, I'd much rather have it fast and furious than to experience an hour and a half of pushing. The pain was intense, but I'm so glad I didn't have the epidural with the 2nd one. If I had to do it again, I'd probably do it the same way!