On May 27th (my birthday) we went to my doctor's appointment to find out if our little boy was growing and to decide if I would need to be induced. We knew that because of his size that induction was a possibility. After another ultrasound, they found that my placenta wasn't working properly anymore and that our little boy was not getting what he needed to grow. After talking to the doctor about our options, we decided that induction and getting our little boy here was the best thing for him. So induction was scheduled for Friday May 30th. The plan was that I would go to the hospital at 5pm on Thursday May 29th and they would start me on cervidil to soften my cervix and help me to start dilating and just basically prepare me for labor. Then on Friday morning we would start the pitocin.
They did check my cervix at my appointment and found that I was dilated to a 1 or 2. They also told me that my baby boy's little head was extremely low which were all positive things to hear and were also a sign that I could possibly go into labor on my own anyway.
When I pictured having a baby I always pictured that crazy drive to the hospital and running in and I always figured I'd be in too much pain to talk at this point (I wanted to labor at home if I could) and that Mike would have to get us all checked in. My experience was a bit different though. Instead of rushing to the hospital, we took our time getting there and we calmly (at least calm on the outside) walked into the hospital. We got all settled into our room and I got my IV(hated that thing) and they took a ton of blood and then we waited for the doctor.
Dr. Easton came in around 6:00pm and checked me to see how I was doing. When he checked he told me that I was already dilated to about a 2 or 3 and that since I was having mild contractions their was no reason to do the cervidil. So Mike and I could stay at the hospital or we could go back home and come back at 5am. We decided that since we had already registered, answered all the questions they have to ask and I had already had the IV set up and my blood taken that we would just stay put for the night. The best news was that since we weren't doing the cervidil, I could eat until midnight as long as my contractions didn't get more intense and regular. So they monitored me for a few hours and then around 9:30 they told me that my contractions were irregular enough (and I wasn't in any pain) that I could eat. So off Mike went to Subway to get me a BLT and an oatmeal raisin cookie :) So we sat and we ate while we watched the Lion King to try and relax before we became parents! I'm convinced that even though those hospital beds are not comfortable, that their is no way I would have slept that night no matter where I was. How can anyone sleep when they can practically count the hours to when they are going to become a parent?! I was so excited and nervous and anxious. Our nurse told me that I could take a sleeping pill (don't remember the name) to help me sleep that night. I told her I only wanted half the dose but it did help me to sleep that night at least for a couple hours.
We were up early on Friday morning. At 6:45am they started the pitocin but it was a low dose since they didn't think it would take much since he was already so low and I was dilating on my own. Up until now I had been having irregular contractions all night. I could feel them but I could definitely talk and move around comfortably and I was even using my exercise ball. The contractions started to get more regular around 8am but they still weren't too intense yet. I really wanted to walk around but they wouldn't let me get up which I was not happy about. They also told me that they would probably have to break my water which is why I wanted to get up and move around cause I really wanted things to start happening on their own instead of having to force my body to do everything.
The contractions weren't too intense so for the next hour or so Mike and I just talked and watched videos while we waited. At 9:10ish I heard a loud pop and then felt a huge gush of water. I looked over at Mike and told him I was pretty sure my water had just broken. He started to look a little panicked and called our nurse, Nancy, over and told her. Then they both started asking me if I was sure and in the calmest voice possible told them that yes I was sure that was what had just happened. So Nancy checked me and I was dilated to 4cm and was 90% effaced at 9:30 and yes my water had broken on its own.
Suddenly I could feel every contraction and they started to get more intense. By 10 or so I couldn't handle the contractions any longer and I asked or begged for the epidural. Thankfully Dr. Zahn and Dr. Jim didn't waste any time getting to my room. They gave me the epidural which was perfect. I had no pain but I could still feel the pressure to push. They checked me at 10:30 and found out that I was fully dilated and 100% effaced haha. So in an hour I had gone from 4 to 10cm- at least I wasn't imagining the pain but the nurse said I probably shouldn't have gotten the epidural but they weren't able to check me while I was in so much pain so they can't know exactly how far along I was when I got it.
Since I could still feel pressure, I really felt like and knew I needed to push. He was actually already crowning but the doctor wasn't there yet. So the nurse had me just do a few practice pushes but then she would tell me to stop which was practically impossible since he was ready to come. The doctor got there at 10:55 and I really started pushing. After 3 pushes she told me to stop pushing cause he was coming whether I pushed or not and our little boy was born at 11:13am on May 30, 2014! :) I swear it happened so fast! He came out and Mike cut the cord and then they placed him on my chest. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. He was crying until I started to hold him and talk to him. Then he started to calm down and relax which was amazing. The most amazing part was that Mike and I looked at him and then at each other and Mike just mouthed the name Daniel and we both smiled and nodded. Just holding him and seeing him we just knew that he was our little Daniel.
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| I love those little feet :) |
Our little Daniel weighed 5 lbs 10oz and was 17 inches long. He is our little peanut but he is perfectly proportioned and thankfully was completely healthy and had no problems even though he came two weeks early. They did confirm though that my placenta was abnormal so that was good to know that it likely had stopped functioning properly.
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| Our very first family picture :) |
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| I think my favorite moment was watching Mike hold him for the first time |
We did stay at the hospital for two days because the doctor wanted to monitor Daniel a little extra since he was so tiny but he was able to stay with us as long as we wanted. We did have him go to the nursery at night just so we could sleep but he was with us during the day. We got to go home on Sunday morning and we were so excited! All in all though I was blessed with an awesome labor and delivery! I really couldn't have asked for better and I had wonderful nurses and people helping me. Mike was an amazing coach and support and really helped make this a positive and memorable experience for me. Even though I was nervous about Daniel coming early and being induced, I know this was when he was supposed to join our family and he is perfect and we love him so much. He is truly a blessing to have in our family.
I honestly can't quite remember what life was like before he came but we love every minute of having him here with us.
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