Now, one HUGE thing about pregnancy that I feel like it was someone's responsibility, but no one stepped up to the plate, to tell me, was that you can go into what I now know is false labor. Sure I had heard of this before but I was under the impression that that was just Braxton Hicks contractions, which after a few you begin to recognize, and understand that you are not constantly going into labor. Well what I didn't know is, false labor is actually where you truly begin the labor process, much more painful contractions begin and continue for all the way up to 24 hours, so you're good and ready to go to the hospital...which we did...and then they just STOP. One minute you are on the verge of crying because you're in so much pain and then...nothing. REALLY. How is this not the first thing they tell you at your initial pre-natal appointment.
Anywho, so after this happening twice. The first was 3 weeks before he made his appearance and the second was 4 days before. He finally decided to come, for real, 11 days late! Which Spencer & I are convinced is because we are constantly late to everything. If you added up every minute we have every been late in our whole lives it would total to, 11 days. So we get it...we won't be late anymore.
My labor was a bit intense. It began at midnight Sunday night, about 10 minutes after Spencer fell asleep. I decided to let him sleep, because if this wasn't going to naturally be the real deal, we would go in morning to have me officially induced(they were going to do it 3 days later anyway if i had not had him by then), so either way he needed to be rested to be my support. All night I had contractions. They started 15-30 minutes apart and by the time morning came Spence got up, they were every 8-10 minutes. We called the doctors and they had us come in to get checked and finallyI was 3 centimeters dilated. They gave us the option to check into the birth suite or go home and "relax" there for a bit and come back when they were 3-4 minutes apart. So we went to my in-laws house, only 5 minutes from the hospital and his mother & my mom took care of us for a bit. We ate, watched a movie, had a boat load of contractions, I got lots of massages, Spence tried to take a nap but I wouldn't let him, they were becoming too intense.
Then around 4pm they were very quickly moving to be 1-3 minutes apart so we headed back to the hospital. I had 3 contractions in the car, and oh my, those were really intense ones because I wasn't able to move a whole lot. Once there they checked me and I was 4 centimeters and completely effaced(no cervix left). They were pretty sure he would be coming my midnight that evening. NOPE! By 11:30pm they became too overwhelming for me handle and we asked for an epidural. Our hope was to labor & deliver without any medication, but I was too tired to continue to focus through each contraction and they then told me it would be at least another 7-10 hours, followed by no less than 2-4 hours of pushing....uhhhhh....are you kidding me I said. "Ok bring on the drugs please". However, Because I was not planning on using any drugs, I did not do a whole lot of research beyond the basics of what they would offer me. One thing I did not realize, was the reason they offer the epidural to you at 5-6 centimeters, is because anytime after that your contractions become so frequent and so intense that getting the epidural becomes increasing more difficult. At this point my contractions were every 2 minutes lasting at least a minute to a minute & a half at a time, so my recovery time was often only 30 seconds. So while getting the epidural I had 4 contractions, and I have never been so uncomfortable, the only part that hurt was the numbing medication they give you first, I wasn't really able to feel the pain of the epidural needle but I did feel the pressure so while I could feel the super long needle in my back and then having a contraction and knowing that I could not move a muscle of I could potentially paralyze myself was completely terrifying. Not to mention, this is also while my poor husband, who was holding me up and I was leaning on him, his body decided it was too tired and in the middle of the needle in my back & having a contraction, he had to switch places and have a nurse hold me because he was going to pass out..AH! After receiving the epidural I only felt one contraction & then all was right with the world. We were able to go to sleep. It was glorious!
The next morning I woke up at 6:30am ready & excited to have a baby. I'll tell ya, laboring with an epidural...way more fun. At 8:30am they checked me, I was 10! Praise the Lord!!!! However the doctor was sure I was going to be pushing for at least 2 hours. HA! No way dude. I began pushing at 8:45 & he was born at 9:30.
He was perfect. Completely beautiful and I felt so so blessed. I have never felt such a rush of perfect happiness. I was a mother, Spencer was a father. My family had their first grandchild, great grandchild, great great grandchild & nephew. Spencer's family had their 10th. It was perfection. The best moment of my life. Thank you GOD
August 17, 2010
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