Hello Sunshiney Days: Birth Story

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Birth Story

(Baby S's first pic!)

Our sweet baby girl arrived four weeks ago on Thursday afternoon, January 16th!

I didn't feel good the day before.... just more tired and achy than normal. Wednesday evening I started having contractions pretty consistently for about 2 hours. I was at the Dollar Tree with my mom and the kids when I started feeling contractions but we needed to go to Walmart. At Walmart I actually rode in one of those scooters for the first time ever! Ha! I felt so dumb but I didn't feel like walking either. Late Wednesday evening all the pains stopped and I was pretty annoyed. It was a full moon and I was really, really hoping I would go into labor.

Thursday morning I was still feeling fine. No contractions at all. I took the kids to school and went on to my 38 week appointment.

(Side Note: I was induced with my first 2 babies at 38 weeks with high blood pressure. Even though my blood pressure was great this whole pregnancy I joked for months that I hoped it would be up at my 38 week appointment so my doctor would go ahead and induce. My first 2 babies were 8lbs 5 oz and 7 lbs 14 oz at birth so I couldn't imagine going past 38 weeks with this one. I knew she would be a good size at 38 weeks.)

So, I went in to my 38 week appointment. I knew something was going on when the nurse checked my blood pressure three times. Sure enough, my blood pressure was up. I wasn't really surprised because I had been feeling a little off the past couple days. I have to say I was excited because I was more than ready to be done. With my history I was pretty sure high bp at 38 weeks meant induction right away. I got to an exam room and my blood pressure was still up. I was also 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced by then. The doctor and I went over my past pregnancies and inductions. The whole time I kept my fingers crossed that he would please induce me (I was thinking the next morning) because I did not want to go home and be on bed rest for a week .... which I figured would be my only other option. (I was on bed rest for 2 weeks before I had J and it nearly drove me crazy.) I asked the doctor if he'd induce the next morning and he was like "Actually, I'm thinking of today. Let me make a phone call." He left and came right back and told me to walk right over to the hospital and they'd induce right then! I was kind of shocked. That's not what I had expected at all. I was really hoping I could at least go home and pack my bags. But I walked across the parking lot to the hospital and checked myself in. It was a weird feeling to be so unprepared and walk in with just a coat and a purse. Ha! (Of course I texted and called my husband with updates several times. I think he was shocked that things were going the way I had joked.. bp up and being induced again at 38 weeks. I'm not sure he's convinced that I didn't make my blood pressure go up. Ha!)

I got to my room and changed into a gown. I was there by myself when they started Pitocin. I had my water broke right after. Thankfully hubby was able to get off work right away. He went home and packed my bags and came up to the hospital. He was there by the time I got my epidural around 4-5 cm. It took a while for the Pitocin to kick in but when things started moving they moved fast! I went from 7-10 in no time. They started Pitocin around 11 am and I started pushing right around 4 pm. Pushed for, maybe, 10 minutes and then she was here at 4:10!

I couldn't have asked for a better outcome! I know inductions and epidurals aren't for everyone but they're definitely for me. :) I love how quickly things move and how pain free it is. I've had all three babies the same way (induced and epidural) and three great birth experiences. :)