This is her birth story. All the standard "eww gross" disclaimers apply. It's a birth after all!
Around 8:30 pm on the 20th my contractions, that I'd been having for weeks started to feel different. At 10 I told Paul that maybe this was it. He just rolled his eyes. After weeks of contractions neither of us really thought anything would come of it. We went to bed and at 1:00 they woke me up. They were sporadic so I tried to sleep. By 4am I woke Paul up & decided to take a shower. They calmed down and we went about our morning. I had a drs appt 9 that morning so I figured I'd just talk to them then.
At my appointment they offered to induce but I opted to wait it out. So she decided to send me over to the hospital for a non stress test. About half way through they noticed an arrhythmia in Nora's heartbeat. They said it wasn't a concern & the doctor would be in to discuss. The doctor came in and asked about my dilation, when I told her 4.5 she said were going to have a baby today. That way they didn't need to worry about waiting things out & I was making progress.
By noon were were moved to delivery and hooked up. Paul ran home to get Riley situated, get our bags and do some last minute things. The first few hours were pretty slow & my contractions were "nothing to write home about" according to the nurse. Hardy har har.
At 3pm they broke my water hoping to get my contractions more regular. I do not recall them getting more regular but they did get more intense. At 5 I was 7cm and wanted the epidural. They needed to do the epi twice & contracting through it was awful. Once it was in though the relief was awesome. Paul went to get coffee & I tried to close my eyes. It didn't work. I recall complete numbness with my first epi, not the case this time. I didn't mind though I liked being able to adjust.
The epi slowed my contractions and at 6 they decided to give me a low dose of pitocin to get them going again. At 7 they checked me and I was at 7.5, I was disappointed. The epi was not working well. The contractions hurt. A lot. I told them & they gave me a pump to give the meds a boost. I pumped but no relief. It was busted & I told them. We were going to call anesthesiologist back to help.
At 7:30 I told the nurse I was ripping in half. I started shaking & got a cold sweat. She said it hadn't been long but she'd check me. It was likely transition. Whatever it was I wanted that doctor to make it not hurt. Imagine everyone's surprise when she found me complete & ready to push. She said Nora was low but not quite there so we'd do some practices.
I was still shaking & not feeling well. I couldn't catch my breath so we only got in 2 practice pushes in that first contraction after they were ready. She immediately told me to stop & ran to get the doctor. People flooded in & before I knew it the doc was ready.
We did one more set of pushes and in the middle I said something about passing out. The doctor encouraged me to look down & there was Nora. Head and shoulders already there & just one more push & she'd be here. I Needed no further encouragement. The next thing I new a gorgeous screamy dark haired beauty was on my chest.
They whisked her away to check her heart and we were relieved to hear that everything was ok. The doctor thanked me for being speedy and at that instant I knew my body was destroyed. An 8lb 6pz baby is going to cause damage coming that fast & I felt it. I had to know. The doctor laughed and said I was fine. It wasn't bad at all. Just one little stitch to make things more comfortable & I was done.
I couldn't believe it. Another awesome birth experience. Thinking back the crappy epi wasn't even that bad. In the moment it felt intolerable but we got through it just fine. I didn't even need the numbing cream. I used one ice pack immediately following but nothing after. I readily took the Motrin they offered but more for uterine cramping.
Our immediate family was there before we were moved to our regular room. I begged for a shower but was denied. I was less than happy but whatever. I woke early the next morning (Thanksgiving) and immediately showered. Clean with a face of makeup I felt like a million bucks.
Nora was brought back & I got to spend a few hours just me and her. She's perfect. Bright clear skin, dark hair, calm, pleasant, just perfect in every way. Riley came to see her & instantly knew who Nora was. She loved her sister with kisses & did not show any signs of jealousy.
We were home before little lady was 48 hours old. The adjustment has been smooth & kind to us so far. We are loving our little family of 4.
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