Friday, December 17, 2010:
I started having contractions during the night and didn’t have a chance to sleep very much. They were about 10 minutes apart and I knew they were not the Braxton hicks contractions. They felt a lot different. My whole belly would tighten up. I was 36 weeks and 1 day at the time. I had been to the doctor on Wednesday (12/15) for my regular appointment and fetal monitoring. During the fetal monitoring I had a few contractions and the nurse said, “maybe you will have a baby before Christmas!” I thought, “there is no way…my baby is not due until January 13, 2011!” After a long night of little sleep on Friday, I decided to go ahead and call labor and delivery and ask them if I should come in. They of course told me to come and in get checked out. Jeff had to work so I called Uncle Alan. He arrived and we headed off to the hospital. I had my bag ready to go just in case. When I got there the contractions had slowed way down. The nurse mid-wife (the person on duty) came to check me out and noted that I was not dilated but my cervix had started to thin. He said that most likely this was the beginning of the labor process but explained that it could take a few days to a few weeks. They then sent me home and advised me to try and get some rest. I did take a long much needed nap and by that evening the contractions had gone away. We went and had dinner with Chris, Amy, Mason and Collin Carlisle. They were in town from Spokane. It was great to see them and I was feeling great.
Saturday, December 18, 2010 – Sunday, December 19, 2010:
Myrene, Glenn & Grandma Arlene arrived to celebrate Christmas with us. It was a great weekend and felt great most of the time. There were a few times I had to go lay down because I would have contractions off and on, but nothing like Friday. Myrene was a little concerned about leaving for California in a few days, but we told her not to worry. We were not going to have the baby anytime soon.
Monday, December 20, 2010:
I returned to work and felt fine for the most part. I of course was tired and my feet were swollen but this was nothing new since I had been 6 months pregnant. I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night to horrible contractions. I was up all night again! They were anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010:
Since I was up all night again, I decided that I could not go into work. The contractions continued off and on throughout the day but nothing consistent. Instead of going into the hospital again I decided to call my doctor’s office. They told me I was probably fine and to make sure and come to my appointment the next day. The nurse explained that if it got worse to come to the hospital. Later that night when Jeff got home from work they started up again and this time they lasted for a few hours and were 5-7 minutes apart. I tried to take a bath in hopes that it would help and it didn’t. I wasn’t in any pain, just very uncomfortable. My belly would tighten and become so hard. We decided to go ahead and go to the hospital and get checked again. At this point I was really uncomfortable and exhausted. We arrived and they hooked me up to a monitor and the contractions were consistent this time. They checked me and I was dilated to 2cm! They also noted my blood pressure was a little high and when I gave a urine sample there was protein in it. They asked me to stay for a few hours for observation and then I was able to go home and wait for real labor to start. I was in early labor at this point. They asked me to come in if the contractions got worse or if my water broke. I was advised to go to my doctor appointment the next day as planned. By the time I arrived home I felt better. Then I was up ALL night again!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010:
I decided it was a good idea to miss work again due to being awake most of the night and considering I was probably in early labor it wouldn’t be the best idea to hike to the bus stop. I went to my doctor appointment that afternoon and Jeff was able to come. By this time, I was really tired and did not feel well. My blood pressure was also a little high. Dr. Wyatt (my OB) walked in the room and said, “you don’t look very good.”She decided to check me and I was dilated to 2 ½ to 3cm by this point. She said, “you have two options: you either need to get checked into the hospital for observation or we should get this baby out.” This was because she was worried I was starting to get preeclampsia (with the protein in my urine the night before and the blood pressure being high). Jeff and I decided it was time to meet our baby girl! We were advised to come back at 11:00pm and check in for our induction. Jeff went back to finish the work day and I went home to pack and get ready. I made all my phone calls and tried to relax, but I was really excited and nervous. When Jeff got home from work we decided to go and have Mexican for our last meal alone. I of course did not eat much because I was going to have a baby soon and didn’t really want to have heart burn.
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| Induction Night 12/22/10 |
We arrived at the hospital around 11:00pm and they were waiting for us. The labor and delivery unit was very busy and we were told we were lucky because they were turning away people. My mom, Wes, Ashley and Taryn decided to drive down that night and arrived shortly after I checked in. We advised them to go home and get rest because I probably wasn’t going to have a baby anytime soon. But they were so excited so they stopped by the hospital before going to bed. Mom brought a hand knitted stocking with Jenna’s name (she had it made just like the other one’s at her house). We hung it up on my IV post.
Thursday, December 23, 2010:
The medicine for the induction finally started around 2:00am. At that time I realized there was no turning back and we were going to have our baby (hopefully) today. Jeff’s co-worker/fellow anesthesiologist, Dr. Mike Hall came to check on me and see if I needed anything. At that point I was not in labor so I didn’t need any pain medication. During this time I heard a woman next door screaming and moaning. I turned to Jeff and said, “I’m going home!” I realized at that time that I would not scream through the birth of our baby; because I don’t want another girl to hear me and be scared and I don’t want our baby to hear me and become scared. Jeff and I agreed that we should try and go to sleep. I think I slept off and on, but I am not sure. Since I was hooked up to an IV, magnesium (for the preeclampsia), induction meds, blood pressure cuff and contraction/baby heart beat monitors it made it hard to get comfortable…plus I was still having contractions.
When it was about 5:00am Jeff told me that if I wanted Mike Hall to do the epidural then I needed to get it before he left at 6:30am. At the time I was not in full blown labor and was not in really any pain. My initial plan was to wait to have the epidural until I really needed it. Jeff and I agreed that we should probably have Mike do it since the next person that was coming on shift was a first year resident in his first week of OB. When I asked the nurse to get Dr. Hall she said, “already?” I was a little annoyed but our reasoning’s were good. Dr. Hall came in and his attending Dr. Hicks too. Jeff started chatting to them and Dr. Hicks had to remind him that he needed to sit with me as this was happening. I think Jeff forgot a minute that he was a patient’s husband and not the doctor. Everything went great and it didn’t hurt at all. We told Mike that we wanted the meds to be very low because I wasn’t in much pain. I got a catheder put in next. At first I was scared of it, but since I was numb I didn’t feel much and it made my life so much easier not having to go the bathroom so often. My legs were numb by this point. I think after that I got some sleep. My mom, Taryn, Wes and Ashley arrived later that morning to check on me. Soon after, Uncle Alan, Aunt Alona and Kyle came. Off and on the nurse came to check on me. There was family practice residents, nurse changes, OB residents and my doctor all came over the day.
At around 1:00pm Dr. Wyatt came to check to see if I had dilated any more. Our plan was that if there hadn’t been much change she would slow down the pitocin and let me have something to eat. Well, I was dilated to 5cm and she accidentally broke my water. It was a strange feeling. At first I didn’t know what happened (remember I was numb) and then I felt warm water like I had gone to the bathroom. Once your water breaks they like you to have the baby within 24 hours, because of the risk of infection. Dr. Wyatt said she would come back in a bit and check me. At this point, I was getting more and more excited. Baby girl was going to arrive within a day! The hours went on and I was getting more and more uncomfortable. The baby’s heart rate would sometimes go up and down depending on my position so the nurses had me turn and lay different ways. The contractions were also getting stronger.
Dr. Wyatt came around 6:00pm before she went home for the day and checked me again. I was still around 5cm. She said if there wasn’t a lot of change then she thought I should have a C-Section. I secretly was hoping for one because I was scared of the thought of pushing out a baby and I was exhausted! My nurse Taya arrived on shift (she would be my nurse now until I had the baby).
An hour or so later, a resident Dr. Jacob Meyer explained that he was now going to be my doctor for the evening and had talked to Dr. Wyatt. He checked me and I hadn’t really progressed much. He explained how a C-Section worked and I signed the paperwork. He said that he would come back in a few hours to check and if nothing had changed then we would go ahead and do the C-Section. I told him that I was ready to have this baby. I was so tired and the contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable. I became a little grouchy. I remember being hungry and sweating a lot. Taya said that I could have broth and a popsicle. This was the best news ever! Even though the broth was not very good, I ate it up.
Around 8:00pm Dr. Meyer came in to check me and I had finally gotten to 8cm. We decided the next plan was to have this baby vaginally and axed the C-Section. I kept saying throughout the day that I wanted to have the baby before midnight. I was determined not to have her born on Christmas Eve. Earlier our friends from home, Jay and Stefanie Neff had their baby girl Makenna and I really wanted our girls to have the same birthday. Also, I asked for the epidural to be up a little higher because my left hip was hurting so bad. It must have been the way the baby was positioned. I also decided that I wanted my mom in the room with me during the birth. Looking back I wish I would have asked Taryn too, because it was such a beautiful thing and I think she would have liked being there. I also wished that Myrene could have been there too.
Around 9:30pm, I was feeling a lot of pressure. They checked me again and said I was pretty close to 10cm. I told Taya (the nurse) that I was ready to start pushing. I felt this urge and I really wanted to have the baby before midnight. She explained how it would work and said that during the contractions I would push for about 4 seconds 3 times and then stop and have a break until the next contraction. We did this awhile and I moved into different positions (still laying on my back). In between pushes, I would take a short rest. I also was humming Christmas songs during the contractions. It helped a lot to keep my mind off the pain. Jeff and my mom were texting to family and letting them know the baby was coming. I remember asking Jeff if anything was happening could he see the baby’s head. He kept telling me how great I was doing and that yes he could see the head. After an hour I was getting a little frustrated but Taya, Jeff and my mom were so supportive and told me that I could do it. Next thing I know I was asking what time it was (close to 11:00pm) and Taya said that it was time to get the doctor that they head was visible and baby was ready to be born. Dr. Meyer and Dr. Rodriguez (his attending) along with other people for the baby arrived. I was so out of it, but I do remember key things. I remember a few strong pushes and the doctors telling me the baby was almost here and then she was born at 11:03pm! They laid her on my chest and I opened my eyes (had been keeping them closed because it helped me concentrate). She was beautiful. I couldn’t believe that my baby girl- Jenna Faith, who I had prayed about and felt kicking for all those months was here in my arms. She had a scrunched up face and was a little messy from the birth but she was amazing! Jeff got to cut the cord and she had a faint little cry. Taya and another nurse agreed that maybe a team should come in and look at her to make sure she was breathing ok. Dr. Wyatt had mentioned earlier that since I was on magnesium that the baby maybe a little groggy too. They took her away and at first I got a little nervous. I told Jeff to go with her. I could still see her but wasn’t sure what was happening. Jenna was fine. They cleaned her up and weighed her.
Jeff texted the family and my mom took pictures. My mom decided it was time to go tell Taryn, Wes, Ashley, Paul (who had arrived shortly before the birth), Uncle Alan and Aunt Alona, who were all in the waiting room that she was here and showed them pictures. They finally brought Jenna back to me.
Jeff called his mom, grandma, Krissa and Brian on skype so they could see the baby. I kept wanting to look at her, but I was so tired my eyes kept closing. When the doctors were done with the stitches, everyone came in to see Jenna.
