From early on in my pregnancy there were some worries. Before I was pregnant with Elsie, I had a miscarriage. It was so frustrating because I feel I never got any good answers as to what was really going on with my body and the strange symptoms I had. So, when I was finally able to get pregnant again after many many months of waiting and worrying, we were very excited!!
During my first trimester, however, I was given the flu mist rather than the flu shot. I was not aware this was an issue and the technicians never even asked...so, unfortunately it happened. When Ryan told me that was bad for pregnant women, I immediately started crying. I was so worried about having another miscarriage or causing some damage to my sweet baby. My doctor was very kind and could sense my worry, so he scheduled us for a detailed ultrasound and genetic counseling. After talking to the counselor on the phone my fears were put to rest.
Later on in my pregnancy, they found a cyst on her brain which put her at a higher risk of Downs Syndrom. though my doctor assured me he was not all that concerned, he could again sense my fears and scheduled us, again, for genetic counseling. Again, after talking to the counselor and have a detailed ultrasound of every part of her body...our fears were put to rest. Also, I could not help but feel that I just knew this baby was going to be fine, despite all the worries and fears that had arisen.
When the day finally arrived for me to be induced, I was MORE than ready!!! This pregnancy felt more difficult than the others. I just had more symptoms than I ever had before, more early anxiety than I ever had before and even a few very scary panic attacks. However, I made it through, and the long awaited day had finally arrived!!
We went in a 7am on Monday, April 14th. I was checked in and started on Pitocin my 9:45am! Ryan and I were getting very excited to meet our Elsie!! However, things were SLOW going for a LONG time...13 hours in fact!!! I was getting the full dose of Pitocin and having some uncomfortable contractions, however, I could tell they weren't really increasing. When they checked me after many hours of this slow labor and I was only dilated to a three, I was devastated!! They even offered to stop the Pitocin for awhile so I could eat something. They said they didn't want me to be too uncomfortable. In my head I said, "Are you crazy? Let's just get this ball rolling. Out loud, however, I politely declined and asked if we could just keep moving forward!!
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, my doctor came and broke my water. It didn't take more than a few minutes for the contractions to get super strong and very uncomfortable. My fear of Epidurals and the fact that my amazing sister had just given birth naturally caused me to wait a bit too long before finally giving in and getting an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural I was feeling like I was going to pass out and literally shaking...I know...I am a bit dramatic and silly, but boy a person forgets how intense those contractions can get. And I was really not going to be able to keep it together much longer!! Luckily, the epidural came just in time. Once the epidural kicked in, my nurse checked me and I was dilated to an 8!!
Not much more than an hour after I received the epidural i felt an intense need to push!! this was new for me. With both of my other epidurals I never really felt this sensation. However, this time I did...and it was strong!! My nurse let me push through a set of contractions, then decided to wait fifteen more minutes then call the doctor. I was uncertain this was a good decision, because the need to push was growing much more intense! So intense that I called her back in and told her I didn't think I could wait!! She let me push through another set of contractions and we could all see Elsie's head!! The nurse immediately tried to call my doctor but for some reason was unable to reach him. She called in two other nurses who looked shocked when they came in the room to see what state I was in. They all kept asking me to hold on. However, I knew this was not going to happen. The feeling was so intense that it was painful. I told them I couldn't wait when all of a sudden the pressure was gone and Elsie had slid right out without much effort whatsoever!! She had the cord around her neck and came out face up with her hands up. So the nurses quickly took care of the situation and handed Elsie right to me!
I couldn't believe i had delivered my baby without the doctor! What felt like 30 seconds later, my doctor arrived looking stunned to see he had missed the show. He wished me congratulation then went to work fixing me all up...while gently (but obviously annoyed) asking my nurse what happened and why he was not called sooner.
The whole thing felt quite dramatic, but I was very blessed and things could not have gone smoother despite all the drama. Elsie was perfect and healthy and I had not torn at all, for the first time in any of my deliveries!! And now we have this sweet little angel to enjoy!!
3 comments:
She is so beautiful! I'm so glad it has been a smooth transition so far. Good luck with the move.
so fun to read your story! i am just so glad and happy for you with how well things have gone so far. you really are a rock star mom mare!! i cannot wait to see you all so soon!!!!!!!!!! love you!
Her story is beautiful...as are you, Mary! I am so happy for you that all is going as well as possible. So sad we'll miss Elsie's first year in person.
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