Before Ella Ruth I heard lots of birth stories. I knew our birth experience would be different but not knowing exactly what to expect was difficult for this self proclaimed "planner." I liked knowing exactly what to expect and this was something I could not plan.
Throughout my extire pregnancy I approached the whole experience with a laid back mentality. This was the first time I was pregnant so I everything was new and exciting. Fortunately throughout the entire process I felt great. It wasn't until the last few weeks that I truly "felt pregnant." For that I am so grateful! I certainly think that helped me a lot more pleasant to be around!
This laid back mentality crossed over into my thoughts about delivery. My OB-GYN practice helped with this a lot! One doctor told me that a "birth plan" should be considered more like "birth preferences." After hearing those words of advice I decided to let things happen the way they needed to, not how I wanted them to because let's face it... the only one that is truly in charge during birth is God. I was going to go into the hospital with the mentality that what needed to be done would be done so that my little girl would arrive healthy and I would be comfortable.
On ER's due date (November 24th) I went in for my 40 week appointment. During the examination I was still just 2 cm dilated just as I had been the week before. I was also still only 50% effaced. However the doctor told me she could feel the baby's head and lots of fluid. She did not think I would make it to the weekend. We did schedule an appointment for Monday - just in case induction was necessary. After I left my appointment I felt so excited! Knowing that I was one day closer to meeting my little girl made my heart smile. To celebrate my mom met me and we had a wonderful lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Afterwards I treated myself to a mani/pedi. I went on about life and ran one last holiday errand before heading home and settling in for the night.
That night I did not feel particularly unusual so I went to bed thinking that our Thanksgiving plans would continue without a hitch. Honestly I just knew my water would break during lunch with our family. How embarrassing right? Preston was on duty so I settled in, watched a movie in bed, and fell asleep.
Around 2:00 I woke up to some light cramps. Nothing too serious but they weren't like those I had felt in the past. I started timing them and they were coming about every 10 minutes or so. I didn't think much of them although I couldn't get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Then something very unexpected happened. Around 3:30 my water broke. Although it felt more like a big leak than the huge gush I was expecting. I tried very hard not to panic (again since it was more like a leak). I called the doctor on call and waited. Once she called me back she arrured me there was nothing to worry about. She told me to continue monitoring my contractions and wait 4 to 6 hours before coming in. This reassured me to not get too excited so I started to relax. I didn't even call Preston! I knew he would rush home from work and at that point there wasn't really any ting he could do. I went ahead and took a shower. Dried my hair, straighted it, and put a little make up on (yes I am THAT girl). I then finished packing our hospital bags and went back to bed. I even managed to eat a little bit and fall back asleep. Around 7:00 I woke up with more painful contractions. This time they were much closer together. They were now 5 to 7 minutes apart. One of my doctors had told me that real labor contractions started in the front of your abdomen and went through to your back (most of the time). That was exactly how these felt so now I knew something was really happening. The fact that they were increasingly painful was a clear sign too!
Around 8:00 Preston made it home from work. He was surprised to find out I had now been in labor for a few hours. He was excited to say the least. I told him I would call the doctor to let her know we were coming in. We were going to have a baby today! He packed up the car and off we went. We got to the hospital around 8:30.
Once we arrived we checked in and I went to triage to be examined. At that time I was just 3 cm dilated and they were not 100% sure my water had broken. Because I was just a little dilated they suggested I walk for 45 minutes. At that time the pain was not absolutely unbearable so we started our laps. Every 5 minutes or so we would have to stop for a contraction. During our walk they started to get closer and closer together. By the end of our walk they were 2 minutes or so apart.
After the walk I was examined again. By this time it was around 11:00. I still had not made a lot of progress but because I was having contractions so close together and so strong they admitted me. Once I was admitted they gave me a little medicine to "take the edge off." Although it really didn't ease the pain it made me not care as much! ;) I felt as if I had too many glasses of wine.
Around 12:00 my parents arrived. It was so nice to have them there. Although they had to leave family plans behind their support and words of comfort helped a lot! We spent our time watching football and talking. Although they did a great job of distracting me the pain increased and got even more frequent. It seems as one contraction ended the next began. At one point an internal monitor had to be placed on the baby because her heart rate was making an "unusual" pattern on the monitor. This was totally normal and as soon as the monitor was in place her heart rate changed into a more normal pattern. This also reasured us that my water had actually broken... they could not have placed the monitor if it had not! I knew it had broken!
Around 2:00 the pain was getting to be a bit too much for me to handle. I never went into my delivery thinking I would "hold out" until I couldn't take it any more. As soon as I realized it was getting unbearable I opted for meds - FAST! Within thirty minutes the epidural was in place and things were just peachy. It is amazing how fast and how beautifully that medication works! I like to think I was never too grumpy during the whole process but I know I certainly got a lot more pleasant if I was after that!
After they started my epidural they came in and checked me again at 3:30. I was still just 4 to 5 cm dilated so they began a potocin drip to help speed things up. It must have worked because around 4:30 I began feeling extreme pressure in my bottom. So much we had to call in the nurse because I thought I needed to use the bathroom. Turns out I was just ready to push. She checked me - even though she had just done that an hour before - and I was a full 10 cm! We said goodbye to our parents (by that time my mother in law had also arrived), said a prayer, and began the process of pushing.
Thankfully things progressed so quickly I did not need more epidural meds. This helped a lot because I was still able to move my legs, lift my bottom, and feel pressure. While I was pushing I could actually feel the contractions coming on (without any pain of course) which allowed me to help the nurse know when it was time to push. I began pushing around 4:50. Dr. Maddison came in just in time for my last two pushes (our nurse Margret was wonderful by the way - she did so much!). After just 25 minutes of pushing Ella Ruth was born at 5:18 pm!
Words cannot describe the emotions and feelings one has as soon as their child is born. For me it was a total rush of several. Oddly enough one of the first for me was relief. Not relief that labor was over but relief that she was here, safely with five fingers and five toes! It was so good to finally see her face and hear her cries. Of course an overwhelming feeling of love filled our hearts.
Honestly what happened afterwards was a big blur. It felt like a surreal out of body experience. I couldn't believe that I had just given birth. I couldn't believe that I was looking at OUR child. One that we had prayed for, created, and dreamed about for the last 9 months.
Once they checked her over well visitors began pouring in. Yes - they poored into the delivery room! They got to see Ella Ruth in all her glory getting measured, getting her first shot (which was horribly painful for us - now we truly understand the old saying, "this will hurt me more than it will hurt you"), and first bath. Preston and his grandmother worked to get her clothed and diapered. It was truly a precious moment!
After things were settled up in the labor and delivery room we headed up to our post delivery room. We were greeted by the sweetest nurses (my favorite quickly became the one who told me that diets start after you leave the hospital)! Shortly after we got settled in what seemed like our entire family once again poored in to meet Ella Ruth! We felt so lucky to have everyone there! I guess it was perfect timing! The holiday allowed so many, that would otherwise been out of town, to be there!
It was truly an amazing day. We are blessed beyond measure and looking forward to seeing what the future holds for our little family of three (well two and a half technically)!
Although this picture has absolutely nothing to do with our birth story it was just too cute for me to resist. It was taken in the hospital. One of our friends had given us the hat and she was coming to visit so we just had to try it on! We can't believe she was so little then! She is growing way too fast already!
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