At about 37 and a half weeks I was getting impatient waiting to go into labor. I loved being pregnant but towards the end it got just a little uncomfortable (I am not missing the constant back and hip pain in the least!). I started trying all the "natural induction" methods which of course did nothing. Addyson came four days past her due date, just like her big sister. In the future I think I will just push my due date back four days at the very beginning so the end seems more bearable :). Once you pass your due date waiting (at least for me) is very very hard! So anyways on the morning of October 10th at 2:20am I woke up to some cramps and a feeling that I was leaking. It was the "bloody show" and I got very excited because that is exactly what started my labor with Madelyn (and she was out less than 12 hours later). So I laid in bed waiting for my cramping to get stronger trying not to get too excited in case this wasn't the real deal. I stayed awake for about 3 hours timing the "contractions" (they were only a little uncomfortable) but they were consistently 14 minutes apart and not getting any closer. I finally fell asleep and woke up about 7:45 where they were about 20 minutes apart. I showered and went on a walk and tried to stay on my feet as much as I could to get labor going. I already had a doctors appointment scheduled for 11am that morning so I decided to go in so they could check to see if I was dialated at all (three days earlier I was barely 1/2 cm dialated but 80% effaced). Contractions were consistently 14 minutes apart again and fortunately I was 3 cm dialated and 90% effaced this time. The doctor also went ahead and stripped my membranes for me since I was already in the early stages of labor. He told me to go ahead and go to the hospital and get settled in to labor there. This was not my regular doctor (my doctor was on call at the hospital that day) and I am very glad I did not listen to him because I wanted to labor at home as much as possible this time around. I remember going to the hospital as soon as contractions were painful with Madelyn and that was pointless since I was doing a natural birth with her too. So anyways I went home and played with Madelyn (even jumped on the trampoline with her a little :)), finished packing my bags, and just waited. Taylor kept texting me asking me if he needed to come home so we could head to the hospital but I made him go to all his classes that day :). Fortunately my mom was still in town and we had the car in case we needed to leave for the hospital before Taylor got back from school. Around 1pm I was no longer able to talk during contractions and had to start breathing deeply through them. I labored in my room on the birth ball with pandora on my ipad for a while. Taylor got home around 3:30 and contractions were about 8 minutes apart and strong enough that I needed him to push on my lower back during contractions (I had back labor with both my girls). I would walk around until I felt one coming and then brace myself against the wall so he could push as hard as he could on my back. The counter pressure made the contractions much more bearable. I was wanting to wait until my contractions got to 5 mintues apart (since I kept reading that you could wait until they are about 5 minutes apart and 1 minute long for 1 hour before going in). I am glad I didn't wait until then because my contractions never got that close (until maybe the very end)! We decided to head into the hospital at 5:45 since my contractions were getting very painful (nothing compared to what was to come though... I should have known since I had gone through it before :)). Luckily contractions were still 8 minutes apart so I only had a few on the way to the hospital. When we got there and got all checked in, they checked me and I was only at a 5.... I had only opened 2 cm since that morning?! I was a little frusterated since my expectation was that this labor was going to be much faster than my first. After we got settled into our room and went over my birth plan with my nurse (who was absolutely awesome by the way!) she told me there was a room open with a tub if I wanted to move. I had tried laboring in the tub with Madelyn and did not like it at all so I almost declined, but I am so so glad that we decided to move anyways. Laboring in the tub was amazing to say the least (mostly because of the results after I had been in there for about 2 hours). We turned all the lights off and I had the "Amazing Grace instrumental" station playing on pandora and I just totally relaxed. I concentrated on relaxing every single muscle in my body during the contractions. And although they still hurt it was about the same pain level that I was experiencing during the contractions when I had Taylor put counterpressure on my back. So around 9pm my doctor (who I also absolutely love and I was so so happy he was there to deliver Addy) checked me and told me I was fully effaced and 9cm. Yay, 9cm already! I was really suprised but so so happy that going from 5cm to 9cm didn't take long at all (less than three hours). My bag of waters still hadn't broken and so we decided to have him break it so the baby's head could put more pressure on my cervix to open up. BAD CHOICE. I only thought I was in pain before :). Contractions got way more painful after that and eventually it lead to me literally screaming my way through them. The nurse put an oxygen mask on me (something about the baby needing it, but I didn't really hear why). But having that on my face along with the naseau that comes from the transistion phase and the uncontrolled shaking and the pain... I was very glad that part only lasted about 30-40 minutes. I insisted my doctor check me again around 9:40pm and I was at 9 1/2cm but he told me to go ahead and give a push to see if she would come down a little anyways. Luckily she did! I was planning on trying to push in some other posistions besides being semi reclined on my back but at that point I didn't even want to think about moving and I didn't care, I just wanted her out. 6 minutes later, at 9:47pm she was in my arms! I was told I had two tiny tears but I never felt them and in fact I was only slightly sore afterwards. Taylor was in scrubs and ready to deliver her but after seeing that the cord was wrapped tightly around her neck and part of the amniotic sac was keeping her shoulder inside, my doctor took over. Fortunately I was able to push her out fast enough and the cord was long enough for it not to be a problem. After she was out my doctor gave me a shot of pitocin (which is what we had agreed upon prior to labor since it is routinely administered through the IV right after delivery to keep the uterus contracting and bleeding to a minimum). I was able to labor and deliver without an IV or saline lock in my arm, which is exactly what I was hoping for this time around! But unfortunately I ended up having to get one right after delivery because I was hemorrhaging pretty badly. My placenta had also started breaking apart so my doctor had to reach in to make sure everything was out... also not the most pleasant experience but I had my baby on my chest so it didn't matter! My doctor said I ended up losing about three times as much blood as was normal... eek. So despite that part, Addyson's birth went smoothly and I was able to deliver her completely naturally just like I had wanted!! Also, she latched right on after delivery and has nursed like a champ since. She weighed in at 7lbs 7oz and 21 inches long and is completely healthy and of course absolutely precious.
Now, two weeks later, we are all doing great. My energy level is back up and I feel all healed up and pretty much back to normal. We are starting to figure out a new routine with the two girls and trying to teach the little babe how to go to sleep on her own and to sleep through the night (give us a few more weeks before asking how that is going).
So there it is, the story of how Addyson Marie came into this world. Call me crazy but I would totally do it naturally again next time... well maybe. I think a little more time will need to pass so I can forget how painful it really was. Fortunately she is absolutely worth it all :)
And of course no post is complete without a picture so here she is at just two hours old:
And a few slightly cuter ones at two weeks old:
oh my gosh she is so precious! I love her little smile :)
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