I've been ask a few times to add my birth story to my blog, so I'm giving in. Here goes!
My due date was set for November 18th, 2012. I was more than ready to give birth a couple weeks before that, but Avery decided he needed a few more weeks to bake. So not only did we make to our due date, but the day came and went without a single contraction. I was so uncomfortable and desperate to meet this little one, I spent all day out walking mile after mile, doing squats, bouncing on an exercise ball, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, etc.. but he was determined to stay in there for a while longer.
On November 21st, I was getting ready for Woman's Bible Study at my church when a sharp painran down and across my belly. I didn't think too much off it as I had been having Braxton hicks on and off for over a month or so. Then sure enough 5 minutes later another one hit. again, this wasn't abnormal so I kept on getting ready.
My mom in law picked me up and we headed to the church, and exactly five minutes later another one. I started to wonder, but didn't want to move on a false alarm as our hospital was a little over an hour away. and so I continued in Bible Study, and noticed my mom in law watching me very carefully. I could tell she knew and so when another half hour past and I was still having contractions five minutes apart, I decided to call Kurt. And apparently he decided to turn his phone to vibrate so that if he received any texts it wouldn't bother those working around him. (yes, it is not the smartest thing to do when your wife is four days over due) So I left a message and went and sat back down. then called again..and again.. and again...
I was starting to panic a bit, because this being my first labor and delivery, I had no clue if I would be one of those lucky ladies who are in labor for only a couple hours. So my MIL finally stepped in and told me she would take me home to pick up my stuff then take me to where Kurt was working. So off we went. just as we pulled in the driveway and I stepped out of the van, I turn to see Kurt ripping around the corner in his truck and flying down the road (going much faster than he needed too). he jumped out, helped me with my stuff and away we went!
I had to tell him to slow down a few times, nothing was progressing and although the contractions where consistant, they weren't getting any closer. So I could tell we had more than enough time to get there. But he was so excited and his adrenaline was pumping, so he just kept on speeding down the highway. (our normal hour and 10 minute drive took about 45 minutes!)
we arrived at the hospital and they hooked me up to the contraction monitoring machine and check to see how dilated I was, I was only at 1, but my contractions were strong so they figured I was in real labour, so they told me they wouldn't keep me in the hospital yet, but they didn't want me going home. The nurse told me to come back when I felt the pain was unbearable.
So we went to Wal-Mart and walked around for a while, the contractions were strong, but tolerable at this point. then we got a hotel room to wait it out.
This is were things really started to get more interesting.
There was a marathon of Duck Dynasty on, so Kurt was in heaven, But I was far from it.
My contractions were about 3 minutes apart and very intense. I would lay on the bed for a bit, and a contraction would hit and I HAD to get up and start moving, not that it really helped with the pain. I just felt like I had to do something. So I'd paced the room, crying, moaning, squatting, kneeling.. all the while Kurt seemed to fine this funny and would laugh (which would make me laugh and cause the pain to double) I laid in a warm bath for a while, which didn't help the pain at all, but seemed to speed things up a bit. Until at 5:30 I decided I couldn't take it anymore, I had to go back to the hospital.
When we got there they once again hooked me up to the machine and check, and I was 4 cm dilated, so the nurse said "yep, we're going to keep you. You won't leave here wthout a baby in your arms!"
What exciting words!
at around 7:00 pm is when things started to get really bad. I was no longer laughing at myself along with Kurt. Every time a contraction hit it was like a huge spiked rolling pin rolling up and down, and side to side across my belly. What a terrible feeling! Kurt and I were alone in our room until about 11:00, the nurse popped in too check and I was 7 cm's so they said it was time for me to move into the labor suite. I was so nervous, I knew it would be long until I'd need to start pushing, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it!
well, I'll spare the gory details, but after 3 1/2 more hours of screaming, sweating, crying, kneeling, walking, squatting, Kurt encouraging me and being so supportive, and one horrificly embarrassing moment where I projectile vomited across the room, (Kurt had to dive out of the way to avoid getting hit, which even in my pain, I found funny) They said it was time to push!
forty five minutes later, I felt the worst pain in my life, and then all the sudden there he was being laid onto my belly! It seemed like everything and everyone in the room disappeared except me and him. I couldn't think of anything to say except repeating "my baby! my baby!" a few times. And then Kurt came to mind and I looked up at him and said "Our baby!"
Best moment of my life thus far, giving birth was a crazy experience, but absolutely worth every minute of those 18 1/2 hours. and I'd do it over a thousand times for our little Avery!
(Just as a side note, The nurse doing the delivery said that I had one of the most "muscular pelvic area" she'd ever seen (whatever that means?) and she said it was all due to the walking I did every day while pregnant. If your pregnant, WALK! I can't encourage you enough! It's so worth it. Even when your 9 months pregnant and it feels like there is a head between your legs, keep it up! I often wonder had I not walked every day and built up those muscles, how long would I have been pushing for instead of just 45 minutes?)
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