Thursday I had a drs appt at 1:45, so Alan went with me. We were excited to see how I had progressed. We knew at my appt the week before, I was about 75-80% effaced and 2 cm dilated. The doctor had told me the week before that if I had progressed, that I could go ahead and schedule an induction at my next appt, just in case she didn't come on time.
When he checked me on May 12th, I was about the same amount effaced, but I was almost 3 cm! (I knew she'd been working to get out. At times, I honestly had this vision that she prying open my cervix with her sweet little hands. I had some definite pain!) He said we could schedule the induction if we wanted, but I didn't really want to. There was something about naturally going into labor that I wanted to experience. So we left, called our moms, and anticipated when our sweet girl would get here.
That evening, we ate with Adam and Stephanie, Alan's brother and s-i-law, at the Chop House. Afterwards, Alan and I went to Walmart to walk around and get a few things. He says that I went to bed saying my stomach felt upset, but I don't really remember that.
What I do remember was waking up at 3:30 and honestly feeling as if I had a stomach ache. I thought I had diarrhea (sorry! but that's what it felt like!). I laid there and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. It was several stomach-back cramps later that I figured out what was going on: I was in labor! So I laid there, excited, for the next 2 hours until finally at 5:30, Alan woke up.
ME: Honey, please don't panic, but I think I am in labor.
ALAN: Really? Since when? Let me get my iTouch and count the contractions.
Sure enough, they were coming every 6-8 min. It was Friday, May 13th, and it was Kari's graduation. We were supposed to go with the Deans, but obviously, that would not be happening. Alan called and told Wes, and then we laid there for about 45 minutes longer. As the time went by, each contraction got stronger. I cried. I was amazed, though, at how great I felt between contractions! In my head I always though that labor was a constant pain which you simply had to breath through. I was thankful that God designed little breaks to catch my breath. :)
We decided to get up, take showers, and try to run some errands. The last thing we wanted was to get to the hospital, only to be told I wasn't really in labor, so by golly, we were going to wait until the last second! Or so we thought... I don't really have a high pain threshhold ;)
In the shower, I found it comfortable to place my hands flat against the wall under the shower head and let the warm water hit my lower back. I also rocked in that position. I remember that, even though I was in so much pain, I wanted to do whatever I could to help her get out. I would squat so that my pelvis would open, and that seemed to help, too.
We left for our "errands" and the first one on the list was Verizon. Yes, people, we live in a highly connected age, and my phone had broken. Adam and Steph had given me a loaner, so we had to have my contacts switched to the loaner phone before we went to the hospital. We drove up to the store front at 8:50ish. I could handle the contractions outside of the car, but sitting down with my seatbelt on, I felt so constricted. With each one, I yelled and tried not to cry. The pain was almost unbearable.
At 9:00, Alan ran to the front door. He was one of four.
STORE ASSOCIATE: Ok, Good morning, who's first?
ALAN: Um, my wife is in labor and we are on the way to the hospital.
STORE ASSOCIATE: OK! What can I help you with?
Alan was out in lickety split, and you better believe I told him to floor it! or rather, slow down b/c it HURT every bump and turn! We made just a few calls on the way. When we got there, we had to park a little ways from the L&D wing. I insisted that I wanted to walk. Of course, I overpacked, and here was my poor husband carrying pillows, bags, diaper bag, etc. When we got in the first building, I had to lean up against him b/c my contractions were coming so quickly and painfully. A lady saw me.
LADY: Honey, are you ok?
ME: :: MOAN:: (and tears)
LADY: Quick, she's in labor!
People started staring and this man runs up with a wheel chair. Yes yes... I wanted to avoid scenes like this, but no, that's not what happened. He began flying through this building, headed towards the circle lot that is outside teh main building where L&D is. Alan is running behind with our entire life packed up (bless his heart), and I am sitting with my head in my left hand b/c I was about to die out of sheer embarrassment. Apparently the guy had radioed his pals b/c every door was held open and the elevator was waiting and opened for us to go up to L&D. WHEW! I thought we'd never get there!
In Triage, the dr on call checked me, and yes, we were on our way to 6 cm! I could stay! It was 9:45am and she asked if I wanted my epidural. I said I really wanted to go as far as I could, but she said that by the time they gave me my fluids, I would probably be ready. And RIGHT she was! It was about another hour before we got moved to our room.
I wanted to walk, again, to simply encourage her on down. It was a good little walk, and when we got in there, anesthesia was on its way! Good thing, too, b/c those contractions were REALLY getting rough. The anesthesiologist came in, told me what was going to happen. Alan got to stay in. When he saw the needle, he opened his eyes real wide. I gently asked him to not make anymore facial expressions. Unfortunately, my epidural didn't take immediately, and my contractions kept coming. I was crying, and they called my dr back down. He gave me some more lidocain and a higher dose of the epidural. FINALLY, praise the LORD, it was working. Not perfectly, though, so I kept pushing the "Give me more" button, but working, nonetheless.
The Deans got there with Alan's food, followed by Alan's mom. All I got to have was a grape slushy, and I was ok with that ;) Finally, my mom, who had hit the road when I first called her earlier that morning, got there around 2:30. They had broken my water, by then, and at 3:00, was fully effaced and dilated. My dr told me that they would allow my body to push the baby down into the pelvis a little more before I worked, so that was fine by me.
Zach, my nurse, coached me for 2 hours. I was doing the very best I could, and he could tell that I was doing exactly what he told me. Unfortunately, baby girl did not move at all during this whole time. The dr came in to tell me that we needed to go the "other way". Before labor, I was terrified at teh thought of a C-section; however, when she came in to tell me that we needed to do one, I was in so much pain and I was so exhausted, that my response was, "Ok. When can anestheisia be here?!"
They prepped Alan and I for surgery. The anesthesia felt oh-so-wonderful! Finally, after hours of pain, I was in a wonderland of happy thoughts! My baby would be here so soon! I hated leaving Alan in the waiting area as they prepped me inside of the OR. I threw up again, bless my heart, but my anesthesiologist held my container and wiped my mouth. Oh grape slushy, maybe I shouldn't have met your acquaintence!
::I was SO tired! The pain was over, and it was time :) ::
Finally Alan was by my side, and they began to retrieve our sweet girl. Lodged in, she was! Her shoulder was stuck, which is why she couldn't get out! My doctor exclaimed that she was delivering our toddler! :)
At 7:57pm, May 13th, 2011, our lives were changed forever! I heard her cry, and I asked for her to be brought to me! Alan kept saying, "There she is! There she is!" It was the sweetest moment EVER! It was over! It wasn't the way I had chosen, but it still ended perfectly! At 9lbs even, and 20.5 in, Genevieve Grace Grissom was here!
::"We're pulling out your toddler!"::
They brought her to me, and I kept thinking, she's ours! God gave her to us! I just wanted to hold her forever!
::First family photo. It doesn't get much sweeter than this!::
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