The Arrival

Wednesday night, 6/3/09. We buy 20th row tickets to the Nationals - Giants game to see Randy Johnson win his 300th game. It's supposed to start at 7pm. There is a rain delay so we want to wait it out. It clears then storms again. We're in it for the long haul because Rick was going to leave the first time on Thursday and we wanted to see the game. We were sitting in the last row of the lower deck since that was the only overhang (too much detail, but tough). So around 9:40pm, I feel a little surge of maybe discharge and thought "hmm, that's different," I told Rick something might be up but felt fine so just sat there. Then I got a little warmer and wetter. So I decided to go to the bathroom and I was leaking. Went ahead and peed, but was definitely wet. Went back to our section, then think I called Elizabeth, Mom, Carolyn, but no one was there! Went back to the bathroom, saw I was much wetter, called Liz again. I got Rick and updated him. We called our doctors service and decided to head out of there around 10.

We took the metro home, which was sort of funny. Rick was panicking, waiting for me to start having contractions and drop to the floor I think. I was cracking up since I was so wet. Every time I got up from my seat or even from moving, another gush. It was ridiculous. Finally got home, actually took a shower, finished packing our bags and headed to Georgetown hospital. There was no traffic at least.

We signed in at 11:50pm. I changed over and they sent someone to check me. It was really funny, they kept saying, we'll check you out, as if to say, we need to check your story out. They checked me and I was 3cm dilated. Water was broken. Gee, no kidding. I wasn't feeling contractions, but was having them. They started getting stronger within the hour. They hooked me up to the monitors and a IV of fluids. Also got pitosin. I don't know what time, relatively early. We tried to get some rest, but sometime in the middle of the night, contractions got really painful. I asked to be checked and at 5am, I was a whopping 4cm. Since that progress was so slow and I was really hurting, I decided to get an epidural because we thought, and the doctor too, that we were looking at a dinner baby. Got the epi at 5:30am. Felt better right away. I was able to rest a bit. I started feeling a pretty bad ache in my lower pelvis so hit the button like 3 times between 7 and 8am. The new shift of doctors was on later on and I got checked by them (med student, resident) around 8am. I was 8cm or so, so we were in business. They came back at 8:45 to check me and the head doc examined me, said the baby was OP - sunny side up. She reached in and twisted him around super easily apparently, also dilating me to 9cm+. So the med student and the nurse had me start pushing. I was very good at this. Didn't feel contraction at first, but I wasn't hitting the drug pusher very much anymore so they came back when it mattered. One nurse had me turn on my side because his heart rate was erratic (laying on cord?) which made my leg completely numb and so heavy. LONG story short, we started pushing around 9 I guess. Mom had made it around 8:30 luckily and we went right into action right after.

I asked the doctor to take off my skin tag and she did, first - I thought that would be part of the post process. Pushing was good, quite easy actually, it helps not feeling it. I recommend drugs. For details on pushing - ask Mom or Rick. He came out easily, sat on my chest for a while. Rick did not want to cut the cord. He was extremely cheesy when he came out. They made mom and Rick go with him to weigh and clean etc (which was in an attached room) because apparently the sewing and other activities are not for the light hearted, but they would have been fine.

I was looking around, I apparently sent my friend a text at 8:38am telling her that I couldn't make it out Thursday night as planned (duh) and then I got on the bberry to update my status at 10:30am. I made this labor thing seem easy ;) I would have like to try it without drugs, but it hurt, so I felt no need to suffer.