October 20, 2011

I just realized I never wrote down Gem birth story! I'll never forget it, but I'd like to keep it "written" somewhere. If you don't want to read it, then go away.

At my 36 week visit, my do said that I had started to dilate. I was "1"! And at 37 weeks I was 2 cm. At my 38 week, I was 3 and super miserable. Gem decided he liked his head squeezed between my hips. I thing he was as low as he could be with out being born! So, the doc said that if my next check up looks good, and once I hit 39 weeks, they'll induce if I want it.

I was all gung-ho to say no way, but there's a breaking point for everyone. I had hit mine. I couldnt walk, I couldn't life my foot up higher than ankle height, I couldn't sit for more than a few minutes. I was miserable. I was overjoyed to be pregnant, but I was over it!
So my 39 week check up went well, I was still only 3 cm, though I was hoping for 4 cm and scheduled GEM's birthday.
We showed up at the hospital at o'dark 30, bags packed, iPod charged, and BAM at a friend's house. My pitocin and monitors got started at 6 am. From 6 to 8 I contracted and contracted. I brought music to distract me. I did lots of different things, mostly out of bed, which my nurse was great about it! Em kept moving while I moved and wouldn't stay on the monitor, but she was like "you do what you need to do and I'll worry about the baby!" I put my music on and submerged myself in it and let the contractions be a background to the music. I won't lie, they were crazy strong. And every 1/2 hour or so, the nurse would come in and ask me how I was doing. "Fine" or "hanging in" got my pitocin bumped up. At 10, the doc came in and I was about 5 cm dilated. He broke my water and I pour about 20,000 liters for fluid out. I have about 3 contractions while he was "helping" that fluid out. Meaning, I was on my back, gushing fluid, and contracting. Those post-water-breaking contractions are even worse than the pitocin contractions! Anyways, I was 5 cm before he broke my water and was 7 cm by the time it was done. The epidural took a whole, the anesthesiologist had some trouble getting it in. The place he finally got it was lower than he started, and I think that's where my problems came from. Anyways, it was in and I was in bed on my side trying to get through the contractions, about 11 am. They were very strong, so strong the nurse was like "you're still feeling them that strongly??" so I got a button to push when I had a contraction. Still didn't help.

From then to about 1130 I has no relief, except in my legs. My stomach and my back were in full labor mode! My legs were not effected, but my *ahem* nether regions were. About 1145 I got up on my hand and knees (again the nurse was surprised I could move that well with the amount of epidural I had received!) and tried that. I was doing my music thing and I had to moan through them. I remember feeling like I was about to explode.

At 1145 I was still a 7. At 12, I was coming unglued. The nurse thought to check me because I was making the "pushy noises" and I was completely dilated!! They got it all set up and the doc came in and we were all ready and they kept telling me "soon. " I finally got exasperated and said that with Bam they said "this next contraction is it so many times that I stopped believing it." The doc looked at me, and said "your baby is coming with the next few contractions. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think he was coming!"

A few contractions and Gavin Emerson was born at 12:34 pm on October 20, 2011. So, 6 hour labor, only two stitches, and double the children!

Maybe some other time I'll post about the afterwards of Gem's birth.