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FAST & a bit funny birth story.
Below is "Lucy's Birth Story" - I just thought I ought to share it. Lucy's birth and life have been quite the rollercoaster ride. - I started timing contractions @ 4pm on Friday (6-10-11) they were regular about 6-7min apart but weren't painful so DH, Layla, and I went to the park to play- by 7pm I called my mom and dad to let them know what was up, but I was still tolerating the contractions so we didn't plan on heading to the hospital anytime soon (especially since we planned for a minimal intervention water-birth)- by 7:30pm called our midwife to FYI her- by 8:30ish I had finished a walk with DH and Layla, and put Layla to bed... contractions became uncomfortable but still manageable- 8:30ish DH called his parents to ask them to come up (mind you they live about an hour away) and stay with Layla "just in case we go in" (I was still trying to decide when I wanted to go in and was kind of in disbelief that I was laboring)- 9:30 I got really uncomfortable and decided we needed to head to the hospital... WHERE ARE ILs!? THIS IS FOR REAL!! I paced our apartment, tried to remain patient, and DH loaded the car and called his parents who were "just outside Monticello" (still about a 1/2 hour away)... I am in the background pleading that they drive really, really fast!!- 10:05pm ILs arrive. MIL is so excited she runs up to DH and hugs him, but I tell her that I am uncomfortable and can't really be touched right now (I just had to focus and do this without getting overwhelmed and I was so uncomfortable that any stimuli was overwhelming)- 10:10 DH is peeling out of the parking lot and it feels great to be headed to the hospital... he asks if we should just head over to local Hospital (10min away), but I insist that we go to our desired hospital (45min away, where we can have our desired midwife assisted water-birth) our midwife already expects us to arrive around 11pm- 10:30pm we are driving and I hate each and every stupid bump and pot hole on Hwy 94, but in between contractions I tell DH that I am excited and can't believe that this is happening and then I cry because it will never just be DH, Layla, and me. I am emotional and crazy, and texting my sister between contractions to update her- along the way DH tries to help me through contractions by leading me in deep breathing (cute and kind labor-coach style) but I soon ask him to stop deep breathing because I can't breathe like he is and it is just annoying me. Poor guy (sorry DH).- with each contraction (which are down to about 1.5 min apart) DH presses the cruise excellerator button (we are up to about 90mph and I am demanding we go faster!)- 10:54 (I remember looking at the clock) we exit to the hospital. I tell DH I have to pee like a racehorse?! 
(it is an expression my dad always uses and somehow it just came out of my mouth)- 10:56 we are in the Hospital parking lot and DH is driving around the front round-a-bout like 3 times looking for a "close front row parking space" - THANKS HUN, BUT JUST PARK THE DANG CAR DH!- 10:57 I drop my pants (yes, I drop my pants!) in between a few cars in the parking lot (yes, no longer rational nor fully in control of my body) because I can't stand the pain and I feel like I am going to wet my pants, and as I squat down I feel the uncontrollable pressure of having to push! THIS BABY IS COMING! RUN DH, RUN!- 10:58 DH is running in front of me with his arms full of bags, cameras, pillows, etc... he keeps looking back to see if I am following him but I just yell to him to GET HELP I HAVE TO PUSH! as I waddle behind.- we enter the hospital and a security guard runs and grabs a wheelchair and races us to an elevator and up to the birthing unit (this guy is sweating and stumbling over his words... I think I made him really nervous, but I remember to thank him for the quick ride)- we arrive at the front desk of the birthing unit and I stand up and lean on it, take a deep breath, and look the nurse in the eyes and practically yell that, I HAVE TO PUSH! I am swaying and kind of grunting?! (whatever I could do to hold on a few more minutes... as I am hardly in control of my body anymore)- our midwife must have heard me arrive (who didn't?) and grabs me and we race into a birthing room and I yell I HAVE TO BE DONE! I HAVE TO PEE! EVERYTHING HURTS!- DH and the midwife follow me to the bathroom, and they must take off my pants, because all I remember is that I pee a little and then my water breaks- DH and the midwife are now kneeling in front of me (all three of us in the bathroom)- she tells me to do what my body says... and I says I HAVE TO PUSH!- I grab the 2 handicapped safety bars that surround the toilet and stand up and push. IS THIS HAPPENING...?! I just keep pushing and thinking I have to and can do this, this is pain with a purpose, and I am almost done...- (about 11:09pm) 30 seconds into pushing her head is out and then a bit after that the midwife catches Lucy! I sit on the toilet and laugh/cry, breathe, and just hold her. Wow, amazing, and what the heck?! did I just give birth in a bathroom over the toilet!?- DH and our midwife help me walk to the bed and they are helping me carry Lucy - oh, yea it is a girl! We forget to look at first.- she isn't crying so they try to stimulate her. Her lips are a bit blue and she and I are both in shock - everything just happened so fast- later they take her across the hall to the NICU to be monitored (DH follows her) and then we find out she has a heart murmur (due to one of her heart ducts not closing - a PFO - and is having difficulties transitioning - regulating her heart rate and oxygen levels)- 11:20pm I deliver my placenta (so cool and I ask to look at it - I'm a crazy nurse and really enjoy this kind of stuff) and then I call my mom who can't believe I've already had the baby (I couldn't believe it either mom)- 12:30am I join DH in the NICU and we discuss Lucy's heart and transitioning concerns and they begin doing a bunch of tests (chest X-ray, Echo, ultrasound, etc), she is already hooked up to many monitors which overwhelm me (at this point it is both a blessing and a curse to be a nurse and know the pathology, risks, etc)- we don't go to bed until 4:30am (and I really barely sleep, maybe an hour total, because I am so worried about Lucy and keep replaying the night in my head). - Lucy remained in the NICU for 4 days- she was finally discharged on Monday the 13th in the evening- she already has had 2 follow-up doctor appointments- no murmur was heard at her last appointment, so the doctors assume that the PFO closed on its own... we will do a follow-up Echo and chest X-ray soon- Lucy has a lower resting heart rate and sometimes tires easily during a feeding, but overall she is doing great
(it is an expression my dad always uses and somehow it just came out of my mouth)- 10:56 we are in the Hospital parking lot and DH is driving around the front round-a-bout like 3 times looking for a "close front row parking space" - THANKS HUN, BUT JUST PARK THE DANG CAR DH!- 10:57 I drop my pants (yes, I drop my pants!) in between a few cars in the parking lot (yes, no longer rational nor fully in control of my body) because I can't stand the pain and I feel like I am going to wet my pants, and as I squat down I feel the uncontrollable pressure of having to push! THIS BABY IS COMING! RUN DH, RUN!- 10:58 DH is running in front of me with his arms full of bags, cameras, pillows, etc... he keeps looking back to see if I am following him but I just yell to him to GET HELP I HAVE TO PUSH! as I waddle behind.- we enter the hospital and a security guard runs and grabs a wheelchair and races us to an elevator and up to the birthing unit (this guy is sweating and stumbling over his words... I think I made him really nervous, but I remember to thank him for the quick ride)- we arrive at the front desk of the birthing unit and I stand up and lean on it, take a deep breath, and look the nurse in the eyes and practically yell that, I HAVE TO PUSH! I am swaying and kind of grunting?! (whatever I could do to hold on a few more minutes... as I am hardly in control of my body anymore)- our midwife must have heard me arrive (who didn't?) and grabs me and we race into a birthing room and I yell I HAVE TO BE DONE! I HAVE TO PEE! EVERYTHING HURTS!- DH and the midwife follow me to the bathroom, and they must take off my pants, because all I remember is that I pee a little and then my water breaks- DH and the midwife are now kneeling in front of me (all three of us in the bathroom)- she tells me to do what my body says... and I says I HAVE TO PUSH!- I grab the 2 handicapped safety bars that surround the toilet and stand up and push. IS THIS HAPPENING...?! I just keep pushing and thinking I have to and can do this, this is pain with a purpose, and I am almost done...- (about 11:09pm) 30 seconds into pushing her head is out and then a bit after that the midwife catches Lucy! I sit on the toilet and laugh/cry, breathe, and just hold her. Wow, amazing, and what the heck?! did I just give birth in a bathroom over the toilet!?- DH and our midwife help me walk to the bed and they are helping me carry Lucy - oh, yea it is a girl! We forget to look at first.- she isn't crying so they try to stimulate her. Her lips are a bit blue and she and I are both in shock - everything just happened so fast- later they take her across the hall to the NICU to be monitored (DH follows her) and then we find out she has a heart murmur (due to one of her heart ducts not closing - a PFO - and is having difficulties transitioning - regulating her heart rate and oxygen levels)- 11:20pm I deliver my placenta (so cool and I ask to look at it - I'm a crazy nurse and really enjoy this kind of stuff) and then I call my mom who can't believe I've already had the baby (I couldn't believe it either mom)- 12:30am I join DH in the NICU and we discuss Lucy's heart and transitioning concerns and they begin doing a bunch of tests (chest X-ray, Echo, ultrasound, etc), she is already hooked up to many monitors which overwhelm me (at this point it is both a blessing and a curse to be a nurse and know the pathology, risks, etc)- we don't go to bed until 4:30am (and I really barely sleep, maybe an hour total, because I am so worried about Lucy and keep replaying the night in my head). - Lucy remained in the NICU for 4 days- she was finally discharged on Monday the 13th in the evening- she already has had 2 follow-up doctor appointments- no murmur was heard at her last appointment, so the doctors assume that the PFO closed on its own... we will do a follow-up Echo and chest X-ray soon- Lucy has a lower resting heart rate and sometimes tires easily during a feeding, but overall she is doing great
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