Matthew Manuel is here! (Birth story & PiP, LONG)

normajeane6126 · April 2011

Apparently, he decided that he was going to come on his own time and not wait to be induced next week.

Saturday afternoon, my aunt & uncle came by to deliver the handmade cradle I posted about the other day. After they left, SO laid down to take a nap. I laid down with him, but started to have some cramping around 4:15. I got up, thinking it was probably nothing. Until those craps started to knock me on my a$$ and SO woke up to me doubled over at the foot of the bed.

We started walking the neighborhood, to see if things would get stronger or taper off. Contractions started coming every 3-4 minutes, but lasted only about 15-20 seconds. Put in a call to the doctor, who told us to head to triage.

Of course, I decided that I had to have dinner first, because if this was the real deal, they wouldn't let me eat for who knows how long! So I made a quick dinner, took a shower and washed my hair (didn't want Matthew's first picture with mommy to be me with greasy hair!), and off we headed.

We got to triage about 7:30, and the nurse checked me. I was only 3 cm, and my contractions were pretty light. Instead of sending me home, they "discharged" me & had me walk the hospital for 2 hours and then come back to get checked again.

So walk we did. My contractions were still coming every 3-4 minutes, but they were starting to last a lot longer and were getting more painful. We checked back in to triage at 10, and the nurse checked me again. I was only 3.5 cm, and my contractions decided to slow down once I was hooked up to the monitor. BUT since I had lost my mucus plug during all that walking, my doctor admitted me with the plan to start Pitocin in the morning if I didn't progress.

I got all hooked up to the monitors in L&D, got my IV started, and tried to get some sleep. Naturally, the contractions started to get stronger. Around 3 am, I woke up in so much pain that I called the nurse and asked for something for the pain in my IV. She checked me again, and I was still a 3.5. But I was in PAIN and insisted on the meds (for the life of me, I can't remember what she gave me).

Around 6 am, I woke up feeling really nauseous and in pain again. I called the nurse in asking for more meds. She checked me and I was 6cm! She gave me another dose of meds, but they didn't help at all this time. Around 8, my mom & sister showed up. Mom helped me breathe through some nasty contractions and the nurse came in to check me again. Imagine my surprise when she said I was almost 8cm!

I decided that I NEEDED an epidural immediately. I was in so much pain, I didn't even have to freak out about the size of the needle or the fact that I was about to get stabbed in the spine. Once that epi kicked it, life was goooood! I wasn't feeling anything, including contractions. I stalled out at 9cm with a bulging water bag, so around 12:50, my doc came in, broke my water, and started me on a little bit of Pitocin.

I started pushing (with a nurse telling me when to, since I couldn't feel anything) at 1, and at 1:42, Matthew made his grand entrance into the world!

He swallowed some fluid on his way out, so he's been spitting up and hasn't really latched at all. I just pumped and am hoping he takes that.

I'm am so in love with this kid. He's got a head full of blond hair and big blue eyes like his daddy.