Caroline for Christmas

Sunday, December 16th, exactly one week after going into false labor... I went to work.  I know crazy right, 38 weeks pregnant, and the size of a small barn I was still working almost 40 hours a week.  I was already fully effaced, and 2 cm dilated, and at that point had been since Thanksgiving, so I was pretty much just trying to work my little girl out. LOL

Anyways back to the story... I walked into my store, and started getting my things together for my midday shift when I accidentally "peed" myself.  It was only a little, and the first time in my entire 9 months that had happened... I was a little embarrassed, but went and clocked in anyway.  In the back of my mind I wondered if my water broke, but because it wasn't at all the drama I had pictured in my head, and because for the first time in a week I wasn't experiencing any contractions at all I came to the conclusion that my initial thought was the correct one.  Then I "peed" again... I excused myself to the restroom... the whole time thinking to myself, great, I have lost all bladder control, dammit why didn't I do those Kegels everyone told me too.  This continued off and on for another 2 hours before I decided either my water was broke, or I was doomed to spend the rest of my pregnancy within arms reach of a toilet, and called my boss to let her know that I was going home (not immediately mind you, I told her I was going home as soon as my coworker came back from lunch).

When I got home, a friend of mine stopped by to clean my house to help out... she asked why I wasn't at work, I told her I kept peeing myself, and that I wasn't going to hang out at work under those conditions.  She laughed and asked if my water had broken.  I told her I didn't think so, and continued to help her sweep, mop and move laundry baskets back and forth.  It wasn't until my husband came home from work that I started to wonder again about ruptured water...  I told him my fears and he asked me what I wanted to do.  I told him I was overreacting and not to worry about it.  He didn't seem convinced, but he didn't try to argue with me.  

 At about 9 DH asked me if I was still peeing myself... I told him a little here and there, and that's when he took matters into his own hands.  Now up until this point I can admit I was a nightmare FTM, at the mere sign of any conceived problem I was on the phone with the Dr. so for me to be even remotely calm was an oddity... let alone for me to be blowing something like this off entirely.  So DH shoves the phone at me and sternly tells me to call the dr.  I laughed him off but obliged.  I told the dr what had been going on all day, and chuckled to her, and said, "well I have my weekly check up first thing in the morning I'm sure it can wait til then."  The Dr didn't hesitate to respond, this is what I heard on the other end, "get in the car, do not pass go, do not collect $200, you're coming to get checked out tonight"

How do I react to this news?  I ask my husband to stop at the store on the way to the hospital.  I know, I know... so silly of me.

So, we stroll into the hospital at 11 or so, and I walk myself right into labor and delivery... the nurses are looking at me like I'm crazy to think I'm in labor.  I laughed them all off, and said oh, I'm not in labor, I just need to make sure I'm not leaking fluid so I can go back home.  I'm whisked into a room, and a nurse is checking me out, as I'm telling my husband not to get comfortable.  The nurse looked at me and said "I'm only going to run the test because I have to for protocol, but sweetheart your bag of waters is ruptured and you aren't going anywhere."  In retrospect I really do not see how I could be shocked... but I was... I was actually speechless.  As soon as words could be formed in my mind again I thought... THANK GOD I WASN'T PEEING MYSELF!

Because I wasn't having any contractions, and because my cervix hadn't progressed any, the dr decided to give me a sleeping pill to get my rest and start pitocin in the morning.  All I could hear was, "you're going to have a baby tomorrow" so regardless of my dose of Ambien, I was wide awake.   The day nurse came in at 7am to start me on pitocin.  I opted for an epidural because I am a wuss, and had absolutely no intention of being able to feel my daughter come out.  I continued to labor all day, and well into the evening.  At 9pm, before I was fully dialated, I felt the urge to push.  I of course was told not too.  I was over 9cm, but I had a small sliver of cervix that was still in place and so I was being turned into all sorts of positions to get it to disappear, this lasted for 2 hours.  During this process, and my begging to let me push it became evident that my epidural had run out, so the nurse ran off to get more, but during all of that the dr showed up and said I could start pushing... so that's what I did... I just wish someone had remembered about my empty pain meds... I pushed for 2 more hours without pain medication, and delivered my beautiful baby girl at 8lbs. 5oz. a full 1 1/2lbs. larger than the dr had estimated just a week before, and 21 3/4" long.  I had a 3rd degree tear, and the dr realized while stitching me that I wasn't on my epidural anymore.  Thank the lord for local anesthetics. 

 Now that I have had sometime to recover, my views have changed, but apparently in the heat of the moment I was adamantly protesting that no one does that on purpose more than once...

So, my advice... there is no such thing as a birth plan... the only thing you can be sure of... you're going to have a baby... and it's probably going to be dramatic... even more so if you have a personality like mine.

I wouldn't trade it for the world though.  My Caroline got to come home just a few days before Christmas... and was way better than anything Santa could have left under the tree.  : )