My baby is here :)

Enigma11 · March 2013

On Sunday we were over at my grandparents visiting, just sitting on the couch chatting. Around 3 we decided to head off to pick up tums and some things we needed for dinner. We debated going for a drive, but decided against it. I had what I thought was BH contraction after I walked down the stairs in front of my grandparents house. I thought it was because she was so low. I wish we had taken our weekly photo a day early because she looked like she was sitting below my belly button. When we got home I had another contraction after getting out of the car. I had to hold onto the trunk to steady myself. We went inside and I decided to lay down for a bit. I realized by then that they were timable, coming every 12 minutes and very intense. I called labour and delivery and the nurse told me to come in if I was that uncomfortable and they would give me some morphine and gravol. Alex ran around getting last minute things together and we left the house by 4:30. We took Liam back to my grandparents and drove to the hospital. My contractions were about 4 minutes apart by that time and very intense. I kept asking Alex why we couldn't run the red lights. I was trying to hold my belly in one place while going over bumps and around corners. We got to the labour and delivery assessment area by 5. I couldn't even get into a gown or give a urine sample. I got out of my pants and claimed on the bed. The OB came and checked me and said I was 8cm. I was terrified! I asked for the morphine, because I felt I had been promised it and I was going to get it! Alex said they probably thought I was a drug addict. My body started to try and push on its own. I was scared. I was the typical stereotype you see in movies, screaming and swearing. I apologized to all of the nurses and doctors later. On one contraction my body pushed and I stated the obvious that my water had broken. They wheeled my bed 10 feet down the hall to a delivery room where they expected me to move onto the bed. (I have muscular dystrophy and lifting my bum off of a surface to scoot while laying down is very difficult, even without having back to back contractions.) I made it onto the bed but not before my body pushed on its own again, and I popped... I thought I'd be so embarrassed for the rest of my life to think about that, but it's no big deal. Everything was just happening so fast. They checked me again and said there was a lip left, but I had to push. After 7 or 8 big pushes and a bunch of little ones (that is so frustrating, having someone tell you to stop pushing or just give a little push when your body won't obey your brain! I actually growled at her.) Lydia was born at 5:32pm. She weighed 8lbs 5oz. I didn't have time for an epidural, so I actually had (totally against my will) a med free birth. At one time someone said "this baby is coming now" and I responded with "she can't! I didn't get an epidural!" It was amazing though. I did feel some of the stretching and tearing when Liam was born, but this time I also felt her being born. I knew she was face up and I could feel when her head was out, then her shoulders etc. It was just amazing.