Tanner Rayner (LONG)

Tanner was born on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. On Monday, March 25, 2013 at around 3:30pm while BF and I were picking up her daughter from school, I started to get contractions that lasted 30 seconds and were half an hour apart. I figured it was Braxton Hicks. ( I can say they were contractions because when they became regular they were at 1-1 and a half minutes long with no time in between and they felt the same) So we mentally noted that this was happening and went about our day. I was staying with them at the time as I was birthing way out of province because you cant have babies where I come from. The nursing station is not equipped to handle birth.

at 2:30am Tuesday March 26th I was woken by the contractions that had moved from half an hour apart to 3 minutes apart 50 seconds long. stayed in bed as I thought this was just my body playing tricks on me and after 2 hours they went to 5 minutes apart and ten minutes apart and so I knew that this was not it either. my pains stayed consistently at ten minutes apart for the next day, when on Thursday they instantly changed to three minutes apart again and seemed much worse. this was right at the time that I thought I was getting used to the pains and would have no trouble if they persisted.  I felt trickles off and on for the next few hours and so my mother in law persuaded me to go in a get looked at. The nurses checked and told me that it was probably a tear on the top of the sac and that it would probably heal itself if labour wasn't imminent. I was 2cm dilated, so they sent me home.

I determined that I would not go in again until I was absolutely positive that I was in real labour. my contractions continued on anywhere from 3 minutes to 30 minutes apart, wavering in intensity all the while me and my BFF are trying to think of ways (that don't suck) to bring on my labour quicker as the nurse told me that I could go into labour in the next four hours or the next four days. I tried eating TONS of pineapple, spicy foods, and walking - oh all of the walking. I still stand by the fact that I truly believe it was all the walking that brought my labour on to full tilt.

(just so you know)

I do have a DH, but given that we live in the Northwest Territories and I was birthing in Ontario we thought it best for him to wait to come until the last possible minute as his boss was only willing to relinquish him for 3 weeks, and I was in no way going to fly 7 hours a week after delivery, plus we wanted to have Tanner circumcised, and I wanted to be sure we were clear of the infection window before flying back into a place that wouldn't offer the best care for my little bean. DH got on the plane from the NWT the day I gave birth, and landed in Ontario the day after.

Friday came and went and no baby but still these awful contractions that would not relent. tried baths, tried walking, begged my OB for an induction but I was only 39 weeks and so no go. Saturday BFF took me to a tourist attraction where there is a boardwalk around an entire lake and a little native village to walk through and a maple syrup farm, we spent the whole day walking and I spent the whole day contracting, and we were utterly exhausted by the end of the day, and my BFF girlfriend said to me, I bet you it happens tonight. I just smiled and said I sure hope so. On the way home I ordered another pizza sub with jalapeno peppers and banana peppers and ate that for dinner.

I figured I would be contracting forever and resigned to the next few weeks of pain before they would force him out as he seemed really comfortable in there and didn't seem to mind being crushed as often as he was in there. but then at 12:30am Sunday everything was the same, about 15 minutes apart at a minute and a half long but I felt different. I felt like this might be it, of course those thoughts only lasted a minute before my mind started to sarcastically rant back with ya right you've been in this for five days, strap in for the ride, your not even 40 weeks yet. at 2:30am BFF noticed my light on and told me to get into the tub. she ran me a bath and said this might help. So once again, I get into the tub praying for it to end soon, but it only got worse and worse. I got out of the tub and sat and watched TV with her. She stayed up with me the whole time. at 4:30 I started thinking about BFF's daughter, and told her she should wake her daughter and put her through her Easter hunt as I didn't think I could handle much more of this. so she went and woke her daughter and "helped" he through all of her clues to find what the Easter bunny had brought her. I felt so bad that she was being rushed but at the same time I didn't want to be giving birth on BFF's living room floor.

by 5:30 we had her daughter dropped off with DH's sister, and were headed for the hospital. Got in and checked and was 5.5cm dilated. FINALLY!!!!!! they admitted me and brought me to my room, I wasn't a foot in the door and asked for an epidural. they told me it would be a while as I was dehydrated and needed to finish 2 bags for fluids before they would insert it. at the same time as i was admitted, 3 emergency C-sections came in, and all doctors were booked up. they told me not to worry because first time moms usually labour 12-24 hours and push for another 3 after that, there will be lots of time for someone to attend you. Fine and dandy, ok so I was completely nasty to everyone who spoke to me - not on purpose I was in a lot of pain - at 7:00am they hooked up the epidural and checked me, I was at 7 cm, cool its all moving forward. I asked them to keep the epidural low, I still wanted control over myself and it did well to take the edge off. I called all necessary people, DH, MIL, FIL, SIL and BFF was with me in DH's place. at 8:30am I was 9cm dilated and asked them to turn the epi off. I didn't want it to hinder my ability to push. they obliged.

at 9:10 I started warning the nurse that the pressure was super intense and that I wanted to push, she said don't worry about it, the doctor will be in shortly to check you. at 9:20 my body was pushing involuntarily, I warned the nurse again telling her I couldn't stop it. she tried to check me but couldn't because baby was crowning. she ran to the door and screamed for a doctor. a resident came in and caught Tanner, BFF was so lucky she was seconds away from delivering my son herself lol. my doc came in shortly after to cut the cord and stitch me up as I got 2nd degree tears from the quick delivery. I only pushed for 25 minutes and Tanner was born at 9:48AM Easter Sunday.

Given the horrible "Pre-Labour" I experienced, I felt that I deserved the expedient delivery though all this popped into my head after the fact. I was ready to sit there all day and wait for progression. I did not use any labour technique at all I sat and said on the gurney and that was it. I showered afterward and was walking within 30 minutes of delivery. My son was born 7lb 7oz. with Apgar's of 9. he latched and fed right away though we were to find out 2 days later that he did not know how to transfer so we had to supplement him for 3 days until he figured out how to suck liquids through a straw. but he is 6 months old now, happy, healthy and with quite the personality. We got out of the hospital  Monday April 1 at 3:00PM and were able to take Tanner and introduce him to his daddy at the airport.

I love my son, I love being a mommy, and Life has never been better