Olivia's most ridiculous birth story

MickeyM04 · May 2014

Finally got DS and DD to nap at the same time (hallelujah!) so I finally have time to write...

It all started at about 9:30 a.m. last Sunday. My Braxton Hicks were ridiculous--they were coming every 5 or so minutes. After about an hour I wondered if maybe I should start timing them. They weren't painful, just uncomfortable. Well we started timing them and they were 4 minutes apart lasting about 45-55 seconds. But I wasn't in any real pain (maybe a 1-2/10), so I was sort of confused as to what was happening, since with DS, they started super irregularly but hurt like hell...these were timeable from the very beginning but not painful at all. I had wanted to do a grocery trip that day, and being that it seemed possible, though not probable that the baby would be coming soon, I decided we should definitely go to the store before real labor pains started. DH was totally not on board with my, I think I might be going into labor, let's go grocery shopping, plan, but ultimately when I agreed to bring the hospital bag just in case, I convinced him we should go. While we were at the store, my contractions started to become a little more intense. But they were still almost exactly 3-4 minutes apart lasting 45-55 seconds apiece. By the time we left the store, I decided we should call the on-call OB and see what the heck we should do, because my contractions were super close together but pain wise, maybe only a 3/10. She said since they were close together but not painful, I needed to just wait it out, but that if they started to get intense, I would likely need to come in.

So we go home, eat lunch and I get DS down for his nap. Meanwhile the pain is probably now 4/10. However, within minutes of getting DS down for his nap, they ramped up to 6-7/10. Still 3-4 minutes apart and now lasting about 55-65 seconds apiece. So we call the OB again and she says we need to come in. So I call my parents who arrive about 35-40 minutes later. By the time they get there, the contractions are still about a 7/10, but they've now been painful like that for over an hour, and again, they are still timeable at 3-4 minutes apart.

Once my parents arrive, we leave for the hospital and thankfully DS was awake so I could give him a huge kiss and hug goodbye (also so I could cry hysterically thinking that it would be the last time he was my only baby). Then we head out and thankfully it "only" took us about 45 minutes to get to the hospital (on a weekday during rush hour, it is easily a 2 hour drive). We get to the hospital at 4:30 p.m. and now my contractions are about an 8-9/10 pain wise, and they are 2 and a half to 3 minutes apart lasting about a minute apiece. They get me back to triage right away and check me and...lo and behold, I am only 2.5 cm. I start bawling because I know they will not admit me or give me the epidural at 2.5 cm. Shockingly, at 5:20, they tell me they will admit me and give me the epidural (presumably because my contractions are 3 minutes apart, lasting a minute each, and according to the monitor, the contractions are legit). So we get upstairs and they hook me up to Vancomycin right away for my Group B strep, and they say they want me to have the antibiotics for 4 hours so the baby is fully protected. I'm thinking that won't be a problem because I'm only 2.5 cm. Wonderfully, the anesthesiologists come in a couple of minutes later and get me hooked up to the epidural by about 5:45 or so.

So DH gets back from getting a soda (no spouses in the room during epidurals at our hospital) and I'm feeling fabulous and not hating him anymore.

Then all of a sudden I start feeling some pain, and I ask my nurse if I can switch which side I'm laying on so the epidural can "spread out." My words, not hers. She gets this concerned look on her face and says she thinks we should get a doctor to check me, because the spinal block on the epi should work longer than 5 minutes. So she pages the doctor and he's getting all situated and cleaned up, and I feel a POP. "Ummm, I think something maybe just happened," I tell the nurse. And she lifts my sheet and goes, "Oh! Well your water just broke!" This was at 5:58 p.m. So she starts getting me cleaned up and she tells me there's meconium in the amniotic fluid, which I of course know can be very dangerous for the baby, so I start crying and she's trying to relax me and make me feel better, and then all of a sudden, I feel something that I can only describe as weird. I look at the doctor who is just getting his gloves on and tell him, " I felt something weird again...maybe my water is still breaking?" And he lifts the towel and looks between my legs and says, "The head is out!" I start completely panicking because I haven't heard any crying or anything and NOT ONE PERSON was prepared for the baby to arrive. So then he has me give one good push and out she comes, and she does start crying. Time of birth - 6:05 p.m., 7 minutes after my water broke, 20 minutes after getting my epidural, and an hour and a half after arriving at the hospital.

Meanwhile, literally 12 doctors come running in the room because NOTHING was prepared. The warmer wasn't on for the baby, the pediatricians weren't there, etc. Also because of the Group B strep and the meconium, and the fact that I was on antibiotics for about half an hour, there was some concern about getting the baby checked ASAP. I was hysterical because it all happened so fast and no one wants to see that many doctors literally run into your room that quickly, but once they assured she was fine and got her on my chest, relief finally set in and I realized WE DID IT! and she was here, safe and sound.

Quite a dramatic entrance for our little bean. Now someday I can tell her that when I went into labor, the first thing I did was go grocery shopping, and that her head literally fell out of my vagina while I was turning over to help the epi "spread out." She's going to think I'm a real idiot.

(Sorry, no pics due to privacy concerns in my line of work. But I assure you she is a cutie!!)

carlsonbaby2014 · May 2014

Yay!!! Congrats mama

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HorseLover11 · May 2014

Wow!! So glad after all the craziness everyone is safe and sound - congrats!!

katiebartton · May 2014

OMG what a crazy story!! Glad all worked out!! And thankfully you didn't hit traffic on the way!! At least you'll have food when you get home haha

Congrats on your little girl!!

[Deleted User] · May 2014

Oh my gosh, what a story! Congrats!

ksyknelvr73 · May 2014

Holy cow!!! That is absolutely CRAZY. I can't believe how quickly and easily she came. I am so glad she is healthy though, I know I would have been concerned as well, but it sounds like all turned out perfectly!

CaitNMatt · May 2014

I am so happy to hear she is here and healthy!! What a crazy, fast, and adventurous birth story!!

Belle3184 · May 2014

Congrats! Glad you guys are both okay!

megbmeg · May 2014

Congratulations! So wonderful that she is safe & sound with you. And BTW, you're not the only mama crazy enough to go grocery shopping with contractions. My mom did the same thing with me, and had my sister time them for her while they were in the store! Glad it all worked out for you and your new LO.