A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Doctor's....
So I had a doctor's appointment at 9 on Friday morning, and this is what we ended up with just before 3:
It was quite a morning! Here's how it all shook out:
9:00 I tell the Good Doctor that I've been having regular, 'take notice' contractions 7 minutes apart for the last hour. He examines me, and says I will give birth before the weekend is out....but that he's out of town. We talk about the option of induction for Monday if nothing has happened by then, and he says he'll make the calls and let me know. He comes back in and says that I win a trip next door - RIGHT NOW if I want to.
9:30 Call Daddy McA. to tell him to get on the emergency child care arrangements - babysitters with cell phones, Nana on a plane etc.
10:00 Walk across the parking lot to the hospital, get checked in, settled into L&D room - with just a purse, not hard to do.
10:30 Nurse starts IV fluids, contractions still regular and strong, but not painful.
10:45 Daddy McA. arrives.
11:10 (This next part is as a result of Little Bit's birth experience: no one told me then that when you're already in labor and they break your water, all hell breaks loose, and that I would need pain meds immediately. A lesson I only needed once.) anesthesiologist arrives to do the epidural. TWICE. NEITHER. ONE. WORKED. AT. ALL. (The downside of having it done when you're not in pain to begin with....the absence of pain is hard to detect)
11:45 Good Doctor breaks water. Nothing happens, except the contractions I had been having go away.
12:30 Pitocin started. 3 cm dilated.
1:45 Contractions start coming every 4 minutes, but not nearly as strong as before. I chalk this up to the miracle of having administered the epidural before I was in pain and stupidly comment that there is no pain whatsoever.
2:30 PAINFUL contractions start 2 minutes apart.
2:35 EVEN MORE PAINFUL contractions 1 minute apart. POWERFUL urge to push consumes me. (I never felt that urge with my boys and knew when to push because of the tightening feeling you feel when the contractions happen. I completely understand what all those women were talking about now.) Press extra boost button on epi machine.....NO RELIEF WHATSOEVER.
2:45 Call for nurse. Tell her it's time to push. I could tell she didn't believe me, and was just humoring me when she did the cervix check. She immediately gets on phone and tells Good Doctor to come over NOW.
2:46 (at this point the bed isn't broken down yet, there isn't an instrument tray in the room, and like 6 people start rushing around doing all that stuff.) PUSH. PUSH.
2:48 Nurse says "Don't push anymore!" I say "I HAVE to!" Nurse "NO! You've got to wait for the doctor! PANT LIKE A DOG!" So I did.
2:51 Good Doctor runs in, slides on the stool, and says"Thanks for waiting for me! OK, give a good push." PUSH.
2:53 Her head is out. "Don't push, wait." He turns her over. "OK, one more" PUSH.
2:54 She has arrived.
We're home now. Here are some scenes from the last few days.
Welcome Home Elizabeth Louise
It was quite a morning! Here's how it all shook out:9:00 I tell the Good Doctor that I've been having regular, 'take notice' contractions 7 minutes apart for the last hour. He examines me, and says I will give birth before the weekend is out....but that he's out of town. We talk about the option of induction for Monday if nothing has happened by then, and he says he'll make the calls and let me know. He comes back in and says that I win a trip next door - RIGHT NOW if I want to.
9:30 Call Daddy McA. to tell him to get on the emergency child care arrangements - babysitters with cell phones, Nana on a plane etc.
10:00 Walk across the parking lot to the hospital, get checked in, settled into L&D room - with just a purse, not hard to do.
10:30 Nurse starts IV fluids, contractions still regular and strong, but not painful.
10:45 Daddy McA. arrives.
11:10 (This next part is as a result of Little Bit's birth experience: no one told me then that when you're already in labor and they break your water, all hell breaks loose, and that I would need pain meds immediately. A lesson I only needed once.) anesthesiologist arrives to do the epidural. TWICE. NEITHER. ONE. WORKED. AT. ALL. (The downside of having it done when you're not in pain to begin with....the absence of pain is hard to detect)
11:45 Good Doctor breaks water. Nothing happens, except the contractions I had been having go away.
12:30 Pitocin started. 3 cm dilated.
1:45 Contractions start coming every 4 minutes, but not nearly as strong as before. I chalk this up to the miracle of having administered the epidural before I was in pain and stupidly comment that there is no pain whatsoever.
2:30 PAINFUL contractions start 2 minutes apart.
2:35 EVEN MORE PAINFUL contractions 1 minute apart. POWERFUL urge to push consumes me. (I never felt that urge with my boys and knew when to push because of the tightening feeling you feel when the contractions happen. I completely understand what all those women were talking about now.) Press extra boost button on epi machine.....NO RELIEF WHATSOEVER.
2:45 Call for nurse. Tell her it's time to push. I could tell she didn't believe me, and was just humoring me when she did the cervix check. She immediately gets on phone and tells Good Doctor to come over NOW.
2:46 (at this point the bed isn't broken down yet, there isn't an instrument tray in the room, and like 6 people start rushing around doing all that stuff.) PUSH. PUSH.
2:48 Nurse says "Don't push anymore!" I say "I HAVE to!" Nurse "NO! You've got to wait for the doctor! PANT LIKE A DOG!" So I did.
2:51 Good Doctor runs in, slides on the stool, and says"Thanks for waiting for me! OK, give a good push." PUSH.
2:53 Her head is out. "Don't push, wait." He turns her over. "OK, one more" PUSH.
2:54 She has arrived.
We're home now. Here are some scenes from the last few days.
Welcome Home Elizabeth Louise
posted by Leska McCall at 11/06/2005 02:59:00 PM
12 Comments:
Wow! What a story. Again congratulations to the whole family. She is just precious, and look at all that hair!
I know how you feel with the epidural, mine actually feel out. Not fun.
Oops, that was supposed to be fell out, not feel out...and to think I actually had checked it over. It's going to be a loong day!
She's Beautiful. And you look awesome. I would never have thought you had just given birth.
So, so happy for all of you. Love the name, what a sweet picture.
Love to all of you-
WOW! What a friday you had! Sounds like all went well though and she is just gorgeous! She has alot of hair too! Thanks for sharing her with us. You have a beautiful family!:-)
wow - you are beautiful, she is beautiful - so happy for you!
Congratulations!!! What a beautiful baby girl!! Absolutely adorable!!! Look at all that hair! :)
She is so beautiful!! And what a story. whew!
BTW, we had that same outfit for Liv.
I was thinking about you on Friday! Congratulations, she is beautiful!
Wow, what a day!! Congrats again on the new baby. Just look at all that hair, she's so beautiful!!!!
Again, I am just totally amazed and jealous. I can only dream my next delivery will be so easy. Except I know about the Epi not working. That sucked.
Sorry I haven't been by in a while. But big CONGRATULATIONS to you and your family. What a beautiful baby. That last pic is my fave. She is so ready for the world. Really great! Fast delivery too! Awesome!
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