So, it all started around 11:30pm on Saturday, October 13...
I woke up to a slightly painful cramp/contraction but didn't really think anything of it. I got up, used the bathroom and then went back to bed. Through the course of the night I was woken up by a few more, but nothing consistent.
By the time 7am came (time to get up for church) I was pretty tired still and wasn't sure I wanted to go. I got up anyway and decided to see how things went while I got ready. I didn't really notice much while I showered, ate and got dressed so I headed out the door with Darren thinking it was just a weird night.
I had another contraction during sacrament meeting, and then one every 45 minutes to an hour for the rest of church. After our block of meetings we were talking to a member of our bishopric who informed us we would be getting released from our calling in primary the next Sunday. He asked if we would like following Sunday to be our last, or if we would like to be done right now. I told him, halfway joking, that I wasn't sure I would last until next Sunday since I'd been having contractions all morning. He said ok and we headed on our way home.
My contractions seemed to start to come closer together by mid-afternoon. They were about 20-30 minutes apart, with some as close as 15. They started to get painful enough that I had to break out my breathing techniques from our childbirth class dvd. I decided to go on a walk with Darren to get my mind off of them and to see what would happen. I didn't have any on our walk, until we were just about back to the apartment and then the one I had was a doozy. I called my mom and asked her what she thought, because I still wasn't convinced I was in labor because I was 10 days away from my due date. I tried for the next few hours to relax as much as possible, and limited my food to jello and juice just in case this was the real thing.
By 9:00pm I was getting pretty uncomfortable, but my contractions still weren't all that consistent. They'd vary from 15 minutes, to 8 minutes, and then maybe 20. I took a bath to see if that would help me relax, and thankfully it did! I had no contractions while I was soaking, but the moment I stood up to get out I had another one. I was so mad. Darren and I decided to just go to bed and do the best we could to sleep for at least a few hours.
A few more hours went by, but the contractions didn't come any closer. They just decided to come stronger. At about 1:00am I had started getting the shakes whenever I would get up to go to the bathroom, and I had started throwing up during my super strong contractions as well. Oh, joy. My back was starting to kill me, so I got in the bathtub again and decided to call the on call midwife. She said there really wasn't much I could do since my contractions were still only 10-15 minutes apart. I could come in the next morning and have them check me, or try to relax and see if they speed up. I really didn't want to have to wait 8 hours to figure out what was going on, but I didn't see them really getting closer since they'd been at 15 minutes for quite a few hours.
I decided to get back in bed and put a heating pad on my back. I didn't really get much sleep since I was timing my contractions pretty much the whole time. By about 5:00am they had been coming 5-8 minutes apart for over an hour so I called my lovely midwife back. She asked if I was ready to come in, I said "I guess", and we headed out the door. It actually took us longer to get out the door than I thought it would. I didn't anticipate how slowly I would be moving while having contractions...
One last belly shot. I was slightly uncomfortable...
We got to the hospital at about 6:00am, and Darren couldn't have driven any faster. In the weeks leading up to D-day I told him he'd better drive carefully on the way to the hospital when I was in labor. I was singing a different tune when the time actually came and told him to get there as fast as he could. I didn't care.
The front parking was full when we arrived, so Darren dropped me off at the doors while he went and parked. I sat down and waited at the Triage area for a nurse to come get me. When one arrived she looked at me and said, "Oh, you look uncomfortable." I thought, "No, duh." She was actually very nice though. Darren found me, and I got all changed into my gown and hooked up to the monitors. My contractions were coming back to back at this point, so I was pretty miserable and still throwing up. The triage nurse checked me at this point and told us I was 3 cm dialated, 100% effaced, and at a -1 or 0 station. I was at least happy there had been progress! I had been 1cm, 60% and -2 for the last 2 appointments. She called my midwife to tell her where I was at, and then informed us my midwife didn't want to admit me just yet. I was told to walk for an hour, to hopefully get me to 4cm, and then we'd see.
I was less than thrilled. I gritted through a few more intense contractions and then slowly got myself out of bed and into the hallway. It took about 10 minutes to get going, but we walked down to the nurses station and were about to turn around and go back when we got great news - my midwife had changed her mind and the hospital had received an admit order for me. I could just turn the corner and head to my labor/delivery room. I was SO happy I didn't have to keep walking, because I pretty much wanted to die at this point. I had to stop a few times and lean against the railing on the wall during contractions, but we eventually made it to the room. I think it was close to 6:45 or 7 by this time, but I really have no clue.
We got all situated in our room and met my labor nurse Barbara. She was super sweet and the only one who could get the IV in. Apparently my veins didn't show up for my delivery, or so she told me. They gave me some Zofran to help with the throwing up, and I felt quite a bit better. The triage nurse was filling Barbara in on my birth plan and told her I might want an epidural at some point. I immediately chimed in, "It's no longer might. It's for sure want." They both kinda laughed and said they'd get the order in right away.
A little bit later, before anesthesia showed up, my midwife Marjie came in to say hi and see how I was doing. She helped me breathe through a few contractions and showed Darren where to push on my back to help with my back pain. At one point he pulled his hand away and shook it like it was hurting from pushing so hard. I just glared at him with a look that said, "You think that hurts?!" Hilarious. A few minutes later Marjie noticed I was shaking and told us it was because I was progressing so quickly, so she checked me again. This time I was at a 5! I had gone from a 3 to 5 in just over an hour. I was thrilled. She knew I had ordered the epidural already, but she also knew that I had wanted to make it to a 5 before getting it. She told me I had definitely earned that epidural and was so proud of me for getting as far as I wanted to. I had to smile, since it felt like a small victory. I was getting the epidural regardless of how far I was, but I was glad I progressed far enough before I did.
My favorite lady of the day, Mrs. Anesthesia, showed up soon after and my epidural was in by 7:30am. I was really nervous about the whole process in the weeks leading up, but it seemed like a breeze compared to contractions. She told me it could take a little bit for it to start working and I might still feel a few contractions before it took effect. I felt half of one and then felt nothing else. It was fantastic!
In epidural heaven
I felt like a new person after my epidural. I was able to call my mom and talk to a few other people without wanting to just punch someone in the face. It was marvelous. Darren got a little light headed and had to sit down right after, but he recovered quickly. He claims it was the combination of being up all night, not eating breakfast yet, and fasting the day before that did him in...
Over the next 5 hours or so I pretty much progressed 1 cm each hour. The midwife on call switched sometime that morning, and my new one, Courtney, broke my water when I was at a 7. I was at a 9 by 11:30am, but then they thought my contractions had completely stopped and were going to start me on pitocin. Courtney decided to check me just in case, and turns out I was still contracting (the monitor was not picking it up since I had rolled over), and I was at a 10! She wanted to wait about an hour to push, so that the contractions I was having could help to bring him down more, and hopefully I wouldn't have to push for too long.
I started feeling crazy pressure around 1:00pm, and by a little after 1:30 we were pushing. Darren was awesome and held one leg and watched the whole thing. He didn't even get light headed this time :) Luckily my epidural was not too strong and I was able to have tons of control during the pushing process, and even feel some tension from my contractions. It was exactly the experience I wanted. I dare say I even enjoyed the whole delivery. Courtney and Darren chatted about baseball teams and the playoffs and I remember laughing about something.
After just under an hour of pushing, at 2:26pm, little Hayden was born:
He was super purple and didn't really cry right when he was born. The nursery nurse didn't seem to think it was a problem though and said he pinked up pretty quickly after being under the light. It was a super emotional experience. Darren quickly left my side and went by the nursery nurse to watch her do all of the initial assessments while I got stitched up (1st degree tear). He took a ton of photos:
Emptying his bladder!
Such a proud Daddy
After about an hour after delivering Hayden, and one mandatory trip to the bathroom, I was wheeled down to the postpartum wing to recover for the next two days.
My mom and Aaron were able to stop by that evening and meet our little guy...
Our first family photo
The next day my dad and Sarah were able to come up as well. Dallin didn't want to come to the hospital, so he came up after we got home.
Hayden and his Grandpa. I think he's giving Sarah a look for something she said...
The next day was a blur as we headed home that afternoon. I wish I could have taken home all of the nurses that were with us in recovery. They were so great.
All suited up and ready to head home!
Our first night home was so overwhelming, and I'm pretty sure I cried through most of it, but we got through it. I have no clue why I thought Darren and I could do it without any help. My mom ended up coming and staying with us for 4-5 days to help get us back on our feet. It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for your outlook on life :)
We've now got almost 3 weeks under our belt and while each day is a new challenge, it somehow gets a little easier. He's definitely changed our lives :)
