Labor and Delivery

I had an appointment on December 6th and I got checked for the first time for any progression. I was 1 1/2 dialated, minus 1 station (baby was very low already!) and 60% effaced. She said that she didn't think I would make it to the due date. I had another appointment on December 13th and I was 2 centimeters, still minus 1 station and about 70% effaced. Then I went back on December 18th. My mom was telling me that I should talk to her about inducing because the contractions were so constant and getting hard to deal with after 2 straight weeks, but I didn't want to push anything - I wanted to let Baby come when Baby was ready :)

When our doctor came in she was telling me that she could strip my membranes and I told her to go for it! She checked me and I was 2 1/2, 0 station, and 80% effaced, she said my bag of water was right there and could easily be broken if needed - then she stripped my membranes which she warned me could be pretty painful but I actually barely felt it. Pretty much as soon as she did that contractions started, but I didn't think too much of it since I'd been having contractions for weeks. After the appt we went to lunch and contractions were still there but not too much worse than they had been - but it was the middle of the day and they usually got worse at night so I told Kevin I had a feeling something was going to happen that night. We ate dinner around 7 and then I was really feeling them and told Kevin I was going to sleep because that usually worked to make me feel better - I'd wake up several times during the night with bad ones every now and then but I could always fall asleep - not this time! I layed in bed for 2 hours counting contractions until finally I couldn't take it anymore - I was mostly annoyed that I couldn't fall asleep and felt like I needed to do something. I went downstairs and woke up Kevin (who fell asleep on the couch) and told him I couldn't get to sleep because they were so bad, but didn't want to jump the gun again so I was very hesistant to go to the hospital. I called the doctor after a while of debating what to do and the on call dr called me back and told me to take a hot shower and if they get worse it's real labor - if they go away or get better it's false labor. So I took a shower - even though I was scared because I didn't really want them to get worse - they hurt already :) In the shower I was fine, as soon as I got out of the shower - they hurt!!!! I was standing at the vanity as soon as I got out and was doubled over in pain - then I knew for sure! So I told Kevin we needed to leave right away. We got to the hospital around midnight and man was I in pain - it's funny because I always heard that after labor you forget how bad the pain really was - not me :) I remember how much it hurt! :) The first thing I said to the nurse was "how soon do you guys give epidurals?" :) She laughed at me and said, "well lets get you checked in and everything first". My main problem was that nothing I was doing was helping the pain - if I could have found a good position or something to help the pain get a little better I would have been able to deal with it better - but nothing helped. I remember my mom and Tammy getting to the hospital and I could barely look at them or talk to them I was in so much pain. I was checked again and I was 3 1/2 so they said I could get the epidural - which I got around 2. They had to try to get it in twice because it didn't work the first time.

Then I was SO HAPPY!! I was able to talk to everyone that came there in the middle of the night to support me and I think I might have even closed my eyes for about half an hour! Everything was so exciting, there was no way I could fall asleep. They checked me again around 4 and I was 4 centimeters, then again at 5:30 and I was 5 1/2, then at 7:00 I was 6 1/2 and they broke my water - then it went really fast! At 8:30 I was 9 1/2 and they were getting me ready to start pushing - which was freaking me out, I thought I had another several hours before that! I started pushing around 9:25 and Mr Bradley was born at 10:20am! He was 7 pounds 9 ounces and 19 1/4 inches long. He was beautiful from the very second he came out! I've never seen such a beautiful baby - actually Ive never seen anything that beautiful in all my life!!! He is just perfect in every way - we are so so blessed and thankful!