Labor of Love and Prayer

So here is what I can recall from labor and delivery.......my perception of time was not good so the times may be a bit off except the time of birth - I know that one for sure!

41 week belly - taken on the way out the door to the hospital

I checked in Tuesday night around 8 pm. They processed all my paperwork and started the Cytotec at 10 pm to get me to dilate. Since I could not sleep well they gave me a sleep pill - I think Ambien. I slept pretty well from what I can remember.


Checked in and ready for rest before the big day

Daddy-to-be getting his rest too


At around 6 am they started Pitocin and I didn't feel really any contractions that were unbearable. My doctor came in around 7:30am (I think) and checked me and I was 2 cm. Shortly after that I started to have pretty bad pain. They gave me Phernagan which did nothing and then they gave me Stadol which was another joke. It just made me drowsy, hard to remember things and did not take the pain away.

All I could do was breathe through the pain and have Justin, my mom or my dad tell me when the contractions were coming, peaking, and when they were coming down. In that kind of pain you would think you would want someone to rub and comfort you but nope - you don't want to be touched! Justin was so sweet and would rub my shoulder or some part of me and I would push his hand off - I was feeling too bad to tell him that it was too much to rub me so I just pushed his hand off. I was so mean about that. He got the picture and didn't touch me. I never SAID anything mean to anyone but I was thinking it when they kept touching me! LOL It is like every nerve in my body was in hyper drive and having someone touch me was TOO much. I had Justin put my christian music on my iPhone on and I listened to that while concentrating on breathing. The IV pain medicine they gave me made me sleep between contractions but I felt the pain medicines were pointless. I felt too out of it and was so glad once it wore off. I hated not knowing what was going on.


Finally around 10 am (I think) I was 4 cm and able to get my epidural. Honestly the pain I was in made the epidural insertion nothing - at that point I didn't care what the epidural felt like. It was easy and the doctor administering it to me was awesome!

After I got the epidural, I felt a gush and I thought since I was numb I peed on myself but I didn't. The nurse was like no sweetheart that was you water. LOL It was the rest of the fluids from having my water broken that morning (7:30 am) by my doctor. I had NO CLUE she did that and that explained the painful contractions I had after she checked me!

Well after the epidural it was pretty smooth sailing. I had to get 3 extra "shots" of the epidural because it was wearing off on one side or the other and then when I was almost fully dilated it was wearing off some. They have me lay on different sides to get the epidural to take when it started to wear on one side or the other but it didn't always work.

My mom, dad and Justin were in the room until it was time to push. Then I only had Justin in the room with me. My doctor came in around 5 pm and checked me and before I knew it she was like "You are at 9 but you can push through to 10.....Ok, push!" I was like "WHAT?!?!?! seriously already?" So I pushed for about 10 minutes and made it through to 10 cm and the doctor got ready and had the staff prepare for Jace's arrival. My epidural was strong that I could not feel the contractions and I needed the nurse to tell me when to push.

The scary part was after a few pushes Jace's heart rate dropped from the 130's down to the 70's. My doctor said that if it happens again we will have to do a c-section. I was DETERMINED not to have a c-section so with that I turned to constant prayer. I listened to the doctor and nurse for when to push but the whole I was praying! His heart rate stayed where it needed to be and 40 minutes later he was starting to crown! Justin and I took a peek at it (something we said we wouldn't do - LOL) and it was amazing! Once Jace's head was out she had me wait a second so they could drape stuff on me for when he came out.....at that point my body had taken over the epidural's effects and I was feeling more than enough to have the urge to push. Waiting was difficult - I told them I needed to push and thankfully they were ready for me to by that point. I pushed and Jace was born! The feeling of his body coming out was the most amazing and unique feeling ever! The epidural took away the intense pain but I still felt him come out and the pressure of contractions. Its crazy how even with the epidural your body takes over and allows you to feel a certain amount to get through labor.

They put him on my belly but my eyes were so swollen from pushing and crying from joy that I could barely make him out. Justin and I were SO ecstatic and felt a bond between the two of us that was incredible! A bond that can't be explained in words but its amazing! This brought us so close and all I wanted to do was just be with him and our son!

They took him to the warmer, cleaned him up and weighted him. They noticed his breathing was a bit off and that he passed meconium while in the birth canal so they let me see him for 2 minutes and then had to take him to the nursery for observation. I was so sad that I only got 2 minutes with him. Planning to breastfeed you expect to have that first hour of your baby's life to breastfeed and have mom and dad bond with him. Even though I was disappointed I wanted to be safe and glad they checked him out!

I did not feel the afterbirth pass at all but I did feel the episiotomy stitches slightly. I think that is because my body had overrode the epidural in labor.


EXHAUSTED!

Jace getting cleaned up

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACE WAYNE BRYAN

8lbs 3oz 22in

After they took Jace to the nursery - Justin went with him, along with all the other family waiting for his arrival. I was left in the room alone with a few nurses that were cleaning up. I remember asking where my mom was and a nurse (rude) said "I don't know who she is?" I wanted SOMEONE in the room with me and I knew that my mom was RIGHT outside the room for some of the labor so I figured she may still be there or someone may have seen her and would get her for me....boy was I wrong. I understood Justin going with Jace but I still felt so lonely.

So in the mean time the nurse said I must order dinner before the cafe closed and I NEEDED to eat. So I called and ordered Spaghetti for my entree, chocolate cake for desert and tea for a drink. After I ate, the sweetest older nurse came in and helped me to the bathroom and got me all cleaned up. By then Justin came back and we got ready to switch rooms. Postpartum was all full so I was put in the antepartum area, and again I had an awesome nurses caring for me there.
Three hours later they finally brought Jace back to me. That was the LONGEST three hours EVER! The next day I was put in the postpartum area and the nurses there were not nearly as sweet. I am glad I got to stay in the antepartum that first night - they really were caring there.

Justin really was so much support when I was in labor ands pushing! Without him I would not have been so strong. With Justin and prayer I was so charged with confidence and made the labor a breeze!