Well here we are finally! Olivia was born at 41 weeks on May 8th, 2011. Yep, right on Mother's Day. I had to work hard for my gift! Since then, it's been 3 weeks of intense sleep deprivation and baby care for me and Rick. I hope I remember the details as I log this live-changing event!
Friday, May 6, 2011: Clueless
When my May 2nd due date came and went, I started wondering if the baby was ever going to come out on her own. The doctor measured me at 1cm dilated for a month which basically means that nothing is happening. Baby Olivia was quite comfortable in my belly! My induction was scheduled for May 10th so I was doing everything I could to initiate labor. I walked the dogs twice a day for half an hour each time, I did chores around the house, I worked until a week before my predicted due date but nothing was happening.
Finally on Friday morning, my mucus plug came out when I went to the bathroom. I shouted this to Rick and he busted into the bathroom while I was still sitting on the toilet and asked if he can see. Since he'd be in the delivery room for the birth of his child, I figure this would be a nice little warm up for him. He snapped some pics (ewww! I won't post) and was so giddy that I was showing the early signs of labor. I was a bit giddy too but I still didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. As the day progressed I felt what I thought was more of the mucus coming out and didn't think anything of it.
Saturday, May 7th - Suspicions
I woke up Saturday and as I stood up from bed, I felt more fluid coming out but it wasn't enough to cause me any alarm or signal to me that I was in labor. I thought again that it was just more mucus draining from the lost of the mucus plug. However just to be sure, I called my doctor asking her if I should worry that my water has broken. She told me to test it out by wearing a pad and to lie down for 30 minutes. If I soak the whole pad in an hour after getting up, then I needed to go to the hospital. If not, then I shouldn't worry and it was probably just regular pregnancy discharge. I did the test and I did not soak the pad. It felt like heavier discharge than usual so I didn't think anything of it. Off to lunch with the mother in law!
By the time Rick and I were having lunch with his mom, I started to feel an achey sensation in my lower abdominal region. I kept whispering to Rick that I felt like I was about to have a bout of diarrhea real soon and we should cut the lunch short. He asked if I was having contractions but I told him I didn't think so because it just felt like I was having a stomach ache and needed to use the bathroom. His mom said if I were having contractions, I wouldn't be able to eat but I was stuffing my face with shrimp pad thai so in my mind, no contractions! After lunch, I felt a little more achey and I wasn't having success in the bathroom so I texted a few moms out there to see what their experiences were. This made me finally suspect that I was in the early stages of labor. By early evening, the cramps were much more consistent although I wasn't doubled over in pain. Also the "discharge" I was experiencing since the day before had gotten heavier. I called the doctor again and she told me to pack my bag and stop by the hospital to test the fluid. If it's amniotic fluid, then I would be induced to get the baby out right away. Rick and I took our time having dinner, showering, and packing last minute items. We made it to the hospital by 9pm and the fluid tested positive as amniotic fluid.
Sunday, May 8th - Labor & Delivery
I have never ever been admitted to a hospital before and I've been so fearful of the whole labor and delivery process. I was a nervous mess knowing that the baby was coming out one way or another! Since labor had already started naturally for me, Rick and I were hoping that I wouldn't need to be induced but the doctor checked the cervix again and it was still at 1 cm! Because my water had broken for quite some time now, they needed to speed up my labor. At 11pm on Saturday, Rick and I were set up in the birthing room and at 1am on Sunday, the pitocin was dripped into my IV. The nurse said if I started to get uncomfortable, she'll get me an epidural. My contractions were definitely getting stronger but not unbearable. I remember telling Rick that it wasn't as bad as I thought. By 2:30pm, I was barely able to talk but because I was so afraid that getting an epidural too early would increase the chances of a c-section, I gripped the bedrails and dealt with the pain. Rick was so supportive and did the breathing exercises with me until he told me he wanted to pass out from doing them. I told him to stop but 2 minutes later yelled at him to breathe with me. By 3:30am, I was begging for an epidural. My contractions were long and extremely close together so I felt like I wasn't getting any break from them. I was screaming in pain and sweat through my hospital gown. The nurse came by, looked at me, and commented, "You seem to be getting more uncomfortable now." Uncomfortable? I guess that's the term they like to use instead of "messed up" or "extreme pain" or "tortured". She told us that the anesthesiologist got pulled into the operating room to set up a c-section so it would be about half an hour before they could stop by. I felt so helpless then and wanted anything to get rid of the pain but there was nothing so I screamed and screamed while waiting for my epidural. Rick was so annoyingly calm then seeing me in pain but what could he have done?
The anesthesiologist showed up at 4am and it was like the door opened, light shined through and he floated towards me with angel wings. Hallelujah! After the epi, which was another painful fiasco on top of the existing pain, I felt the contractions slowly diminish and fell asleep until 8am when the doctor came in with a nurse and greeted us with, "Good morning! Are we ready to push?" I actually felt a bit sad that this experience is coming to an end - the entire pregnancy has finally arrived at the big finale but we were ready to meet Olivia.
The doctor told us that there is a 3 hour pushing limit before I will need to be reevaluated and have to get a c-section. Rick and I looked at each other and I reassured him that I would pop her out within those 3 hours. I did not want to be cut open after all this! It took longer than I thought. Good thing I slept some or I wouldn't have the energy to keep up with the pushing! The process was, curl up in sit-up position and push 10 times with all your might, take a breath, and repeat for a full 3 sets (yet I still have a post pregnancy belly after all those sit-ups). I did this with Rick helping me into sit-up position for 2 half hours. I kept looking at the clock thinking time's almost up! Olivia finally made her appearance at 11:20am on Mother's Day. I cried when I heard her cry and we bonded immediately when she was placed on top of my chest. It was the best gift ever and she is just perfect. Rick and I were such proud parents that day!
