Nursing Your Kids

At my 9.45 weekly checkup yesterday my doctor told me that since she was on call I’d better go into labor that night. I said I’d be happy to, if there was anything she could do to move it along. She said she’d have to check out my cervix and see if anything was happening, and if there was she could give me a little push to get going. I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced, a huge change from the week before so she stripped my membranes and told me I could either go straight to L&D to see if I was contracting or I could go home and wait. My dad was babysitting and I’m pessimistic by nature so I went home.

Sam and I took a walk up to the playground. I started feeling some contractions on our walk, but nothing painful and nothing regular. I was uncomfortable though, and Bob had locked his keys in his car so we left the playground early so I could drive to his work to get them out. On our walk home the contractions grew stronger. Once we got home I plugged my cell phone in to charge and decided to lay down on my left side for a bit to see if they subsided. They did not and lying on my left side was uncomfortable. It occurred to me that 2 hours after she stripped my membranes I was really, truly in labor.

I called Bob and asked if he’d be able to break into his car to get his keys. I called my mother-in-law to see if she was able to come and take care of Sam. The contractions grew stronger and closer together and I was no longer able to sit or stand comfortably. After about an hour and a half and a number of phone calls (including one to my OB where I was told to head to the hospital right away) my friend arrived to drop Sam off with my mother-in-law and Bob arrived a few minutes later to take me to labor and delivery.

We got to the hospital around 2.30 and my contractions were 1.5-2 minutes apart. I was dilated 6 cm and wanted an epidural. They had to get me hooked up to an IV first, but there were two anesthesiologists on the floor and the epidural was working by 4. My contractions slowed to 2-2.5 minutes apart, but they were steady and regular. My nurse told me she just wanted to leave me alone and let the baby come when it was ready. As long as I was comfortable and things were moving I should just wait. She sat me up so gravity could help the process. So we waited. And waited. And waited. The epidural made my right leg completely numb and it made me shaky, but aside from that I was fine. We watched several episodes of The Family Guy.

I was 9 cm and fully effaced then I was 10 cm and at a 0 station. We waited some more. The nurse changed my position so I was on my left side. The baby, who had been hanging out on my right side for most of the pregnancy started to move. I could feel a lot of pressure down low. About 45 minutes after they’d found me to be complete they checked again and the baby was at a +1 or +2 station. The nurse took a look and showed Bob the baby’s head, ready to come out. The resident came in, took a look, and went out to get my doctor. My doctor came in and I started to push. Five minutes later my son, my second son, was born.