Part II of Giving Birth to Harper.
You can read the first part here.
(Still funny sounding)
In lieu of Mother's Day I decided to post the rest of my birth story.
If I can be completely honest, I do feel like this should be on TLC or something.
To recap from the last time..
I have been contracting since Sunday evening. My water broke around 5am Tuesday morning, it's now Tuesday evening. I've been on Pitocin since 7am-ish Tuesday morning. No baby. Probably 8cm dilated. No food and no drink since Monday.
All this time, these nurses have me flipping back and forth to try to get the baby down. Have me doing that stupid hugging the bed thing, which made me so mad and was extremely painful. They had to cath me two or three times because I couldn't physically go and one time they had to get an extra bed pan thing because there was so much coming out. So, now, it's about 12:30 and technically Wednesday, the nurse comes in, checks me and says the magic words. "You can start pushing now. You're at 10cm!" Tears. Excitement. Anxiety. Exhaustion. I reckon emptying my bladder made the baby move down or something. I didn't care. Nurses call for the doctor (who I had seen mayyybe 2 times before this. He was a butt head.) Let's do this!!
I have to take a second, real quick, to give a shout out to my husband. He was the sweetest, strongest partner I could've ever asked for. He left me probably 3 times the whole time I was in the hospital. He didn't eat, he didn't drink, he stood up basically the whole time and held my hand through almost every contraction. He was my rock! I can never thank him enough for that. At one point I told him to go get something to eat from the cafeteria. He didn't want to because I couldn't eat. And that's how every husband and future father should be. One time he had to just go outside, he walked to his truck and came back just to relieve a little tension he was carrying. At one point he broke down and started tearing up because he hated seeing me in so much pain and distraught over the fact that I felt like a failure that I couldn't have this baby! But, he was supportive the entire time. I couldn't brag about him enough. Even the nurses applauded him.
They crank up that Pitocin. Making my contractions sky rocket and that's when you're supposed to push, right? So, I push. And push. And push. And push. Doctor, let's call him Dr. Al, comes in and checks me. I push. And push. Push some more. Come to find out the baby's head is facing towards the right. The nurses have me get onto my right side and have me push. I've been pushing about 3 hours now. My contractions are up in the 100's. I was SO tired. I passed out between contractions two different times! My sweet husband was like "you slept through a big one.." I was so out of it, I didn't know what he was talking about. As many moms know, you don't exactly "sleep" through contractions, unless you have great medicine! I cry. I can't help it. I'm exhausted. I'm begging for someone to do something to get this baby out. I could not physically do it anymore. Or so I thought. I pushed for 7 hours. S E V E N!
Fast forward to 7 in the morning, nurses that had helped me the morning before came back. Offering their condolences, talking to my belly, telling little miss to get out of there so they could all see her. (Did I mention how much I loved the nurses? Lakeland Regional Medical Center, everyone. Love them!) 26 hours since my water broke, 24 hours since I had been there. Shift change for the doctors. New Dr came in. Dr. Rivera. Such a great doctor. He comes in, demands to find out why nobody had helped us, why this baby was still in my tummy and why nobody called for a Cesarean. He comes and sits next to the bed and explains to me how myself and the baby are at risk because my water broke over 24 hours ago, asks me how I feel about having a Cesarean. I'm all for it. As long as the baby is okay and she comes now. I asked if I could have a vaginal birth the next time if I wanted to, mostly because I've heard so many different things on it and I really wanted to know from a professional. He said it shouldn't be a problem and that it's very common to deliver vaginally after a c-section. He has the nurse call to see what the surgery order is and how many people are in front of me. She calls and tells him that there are 5 other mommies scheduled for a surgery. His response: "Are they as important as mine? (meaning me)" Then barges out the door. 3 minutes later he's back and has the nurse get me and Whit prepped for a c-section. All that exhaustion goes away and I get a rush of adrenaline. Whit and I get to see our baby finally!
We are all smiles. But, first; can I brush my teeth? Literally. The nurses laugh at me as I'm spitting toothpaste into a puke bag. My mom goes and fills in the rest of the family that has stayed all day and night to support us. The nurse gets Whit some scrubs and snacks, they didn't want him to pass out. Haha, which he didn't end up eating because he was so excited. Got wheeled into the operating room, all the nurses and anesthesiologists were so dang nice! Asked me about the baby, what I was going to name her. Still didn't know. They administered the epidural. Cake. They laid me back, got me all situated. Hubby comes in. I can't stop laughing. He has a mask on but his beard was so big that it pokes out underneath it. Cutie. So the doctors and everyone come in, and everyone introduces themselves to Whit and I, someone from the NICU was in there because there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, so they let us know that they do not want her to cry right away and that they won't show her to us right away because they just want to make sure that she is okay. Fine by me, her health is more important to me than anything. The anesthesiologist said he would let us know when Whit can stand up to look at her while the doctors were pulling her out. Whit is sitting next to me by my head and we are so giddy! They're starting!! Few what feels like seconds later, the anesthesiologist tells us that Whit can get up and look at her since they were ready to pull her out. He stands up and the doctors said "Baby girl. Born 8:31am" We both start crying. Whit had to sit back down. "Is she beautiful?!" I asked Whit. He nods because he can't say anything since he's trying not to cry. The lady from the NICU calls out, "She's perfect! We're wrapping her up to bring her over to you.." I hear her cry.
The moment every mom waits to hear for those 40 long weeks. Whit goes and takes some pictures of her while the doctors are sewing me up (or whatever the heck they do). He comes back and sits down while we wait for the doctors to let me see her, he leans in to give me a kiss through his mask. They bring her around the curtain and I finally get to see her.
My heart exploded. Seriously. She's the most perfect little baby I've ever seen. I love her so much. It's an instant, overpowering, amazing, selfless love that you feel as soon as you see your child and hold them in your arms. Amazing. I totally see why people have a bunch of kids. Totally.
Baby Girl Bowden.
Born 10/8/2014 at 8:31pm.
8lbs 12oz and 22" long.
Now, we're in recovery. Just me, hubby and sweet angel baby.
Nobody told me, but I'm going to tell you - if you get a c-section you'll shake like you're freezing cold. Your jaw will shiver, your hand is unsteady, arms, shoulders, feet.. Shake shake shake, like a Taylor Swift song. Whit was wondering what was wrong with me, and we asked the ladies that came in after and they said it was normal because of the anesthesia and body temperature. Also, once we got back to the hospital room that we were to stay in while I recovered and stuff, I started to itch all over! Also asked the nurse and it was from the medicine I was given also. It wasn't that bad, it was just like a mild itch, but annoying because it was all over.
So, now we all can breathe. And shower. And wash ourselves. And for the love of everything that's holy GIVE ME A DRINK! Liquid. Now! Before we got to the room the nurses brought in ice and a few other things like blankets, and stuff. My sister had a Diet Dr Pepper from the vending machine and I basically yanked it out of her hand to put it into the ice and chug it down as fast as I could. Only to be told after basically drinking what was left of the soda that I was on a clear liquid diet for a few hours so they can asses how I was and talk to the Dr.
Whoops.
Didn't last too long, though. Dr Ramirez came in a little bit later and told me how everything was. He said that it was one of the hardest "sew ups" (I don't know the technical term he used. To be honest, my husband had to retell me everything he said because I was in such a fog) he's ever had to do. He said I was so swollen and baby girls head was too big for my birth canal that it did a lot of damage to my insides. So unfortunately I wouldn't be able to have a vaginal birth with my next pregnancy. Hey, if that's the worst thing that could happen then that's okay with me! I don't mind knowing exactly when the next baby will come. As long as he or she is healthy!
We didn't leave the hospital for 3 days after that because Dr Ramirez wanted to keep an eye on me and my incision. Then the next day Dr Al was back on the clock. Oh goodie. (not really) He comes in and says (I kid you not!), "Oh. I see you didn't make it.."
Excuse me?! I didn't make it?
So because the other doctor cared more about my childs safety and not the fact that I was to have a natural delivery, that means "I didn't make it"?!
"^*%*&!#%^@!$^$&$%#" is what I was thinking in my head.
Needless to say he didn't come back. I told him to do what he was obligated to do and not to come back, the nurses could handle anything I needed. They were all SO wonderful! So I had contractions from Sunday to Wednesday, I pushed for 7 hours, had a baby within 30 minutes of a caring doctor coming onto his shift, was in the hospital from Tuesday until Saturday. And the pain was worth every single second. I can't remember the pain, I remember the great story, but the feeling of the pain is gone. I'll do it again in a heart beat. Even if I knew that's how bad my delivery would be, I wouldn't hesitate because I have a precious little angel baby for the rest of my life! And she is worth every ounce of pain then, now and in the future. I thank God for her everyday!
So tell me your birth story! How good or bad was yours?
You can read the first part here.
(Still funny sounding)
In lieu of Mother's Day I decided to post the rest of my birth story.
If I can be completely honest, I do feel like this should be on TLC or something.
To recap from the last time..
I have been contracting since Sunday evening. My water broke around 5am Tuesday morning, it's now Tuesday evening. I've been on Pitocin since 7am-ish Tuesday morning. No baby. Probably 8cm dilated. No food and no drink since Monday.
All this time, these nurses have me flipping back and forth to try to get the baby down. Have me doing that stupid hugging the bed thing, which made me so mad and was extremely painful. They had to cath me two or three times because I couldn't physically go and one time they had to get an extra bed pan thing because there was so much coming out. So, now, it's about 12:30 and technically Wednesday, the nurse comes in, checks me and says the magic words. "You can start pushing now. You're at 10cm!" Tears. Excitement. Anxiety. Exhaustion. I reckon emptying my bladder made the baby move down or something. I didn't care. Nurses call for the doctor (who I had seen mayyybe 2 times before this. He was a butt head.) Let's do this!!
Fast forward to 7 in the morning, nurses that had helped me the morning before came back. Offering their condolences, talking to my belly, telling little miss to get out of there so they could all see her. (Did I mention how much I loved the nurses? Lakeland Regional Medical Center, everyone. Love them!) 26 hours since my water broke, 24 hours since I had been there. Shift change for the doctors. New Dr came in. Dr. Rivera. Such a great doctor. He comes in, demands to find out why nobody had helped us, why this baby was still in my tummy and why nobody called for a Cesarean. He comes and sits next to the bed and explains to me how myself and the baby are at risk because my water broke over 24 hours ago, asks me how I feel about having a Cesarean. I'm all for it. As long as the baby is okay and she comes now. I asked if I could have a vaginal birth the next time if I wanted to, mostly because I've heard so many different things on it and I really wanted to know from a professional. He said it shouldn't be a problem and that it's very common to deliver vaginally after a c-section. He has the nurse call to see what the surgery order is and how many people are in front of me. She calls and tells him that there are 5 other mommies scheduled for a surgery. His response: "Are they as important as mine? (meaning me)" Then barges out the door. 3 minutes later he's back and has the nurse get me and Whit prepped for a c-section. All that exhaustion goes away and I get a rush of adrenaline. Whit and I get to see our baby finally!
We are all smiles. But, first; can I brush my teeth? Literally. The nurses laugh at me as I'm spitting toothpaste into a puke bag. My mom goes and fills in the rest of the family that has stayed all day and night to support us. The nurse gets Whit some scrubs and snacks, they didn't want him to pass out. Haha, which he didn't end up eating because he was so excited. Got wheeled into the operating room, all the nurses and anesthesiologists were so dang nice! Asked me about the baby, what I was going to name her. Still didn't know. They administered the epidural. Cake. They laid me back, got me all situated. Hubby comes in. I can't stop laughing. He has a mask on but his beard was so big that it pokes out underneath it. Cutie. So the doctors and everyone come in, and everyone introduces themselves to Whit and I, someone from the NICU was in there because there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, so they let us know that they do not want her to cry right away and that they won't show her to us right away because they just want to make sure that she is okay. Fine by me, her health is more important to me than anything. The anesthesiologist said he would let us know when Whit can stand up to look at her while the doctors were pulling her out. Whit is sitting next to me by my head and we are so giddy! They're starting!! Few what feels like seconds later, the anesthesiologist tells us that Whit can get up and look at her since they were ready to pull her out. He stands up and the doctors said "Baby girl. Born 8:31am" We both start crying. Whit had to sit back down. "Is she beautiful?!" I asked Whit. He nods because he can't say anything since he's trying not to cry. The lady from the NICU calls out, "She's perfect! We're wrapping her up to bring her over to you.." I hear her cry.
The moment every mom waits to hear for those 40 long weeks. Whit goes and takes some pictures of her while the doctors are sewing me up (or whatever the heck they do). He comes back and sits down while we wait for the doctors to let me see her, he leans in to give me a kiss through his mask. They bring her around the curtain and I finally get to see her.
Born 10/8/2014 at 8:31pm.
8lbs 12oz and 22" long.
Now, we're in recovery. Just me, hubby and sweet angel baby.
Nobody told me, but I'm going to tell you - if you get a c-section you'll shake like you're freezing cold. Your jaw will shiver, your hand is unsteady, arms, shoulders, feet.. Shake shake shake, like a Taylor Swift song. Whit was wondering what was wrong with me, and we asked the ladies that came in after and they said it was normal because of the anesthesia and body temperature. Also, once we got back to the hospital room that we were to stay in while I recovered and stuff, I started to itch all over! Also asked the nurse and it was from the medicine I was given also. It wasn't that bad, it was just like a mild itch, but annoying because it was all over.
So, now we all can breathe. And shower. And wash ourselves. And for the love of everything that's holy GIVE ME A DRINK! Liquid. Now! Before we got to the room the nurses brought in ice and a few other things like blankets, and stuff. My sister had a Diet Dr Pepper from the vending machine and I basically yanked it out of her hand to put it into the ice and chug it down as fast as I could. Only to be told after basically drinking what was left of the soda that I was on a clear liquid diet for a few hours so they can asses how I was and talk to the Dr.
Whoops.
Didn't last too long, though. Dr Ramirez came in a little bit later and told me how everything was. He said that it was one of the hardest "sew ups" (I don't know the technical term he used. To be honest, my husband had to retell me everything he said because I was in such a fog) he's ever had to do. He said I was so swollen and baby girls head was too big for my birth canal that it did a lot of damage to my insides. So unfortunately I wouldn't be able to have a vaginal birth with my next pregnancy. Hey, if that's the worst thing that could happen then that's okay with me! I don't mind knowing exactly when the next baby will come. As long as he or she is healthy!
We didn't leave the hospital for 3 days after that because Dr Ramirez wanted to keep an eye on me and my incision. Then the next day Dr Al was back on the clock. Oh goodie. (not really) He comes in and says (I kid you not!), "Oh. I see you didn't make it.."
Excuse me?! I didn't make it?
So because the other doctor cared more about my childs safety and not the fact that I was to have a natural delivery, that means "I didn't make it"?!
"^*%*&!#%^@!$^$&$%#" is what I was thinking in my head.
Needless to say he didn't come back. I told him to do what he was obligated to do and not to come back, the nurses could handle anything I needed. They were all SO wonderful! So I had contractions from Sunday to Wednesday, I pushed for 7 hours, had a baby within 30 minutes of a caring doctor coming onto his shift, was in the hospital from Tuesday until Saturday. And the pain was worth every single second. I can't remember the pain, I remember the great story, but the feeling of the pain is gone. I'll do it again in a heart beat. Even if I knew that's how bad my delivery would be, I wouldn't hesitate because I have a precious little angel baby for the rest of my life! And she is worth every ounce of pain then, now and in the future. I thank God for her everyday!
So tell me your birth story! How good or bad was yours?
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