Read Part 1 here
Thursday, June 28:
So, I was finally admitted to labor and delivery for what I hoped would be the last time. If I was going to be sent home again I was going to be devastated. Alas, I was not. I worked through the contractions for as long as I could without any pain relievers, but to save Kyle’s hand from being crushed any further, the nurse offered me nitrous oxide, which I happily accepted. It took the edge off, but because I had a sore throat due to a cold I seemed to be coming down with, it didn’t really work for me and only made my throat dry and awful feeling. Eventually, it didn’t seem like it was working at all, so I asked my nurse for something a bit stronger. She hooked me up with Fentanyl, a narcotic that’s apparently 100x stronger than morphine. Woo! I shall add that I have never had ny kind of narcotic or painkiller like that before – not even T3’s, so this was kind of a big deal for me. I instantly felt ridiculously light-headed and amazing, and it really took the edge of the contractions off. Kyle thought it was hilarious because if I do recall correctly, I wasn’t making much sense or completing sentences properly.
I started having the urge to push, so Dr. O’C came down to assess me around 10:30 p.m. and said I was about 7cm dilated. He decided it was time to break my water since the baby still hadn’t quite come down into my pelvis by then, and he hoped this would encourage her to engage. The nurse also had me trying all kinds of different positions for pushing – laying down and on the toilet were the most comfortable for me, so that’s what I went with.
Let me tell you this now – pushing for child delivery is much like pushing when you have to poop. As a result – you will poop yourself. You may not realize it, but you will. Thankfully, the nurses are quick and subtle, and get it cleaned up right away. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have known it had happened if Kyle hadn’t told me. (He promised me that he would when we learned about this during our prenatal class.) So – you WILL poop yourself. Unless you give yourself an enema. Which will probably feel just as horrible, if not, more. Oh – and if it feels like your butt is inside out, it’s because it is. Hemroids are a bitch, ya’ll. Moving on …
Friday, June 29
So, I was pushing hard for a ridiculously long time (for 2 hrs+) and I was really starting to feel drained, both physically and emotionally. My body hurt, I was exhausted, and I was starting to feel like this child would never arrive. Dr. O’C came and did another assessment and while I was now fully dilated, the baby wasn’t positioned properly to fit into my pelvis. Her head was supposed to be facing my back, but she was sideways and there was no way she was going to fit. He tried turning her around, but she’d just go back to being sideways. At this point, the talks of a C-Section were starting to arise, and immediately both Kyle, my mom, and myself, were scared.
An OB-GYN (Dr. L) was called in around 2 a.m. and she did an assessment. The baby still wasn’t willing to stay turned the right way, but because there was another woman in labor at the same time whose baby was in distress, she immediately turned her attention to that woman and did an emergency C-Section. I was still okay, and so was my baby, so there was no need to “rush” my delivery.
Dr. L came back around 3 a.m. and broke down our options for delivery. Basically, she said that she could try a forceps delivery, which had a 50/50 chance of working and getting baby out. She told me that by doing this, she’s have to perform an episiotomy (I double-dog dare you to Google that if you don’t know what it is already) to make room for the forceps and the baby to prevent tearing, but I’d receive an epidural for the process. If the forceps weren’t going to work, she’d have to perform a C-Section. Our choices were to A) Try the forceps delivery and hope that it works, or B) Go right to the C-Section. Kyle asked what I wanted, but I believe my exact words were, “I just want it to be over,” so he told Dr. L to do the forceps delivery.
Immediately, the room filled with nurses and doctors, and the anaesthesiologist got my epidural going. After that, it was time to get ready for delivery. I was scared, but Dr. O’C, my nurse, and Dr. L were amazing at keeping me calm. I remember feeling Dr. L doing the episiotomy and her working the baby into the proper position for delivery. When I had a contraction, I was instructed to push with all my might and I did. A C-Section terrified myself and Kyle, so it was all I could do to stop that from happening. I was asked to stop pushing so Dr. L could adjust the forceps around to turn the baby, and then she told me to start pushing again. I remember the horrible burning feeling as the baby’s head came down and being asked to stop pushing and then start again after Dr. L made some kind of adjustment. The next thing I remember is being told by Dr. O’C to open my eyes, and I watched Dr. L lift my daughter up into the world at 4 a.m. sharp. It was all over, and I immediately felt a huge wave of relief, happiness, and pride knowing that I had done it.
Isla Emily weighed in at a whopping 7lbs, 15oz and being 20.5” long. Kyle and I are still in awe at the fact that we’re now parents. We’re adjusting quite well, and Kyle has been absolutely amazing as I heal and start to feel better. I don’t think I’ve loved him as much as I do now – it’s funny how having a family can change things in the most amazing ways. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
