To say that this birth was so different from Myler’s would be an understatement! However, the beginning of contractions were very similar. If you want to go back & read about my birth story with Myler, you can here.
2.3.19
4pm I started to have some slight cramping & started to lose my mucus plug (this part was so similar to how it started with Myler’s birth)
The cramps were super faint at this point. We drove to our friend’s house in North Phoenix to watch the Super Bowl that night. When we went to bed, I felt like the cramping was still there, but again, very faint.
2.4.19
2am I woke up to some stronger cramps, but not yet painful. They continued throughout the night on & off, waking me up, but I always fell back asleep. I woke Griffin up to tell him he wasn’t going to Prescott that next morning like he had planned. As you read ahead, you will realize why I’m glad I made him stay!
9am I woke up around this time (thank you, Myler, for sleeping in that day). The cramps had gone away almost completely at this point. I was a little disappointed, but it gave me time to eat a good breakfast & get ready for the day.
11am We had our weekly scheduled midwife appointment which Griffin came with. The midwife we met with that day was also the midwife on call for the next 24 hours at the hospital. I told her I had some contractions that were noticeable, but still 10 minutes or more apart. She told me very bluntly to not even track them until I was in so much pain that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. We left with her saying something like see you soon, maybe next week. I was a little bummed just because I was getting so excited to meet our baby, but also because I felt bad for having Griffin stay home from his trip to Prescott; however, a couple hours later, things picked up again!
1pm More painful cramping/contractions started again. They definitely kept increasing in intensity, but they were far apart & inconsistent.
3pm Around this time, they got closer together, sometimes 6 minutes apart, but still inconsistent. However, I was in much more pain than before.
4pm By this time I started having 3 contractions back to back, with the first being really painful. After 3 in a row, I would have a long break. I talked with my sister on the phone who told me it’s possible to still have baby with inconsistent or far apart contractions. She thought I should go into the hospital just to get checked. I ended up calling the midwife on call (same one I met with earlier that day), & she didn’t think I needed to come in, but I think she felt bad for me & by the end of the conversation, I had another contraction, and she said, “How about you come in and get checked.”
5:15pm We arrived at the hospital. Even with pre-registration, it always feels like the check in process takes forever. We went to triage, & I was at 4.5cm! I was so excited because with Myler, I was only 1.5cm when we arrived at the hospital! I honestly thought I’d get admitted at that point, but they wanted to see how I progressed within the hour.
6:30pm I don’t know the exact times here because at some point around this time, I was begging Griffin to call the nurse to get prepared for an epidural. I was happy with myself for making it that far, but I was ready for some pain relief. Griffin wouldn’t call the nurse ha! He was so determined to keep encouraging me to go unmedicated. That stinker! Well, after asking multiple times, he still didn’t oblige, but I had been yelling so hard through contractions that a worried front desk lady came in asking if I wanted the nurse. I said yes!
6:45pm Again, unsure of the time for this, but the nurse came in, & I asked her to check me & get started with an epidural. I was at 6.5cm, so she began giving me an IV & starting fluids. This process took a while as she missed my veins for the IV & others were preparing the delivery room for me.
7pm By this time we walked into our delivery room, & I was definitely not able to hide the pain I was in. They pumped the IV fluids as fast as they could because I had to have them in before getting the epidural. A few minutes go by, & I tell a nurse that I have to use the bathroom. She asks if it’s #1 or #2 (sorry if that’s weird, but it was an important question)! I said #1, but then quickly changed to saying #2 as I was feeling some pressure down there. The next thing she said to me was something I didn’t ever think I’d hear; “If you have to poop, that’s not poop, it’s the baby! You’re ready to push!” In my head I’m thinking, “This is not happening, this is not happening!”
7:10pm I got on the bed, got checked, & started pushing with the next contraction. It’s true what they say about your body/contractions doing the work as far as letting my body feel when to push, but dang, I had to push with all my might! Also, I was determined for the pain to be over, so I was extra motivated! A few minutes in, my midwife said that there was some meconium, meaning the baby could be in distress.
7:21pm I believe it was 2 pushes after my midwife told me that, & Wallace was born! The contraction pain immediately went away, & I was in heaven holding that sweet babe. In the moment, I was thinking that was the worst thing I’d ever gone through, but once I held my baby, it was just the most unreal feeling.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the end of everything as I had a small hemorrhage. A few hours later & many pokes & tests that were utterly painful, all was well, & we got to our room.
We are so grateful to be holding yet another miracle. A very different delivery, but a miracle nonetheless.
