*Disclaimer - Ryan and I view our blog as a sort of personal (yet public) journal. While I am not sharing very personal details, this may be more than you want to read. Please do so at your discretion.
On Thursday, February 11th, 2010, I was in the process of finishing an important paper for my Strategic Leadership class late at night--around 11:50pm, and I had a contraction. I ignored it for the most part because two days before (Tuesday) the OB nurse had stripped my membranes to try and promote natural labor (I was scheduled to go in for an induction at 6pm on Friday, February 12th) and I had been having sporadic contractions for a couple of days.
After finishing our papers, we essentially said goodnight and went to sleep where we had been writing--the queen bed. The only difference this time was that lone contraction turned into another contraction. I must have just fallen asleep when I was awoken by another contraction. Still, I ignored it. Again, I fell asleep, but again I was awoken by another contraction. After about four contractions Ryan and I tried to get comfortable in the other room. I didn't want to bother Ryan, so we went to bed in the king bed.
After being restless for the next hour and becoming increasingly sleep deprived and frustrated because of five or six more contractions, I called the University of Utah hospital at 2am. I told them what was happening, but that I wanted to make sure this was "it" before we drove up to Salt Lake. They already had my chart ready to go because I was scheduled for the induction that night. The nurse mentioned that because I was over 40 weeks they were more relaxed on when they would admit me, but said I should try and relax to see if they would go away.
Well, 45 minutes later, after the contractions continued and got closer and closer together, I called the hospital back. I told them the contractions were getting closer together, so they told me to come up and that they would admit me. So, at 2:45am, Ryan and I started to get things ready to go. I had had my 'nesting' period the day before, so everything was ready to go except a few things like toothpaste and a toothbrush.
At 3:45am we headed out the door. We stopped to get gas, and I called my parents. No answer. Then, about five seconds later they called back. I told my mom that it was baby time! While we were at the gas station I had had a contraction and my mom became concerned because I wasn't breathing well. She 'got in my face' (over the phone) if you will and told me to breath "he, he, he, whoooo - BREATH" "he, he, he, whooooo - BREATH". So, I started to breath, and my mom stayed on the phone to coach me.
We hopped on deserted I-15 and made it to the hospital at 4:45am. On the way up, my mom and I had been talking. I said that I was hoping to be 4 cm when I got to the hospital. She said not to count on it and also had mentioned that I should ask about getting an epidural as soon as I got there to find out how long I might have to wait...
We walked into the hospital amid contractions and went to labor and delivery. We went to OB Triage and when they asked what I needed I said, "I'm pretty sure I'm in labor". Well, sure enough... I WAS! And the contractions were becoming more and more intense. It was so incredibly surreal! I asked about the epidural and asked that I be put on the list to ensure that I could get it before things became too unbearable. I asked for some cranberry juice for a little sugar (I hadn't eaten in hours), but...
...when they checked me for the first time, I was 3.5 cm and 90% effaced! I was good to go! They were confident that I would progress, so started the process of getting me into a room. The contractions were getting stronger, and it was becoming pretty difficult. I started to get the shakes pretty bad, but a nurse in labor and delivery helped me with another breathing pattern that steadied my body. I again asked for some cranberry juice, but the nurse seemed a little hesitant at my request because right around that time (6am), heaven was sent in the form of the anesthesiologist!
He came in and asked if I wanted to know the risks and benefits of an epidural and I said "nope". I knew that I wanted the drugs. :) I was scared that I might move too much during contractions or that shakes might come back, but Ryan and the nurse coached me through everything. I asked the anesthesiologist how long it would take and he said it could take up to 20 minutes to get in and then another 20 minutes for it to kick in. 40 minutes?! I was a little panicked at that because I didn't think I could go another 40 minutes and because I dreaded needles... however, this time I didn't even mind the needle and with me, the effects of the drugs were immediate. I was calm, my body was relaxed, and I was comfortable.
You know, I didn't know a lot about what having an epidural would entail... I had thought that I could have clear liquid, but NO. No liquid. WHAT?! No cranberry juice! I'd been waiting two hours for my cranberry juice! Ugh. But, after getting the epidural, I was able to relax. I thought that an epidural would essentially paralyze me from the waist down, but I was pleasantly surprised that I could feel and move my legs. It was incredible because while I could feel everything, the epidural "took the edge off". It did make me slightly nauseous, so they gave me some anti-nausea medicine that worked like a charm.
Around 7am or 8am, my wonderful mother-in-law came to the hospital to keep us company and snapped this camera-phone picture (granted, this is after a whole night without sleep)...
(I posted this on facebook with the caption: " 8 hours into labor and things are going well... God bless whoever invited the epidural. :)")
We killed the next couple of hours by chatting, calling people, and watching the Lion King (on VHS I might add). Loved it. :)
After a few hours (around 10am), the nurses came to check on my progress, and I was 4 cm and 100% effaced - wow! At that point, the doctor came and broke my water to help the progress along, and we were on our way.
For the next few hours, the epidural was working well, but at noon we heard a beeping noise, and I called a nurse to ask what it was. She seemed a little irritated because the noise was the epidural--I had used a whole one! Oh my goodness. I was slightly embarrassed, and when the anesthesiologist came in to refill it, I asked if I was using it excessively. She then showed me a bag--they were tiny, and she told me not to worry. She also said that there was a special limit that prevented patients from killing themselves--it would only release a dose every 10 minutes regardless of how often I pushed the button. So, I didn't feel too embarrassed.
I think the epidural wore off a bit between the time that we heard the beeping and the anesthesiologist arrived because I started to have to work through contractions, but by noon I was at 6 cm!
One of my favorite random memories is that around 12:30, I got a phone call from a 202 area code. I was certain it was my friend Erin calling from work (I didn't have her work number programed in my phone), but when I answered, I knew it wasn't because the person on the other end asked "Is McKenzie there." Uh oh, who was it... Well, it turns out it was a woman from the Partnership for Public Service calling to schedule an interview for a job to which I had applied... hum. I said something to the effect of "I'm in labor, do you mind if I call you back in a few hours?" She was slightly confused so I said something like "I'm having my baby, I'll need to call you back." :) She apologized and congratulated me and then said that she would e-mail me. Priceless. (And if I get that job, it would go down in the history books as family folklore.) :)
After the phone call things started getting more rough. The nurses checked my progress at around 1pm, and I was at 9 cm! Wow! I thought by 3pm we'd certainly have ourselves a baby! Whoot, whoot, right? Wrong. There was lip of the cervix that didn't want to budge, and around this time I had the most intense pushing pressure. When contractions would come it wouldn't hurt and I couldn't feel it it my uterus, but I had to push! The only problem was that at 9 cm, I couldn't push because it would tear the cervix and require major reconstructive surgery. So, I called the nurse a few times to tell her that the sensation was really strong, and finally (probably when I started screaming) she realized that we needed to do something and called the head of anesthesiology.
Somewhere during this pushing sensation, a new MD came on call, Dr. Metts. She must have come in during a contraction where I was probably screaming and working through the contraction because she said "I'm impressed! The old fashioned way without drugs!" And I said I kind of laughed and said, "No, I've got the drugs, they're just not dulling the pushing sensation!" I think she might have been surprised because from what it appeared, I didn't have any drugs, I just needed something stronger.
The head of the anesthesiology department finally came, and told me that he was going to give me a more local anesthetic, and that it should help. He told me it was like novocain that the dentist gives you, this time it was lidocain. :)
Let's just say I love the medical field and research and development, because whoever came up with lidocain should be sainted. After getting the lidocain around 1pm, I was able to sleep for an hour or so.
When I work up however, I was still stalled at 9 cm, and I had developed a low-grade fever (a sign of infection). So, they started me on antibiotics and explained that a special pediatrician team would be there for the delivery to ensure that the baby was safe. At the same time, the doctor came in. She was a little concerned that the baby wasn't showing accelerations, so she wanted me to change positions. She also wanted to talk to me about a possible C-section, and I became slightly hysterical after I stated my absolute opposition to being put under. She helped calm me a little as she explained my personal situation and that there are specific reasons for every single thing they do. It helped me calm down a little, but I was becoming a little panicky because I didn't want the last 14 hours to be for nothing, and I started dying of thirst. But, I was intent on trying to have that baby naturally.
So, when intense pushing pains came again, I tried with all my might to relax and breath through the contractions so that my body could progress to the essential 10 cm. The sensations because overbearing again and the anesthesiologist gave me a second dose of lidocain. I still had to work through the contractions until the medicine kicked in, and when I could finally relax, the nurse said that I should change positions to try and get the cervix to budge. I moved and laid on my right side for about 30 minutes to an hour, and around 6pm, the nurse checked my progress, and I was finally at 10 cm!!
She told the doctor (who at this point was a different southern gentleman) and he said that we were going to start pushing. Wait, what!? I asked if we could wait a half an hour or so, so that I could have the pushing sensation come back, but he said, "no, we need to push". (Because they had broken my water and because of the infection, they wanted to get the baby out as soon as possible.) The doctor said he would be back and instructed the nurses to give me a pushing lesson.
So, around 6pm, I started pushing with the contractions. (Big breath, hold breath for 10 seconds while pushing, break/breath, hold breath for 10 seconds while pushing, break/breath, hold breath for 10 seconds while pushing, rest.) At first, I didn't know when the contractions were coming, but within a few minutes, I was telling the nurses that it was time to push! In between the sets I would hyperventilate, but Ryan was right there helping me along. (I really had such a great support system there! Jennifer was there coaxing me along, Ryan was helping me breath, and Erin--God bless Erin--was giving me ice chips in between contractions/pushing. Let me just tell you that the thirst that I had was agonizing, and by the end here, I was literally begging for water. Ice chips just were not cutting it.
As time went by, I could feel more and more clearly when to push. The nurses had sometimes coaxed me into a fourth push in some sets, and I could tell that we were progressing. The doctor kept telling me that we were trying to rock the baby into position and that each contraction would help the baby engage into the pelvis--wow, was this for real!? In between a contraction (while hyperventilating) I recognized some commotion and asked (I was probably quite loopy) how close we were. Jennifer said that the doctors were arriving and that we were almost there. This knowledge gave me a little bit of adrenaline. For a lot of the pushing I was closing my eyes, but when I did open them, I noticed that there were A LOT of people in the room and that the doctors were not only in scrubs now, but had on robes, gloves, and masks! Oh my goodness, I could tell (and could feel) that she was almost here!
After about an hour of pushing, I was pushing during one contraction. First push, second, third, and I knew that if I went for the 4th push, that Adrielle would be born. Sure enough, after 18 hours of labor and an hour of pushing, Adrielle Renee was born at 7:34pm on February 12, 2010!
They whisked Adi off to the pediatricians on the other side of the room, and Ryan and Jennifer went with her. The next contraction the doctor told me to push a little for the placenta, and then began the recovery process. The epidural had worn off a little too much, because during labor, I suffered a 3rd degree tear, and when they started stitching, I could essentially feel everything. They sent for the anesthesiologist one final time and he dulled the pain so that they could work. My sister-in-law, Erin, stayed with me the whole time and held my hand while they worked, she'll never know how much that meant to me--especially when she made the nurses get me cranberry juice, water, and apple juice minutes after Adi was born. I couldn't have imagined being alone right then while Ryan was with the baby.
At one point, the doctor brought me sweet Adi, and I held her for a few seconds, but because I could feel the stitching, I didn't hold her for long.
After what seemed like an eternity, the doctors finished, and the nurses helped me from the bed to a wheelchair to my recovery room. I had been in the room about five minutes when my family and Ryan's family arrived. My mom and Ryan were in the nursery with Adrielle as she underwent tests and received an IV for antibiotics.
Finally, Ryan brought in little (well, not so little) Adi. She had a conehead because the cervix had been stuck at 9 cm for so long, but she was absolutely perfect! The pictures below are when the family saw her for the first time, and the first time that I found out she weighed 9 lbs 1 oz! (She looks bigger than she was because she was swollen, but has since gone down to reveal our beautiful little baby!)
We feel blessed to have her sweet spirit in our home, and grateful that Heavenly Father trusted us enough to send her to us. We love you Adrielle!
