Welcome Vivian James Simon!
I have had ideas to share so many things during my pregnancy...then the days would pass... someone decided to come a few weeks early....so the telling of finding out I was pregnant and all the fitness things I want to (still) share will come after I tell the full birth story! 😜
So 1 week ago (literally, I am typing this at 9:30pm on Friday night) at about 9:30pm Keith and I were watching a movie and I started to feel a little yucky. I commented maybe I was having my first Braxton Hicks contractions, which really I had felt nothing contraction like up to that point. Earlier that day I had an NST (non stress test), like I had been doing 2 times per week for 4 weeks at this point to check on how baby chicken nugget was doing. As usual she was great, I had great blood pressure and no signs of contractions- so really labor was no where on my radar. My "birth plan" up to this point was to not have too strict of a plan! Just to listen to my body and the medical/birthing professionals I entrusted my care to and see what I felt like doing when the time came. I did plan on having her at a hospital (specifically I wanted to go to Dublin Methodist) and we had a plan of inducing at the 39th week .... so I felt like with that plan and being monitored so much (the only reason for that is my age...really nothing else) I was still pretty safe. I even thought that at my appointment that next week (so week 37) I would actually ask some questions so I knew a little more going on. 😂 Also....I did not pack a bag yet (sorry Keith 🤦♀️).
So...back to 1 week ago. I am feeling just a little yucky, like mild cramps and like I needed to go to the bathroom. As time went on I started feeling a little more crampy...and I would really describe it more like bad gas pain. There was no regularity to the pain with how long it lasted or how far between. I would also say that there was not really a ton of down time between. I decided to sit in the bath for a few min and try to go to bed...which lasted a super short time because my pain was a little worse and I just kept having the I need to go to the bathroom feeling. I went downstairs to watch a little TV and did some googling just to read a little more about contractions. I decided to set a timer to see if there was any pattern, but there was not any pattern at all. Some more intense pain would last like 12 full min then would last like 2 and no consistent times between. I messaged my sister who is a labor and delivery nurse in Indy and she called for us to chat. No concern really, said I could take pepto, but recommended to call my OBs emergency line just to see if they had a recommendation that was different. So I called my OB and they had the midwife on-call call me back. I explained how I was feeling and she told me to try some electrolytes and a warm shower....but that it's never wrong to go to the hospital if you don't feel right.
I drank some pedialyte, took my warm shower...the whole time just not feeling good. There were definitely peaks and valleys of the discomfort...but never totally went away and still no pattern to the increase in intensity. At this point it's like 1:40am. Keith had been sleeping. He was supposed to work the next day so did not want to get him up unless necessary. I still did not really think I was in labor, but also was feeling more uncomfortable so thought I should wake him up. He got up and put his stuff (that was already mostly laid out) into a bag....where I tried to throw some stuff together...because I did not have everything laid out 🙈. My (what I thought was gas) pain was getting a worse and I kept feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom....then suddenly I started throwing up! No fun at all. At this point I told him I just wanted to go. So I grabbed the random crap I threw in a bag, gave my dogs a cookie, and off we went.
As we drove to the hospital I was getting more uncomfortable...luckily there is very little traffic at 2:15 am! I just kept thinking "I can NOT believe I am being this much of a wuss over gas pain!" We get to the ER and there was another girl in front of me in line (I heard her say that her pain was a 3/10, so clearly an emergency) but the nice registration man told me to sit in a chair (I suppose I did not look like I was feeling good at all) and a girl came out to get me with a wheelchair right after that.
We went into a room and started with the questions. I still have this have to go to the bathroom feeling, so ask if I can...this time there is a little blood. That is the first time I think I thought "oh my, this might actually be baby time!" 😳. They hook me up to a monitor and she says I am definitely having contractions....so not bad gas pain, haha. Then they check and I am 5-6cm dilated...so it appears it is in fact baby time!
Like I said above...my birth plan was no plan. To be as go with the flow as possible and do what I felt was right at that time. Well...I decided this was not fun and I would like to not feel these contractions anymore (and was vocal about my desire!)! We have to wait to get into another room before I can get an epidural...and I can't go to that room until they have my Covid test results- the swab up the nose during contractions was not my favorite...but the waiting was even less favorable. A different nurse comes in, equally as kind as the first, and checks my progress. Now I am 8 cm dilated! So the nurse says we can not wait on the covid results any longer and we get to go back to the delivery room.
So...delivery room time! I am thinking..."great! I think that means I can get this epidural now!" Well... that was kind of right. They are prepping that...I am feeling pretty horrible. They go over what will happen with the epidural - I will sit on on the edge of the bed, slouch down, relax, and don't move....we practice that position a few times while working on just breathing through contractions. It's time to do the epidural and the anesthesiologist tells me to let her know what I feel and in which leg. So, I get a contraction right as she is doing this....I tell her "big shock left leg", work real hard on not moving, my water breaks, I start dry heaving, and apparently in what Keith describes as my "Poltergeist moment" my eyes roll back in my head. I did not feel good! We go through more leg shocks and contractions and dry heaving. They say they are done. I ask the anesthesiologist when it will start working. She tells me usually 20 minutes, then they lay me back, pull out some calf stirrups, and say it's time to start pushing. Hm...20 minutes. Doesn't seem like I have that kind of time, which was correct.
We go over how to push. My first attempt is sad, I did not really understand! The next 3 pushes I understand the goal better, make my abs work as hard as then can....and there she was! I guess it was one sec there is the head then the next out shot a Vivi! So, pretty quick.
We got admitted at 2:38am and Vivi was born at 3:55am. Born on 3/27/21 (which would have been Keith's dad's 72nd birthday ❤️). 5lbs 15oz. Lots of hair.
My epidural kicked in at some point, haha. I am sure that was helpful for some stitching up (sorry if you did not want to read that part, that was always pre having a baby something I did not like to think about at all) and some pain immediately after. And it's so crazy to have this sticky little baby that 1 minute before was inside you right there in your arms! A PERSON! The whole thing is pretty crazy!
So there it is! Vivi's birth story!
More stories about this crazy new adventure to come!
A gigantic thank you to the nursing staff & care team at Dublin Methodist Hospital (including you registration guy who did not make me wait in line behind that girl!) along with the providers at Professionals for Women's Health - especially Jen (who I typically see) and Amanda (who ran in last minute and I think just had to throw off her coat to catch Vivi in time! haha). Grateful for so many amazing people to help us along with our first few days of parenthood!
