Joy's birthday

Here at last is the tale of my labor with Joy...at least it's as much as I can remember at this point. The past 4 months have been such a blur. I want to get back into a rhythm of blogging and of life in general, but I feel like before I can take a step forward, I need to look back.

On Friday, September 22, I had my 39 week check up and I was 80% effaced, but still about 2 cm dilated. Dr. Santiago told me that if the baby would just drop down a bit more, gravity and pressure would help move things along and she suggested I do some walking. Well, I followed doctor's orders and then some.

Tony, Cole, and I went out for lunch at Red Robin after my appointment, and I spent the rest of the day walking and shopping. I walked from Red Robin to Target and then did some laps around the mall. I walked until I had blisters and my back was too achy to tolerate any more exercise. I think we were out and about for 5 or 6 hours.

My cousin Bobby and his girlfriend Danielle were supposed to watch Cole when it was time to go to the hospital, but they were going away for the weekend for a wedding in PA. My mom decided to come down from NJ just in case, and I thought if nothing else, she would be a good diversion and help us pass the time.

Mom arrived at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, and we all went to bed about an hour later. I was sleeping in Cole's bed. Cole was on the futon with my mom and Tony had our bed to himself. I had been sleeping in Cole's room for months because I was a restless sleeper due to being generally uncomfortable.

I woke up from my first contraction at about 2 a.m. It was strong enough to wake me, but not very long. I noted the time and watched the clock waiting to see if I would have another contraction soon. I fell asleep, but then I had another contraction 7 minutes later. Now I was definitely awake and I watched the clock and 7 minutes later I felt my third contraction. They were strong, steady, but not very painful, so I quietly laid in Cole's little bed timing them for 45 minutes.

We live an hour and a half away from the hospital where I planned to deliver, so after the 45 minutes, I called the doctor's office and left a message with the service. My favorite doctor, Dr. Patel, the one who had also delivered Cole was on duty. I was so happy to hear her voice, but also sorry I had woken her. She was seven months pregnant at the time.

It was time to go to the hospital, and as I went upstairs to wake up Tony, he came running down. When Dr. Patel had returned my page, the phone woke him up. I told him it was time and to get Cole's suitcase out of the car. We had brought our suitcases to the doctor appointment earlier that day, just in case. Tony got dressed, while I woke up my mom.

Mom didn't even believe me at first. Panic seemed to set in and she was trying to rush us out the door while I showed her where things are and the special things I had set aside for Cole--a cookie with a big "C" on it, treats and games in his suitcase.

We made it to the hospital without any trouble at all. It was about 4:30 am. The contractions were getting closer together, but I was still comfortable and able to breathe. I don't think we hit a single red light during the entire trip.

Once at the hospital, I got checked in and we walked to the labor and delivery floor. I still felt good and didn't need the wheelchair. When we got off the elevator the nurses laughed at me. They had heard someone was coming up from Culpeper in active labor, and they thought I would be screaming by the time I got there. I laughed too, but I really felt fine.

I had a wonderful young nurse named Lavinia who hooked me up to the monitors to watch my contractions and the baby's heart rate. She took my health history and finished all the paperwork during the required hour of monitoring. I was at 3 cm, and she hooked me up to an IV to pump fluids in me in advance to prepare for a possible epidural and told me I could do whatever I wanted for the next hour as long as I stayed on the labor floor.

I wanted to walk, so Tony pushed my IV stand while we strolled in circles around the labor floor. The pain was getting stronger now and sometimes I had to stop and hold the wall while I waited for a contraction to pass. After a half hour I told him I was tired and I wanted to rest in the glider in the room for a few minutes. I sat down and almost immediately I had the strongest contraction ever. My abdomen was clenched and came to a point in the center of body, then I felt the pressure release and a trickle.

Tony paged the nurse to say we thought my water had broken and Lavinia quickly put me back on the monitor to check things out. I was now at 5 cm. The contractions were getting stronger faster now, and I watched one plateau on the monitor. It was kicking my butt and I said that out loud. I said I thought this was the last one I could handle, and she called for the anesthesiologist.

When I had asked for an epidural with Cole, I had waited an hour for someone to see me. This time I asked for one earlier because I was prepared to wait, but he came right away which was a big surprise. I probably would have waited longer if I had known he would come so soon. BUT, I'm glad I didn't wait. The next few contractions were very strong and I had very little break in between and I was getting winded.

Within 15 minutes of receiving the epidural, I saw my contractions go crazy on the monitor. There was no break at all, and I was grateful to be numb. The nurse checked me again and I was at 9 cm. I had gotten the epidural at the perfect time. If I had waited, it would have been too late.

Tony called his parents and finally reached my mom to let everyone know we had gotten to the hospital safely and were doing well. We had called my mom earlier but she had been sleeping and didn't hear the phone. By now it was 9:30 a.m.

Lavinia left and a new nurse took over. I cannot remember her name at the moment, but she was a kind, earth mother type with long red hair. She was calm, supportive, and had a warm smile and laugh. Dr. Patel had joined the party along with another nurse who would serve as "baby catcher".

Dr. Patel said it was time to do a test push, and I couldn't believe how smoothly everything was going. I had waited all day with Cole to push, and now just a few hours later, my body was ready for delivery. My mind was still trying to accept that it was time.

One test push, and the nurses and doctor began to break down the bed. It was time to get to work. Dr. Patel gave me a pep talk and reminded me on how to push, breathe, and to make sure I stopped when she told me to.

My epidural affected me differently this time. With Cole, I could feel the contractions but they were dull, and I couldn't feel anything else below the waist. This time, I couldn't feel contractions at all, but when I started to push and the baby began to move down I felt everything. It scared me because I was afraid that I was tearing even worse than I had the first time. Dr. Patel told me to stop pushing and I said, "it hurts." She reassured me, "I know it does, honey, but you're almost there." I hoped she was right and I beared down again when I saw the next contraction on the monitor. I pushed 3 or 4 times with about 3 or 4 contractions, fifteen minutes total, and then she arrived. I felt the relief of her slipping out and held her squirming on my chest. I could not believe how perfect she looked. She wasn't screaming, just crying and squirming and looking around.

I watched the baby catcher clean her up and weigh her, and Dr. Patel told me that I had done very well, and I didn't tear at all. Everything was perfect...my new daughter, my labor, and the delivery.