Our Birth Story

I don't know about you, but I always find it interesting to hear about other people's love stories and the stories of when they have their children. It's neat to read about the experiences and also sometimes encouraging to know that we aren't alone in our trials and struggles of life.

I have been meaning to write about when I went into labor... but you know how it is with a newborn! I finally have a chance to sit down and THINK... so here I am... sharing our experience with YOU! (Warning: This is a long post!)

January 22, 2011

Early in the afternoon, I began cooking this amazing chili recipe. It was the first time I'd ever made chili (so I didn't know how good it was until later). I planned on blogging about it the next day... sharing the recipe and some pictures with you all. It was seriously SO scrumptious!! Well, about 5:30PM, as we were waiting for the chili to finish up... I was sitting on the couch and was all of a sudden struck with this horrible back pain!

Have you ever carved a pumpkin at halloween time and scraped the goop out with a big metal spoon? That's what the pain felt like. Like someone was taking a big metal spoon and scraping my lower spine.

Cory was on the love seat... and when I told him what was happening, I could see the semi-panic in his eyes! But the pain went away after 30 seconds or so... and we went about our business. It was chili time!

(That chili was SO good.. I will share the recipe one of these days!)

Later that night, I started getting those pains again. I wasn't sure if they were contractions because my tummy wasn't always tightening, like they say happens. We decided to time them anyway just to be sure. Cory found a site online that is a contraction timer/tracker. It times and records the info... pretty sweet!

The pains were erratic... sometimes 10 mins apart... sometimes 20. They weren't totally unbearable, so we decided eventually to just go to bed.

I had a hard time falling asleep because the pains would come and go... I got to snooze here and there... and every time it woke me up, I'd glance at the clock to try to keep tabs. After 1AM, I finally started noticing that these pains were 5-7 mins apart. I still didn't know if they were contractions since it was pretty much just my back that was hurting... but I got Cory up and we decided to call the maternity ward at the hospital.

They agreed that I should come in... so I hopped in the shower and then we got everything together and drove over to the hospital. (Thankfully it's only 3 mins away!)

Once at the hospital, I had to do some registering stuff and preliminary blood pressure checking, etc. and then I was wheeled up to maternity. The nurses had me change and lay down... and they strapped on the contraction monitor and the fetal heartbeat monitor. Cory paid attention to what the nurse explained about the monitors and he was diligently watching the info scroll across the paper.

I think we were there about 2 hours... I was only 1-2 cm dilated... and the nurse announced that the monitor wasn't registering my pains as contractions!!!

I about crapped! (Not literally). How could it not register!? The pains were BAD! The nurses were guessing that maybe the baby was sunny side up and that's what was causing the back pain.

So, they asked if I wanted to go home... or wanted to stay.

I figured that we might as well go home since 1-2 cm isn't all that much. Who knew how long it would take to really get the show on the road!

So, home we went... where I tried to lay down and rest.

HA! Every 5 minutes I was in pain. It was so intense! Poor Cory was trying everything to help me. I literally was trying all sorts of positions to relieve the pain. At one point, I had my legs on the landing of our steps, and I was leaning forward 2 steps down with my head almost touching the floor... trying to keep the baby from putting pressure on my lower back. It didn't help. The final thing that seemed to work the best was to lean up flat against the wall as a "contraction" came... and bend my knees for support... then grab under my belly and lift it until the contraction subsided. It helped a little... but there was never any total relief!

We were laboring at home from about 4AM until 2PM when I just couldn't take it anymore. I called maternity again and they told me to come back in.

Back at the hospital, I had to wait while other people were registering at the desk... so I looked like a goober trying to grin and bear the contractions. Nurses passed by... but apparently they didn't realize I was pregnant! Finally a lady came out and they got me a wheel chair to wheel me upstairs.

I felt like such a goober!

Back in my room, changed and in the bed... Cory gave me play-by-plays of the strength of my contractions via the monitor. It was odd because some of them that registered high... didn't hurt so bad. Some that registered low were really painful. Weird.

My mom came. We turned on the Packers game as a distraction... but honestly, I couldn't even watch. I was just trying to get through each contraction.

My sister and mother in law came, but they stayed in the waiting area. My sister had my mom's laptop and was giving play-by-plays via Facebook of how my labor was going. (Oh, the joys of social networking!).

My mom was sending texts to different people to let them know how things were going... until finally, it got to the point that I couldn't stand the sound of her pressing the cellphone buttons. I made her put the phone away! HAHA! I also was going insane over some guy on his cellphone in the hallway outside of my room. The door was ajar, curtain pulled... and I don't even know what the guy was saying... but he was such an idiot that I kept telling them to shut him up and that he needed to go away. (Hey, when you're in pain... you can't help what gets on your nerves!).

The guy eventually left or something... and the nurses ended up moving me to the rocking chair. They thought it might be a nice change of position.

I was SO tired. Cory sat beside me in a chair... and as I rocked... I could feel myself falling asleep between contractions. It was so odd... because it was only little snippets of sleep. Literally maybe 30 seconds and then the pain would be unbearable and I'd have to grip the arms of the chair.

My mom touched me... and with my eyes closed, I shook my head at her... (Hullo... DON'T touch me right now!).

After a little while, they moved me back in bed to check me... and I was about 8 cm. They decided to have me stand up (really? STAND?!) and "dance" with Cory to help things along. It pretty much consisted of him holding me up and us rocking back and forth. As the pain would come... all I wanted to do was sink to the floor... but Cory held me up. Honestly, I actually smacked him a couple of times because I WANTED to sink down lower to help the pain and when he pulled up on me, it HURT!!

At this point, we'd been at the hospital about 3-3.5 hours....

All of a sudden... I felt the urge to push! We were still standing... and I started to panic. I think my mom got a nurse, I don't even know... all I remember was being told to get back into bed and the nurses saying that they sent for the doctor.

It was seriously FOREVER before the doctor came. I was complaining about how long it took her to get there... give me a break!

She finally came around 6PM... and at 6:12PM, I started pushing. What an exhausting process! I felt like I could never catch my breath and just when I needed to stop and regroup... they'd want me to push AGAIN!

6:33PM was the final push... and our sweet little Eloise was brought into the world. My mom cried, "It's a boy!"... and 5 seconds later, the nurse or doctor (like I really know which one at that point!)... said "It's a girl!!" - Of course I was like.. "WHAT?"... so I turned to look at Cory and he confirmed that it was a girl!!

38 weeks, 5 days... and we had our little girl! She was placed on me and we got our first good look at our amazing little 7 lb, 4.5 oz blessing!

Daddy's girl from the start!!

As I was finishing up the labor process... Cory took Eloise to the rocking chair, where he sat with her the whole time... just soaking it all up. I watched as he transformed from wonderful husband... to wonderful daddy with his little girl in his arms.


Our hospital stay went pretty well... the nurses and staff were great... and I was SO glad to finally have some food! (I hadn't eaten anything since that Chili on the 22nd!) Oh, also (to toot my own horn).... I didn't use any pain meds at all... and the doctor and nurses commented on how well I did and how it would've been a great labor for others to watch. In the doctor's words: "...to show those sissy mom's how to do it!"--haha! (Note: I DO NOT think that taking meds makes you a sissy... that was my doctor's opinion... after the pain I went through... I don't blame ANYONE for getting meds!!)

It's hard to believe that it's been over a month since we became a family of 3. Eloise is over 9 lbs now... and is starting to grow out of her newborn outfits. *tear* We still have our ups and downs (especially with nursing... and this stupid Thrush!!!!)... but not a day goes by that I don't thank God for bringing this special child into our lives. Despite the ups and downs, He entrusted us with her... and I know He doesn't give us more than we can handle.

Here's looking forward to a lifetime of ups and downs--as the 3 of us share them all together!!