The Long Story

** Being posted a year after the fact, mostly just to remember it!!

Monday morning I woke up with contractions. I was having consistent contractions - every 20 minutes apart. Well, let me just say that those are the most annoying contractions on earth. They were just far enough apart for me to get comfortable, and just strong enough to awaken me! Max called work and told them I was in labor and would not be in. Max was very anxious and wanted to go to the hospital. We went around noon, i was dilated to a 'loose' 1. And you guessed it...

...they sent us home. Actually they told us that we could stay if we wanted to, but who would want to stay there if they don't have to? I continued to have contractions 20 minutes apart all evening and through the night, waking me up every 15-20 minutes.

Tuesday: Since nothing more seemed to be happening, Max went into work and Aunt Tam came to the house to 'watch' me. We too a really long walk around the neighborhood, and went out to Mexican, thinking that the spices might pick things up. And still the contractions continued, never more than 20 minutes apart, and never less than 15! I tried to take a nap, but would just fall asleep and then get another contraction. She left just before Max got home and we all prayed that this would end soon...

Wednesday: Through the night I continued my nice regular contractions! I told Max to go to work because obviously nothing was happening - still. Aunt Tam told me to go to the doctor and have them prescribe a sleeping pill for me, since I had not slept since Sunday night. I called my sister and she 'happened' (meaning that the Lord knew that I needed her) to be off work and agreed to spend the day with me. We went to the doctor, and got a sleeping pill - I was so excited. She checked me and found out that I was still a 'loose' 1.

***Warning too much info*** She also swept my membranes.

She told Mandy to take me to the mall and walk with me before I went home to sleep. It was around lunchtime, so when we got to the mall, we got a pretzel with fake cheese (for some reason I love fake cheese!). About halfway through the pretzel, I started having REAL contractions. We had a hard time timing them, because to me they just seemed to roll right into each other. I was having a hard time talking and I could not walk. Mandy thought it would be funny to find me a wheelchair - a great story you know! I told her I would kill her if she tried to push me in a (who knows how clean) wheel chair through the mall - the car was on the complete opposite side of the mall.

She did look for the wheel chair, but security informed her that it was being used right now, and they all helped me out to their jeep and drove me to Mandy's car. Though I was thankful for the help, I was very happy to be in the comfort of Mandy's car without utter strangers touching me - little did I realize how many more strangers would be touching me!

I told Mandy to drive me home and we would call Max, and wash my hair - I was adamant that I needed to wash my hair. Mandy was worried and decided to call Tam and ask her opinion, and she told Mandy to just take me to the hospital. I will never forgive them for not letting me wash my hair. I felt disgusting!

The contractions were still coming right on top of the last. I was kinda freaking out that Max would not be at the hospital when we first got there and that they would send me home again - I wasn't sure I could handle that emotionally.

When I got to the hospital my contractions started to even out. They were still consistent and painful, but I could time them and in between I could talk. When we finally got checked in again and in a bed I got examined. I was now a full 4 and they decided that I could stay. I spent intermittent time walking and in the bath tub. I used the ball to ride out some contractions and was so very thankful for my sister's ability to distract me. I loved being in the water - we had originally hoped for a water birth because I am such a waterbug... however,

KayLynn had several instances when they lost her heart beat - or her heart rate would drop dangerously low, so they put me in the bed. When I would lie on my right side KayLynn's heart rate would drop, so I had to lie on my left side at a 45 degree angle, which was extremely uncomfortable for me - I hated being on my back. They put lots of monitors in/on me to monitor KayLynn and put me on oxygen. When you are hooked up to monitors you cannot be in the water. I was pretty upset about that as the water helped me handle the contractions very well. It didn't take the pain away - just made me sane enough to handle them.

They checked me a few hours later and I was still at a 4. They asked if they could break my water (which coincidentally I had always pictured as like popping a balloon) which hurt more than anything thus far - we did find out when they broke the sack that one of the reasons for K's problems is that there was very little 'water' and mostly it was meconium.

At 10:30PM they checked me and I was still at a 4 - my contractions weren't working, and breaking the water didn't do anything. The doctor talked to me and asked if we could start pitocin. Since I was in the middle of labor - they wanted to see if they could help my contractions work.

On top of that (at about 11:30PM) came the epidural - if I never have to endure another one I will die a happy woman. I can still remember the feel of it going in and it still gives me the shivers. I hated it. I pray that the next time, I will not be having one!

I spent the night going in and out of sleep - I couldn't actually fall asleep because there was too much happening in my head, but I was able to relax for several hours. Mandy and Max both fell asleep. Aunt Tam was awake the whole time making sure I was fine.

It should be added that the nurses were really worried about me being able to push K out. I had three sets of nurses and they all told me to prepare myself for a C-section. This really made Max and I nervous and scared, but Aunt Tam helped us remember that the Lord already knew how K would come into this world, and that there are no mistakes.

By 7:00AM on Thursday morning (July 17th) I was dilated to a 10, and the nurses told me it was time to push. I thought this was funny considering that that doctor wasn't even in the room, but as I started to push the doctor came in, the neonatal people came in and another set of nurses came in. It was a full house.

I had Max and Mandy on my right and Aunt Tam on my left. They were holding my legs because I still could not feel them. Looking back I think it is absolutely ridiculous that they would tell someone with an epidural to push - like you know how, you can't even feel anything...

Anyway, at one point I had to tell Aunt Tam to stop leaning on my leg so hard - she was so focused that she forgot I was attached I think. I also had to tell my helpful, supportive husband to 'Shhh' because he was encouraging me with too many words! During the episiotomy my sister almost lost her cookies - she was a little sickened that the doctor just grabbed a pair of scissors and cut me! However, the Lord was gracious and KayLynn Alexandra was born at 10:41AM on Thursday July 17th.