D Day

So I'm finally getting around to blogging about the delivery. The weekend prior to d-day I went to a wedding in Chicago. Michael and I had been joking for many weeks that the trip (10 hours in a car) would induce labor and I predicted I would go into labor sometime the week following the trip. Little did we know that I would actually be right! On Sunday after the long trip I started to feel very tired, so tired that we didn't even go to community group. On Monday I woke up and the contractions began. I had them all day and they were pretty frequent and intense and upon going to bed that night I thought "this could be it". I woke up Tuesday morning and no baby. however I felt the most tired I have ever felt in my life and I had the beginnings of a migraine.

That morning i was supposed to take a client to the food pantry. I went and got her but once we got to the pantry I felt so tired I told her I would have to sit in the car! This is very unlike me because I don't generally let my clients in on my personal life and feelings...luckily she understood and went through the process herself. As the day progressed my headache kept getting worse and I kept feeling more and more terrible. My last client kindly informed me "you don't look well. Actually you look like your blood pressure is high. You should have it checked". :) I thanked her for the advice and finished the session. I started thinking "maybe there is some validity in what she is saying...headaches are a sign of high blood pressure (duh)"...so I went to CVS and used the machine and go figure she was right....it was sky high. So I went home, got Michael and went to the pregnancy assessment center where they kept me until 7 pm and got my pressure under control.

The resident did a check and at that point I was fully effaced and 1/2 centimenter dilated. She said she figured the headaches and all were a sign that I would go into labor soon. I don't think she meant 2 hours later!!! So Michael and I went for a walk and ate dinner at a mexican restaurant and then went home and watched Gilmore Girls. We had a really nice night together. Then about 9:15 all of a sudden I felt like I pee'd my pants.....i said "oh no oh no". From that Michael somehow new that meant my water broke and he jumped off the couch, ran upstairs, changed his clothes and was ready to go before I had even gotten to the bathroom. :-) I was in denial and calmly said "well it wasn't too much so lets just wait and see what happens". so we resumed our position on the couch and I got a very intense contraction and then water was running out! At this point I completely freaked out...I started shaking all over and was unable to think staight. As you know once your water breaks you are having a baby there is no turning back....and I guess that reality sank in and i panicked.

After taking way too long to get my things together we got in the car and began the less then 2 mile drive to Barnes. However as we were both under stress Michael (under my direction) got on the wrong interstate and we ended up lost in forest park! it was hilarious and we couldn't stop laughing but at the same time I was gushing water all over our new car and my contractions were very intense (3 minutes apart). Michael dropped me off and I made the walk of shame back up to the pregnancy assessment center, my pants soaking wet and water running down my leg and onto the floor. I'm sure the other people in the elevator with me were totally disgusted. When I got there the nurse said "You're back?" and i explained my water broke and thus began my labor.

After that we sat in the assessment room for a few hours...my contractions slowed and eventually they took us to the delivery room. It took 8 hours for me to dilate 2 more centimeters. Then I dilated 5 centimeters in 30 minutes and at 9:30am it was time to push. At this point I got really emotional because I thought that meant he would be here soon. We even joked that it would be cool if he was born at 10:21 on 10/21. Much to my dismay I ended up pushing for 4 hours. I was exhausting both mentally and physically. Towards the end I started to think everyone was lying to me and we weren't making any progress and I was getting very frustrated. Eventually my contractions pretty much stopped so they had to give me pitocin and 30 minutes later I had Caleb in my arms.

Michael and I were both overcome with emotion when we saw him. It was really special. I stayed in the hospital two days and I must say I'm so glad for that time. I was unprepared for the amount of pain I would be in afterward. We came home on Friday October 23rd. It felt surreal and I was very nervous and scared about doing it on our own...but here we are three weeks later and things are getting a little more comfortable. More to come on the last three weeks soon....