Steve and I arrived at the hospital around 7:45AM. They took us to a triage room on the labor and delivery floor. My midwife and her intern came and checked me around 8:30. Baby girl was coming that day! We were soooo excited! They broke my water around 10:00 and the contractions started to get stronger. While the contractions were getting more intense, the most pain I felt at that point was in my arm from the IV. Even though I had a Hep lock (a removable IV), the port that the IV inserts into stayed in my arm. And it was pinching. This would later prove problematic. I could hardly put any weight on my arm through the entire labor and delivery because it was so sore. To pass the time, ease the pain, and help baby girl along her way, we Steve and I walked the halls. We were right in front of the nursery and this kind elderly gentleman when a wave of nausea hit. Poor guy. It was strange because I rarely throw up. But then I felt better (ha, "better" being relative) and we kept walking. Mom came, I snuck a couple of bites of lunch, and the pain started to get really intense. And I got sick again. Yuck!
I had decided earlier in my pregnancy that I wanted to have a natural/unmedicated delivery. My mother, who experienced deliveries both with and without epidurals thought I was nuts. So did my dad. So did Steve at first. But after taking a fantastic birthing class, he was on board and was sooo supportive. I know this sounds cliche, but I couldn't have done it without him.
About 1:30, my amazing midwife and sidekick made their rounds. (They were delivering another baby at my hospital and one at another hospital at the same time!!) They thought I was going to need Pitocin to kick things into high gear, but the contractions started coming on strong just at the right time and I got to skip it. My midwives were going to return at 2:30. At about that time, I started to get really tired. By that time, the contractions were so intense and so long it felt like they just didn't stop. I wasn't sure if I had enough strength to have the baby without pain meds but I just kept that thought to myself. They had been checking on me at the precise time they said they would return throughout the morning and afternoon. That time they were late. They didn't come back until 3:00. By then, things were super intense. Later my mom told me that she was on the phone with my dad and they could hear me yell all the way down the hall! In my slight defense, the door was ajar the entire time. haha. It was probably around 3:30 (by then the clock was a blur- well pretty much everything except the pain was a blur at this point!- and I started to wonder if I was going to make it. That was when I saw the nurses prepping the room. It was actually going to happen! I was going to have a baby! After years of trying and months of carrying, we were going to have a BABY! About an hour later, after a lot more intensity yet tons of support from Steve, my mom, and the fantastic nurses and midwives, the most beautiful baby was placed in my arms.
