It all started around 3 am on the 26th, when I awoke with some cramps. I just stayed in bed for a while, checking the clock each time a contraction would start. For the first two hours, they were about 10-12 minutes apart. (Somewhere during that time my water broke, but I didn't know it until we got to the hospital. Probably because it happened when I went to the bathroom.)
Jonathan's alarm went off shortly after 5 am, and I told him he wasn't going to work today! I called my doula around 7 am, and contractions were about seven minutes apart. The only positions that were now comfortable were being in the hot shower, or sitting on the toilet.
Around 8:30 we called our doula back and said she should probably make her way over sooner than later. Contractions were six minutes apart, and feeling more intense with each one. by the time she arrived, shortly after 9 am, we were down to 3-4 minutes apart. I skipped five minutes.
I was starting to feel a lot more pressure with each contraction. We left for the hospital at 10 am, with contractions 2-3 minutes apart. That was the bumpiest 10 minute care ride of my life! We checked in, they rolled me up to labor & delivery, and wanted to get me hooked up to the Penicillin right away, since I had tested positive for group B strep. I had originally been told (by a couple of nurses and my midwife) that it would take about 15 minutes for the IV. When they hooked me up, they said it would take an hour to drip! They checked me and I was fully dilated!! No wonder I was feeling so much pressure and and urge to push!
Because the IV had to drip in, I labored for about 40 minutes wanting to push each time but holding back and just breathing and relaxing through each contraction. They were able to 'somehow' speed up the drip. By the time it was done, my midwife said it was up to me to when I wanted to start pushing. Which I did on the next contraction. It was about 20 minutes of pushing, with constant encouragement from my husband and doula.
Paige was born very gently and they put her on me right away. What an amazing feeling! They had wanted to take her to the nursery to do a blood draw right away, but we were able to keep her with us as her vitals were checking out perfectly for the first hour. I did have a little 2nd degree crooked tear. Because of this, I was able to keep Paige with me even longer as they were stitching me up! She nursed pretty quickly, and has quite the set of lungs! After
r we moved to the recovery room, Jonathan went with Paige to the nursery where they did a blood draw to make sure everything checked out fine with the GBS-which it did.Having taken your class really helped me through the labor. Honestly, i was waiting for worse. Worse pain, a longer labor, and it never happened. It truly went so quickly, I'm still wrapping my head around it, and it was so incredible. We are so in love with our little darling.
Hannah & Jonathan, West Allis
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