After a few hours at the beach, we returned back home. The contractions were still coming and hurt a tiny bit, but it wasn't enough to stop me in my tracks. I got Logan down for his nap and unpacked everything from the beach and then decided to just lay down and watch some television instead of cleaning a bathroom. When Logan was waking up from his nap around 5 p.m., I had my first really painful contraction. This should have been the sign that things were getting real, but the previous 21 hours of wimpy contractions confused me. I just didn't know if I was really in labor yet. At this point, I started writing down my contractions and they started coming very steadily. They were also quite painful and I could not talk or walk through them which is a sure sign to me that I am in labor. But since Lia's labor was 30 hours long and Logan's took 14.5 hours, I figured that I had plenty of time to figure out if this was the real deal or not. Ron came home from work at 6 p.m. and I made the family dinner. We then ate dinner and I did the dishes. It was at some point during this time that I finally gave in and called my mom who happened to be 2.5 hours away at the coast for ONE night with my brother, Brent, and his family who were visiting from Montana for their Spring Break. Since she had so much farther to drive than usual, I thought that it would be wisest if she left within the hour to drive to Puyallup. Luckily, my 16-year old nephew, Spencer, decided to join her for the drive back and to help with my children which made a big difference for my mom.
While my mom was driving, Ron got Logan ready for bed and, amidst contractions, I bathed Lia and got her dressed in her pajamas and brushed her teeth. I then asked Ron to read Lia her bedtime stories while I took a quick shower, finished packing my hospital bag, packed the kid's overnight bags for the next night at the grandparents, and got a bed ready for Spencer. All of this was done while stopping every few minutes to breathe through yet another painful contraction. After the children were in bed and everything was done, I called my mom at 9 p.m. and learned that they were still an hour away from our house. At this point, I realized that we should probably not wait until they reached our home before leaving for the hospital as my contractions were coming steadily and fiercely every 4 to 5 minutes. I just didn't want to get to the hospital and find out that it was "too late" for an epidural. As a result, I made the quick decision to call our good friends who live up the hill and request that one of their teenagers come down to "watch" our kids until my mom and nephew arrived. Luckily, Wendy answered and brought her daughter, Rachel, down to our house within five minutes! We quickly got Rachel settled and pulled out of our driveway at 9:15 p.m.
We arrived at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Tacoma at 9:45 p.m. and I hobbled into the Emergency Room to check-in. Since this was my third time having a baby at this hospital, I knew the drill and was very surprised when it took 15 LONG minutes for someone from the Labor and Delivery floor to come downstairs and get Ron and me. During this awful wait in the E.R. waiting room, I had seven very painful contractions, but I still wasn't that worried because I always had hours to wait after being admitted into my room before it was time to deliver. After arriving on the 14th floor of the hospital (while having a really painful contraction) at 10 p.m., a nurse quickly ushered Ron and me to our room and then things started flying! The nurse who brought us to our room must have gone and told a crew of people what was going on because, before I knew it, our room was flooded with nurses and assistants who quickly got me into a gown, on the bed, and hooked up to all sorts of machines! It was during this time that my assigned nurse, Erica, checked me and announced that I was already dilated to an 8! What?! I couldn't believe it as I had only been having painful contractions for five hours at this point which was nothing compared to how long it took to get to this point with Lia's and Logan's labor. I immediately asked if it was too late to get an epidural and she said NO and that she would call the anesthesiologist right away!
From this point on, things are a total blur. I started having back labor like I did with Logan. So, each contraction got REALLY painful as it felt like a giant vice grip was squeezing my entire abdomen and lower back each time. The contractions started coming so quickly and so fiercely that I started crying and screaming! This had never happened before as I had always had an epidural by this point in my previous labors. While we waited for the IV bag to empty and the anesthesiologist to get to my room from another floor, the OB, Dr. William Su, arrived and checked me. He announced that I was now at a 9, but that I could still get an epidural if I was able to sit still while the doctor gave it to me. I announced that I definitely could do this, but he then warned me that the baby could come before the epidural had a chance to take effect which was about twenty minutes. I then declared to the doctor that I have never given birth naturally and that I have zero desire to do so today and that I would take the risk of getting the epidural and not having enough time for it to kick in. And so a few more minutes went by of excruciatingly painful contractions and of me screaming and crying. I just kept on telling myself that I only had to endure this pain for a few more minutes and then it would all be over. Oh, how wrong I was....
Suddenly, out of no where, I experienced this insanely strong desire to push! Since I had epidurals with both Lia and Logan, I never knew what this felt like as I only began to push when the doctor told me I was "ready." I immediately started screaming, "I have an urge to push! What do I do?!" The doctor quickly told me to, "Stop!" and checked me. That was when it all changed. Dr. Su quickly looked up at me, told me it was too late for an epidural, and that I would be delivering this baby naturally. It was the most awful news I had heard in a long time. I couldn't believe my ears! I turned to Ron and asked, "How did this happen?!" How did I miss my window for an epidural? Ron looked at me and just said, "We're just going to have to do this." I wanted to start crying right then and there. It was like receiving my death sentence and having ONE second to mentally adjust to this huge change of plans before walking off to my execution.
And so began the most painful eleven minutes of my life at 10:40 p.m.. Between the pain of the contractions, the pushing, and the burning sensation from the baby coming out, I thought I was going to die! But at the same time, I didn't want to give up because I just wanted that baby out of me! The doctor, the nurse, and Ron coached me into pushing three sets of ten seconds during each contraction which seemed like an eternity to me. It was so difficult and so exhausting! I screamed between every push and moaned and cried between every contraction. I honestly sounded like the women in the movies who I always thought were a total exaggeration. Having always had an epidural, I never had the need to scream because I couldn't feel any pain, but this time, the pain was unbearable and so were my screams. I am convinced that the entire Labor and Delivery floor heard me! And so after what seemed like forever of pushing and screaming, the baby's head finally came out. The doctor told me to stop pushing while he suctioned out her nose and mouth. During this time, her head moved a couple of times which caused me to feel an insane amount of pressure that I have never felt before. Every time her head moved, I yelled, "What is that?! What is that?!" And, finally, after Dr. Su was done with the suctioning, he told me to push one more time and out came baby Ella at 10:51 p.m.!
The nurses immediately placed the baby on my chest for some "skin on skin" time. However, I was so traumatized by the event that I couldn't even touch her, no less look at her. I just lay there half crying, half whimpering for MANY minutes while Dr. Su stitched me up. I think all of the nurses were very surprised that I wasn't embracing my baby with motherly love, but I honestly felt like I had just gone through a war and had nothing left to give. After several minutes, the nurses decided to give Ron the baby and I was able to just lay there alone until the doctor finished my stitches. Once he was done, I was finally able to calm down and relax and hold my baby Ella. And the rest is history. I am so glad that this sweet bundle of joy has arrived into our lives and I am so grateful that she is healthy and doing well, but I must say that if I am ever granted the opportunity to have a fourth baby, then we WILL be getting to the hospital with enough time to get an epidural! Amen.
March 31, 2014
Lia and Logan with our friends, Mollie and Gabriella, at Owen Beach the day that I went into labor (or already was in labor?).
The one and only picture that we managed to take in between contractions during the few short minutes I was in my room before it was "go time."
Having skin-on-skin time with Ella after she arrived.
Baby Ella getting cleaned up...
and ready for a quick inspection!
April 1, 2014
Although we have stayed in this hospital before with Lia's and Logan's deliveries, we have never been given a room on the maternity floor with a view of the Puget Sound until this time around. Here is our view of downtown Tacoma and Commencement Bay.
Sweet Ella all swaddled and sleeping in her basinette in our room the next day.
Look at that perfect, angel face!
Ella's reaction to her first bath given to her by our nurse!
We were treated by our largest group of visitors this time as my brother, Brent, and his family were still in town and able to come with my parents and our children. Here is grandma holding Ella for the first time.
Lia and Logan posing with grandma and their new sister.
Sarah Mae holding her baby cousin.
And Spencer doing the same. It's hard to believe that these cousins are almost 17 years apart to the day (Spencer's birthday is five days later).
Logan was as fascinated with the buttons on my bed as he was with his new sister! Typical boy!
Our first family photo. It's hard to believe that we are now a family of five!
Ella with her brother and sister and her Montana cousins.
Right before the group left, Lia finally got brave enough to hold Ella. Here she is carrying her sister for the first time! Just precious.
Papa and baby.
Ella all dressed up in her new outfit and ready to go home!
Ron and I FINALLY leaving the hospital at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night! We were so relieved to check out and go home to some peace and quiet.
Ella all buckled up and ready for her first drive home!
Did I miss the rest of the story? All I read was you at the beach, what happened next?
ReplyDelete