Birth Story: Part 2 (FINALLY at the Hospital!)

Again, forewarning if you get grossed out...don't read this! This is for me and for my baby girl (someday when she's much, much older).

Well we finally made it over to the hospital around 4:00 pm on Friday, June 18th. I made sure to eat a snack in the parking garage before going in (any of my friends that are pregnant and reading this...EAT before you go to the hospital, you get cut off once you get in so take advantage of eating something). I even fixed my makeup before going into be admitted, I know I'm a big dork.

We were admitted and I got to put one of those lovely, stylish gowns on and we had a great nurse that was even pregnant too. Here is a picture of when we first got there, we took some video but the progression of pictures is even funnier.

Once I got hooked up to the monitors, IV was in and all that good stuff we started....can you guess...yep more WALKING! We started doing laps around the OB floor. I was so thankful that we did a lot of walking at the mall beforehand because the OB floor wasn't very exciting. Dr. Vick came in and broke my water around 4:30 pm or so and that wasn't bad at all. Some of my girlfriends had said that it hurt, it wasn't the most fun thing in the world but it wasn't that bad. When I pictured my water breaking I pictured just some water and then that was it, nope I didn't realize how much "water" or amniotic fluid was actually in there. Before we started walking again they were going to tie a towel around me like a big sumo wrestler diaper and I said NO WAY, so instead I just went through about an entire pack of pads and 2 pairs of underwear. (hence the forewarning, sorry I'm not holding back- I'm as honest as it gets). After walking and being checked every once in a while our nurse suggested starting pitocin. Now I have been scared of pitocin from the get go. Breaking my water, no biggie, stripping my membranes, I can handle it. Now pitocin I've been scared that as soon as they start that contractions are going to come hard and fast and since we were trying the no epidural thing this pitocin scared the living crap out of me. Here's a picture of pitocin being started, not as happy as before but still looking pretty good.

We finally gave in around 8:00 pm to start pitocin because I was still at about a good 'ol 3 cm (Aubrey had decided she was going to take her sweet time, she's got 24 hrs. in there anyway once the break the water so she was going to relax for a while). Once pitocin started the walking stopped. Kyle kept telling me to stop walking because I would need energy later to push, I really just think he was getting tired of walking, haha. The pitocin did start the contractions a lot harder and closer together. I started using an exercise ball and bouncing and it helped out a lot. I even was served a delicious popsicle, Kyle made fun of me for telling him on camera the flavor was red. He said red isn't a flavor, I thought I'm in labor with your baby for all I care lamp can be a flavor if I want it to be. I also would cheat and sip the water from my ice chip cup, I remember telling Kyle shhhh don't tell the nurses, I'm cheating... Here's the progression picture of at about 5 cm or so and my awesome massouse (however you spell that).

At this point Kyle was also rubbing my back during every contraction. I lucked out and got back labor, YAYYYY!!! NOT! The contractions were still just feeling like a really bad back ache or cramps. The ball got old after a while and then we tried standing through the contractions and that helped out for a while. I was so lucky to have a husband that understood medicine and was able to tell me when the contractions were going down. He would look at the monitor and tell me ok it's going back down. Not that I couldn't tell when it was going up or down but it just helped to have that reassurance. We started guessing what time Aubrey would come and my guess was about 2:45 am and Kyle guessed more around 4:00 am. Well we were both way wrong. Kyle later on said he thought it was like the price is right and didn't want to go over on his time guess.

At about 1:00 or 2:00 am the contractions had been pretty intense and Kyle decided to snap this last lovely picture of his beautiful wife, I think getting checked by the nurse during the picture (yep Kyle is a sicko and I told you I was honest, even showing you me at my worst).

I had been on 7 cm for what felt like forever and by this time we had a new nurse (which I thought was going to be awful by the way, but ended up being wonderful!). I kept on telling her just check me, I wanted to hear those magic words- Yep, you're at a 9 or a 10. But nope I kept just hearing- Still a 7. Every time she checked me I thought 7, how the heck can I still just be a 7! We tried everything to get me to progress- switching positions, even had me on all fours which was not the most pleasant position to be in during labor. I know I love yoga and all but no fancy yoga positions during labor please. By this time the best way to go through contractions was sitting on the edge of the bed having my mom or the nurse rub my back and then digging my head into Kyle's shoulder. All the while Kyle had his knees stuck into the hospital bed. He started pulling me towards him and with a satan like voice I said, NO, you come to me, you come to me!!! He put up with a lot, he even only went to the bathroom TWICE the whole time I was in labor. Later I asked if he just had a catheter put in or something.

They started setting up the room for delivery at about 3:00 am and Kyle said ok it won't be long......and he was W-R-O-N-G. But that's ok, he had good intentions. They finally decided that I was stuck at a 7 (no crap, I could've told you that) but since changing positions didn't work we would either have to do an epidural or pain medicine to decrease my "swollen cervix" (sorry for the details). I decided I had gone this long without an epidural why give in now so we opted for the pain medicine that would supposedly make me tired and maybe let me sleep through contractions. Well I did get some sleep during the few minutes of down time but was definitely awake for the contractions. Our doctor had come in for another delivery (which at the time I was told I was the only person in labor at the time so this lady came in AFTER me and was having a baby BEFORE me....what the crap! I was so mad and the nurse just said it's not first come first serve....well to any OB nurses and OBGYN doctors, I think that's how it should be). Our doctor finally decided I wouldn't dilate on my own (stubborn Aubrey) so he had to manually dilate me as I started to push.

Pushing started around 5:00 am and it was pretty crazy. It actually didn't hurt as bad as the contractions and I was just so happy to finally be closer to an end and a beginning of our new baby girl. Now this is where it starts getting funny. My mom, Kyle's mom, Kyle's Dad and brother are all right outside the door. My mom even found access to my monitor and was explaining the contractions and all that to the Totis. Kyle, my doctor, and the nurse were having wonderful conversations during the down time of my contractions. I would be sitting there huffing and puffing from pushing a baby out of me and they would be sitting there discussing Kyle's rotations and oh just life in general.

I had originally thought I didn't want Kyle to deliver I wanted him to be by me and not as I said "down there" and being a medical student. Well once I realized up by me was down there (my feet I swear were like a pretzel behind my head). I told Kyle you can deliver. Well then they started what seemed like the 15 minute discussion about Kyle's hand and glove size. They were trying to get gloves that fit him and I started having a contraction so I'm supposed to start pushing, right. WRONG, my doctor said sit this one out. SIT THIS ONE OUT!!! I wanted to jump off the table grab some gloves and put them on Kyle myself by that point. He got his size medium gloves on (gotta make sure they fit perfectly, don't worry about me) and he stood there like any med student would and tried not to break the "sterile field". Well the dr. and nurses were touching the table, touching my leg, picking up trash off the road (ok they weren't doing that), but silly Kyle is just standing there with his hands in front of him not touching a thing. Finally Kyle and the doctor started getting Aubrey's head out, which was awesome and she was finally coming, finally here!!! Again, skip this next sentence if you don't want details. Kyle later on told me (thank god he didn't tell me during labor) that Aubrey was like the tide, she'd come out a little bit and then go back in, come out and then go back in. I think I would have killed him if he used that metaphor while I was pushing. Finally at 6:23 am he got his little girl's head and shoulders out and then the doctor told me to grab her. This was another thing I never thought I would do, I knew my doctor did that with his patients and told my girlfriends that's what I'm paying him for, he's supposed to get her out. But I was sooo wrong by that time I wanted so bad just to see her, just to hold her, and especially just to get her OUT of me. It was an amazing experience, there were definitely tears flowing and Kyle was sooo proud and ran his little girl out in the hallway to show her off to Grandmas, Grandpa, and Uncle Cole. Aubrey was a screamer and screamed from the time she came out until about 2 hours later.


When the nurse asked Kyle and I if we wanted her to stay there with us, we were both so exhausted we both said Nooo, take her. So after about 2 1/2 days, what seemed like 5 miles of walking, a super supportive husband that rubbed my back for about 8 hours straight, we finally have our perfect, precious, baby girl. We love you Aubrey Lynne and wouldn't have had this whole birth experience any other way because the end results were just amazing, we got you.

Love,
Your Momma

Oh, p.s. another funny tid bit. When you were about here, I decided I needed my bra off so we could start breastfeeding as soon as you were born. (Which fyi, those pregnant girlfriends again, a hospital gown is not the most comfortable thing to go without a bra in, definitely noooooo support.) So during a down time of a contraction I decided to try and reach behind me and take my bra off, well I didn't realize that with the IV in I wouldn't be able to get it all the way off. So I remember getting it most of the way off and then realize it was hanging by the IV cord, I was about to push again so I just thought screw it, I'll deal with it later. Well after you were born the nurse came over to check my IV and said, Oh, there's a bra on here and started laughing. I told her why I had done that and she said oh that was a good idea. See your momma is smart, always thinking one step ahead.