I went to the grocery store that morning to get a bunch of food for the following week and stuff to make for a Derby party the following day. When I got home I was starving so I made myself a little lunch and sat down to watch some coverage about the Oaks (for non-Louisvillians it is a horse race the day before Derby). After I ate I was cleaning up a bit and felt like my underwear was wet. I went to the bathroom and changed thinking it was just one of those wonderful things that happens during pregnancy! But about 10 minutes later I felt wet again. So I changed again and decided to call my doctor just in case. I was ever so hopeful that water had broken but wasn't really convinced considering there wasn't a big gush nor was there a constant trickle. When the nurse practitioner for my doctor called back she said she wasn't sure if my water had broken or if I was just have some incontinent episodes but to go to labor and delivery to get checked out just in case. So I called James at work and told him what was going on and he was on his way to get me.
We got to the Labor and Delivery unit at Baptist Hospital East about 2 PM, which was about an hour after I first noticed the wetness. They put me in a room, checked me in (I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced), put the baby on the monitor, and checked the fluid I was leaking. If it was a certain pH level it would indicate that my water had broken. Unfortunately at that time it came back inconclusive:/. Seriously. So they kept me on the monitor for a couple hours to see how the baby was doing and how my contractions were. I also went ahead and called my parents just in case to kind of give them a head start since they had a two and a half hour drive to get here.
After two hours on the monitor the doctor wanted me to walk around for 30 minutes to see if I leaked any more. Then they would check me again and go from there. At that point I was convinced we were going back home. When we returned from our walk I got settled back in bed and felt kinda wet again, but the same as I had been. The nurse came to check me and sure enough I was sitting on a pile water! It was determined my water had broken and I was staying to have this baby!!!
After my epidural the nurse checked me again and I was 4 cm dilated and about 70% effaced. James and I decided to try to catch a cat nap while we could before all the fun started! At 2 AM on May 5 my nurse came in to check on me because Ava was having some decelerations in her heart rate with each contraction. I had been feeling some pressure so I was thinking I was making some progress. And indeed I had! I was fully dilated and 100% effaced and Ava was VERY low in the birth canal- almost crowning! James woke up at that time with all the hubub going on. I told him I was 10 cm dilated and, in his sleepy state, he said "you're 10 inches already?" He will not live it down!
My nurse had me do a practice push to see how i would do, but after 1 push she told me to stop so the doctor could get there to deliver her! The doctor got there about 2:35 AM and got all her gear on and everything ready for Ava's arrival! I pushed 1 time once the doctor got ready, just in time for Ava's head to come out and 1 more time and Ava was officially here! She was born May 5, 2012 at 2:48 AM. She was 19 inches long and weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces. And she was perfect!
After some skin on skin kangaroo care and some time alone with her mommy and daddy, Ava met everyone who had been in the waiting room all evening. And of course everyone fell in love with her! We spent a couple nights in the hospital and then we were able to head home with a precious bundle of joy! Stay tuned for more on our first month as a family of three!
No comments:
Post a Comment