the story

This is the story of how M came into the world 3 weeks early. You might be a little bored with the details but I would like to remember them so read if you like but skip over if you like as well.

I had my 37 week appointment on Wed. July 28th. My doctor was out of town that week so I had to see one of the other doctors in the office. It was originally scheduled for 3:45 but was changed to 1:30 because the dr. had to be in surgery at 3:00. I have had the same doctor for all of my babies and all of my baby appointments. Actually, my doctor has even delivered all of my babies. SO I was a little nervous seeing another doctor. I wasn't even sure I wanted him to check me at this appointment because I had been checked the week before and my cervix was closed.

At the appointment, the new doctor introduced himself and told me that he knew my doctor checked every week after 36 but that he did not unless his patients wanted him to or had been having contractions. Like I said, I was already on the fence about him checking me anyway and I almost told him I would just wait until the next week when my doctor was back. But then I told him I had been having a few painful but not consistent contractions over the past week. We decided I would be checked.

He finished his business down there and said "Well, you are at a 3 almost 4 and super thinned out. What did you say you were last week?" I told him 0 and he he said. "That is what I thought I read." Then he went on to tell me that I should come back to the hospital in an hour and a half to be checked again and if there was any progress at all he wanted to go ahead and admit me. He also told me not to even walk by a bag of Pitocin as the baby might just fall right out.

T and I were both kind of in shock. I did not have my bag packed or the other kids' stuff ready and my list of stuff-to-be-done-before-the-baby had not been completed. SO off we went to pack, make sure the kids could stay with the sitter if we had to stay at the hospital, put gas in the car and make a few important phone calls. I ignored my "list".

We got to the hospital around 3:00 and off we went to triage. After a while the nurse came and checked me and I was at a 4 according to her. She called the dr. and he said I should stay. Now, because I was 37 weeks they would not stop my labor but they also would not do anything to help it along. They did tell me, however, that once I got to a 5 they could start helping with Pitocin. So I walked and walked and walked some more around the maternity ward until the contractions hurt too bad. Then I waited and was checked and was only a 4.5. SO we played some cards and then we walked some more. When I was checked again, I was about the same.

At around 9:00 pm the nurse told me the doctor was not even going to do anything until the morning even if I was a 5 so I tried to get comfortable, T made his bed and we started settling in. We were kinda disappointed but there wasn't really anything we could do.

THEN around 10:00 the nurse comes in and says "Look who I found." Behind her walks in this little man with shorts a polo and flip flops on. He had kinda longish hair and an unkempt mustache and goatee. We had no idea who it was and thought she must have had the wrong room. As it turns out that was my doctor. Lucky me. Not only had he finally come to talk to me but he was there to break my water! WHAT? We were both so very confused. T told him I wanted my epidural before my water was broken and he told me he was under the impression I was not getting an epidural. I quickly cleared up the misunderstanding and he said he would be back after anesthesiology.

He left and the nurse told us that he had just changed his mind about helping my labor along and that she really had no warning. She also told me she knew I wanted an epidural :)

Anesthesiology came and 3 tries later I finally had my epidural. He called the first try a "wet tap" and told me the chances were good that I would get a spinal headache. Great, just what I wanted to hear. I had that with G. I know exactly how miserable it can be.

Around 10:30 the Dr. came back to break my water. Around 11 Pitocin was started. Around midnight the nurse checked me and I was at a 6. She had me turn on my left side to see if that would help things along. But then with contractions the baby's heartbeat would decrease so she had me turn to my right side and told me that if I started feeling pressure that lasted through the contractions to let her know.

5 minutes later I felt the pressure she was talking about but was a little reluctant to have her come check me again since she had just been in there. Finally I decided I had better tell her. She checked me and I was complete. Yep, it took me from 1:30 pm to midnight to get from 3.5 to 6 but only 5 minutes to get from 6 to 10. After she told me I was complete, she had the dr. paged and started getting things ready. She put the stirrups up and said, "I do not want your legs in those until you see the dr. because as I do know how to deliver a baby I do not get paid extra." :) She was really worried that I was going to have the baby before the dr. got there. The dr. came and 3 contractions later M was born at 12:54 am.