I had an appointment at 11:45 am for a stress test on Wednesday (December 16th). I was hooked up for a while but Maggie did not want to move so the nurse gave me some orange juice but she still did not want to move. Finally the nurse took out the pulse thingy to send vibrations into the womb, you know annoy her to move. Well, she decided she would move a couple times and then go right back to sleep. The nurse then unhooked me and I waited ---- minutes to talk to the doctor. When Dr. Larson came we talked about how I was contracting but not making a lot of progress. I was checked, 2 1/2 to 3 cm and 75% efaced. I told him that I didn't want to really be induced but my doula, Joni, was going to be gone over the weekend and then it would be getting too close to Christmas. So then he told me that if I wanted to be induced (and he suggested to do so since I had the issues I did) and wanted him to deliver her then I would have to do it Thursday (tomorrow) or Monday. He also gave me the option of Friday but Joni was going to be gone and I wasn't sure if I would deliver fast enough for her to be able to leave when she needed to. By that point I was sick of the contractions and not sleeping that I said I would go home to talk to Jim and Joni. I called Jim as I was walking to the van and he told me yes and to go talk to Joni since I was across the street from her place. I couldn't get a hold of Joni so I went home to wait for her to call me back. To pass some time I went on Facebook and noticed that Joni had left me a message. I said she was sorry but she didn't think she could doula for me anymore. And since everyone knows her little secret I can say why she couldn't doula for me. She said she was pregnant and didn't feel well enough to be in the delivery room. I was so excited and sad at the same time. It was perfectly understandable since I probably wouldn't have been able to do it myself with morning sickness. And at that point Jim and I decided to go ahead with the induction. So I quickly checked to see who was on chat and found Rachel to ask if she had Rae's phone number. She didn't have it so I called Carrie but she wasn't home. I knew Carrie would know how to get a hold of Rae so I called her at work. Hehe. She gave me Rae's cell phone and home number. I called and HURRAY I got a hold of Rae. I told her I was going to the hospital to be induced and Joni was ill and had a family thing going on so she couldn't make it. That was around 1:00 pm. Rae was very willing to stand in for Joni. I went to the hospital, called Rae to let her know I was hooked up and that she could start heading over. I was hooked up at 2:55 pm and Rae came at about 3:30 pm. We talked for a while about my birth plan, television, and other little things. I was feeling great! I don't remember what time I started to feel the active laboring contractions, but at about 5:55 I went into intense labor. I was checked and was dialated 3 cm. So I went to the bathroom and then walked the hall, it probably took me 20 minutes just to walk down and back one hall. I got back to my room and asked for Nubain at about 6:30 pm just to take the edge off, I knew it wasn't going to be a long labor. I was checked before I received the Nubain and was dialated 5 cm, 80% efaced, and my sac had a lot of pressure to it. The Nubain really did NOTHING for me! I got into bed around 7:00 pm and my water broke shortly thereafter. I was dialated only about 1 cm more at that point, not too depressing to me. I was in a lot of pain though so I asked for an Epidural. I was pretty crazy with pain and the Epi wasn't coming fast enough. I have NEVER been so nasty in my life, so no more natural for me. I don't like myself like that. I am so sorry you had to put up with me, Rae. I honestly have no idea how long I was waiting, but at about 7:42 pm I kind of had the pushing urge. The urge came SO quickly that I couldn't even speak when Rae asked me if I felt the need to push. Actually, when she asked me all I could do is say, "YES, YES, YES!" in my head. I seriously could not get the words out. I was checked at 7:43 pm and was dialated 10 cm. Good thing everyone, except the doctor though, was in the room all ready for me to push because the nurse barely got her hand out and Maggie's head popped out. I still have no idea where all those nurses came from, but *poof* they were there! I was told not to push just yet and I wasn't, Rae and I even tried to do the 'pah-pah' breathing. She literally forced her way out. And then Jennifer, a nurse, told me to push, push, push. I pushed one, maybe two good pushes and she was out! Maggie was born at 7:45 pm. It was 2 minutes of "pushing" if you didn't catch that. I only pushed for 10 minutes with Japheth and was in labor maybe for about 6 hours at most. Next time I will tell them to have the doctor stand at the end of the bed to catch because there is no way I will be in labor for more than 3 hours at this rate.
I can safely say I did do it without drugs, because the Nubain doesn't count since it did NOTHING! I remember saying to Rae that I didn't think I could do it without drugs and she told me I already did. It makes me laugh because I was trying to say that I don't think I could do it again . I also remember saying that the Epidural guy must have been having ladies aid because he was taking so long. He actually started walking in the door and was pushed right back out because Maggie was pretty much out already.
I had no tears, obviously no stiches, not one thing! Such a perfect delivery, except the made-me-into-a-nasty-person pain. I still can't get over how horrible I was, not pretty at all.
Margret May Kassera
8 lbs
20 inches in length
APGARs 9 and 9
