Natalie was due on May 4th 2008. On April 23 I had an appointment with a midwife at Kaiser, since my OB was on vacation for like the 10th time in the 9.5 months that I had been pregnant.
The Midwife checked my progress and determined that I was 3 cm and about 75% effaced. She declared that I could “go at any time” which was exciting news for me as I was really really ready to meet this little one….and growing increasingly more uncomfortable with each day.
For the rest of the day I continued to have pretty good contractions but every time we’d start timing them they’d stop or stall so we knew it wasn’t time yet.
April 24, I had been scheduled to visit the State Prison for work but I backed out since I didn’t really feel like having this baby in the prison hospital. Thursday was work as usual, but with contractions on and off all day….and through the night. I had already called L&D a few times asking if they thought I should come in and every time they told me, that I could if I wanted to but they didn’t think I was in labor yet.
So Friday morning I woke up, still pregnant and really uncomfortable. I got up and decided to get ready for work, but my stomach was really bothering me so I called in and told my boss I’d be in later. He believed me, but none of my co-workers did. They all knew I wouldn’t come in…and had placed bets on my having the baby that day.
So I hung out at home with Dan, since he had the day off, and I decided I’d meet my mom for lunch and then go to work after lunch. I knew I’d be having this baby soon so I wanted to go to work to at least clear out my inbox and do a couple things.
Well at lunch the contractions really picked up and I decided I’d better head to the hospital; I called Dan and let him know to be ready when I got home.
We left for the hospital at about 2:30 and were in a room by about 3. The nurse and the midwife checked me out and determined that I was about 3 cm and 85% effaced, so those contractions were doing something.
We walked around the hospital trying to get me to make some progress. They came back and checked me at 5:30 and I was 4 cm and 95% effaced and they decided to admit me. The Midwife then tried to talk me into a c-section since I was going to have a “really large baby”…not a nice thing to tell a lady who is in labor.
I declined the c-section and the midwife finished checking me in and our family began arriving…although I had told them to stay home until I called and let them know it was time…but no one listens to me.
At 7:30 a new and much nicer midwife came in and checked me, not much progress but I was about 4.5 cm and 99% effaced…why they wouldn’t just call it 100 I don’t know.
So she asked if I’d like my water broken….um okay why not.
So my water was broken at 7:35 and then the contractions came like a freight train…one right after the next and super strong. I asked for meds and they gave me a shot of fentnyl as they were waiting for me to be ready for the epidural ( I needed to drain the IV fluids)….but the fentnyl made me sick. Throwing up with intense contractions was pretty crappy, until my knight in shining armor came in. Dr. Ng….oh how I loved Dr. Ng. He gave me an epidural and I was in heaven.
By the time he was done with the epi, my midwife was back, she checked me and I was 10 cm…YAY! It was about 9 pm at this point and they told me to take a rest. So I hung out feeling great and somewhat numb, watching a rerun of CSI.
At 10:15 pm I was ready to push, the nurse came in and I began pushing. At first it was tough getting into a rhythm for pushing but after a few pushes I was ready.
By 11pm my nurse called for the Midwife and all sorts of people came in a prepped my room for the baby. At 11:15pm Natalie was born.
It really was an amazing experience, I loved all of it…even when the epi wore off and I was pushing her out with no drugs. It was all worth it and I would do it again tomorrow in a heartbeat.
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