Blake's birth: Part 2

Alternately titled: Setting the bar really really high with three posts in one day

Hollie played by herself for quite a while this morning, and both girls napped at the same time, so instead of showering, I did this!  You're welcome.

I don't know why the spaces are so big here...I'll try to get it fixed...

I need to thank Daniel for his note-taking during my labor.  Soon after we arrived at the hospital, I got out the laptop and opened a Word document.  I titled it "labor", saved it on the desktop, and started out with:


[spoiler alert]


7:30- 3cm 50% effaced, stripped membranes

I continued making updates on my own until about the time that [spoiler alert] my water broke.  After that, Daniel took over, and as you'll see he did an amazing job.

We still have that Word doc saved on the desktop, but the title is changed to "blake".

Part 1
Part 3

-----------------------------------------------------


We left the house a little late the next morning, but rather than get stressed out (the way being late usually affects us), we joked and kept the mood light.

At 7:30am Dr. J, my OB, met us in the room and we got to business.  I was 3cm dilated and 50% effaced, so he stripped my membranes…without warning me…yikes. 

I started having contractions right away.  They weren’t very strong, but they came at regular intervals (I don’t remember how far apart, probably in the 5 to 7 minute range).  I stayed in bed, and we watched True Grit.  I’m not normally a fan of Westerns, but it was really good!

Because I have Group B strep, I was going to need antibiotics by IV.  I got my first dose at 8am.  It only took about 20 minutes, but they left the IV in, because I would need another dose every four hours until the birth.

At about 9am, Dr. J came back to check me again - 4cm and 70% effaced.  We decided to go ahead with the misoprostol tablet, which is placed next to the cervix.  After that, I needed to stay in bed for another hour while it dissolved and started to work.

After the hour was up, I got out of bed for a stretch, a potty break, and a snack.  I was really glad to be allowed to eat this time (not the case with Hollie - they had given me IV fluids with glucose the whole time I was in labor.  I never felt hungry the whole day, but it felt weird not eating at all). 

I hadn’t really had any change in my contractions.  Still regular at about 5 to 7 minutes, but not very strong.  I was a little sleepy just from being up so early, so I decided to stay in bed and get some rest…knowing the real work was still ahead.  The movie was getting really good, too.

At noon, I was due for my second dose of antibiotics.  We had finished the movie, so I took my IV stand and we walked around the hallways.

We went back to the room about a half hour later, when the fluid bag was empty.  With my doctor’s approval, we got permission to leave the hospital for one hour.  We went to Jamba Juice!  I got something “caribbean” or “tropical” with orange and mango in it.  It was just what I was craving, and it was sooo good.  This Jamba Juice happened to be inside a Whole Foods store, so Daniel went to pick up some fruit for us to snack on at the hospital while I waited for the smoothies - and I may have also snuck over to the bakery to grab a triple-chocolate cookie, but you know, the whole day’s a blur and I can’t really remember.  :)

At 1:15pm we were back at the hospital, where they hooked me up to the monitors just to see how we were doing.  Everything was fine, but there still hadn’t been much change in my contractions (they were maybe just a touch stronger).  We could have done another misoprostol tablet at this point, but we decided against it. 

We asked if we could leave the hospital again, and while we waited for an answer (doc was busy), I stood and paced around the room.  I was starting to find that the contractions were more intense when I stood or walked.  The nurses were always asking me where I was on the “pain scale”, from one to ten - one being no pain at all, and ten being the worst pain you’ve ever felt.  I had been at about a two all day, and at this point maybe up to a three, but I had to tell them that I was really just feeling an increase in intensity…hadn’t really felt anything painful at all yet.

At 2:30pm, we got permission to leave the hospital for an hour and a half, because at 4pm I would need another dose of antibiotics.  This time, we went to a big mall nearby, to walk. 

While we were there - specifically, in the Brookstone store - browsing for things we’ll never have the expendable income for (or really need, anyway) (but are fun to look at), the contractions starting getting pretty strong.  I had been able to keep walking for them before, but now I was having to stop.  We could have stayed longer, but I told Daniel that we ought to head back to the hospital.  I even had him go get the car while I waited by the door.  We weren’t about to have the baby or anything, but I was just getting uncomfortable.

-----------------------------------------------------

Is it cruel of me to stop here?  Sorry.  You know how everything turned though, right? :)