Blake's birth: Part 3

Part 1
Part 2

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At 4pm we were back at the hospital and I was getting my IV antibiotics.  While we waited for another visit from Dr. J, I paced around the room but was disappointed to find that the contractions had lost the intensity that they'd had at the mall.  We talked to the nurse, Angela, for a while and she told us that Dr. J's next step, if I hadn't progressed much, would probably be breaking my water.  I balked a little at that idea, because I wanted to have as natural a birth as possible and the miso tablet had already steered me in the opposite direction, so I was really in the frame of mind to say no to everything at that point.  Daniel and I agreed that if I hadn't progressed much, and things were going to move at such a slow pace, we would rather just go home.  Angela encouraged us to let Dr. J know that's what we wanted.

Finally around 6pm, Dr. J came in, and I was 5cm dilated.  Just as the nurse had said, he suggested we break my water.  I told him that even though my contractions had been regular all day, they were lacking in intensity, and I would rather go home and wait.  He balked at that idea as bad as I had at his!  He told me that breaking my water would almost certainly get my contractions much more intense.  I guess I didn't appear to be changing my mind, so he said he would step out for a minute and let us think about it.  He had such a disappointed look, like he felt like we were making the wrong decision, but he was going to let us go if that's what we wanted.

 I think that as he was leaving, I knew immediately that we were going to stay.  I realized that A) breaking my water is not like using a drug, so I could still consider it a nearly natural birth, B) he was probably right about the effect breaking my water would have on my contractions, and C) ultimately I was still a very impatient overdue pregnant woman and just wanted to have this baby asap.

He came back in, we told him our decision, and at 6:20pm he broke my water.

He was right, of course, and very quickly my contractions got more intense and more frequent. I stayed sitting up in bed, and just focused on breathing in and out slowly, exhaling with a shhhhh through my teeth, which helped me relax through them.    Angela, the nurse, stayed in the room to chat with us, but by about 7pm I needed silence during each contraction, and didn't ask for it very politely, I'm sorry to say.  I even threw up at some point, but I was powering through, breathing and relaxing completely.  I remember wondering how long this might last.

We talked about getting into the tub, but I was reluctant because the room with the tub was down the hall.  They weren't set up for water births, so if we stayed until I had the urge to push, I would have to fight it all the way back to the room.  The contractions were so strong and close together that I didn't think I could get out of bed anyway.

During those contractions, one picture kept popping into my head.  It was from the Disney movie Fantasia, during Toccata and Fugue, which is the one that's mostly abstract pictures.  Here's a link to it on YouTube: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.  It's toward the end, and it's quick - from 7:10 to 7:20.  Apparently, that's what my subconscious thinks contractions look like.  In case you're wondering, I only saw the image...didn't hear any music.  :)

During a contraction at about 7:35pm, I had the feeling that I needed to pass gas, and I mentioned it to our new nurse, Marissa (there had been a shift change).  I don't know why I mentioned it - that's not something I will normally just tell people.  Daniel said, "Hey, if you do, you can blame it on me" but even between contractions I couldn't find the humor, and I think I just gave him a good scowl (later, I reassured him that under any other circumstances he would have gotten at least a chuckle).  However, it's a very good thing I did mention it, because she told me that it meant I'd probably be pushing soon, and sure enough...

...next contraction: "I'M PUSHING!"  That's a direct quote.  Not "I think I need to push", not "Can I push?", but "My body is pushing and there's nothing I can do about it!"

Marissa quickly checked me, and I was completely dilated.  she called Dr. J, who had been in the cafeteria getting dinner, and he was in the room right away.  After that, Daniel stopped making updates to our Word doc and the details are a little fuzzy.

One part I do remember distinctly: my favorite moment of the delivery (well, second favorite) was when one of the nurses asked me, "Do you like these socks?  If you want to keep them, we need to take them off right now!"  I said yes, and Daniel took them off for me.

The room filled up with nurses, and they ran around getting the bed and the room ready.  I was pushing like crazy.  Daniel and a few nurses were with me but nobody was counting down from ten during the contractions, and I kept wishing somebody would, because the pressure was so great and so constant that I couldn't really tell when each contraction ended.

One of the nurses was holding a fetal monitor to my belly, and became alarmed when the heart rate dropped very low, so low that she wasn't sure if she was picking up the baby's heart rate or mine (the baby's is normally much faster than an adult's).  They suspected there was pressure on the umbilical cord, so they helped me turn onto my left side, in an effort to relieve the pressure on the cord and also to get a better angle for the fetal monitor.  While this was happening, Dr. J decided that the baby needed to come out as soon as possible, so he prepared to give me a pudendal block.  This is a local anesthetic that would allow him to use forceps to help guide the baby out.  When it was ready, one of the nurses, Geneva, told me I needed to not push for a minute while he gave the injection.  I think I gave her a look, like what do you mean not push??, but she helped me do it.  when the block was done, Dr. J used the forceps and at 7:53pm, after roughly 18 minutes of pushing, Blake Elizabeth was born!

The rest is history, I guess.  They put her right up on my belly, and Daniel cut the cord.  I'm so so glad we didn't find out the gender by ultrasound.  The surprise was amazing.

They didn't take her away from me for the longest time, and I kept half-wishing they would, because I was curious about her weight and length.  In fact they didn't do any of that until after Daniel's parents arrived with Hollie.  It was so good to see them.  :)

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There are more little stories to tell, but there are too many for now.  We're busy getting ready to head back to Wichita!  Yep, we're leaving this weekend, and taking 6 or 7 days to get back.  We have really enjoyed living here, but it will be good to be home again.