birth story.

Tuesday Sept 13:

felt fine

yoga

hung out with julie and got yogurt

midwife appt for 36 weeks

-my bp was up at the begining of the appt like 160/100,

but i told them to wait and take it again, not only

do i have "white coat syndrome" but i also

drove in traffic.

-they take it again and it comes down to 128/98

but they want to draw blood and keep an eye on me

-they also tell me to take my bp everyday

and call if it's up

-i may need to do a 24 hour urine later if needed

-so they are thinking maybe preeclampsia, but not just quite yet.

i go home and rest

i take my bp after laying on the couch for 2 hours

and it's 140's/90's

but i think, maybe i am still stressed and i will take it in the morning.

Wednesday Sept 14:

i get up at 6:45am and take bp

it's 150/100's

and i KNOW.

i just know that not only will i have to go in to the midwife,

but i have a feeling we will be having a baby that day.

-

i decide to shower

and then cam and i walk to starbucks

i start having irregular but painful contractions while walking.

they make me have to stop walking

and cameron is getting annoyed

(i think he thinks i am just exaggerating)

we get back to the house and i call lauren

i tell her what's going on

then i call the midwife.

she calls back and says i need to go in to the OB triage

and that i should pack a bag

but they may just have me do a 24 hour urine (to check for protein).

-

i go into nurse mode/mom mode?

and start packing and putting stuff in the car

(at this point those contactions had stopped)

i tell cam we have to go to the hospital

and he says "okay jst let me know when"

and i say "uhhh like NOW"

and then he kinda starts to freak out, but

is also excited we may have a baby soon!!!

-

thankfully we remember the car seat

and i had already kinda started packing a bag.

-

we arrive at triage and i still don't really KNOW what's going on.

I immediately get hooked up to the baby monitor & uterine monitor.

they take my bp often, and the highest i saw was 160/120.

awesome.

they explain that if the diagnose me with severe preeclampsia then

i will be switched from my midwife to a high risk OB.

there goes my natural birth right?

well, they diagnose me as severe preeclampsia and introduce

me to the high risk OB- Nick, he is awesome and I love him.

He talks to me like a nurse and cameron like a poor scared husband.

it's perfect. he tells me the plan he has and asks if all that is okay.

-

PLAN:

to prevent seizures (eclampsia) start Magnesium drip

with a 6gram bolus over 30 minutes (which is crazy a lot of mag),

and then keep a drip going of 2grams/hour.

-

then do cytotec

-

then insert a foley bulb into cervix and manually dilate me

-

then start pitocin

-

and get the baby out!

-

only treat my bp if it's > 160/90, which was only a couple times

so they didn't ever have to.

-

we are still in triage waiting for a labor room, and cameron has a class from 3-6

and i tell him to go b/c this process will take a really long time.

and lauren was coming to sit with me.

so he leaves, and i move into a labor room (about 2pm ish).

lauren arrives as they are letting me eat lunch (my last meal).

-

then about 3pm they start the Mag bolus

mag in high doses relaxes the muscles (a: preventing seizures b: helps with bp sometimes)

BUT it makes ALL your muscles relax, and i turn into a wet noodle,

i can't move on my own, and definately can't hold my head up or swallow.

they have to constantly check my reflexes to make sure they aren't ODing me on Mag.

and they see i have clonus, and when people have it it's usually 5 beats, mine was like 30 beats.

they said good thing i came in, or i would have seized at home.

great.

-

i get a foley catheter, it's not as big of a deal as i thought.

the mag bolus makes me so so so hot and nauseated and gross.

lauren has to fan me and give me 100 ice packs.

Lauren calls cam and says AHHH come back.

he was already not paying attn in class

and was gonna come back anyway.

-

the bolus is over and i feel a little better.

-

they check me to possibly insert the cytotec,

and see i am 1.5cm dilated and 60% effaced

so they skip cytotec and just go ahead with the foley bulb.

-

they start the pitocin.

cam gets back.

-

i don't really feel anything at this point.

-

lauren leaves & cam and i just hang out.

i watch clueless & dexter season 5 & 16 candles.

and i try to sleep.

the residents and attendings and med students

are constantly coming in to check my reflexes and what not.

Thursday Sept 15:

about 0500 they tug on my foley bulb in my cervix and

it comes out!! that means i am about a 3-4cm dilated!

then at about 0600 i start to have painful contractions.

like PAINFUL.

and i can't move at all to try and get comfortable.

i puke. and it's gross b/c my muscles are so relaxed...

let's just leave it at that.

Rosie my nurse was amazing.

-

I tell them I knew i was gonna have to,

but I need the epidural please.

-

the CRNA i DID NOT like at all.

im in the freaking middle of having a contraction,

she wants me to sit on the side of the bed,

i can't even move on my own...

and i am like a noodle.

she's not nice.

BUT she gets it in and almost immediately

my headache goes away.

Praise God.

the contraction pain also goes away- for a couple hours.

-

i feel really good & even have some ice chips!

-

then...

I knew this would happen, and this is why i didn't want an epidural.

It quits working.

i start having really painful contractions again.

in the back of my head i wonder if i am just really far along?

but they check me and im only a 5.

so they call in the CRNA (a different awesome one)

and he gives me a bolus and it's not really working,

but yet it is?

so he has them check me again,

and i am a 7!!!!!

and within an hour i am 10cm/100%!!!!

but i am still in pain.

they tell me and say that it's time to have a baby!!!
within minutes 15+ people are in the room

and it gets transformed into a LABOR room.

-

i get a bolus of fentanyl in my epidural

and they tell me IT'S TIME TO PUSH,

and i know in my head i need to,

but i feel so so so bad, like all sweaty and

like i am gonna pass out and barf at the same time,

then i can't really see/hear things,

and i hear someone say my pressure is 50/--

-

i hear them say they are giving me a bolus of neo (a med to increase bp)

and hazel didn't like when my pressure was that low

so they want me to hurry and push.

-

once my bp is back up, i feel better and am okay to push!

they bring in a HUGE stand up mirror on wheels

so i can see to push (which was super helpful for me)

and i push when they say/ b/c i cannot feel a thing

and i feel like i have no control.

but i keep pushing

and they are telling me i am doing a good job.

i all of a sudden say

"i hope it's still a girl" and everyone laughs.

i still try to keep my sense of humor,

but i can barely move the muscles in my mouth.

cam says that i said HOLY BALLS a lot.

and "This is so weird"

-

i push for 30 minutes, and

out comes a miracle.

Born at 11:25am

apgar scores of 8 & 9

and perfect in every way.

cameron goes over to see her

and lauren stays with me

-

they deliver my placenta and i ask to see it and touch it.

they let me :) and don't think i am that weird.

and they sew up a "small tear" i have.

-

cameron yells out "she just peed, that is so cool!"

and then they bring her over to me!

they help me hold her and help me try to breast feed.

and then help me feed her formula.

-

they get me all cleaned up

and let me rest for a couple hours.

-

then we move to a postpartum room.

-

the lactation consultant comes in and talks with cameron

b/c i am so out of it (still on mag/ epidural out)

then i start to feel like i need my pad changed and i feel bad.

i tell cameron i don't feel good

(which i had been saying all day anyway)

and so the lac. consultant pushes the call light for me and leaves.

cameron is oogling at hazel in her bassinet

and taking pics

and i keep telling him something isn't right.

i look down at my belly and it's bulging BULGING.

-

luckily the nurse walks in at that time

and goes into action.

she pushes on my belly

and blood is just pouring out of me.

within minutes there are 15 people in the room.

they do an ultrasound of my uterus and see a clot

they tell me they have to get the clot out.

so i am thinking with a little tool & ultrasound

NO NO NO liz, you are wrong again...

they call it a manual sweep

they freaking stick their whole arm up to the elbow through the cervix

(already down to 4cm at this time)

and scoop out clots

(i like to refer to this as pumpkin carving)

-

they hang more pitocin to contract my uterus

and then GO FOR IT

i am screaming in pain

i get a small dose of IV pain medicine, but it was NOTHING.

it was the WORST pain i have ever felt in my life

and i am screaming profanities and squeezing peoples

hands off. it was so awful.

they start to count down from 5, and i think okay i can make it,

and then when they hit 1, they start counting all over again.

WHAT THE....

then once the finish, the look with u/s again, and see more clot.

and have to go in again.

this time wasn't as bad, but it still hurt.

-

they said at some point my pressure was 70/--

but like i could tell.

it was so freaking awful.

so awful.

-

mom and david are outside the room at this point

b/c they just arrive.

and have no idea what's going on.

so someone updates them.

-

after it's over i see mom before they leave.

-

it's over.

i lost a total of 1200-1300mls of blood

(that's almost 1/2 my blood volume)

-

they let me have the mag off for a couple hours so i can eat

and hold my baby.

then i strike a bargain with Nick the OB

and ask to have the mag at 1gm/hour when we restart

and he says yes!

so at that point then i feel so so so much better

i can swallow and move around in bed

and hold my baby.

i am exhausted but i can't sleep.

i watch stupid tv and hang out with my nurse

and hold hazel.

-

Friday Sept 16:

i feel almost 100x better,

mom, david, & sus come

lots of visitors

MAG IS OFF at 11:00am!!!!

Foley catheter is out!!!
I can walk to the bathroom!!!!!

-

we move rooms to the non high risk floor

-

more visitors

-

IV OUT!!!!!

Saturday Sept 17:

feed hazel, sleep, change hazel, repeat

ENT comes to check out Hazel's smashed nose

and says it is okay on the inside

but he will tape it up so it will be straight.

-

more visitors

-

hazel gains weight!!!!
-

hazel passes car seat challenge

(sitting in the carseat for 90 min with o2 sats doing well)

we know we can go home tomorrow!!!!

Sunday Sept 18:

WE GET TO GO HOME!!!!

-

-

i am sure i forgot something

my nurses were amazing

the staff was amazing

-

God is amazing.

i keep saying I didn't get anything I wanted in this birth plan but 3 things

1) vaginal delivery

2) she's a girl

3) we are both okay

-

praise God.