On Wednesday, July 18th I had a terrific doctor's appointment with my favorite doctor. He stripped my membranes at that visit and told me that he was on call for the weekend. He told me that he didn't expect me to make it to the weekend. As a woman who has never experienced spontaneous labor in any of my five births, I promptly told him to quit sweet talking me! Ha! Ha! I fully expected to continue on as I usually do until the day of my scheduled induction... which happens to be tomorrow, July 26th.
All day on the 18th I was a little crampier than usual and I was having a few contractions but nothing out of the ordinary realm of your average Braxton Hicks. We went to prayer meeting that night and I was asking one of my friends there how her labor had gone when it was stimulated by stripping membranes. She was telling me that she felt "funny". We went on for a while trying to define what feeling "funny" is like. I wasn't feeling "funny" but not knowing what that's like, I couldn't be sure. All I could say for sure is that I was feeling crampy pressure not too unlike what I felt after my exam the week before. When they start checking for dilation, I usually do feel a little crampier than normal for the rest of that day.
So, while at prayer meeting, my friend started timing the 'nothing special' contractions and they were coming a little more frequently than I realized and lasting a little longer than I realized. Hmmm, this could be it. But, I was nervous about being one of "those" mothers that march into labor and delivery over and over only to be snickered out of there by nurses sending me home not in labor... especially with my sixth baby!
On home we went and Mr. P was getting very excited at the thought of going to the hospital that night. Flibby and Miss Poppins gathered their clothes, laptop and other things we needed 'just in case'. I was still not very convinced that anything unusual was happening. We went on to bed at the regular time. During the night I woke up feeling some back pain. I was generally uncomfortable but not from contractions, just from aches and pains. I decided to get up and read some emails on the computer. I had a couple of rather painful backache type contractions. I went back to bed. I woke up again with a stronger backache pain. Hmmm, it was getting interesting! By now it was 2am and Mr. P gets up to go to work at 3am so I knew I needed to decide of this was "it" or not. I didn't want him leaving home if I was truly in labor. Remembering some advice from a pregnancy book, I decided to get up and take a shower. I knew that if I moved around and they got stronger, this was "it"! If they subsided, it wasn't. In the shower, the contractions hit me fast and hard! I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed "it" and I no longer feared being sent home from the hospital doing the 'you're-not-in-labor-walk-of-shame'!
My fear of being sent home was replaced by a new and more compelling fear... missing my epidural! I got out of the shower and had a moment that I never thought would come. I was able to wake up Mr. P and give him that 'knowing' look saying, "It's time!" It was wonderful and something I never thought I would experience for myself! I no longer cared about fixing my hair... in fact, I left it mostly wet! I had no makeup on! I didn't even care what I was wearing to the hospital! These are all things that I usually have in order and picture perfect before heading to the hospital.
Mr. P woke up Flibby and Miss Poppins and told them to get ready. I called Nana to come and stay with the other kids, and I called my doctor. He told me to come on in and to get checked out. As these things unfolded, my contractions were getting harder and faster and I was getting more panicky about that epidural! I told everyone to GET IN THE CAR! My mom had still not arrived so I called her. She was turning on to our street so we met her headlights by flying by her in our car. We were off. Mr. P asked me if he could stop at the ATM. 'NO!' was my answer. Then I noticed that the car was out of gas! Just the night before at prayer meeting, the other men were telling him to be sure and fill up with gas. He had it on his list of things to do... in the morning! That was going to be a little late for me!! Fortunately, we had enough gas to get to the hospital.
The ride to the hospital was quiet. I was concentrating on not having contractions and not having a baby on the side of the road. Mr. P asked me if I wanted him to go faster and I told him to obey all traffic laws. He said no policeman would ticket us under the circumstances and I told him that to be pulled over and have to explain the situation to a policeman would take valuable time away from getting me to the hospital! It was decided Mr. P would drive the speed limit. Ha! Ha!
We made it to the hospital at 3:20am and they were expecting me. I went into my labor and delivery room (LDR 1) asking the nurse for my epidural! She told me that she had to check me and call the doctor. The doctor on call lives 20 minutes from the hospital and I couldn't have my epidural until he arrived. My anxiety level went up about tenfold when they told me that! She checked me and I was 6 cm. I just knew I'd have the baby in 20 minutes and once again, miss my epidural. I'm a big fan of the epidural in case you didn't know that about me! ~wink~
There was a big clock on the wall and I was watching the minutes slowly tick by. Thankfully, my doctor arrived and he had the anesthesiologist right behind him. I have loved all my epidurals but this one was particularly wonderful! I could move and feel everything but pain. I love it when the epidural is just right... not too much where you are paralyzed, and certainly not too little. It was as perfect as an epidural can be! Once my epidural was in, the doctor checked me and I was 8cm. He broke my water. Now I was starting to have some fun!
I was complete at 5:30am but Noah's head was still high. We decided to wait to push and let my contractions bring him on down so that would reduce the chance of a tear. It was relaxing and fun... Flibby and Miss Poppins came in and visited with us for a little bit. The whole experience was simply delightful and just the way I like it... plus, we had the added benefit of the surprise midnight run to the hospital. I loved it!
At 6:30am, my doctor came back in. He had instructed me not to push until he arrived because I tend to go really fast. I pushed two times and little Noah was born at 6:38am! It was a perfect moment!! I just wish I could live it over again because it all went so fast!
They placed Noah up on my stomach and I was able to admire him completely for 10 or 15 minutes. Then they took him off to weigh and examine. Our Noah weighed 8lbs 5oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. His head was 14 inches. And, he has a head somewhat full of dark brown hair!! We haven't had a dark headed baby in 14 years! Miss Poppins was the last dark haired wonder to be born. All the rest since have been little toe headed blondies!
It was about an hour after that when we got the call from my mom that Hannah woke up having trouble walking. That began a whole other adventure that I'll save for another day! In the meantime, back at the hospital, there had been 20 boys born the day before Noah and all the rooms up on the maternity floor were full. We stayed in labor and delivery until 1pm when a room became available. Our labor and delivery room became a bustling of activity and visitors! All the children arrived by 9am to see Noah and the phones were ringing off the hooks. We had called several people that had expressed the desire to be awakened in the middle of the night should we have that 'midnight surprise'! So, those that we awakened began to call others and word spread like wildfire! It was a big party before long!!
Noah's birth was a blessing and a miraculous gift from the Lord! We are blessed beyond measure by the birth of our noble son. May he be used mightily of the Lord!!
We made it to the hospital at 3:20am and they were expecting me. I went into my labor and delivery room (LDR 1) asking the nurse for my epidural! She told me that she had to check me and call the doctor. The doctor on call lives 20 minutes from the hospital and I couldn't have my epidural until he arrived. My anxiety level went up about tenfold when they told me that! She checked me and I was 6 cm. I just knew I'd have the baby in 20 minutes and once again, miss my epidural. I'm a big fan of the epidural in case you didn't know that about me! ~wink~
There was a big clock on the wall and I was watching the minutes slowly tick by. Thankfully, my doctor arrived and he had the anesthesiologist right behind him. I have loved all my epidurals but this one was particularly wonderful! I could move and feel everything but pain. I love it when the epidural is just right... not too much where you are paralyzed, and certainly not too little. It was as perfect as an epidural can be! Once my epidural was in, the doctor checked me and I was 8cm. He broke my water. Now I was starting to have some fun!
I was complete at 5:30am but Noah's head was still high. We decided to wait to push and let my contractions bring him on down so that would reduce the chance of a tear. It was relaxing and fun... Flibby and Miss Poppins came in and visited with us for a little bit. The whole experience was simply delightful and just the way I like it... plus, we had the added benefit of the surprise midnight run to the hospital. I loved it!
At 6:30am, my doctor came back in. He had instructed me not to push until he arrived because I tend to go really fast. I pushed two times and little Noah was born at 6:38am! It was a perfect moment!! I just wish I could live it over again because it all went so fast!
They placed Noah up on my stomach and I was able to admire him completely for 10 or 15 minutes. Then they took him off to weigh and examine. Our Noah weighed 8lbs 5oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. His head was 14 inches. And, he has a head somewhat full of dark brown hair!! We haven't had a dark headed baby in 14 years! Miss Poppins was the last dark haired wonder to be born. All the rest since have been little toe headed blondies!
It was about an hour after that when we got the call from my mom that Hannah woke up having trouble walking. That began a whole other adventure that I'll save for another day! In the meantime, back at the hospital, there had been 20 boys born the day before Noah and all the rooms up on the maternity floor were full. We stayed in labor and delivery until 1pm when a room became available. Our labor and delivery room became a bustling of activity and visitors! All the children arrived by 9am to see Noah and the phones were ringing off the hooks. We had called several people that had expressed the desire to be awakened in the middle of the night should we have that 'midnight surprise'! So, those that we awakened began to call others and word spread like wildfire! It was a big party before long!!
Noah's birth was a blessing and a miraculous gift from the Lord! We are blessed beyond measure by the birth of our noble son. May he be used mightily of the Lord!!
