Adventure into Domesticland: Our Birth Story

Saturday - 4.20.2013

Miss Ella Paisley - Born April 12, 2013

In labor.

Minutes old

Ironic that today was my official due date and I'm posting about our birth story. Can't believe she's already a week old. This is baby number 3 for me, my first planned one, funny how that worked out. My husband is 35 and desperately wanted to have kids, although he's a great father to my two kids, he really wanted one of his own and now hes got her! A perfect little mini me in a female version.

Well here we go, if your new to my blog let me fill you in. I had a miserable pregnancy, contractions since month six. Not fun. Anyway the week of her birth the contractions intensified and would be regular for a few hours then subside. Not to mention the period cramps and back pain, so to say the least we had a few false alarms. Ran to the hospital thinking I'm in labor only to find out I'm not even close. In fact, April 1st was one of those false alarms, constant contraction for over 12 hours, call the family and run to the hospital only to find out I'm only dilated to 1! So needless to say, when they started up again Thursday night I wasn't in a hurry to rush off to the hospital again.

Snuggle bug

I went to sleep around ten only to wake up at midnight, then one and by two I just couldn't sleep any more. I got up walked around a bit, yep every 10 minutes coming on stronger then they ever had before. So... I wake up my husband and mom... and away we go. We decided this time we wouldn't tell anyone else, just let them know when we found out what was happening.

When we get there we hear a doctor yelling out of the delivery area "Push, push!" They get me in a room, hook me up to all the monitors and we wait for the doctor. While we wait I hear the nurses talking to one another saying they have 4 people in active labor waiting to deliver, 3 scheduled c-sections and one just walked in (me). I'm guessing there were at least 20 babies born that day! Crazy!

Mini me!

The doctor finally comes in to check me, I'm dilated to 3 now but somehow I only effaced to 50%. (I was 70% at my appointment on Wednesday.) So they monitor me for a hour and now I'm still at a 3 but I've magically gone back to 70% effaced. Now she tells me "Well, your progress is going really slow, I mean your going to have this baby tonight or tomorrow, but why don't you go home and wait it out since your not taking an epidural, you don't live far right?" We live 30 minutes away when there's no traffic and I know she's only telling me this because they are packed. So now we're going home, I'm crying and still having contractions.

We get home about 8 am, I take a Benedrel and pass out. Wake up around 2:30 and now the back pain is ten times worse and the contractions are a little harder. My husband is off picking up my son from school and my mom's gone too. I text them both that I want to go back to the hospital and that my mom needs to come so she can be the one to tell them I need to stay. However, now my friend that I had lined up to watch my kids has plans for the first time in two weeks, so I call my brother.

Daddy's girl

Now my brother is 26, had maybe one serious relationship in his life and still lives at home. He realizes were going to be gone for longer then hour and starts freaking out. I'm getting in the car and he's arguing with my mom, asking why she can't stay with the kids. I look at him and yell "Because I need my mom!" Now my mom knows I'm farther along in labor. So my hubby and I take off and of course there's traffic now and my contractions are 5 - 7 minutes apart and getting more intense. We get to the hospital, my hubby drops me off at the and goes to park the car. I start walking because of course there's no wheelchairs! As I'm walking I'm having contractions and have to stop so I don't collapse, every time I do people are starring at me and asking if I'm ok. No! I'm not ok, I'm in labor!

Blue steal

My hubby joins me and we make it to the labor & deliver, as we enter we hear "Push, push!" again! They get me in a room and were joined by my mom. My midwife that I had most of my pregnancy happens to be on call, so she comes in to check me, as she is my mom say's "If she's still at a 3 can we stretch it to a 4?" The grin on the midwifes face said it all to me, but she say's "There will be no stretching, she's at a 7!" OMG I almost didn't make it! From that point til delivery was 2 hours! They rush me into a delivery room and start to prep. At this point the contractions are 5 minutes apart and coming on strong, I finally get a little bit of pain killers to take off the edge and the nurse checks me again, at an 8 strong now.

Pretty girl

I start to transition, my legs start to shake uncontrollably, then my head is shaking like I'm saying no and my eyes are rolling back into my head. My poor hubby has a look of terror on his face. About 10 minutes later my midwife comes in and checks me and tells me to start pushing, but I can tell she not down all the way. This is my third kid with no drugs I know what it feels like when they are crowning, plus I don't have the urge to push yet, so my guess is I'm not fully dilated but she coming down anyway.

Wait a minute my in-laws aren't here! They are stuck in traffic, can't we just pause this show for a minute. Never mind, just as I start to push my mother-in-law busts in and rushes over! I push for 3 - 5 minutes, but her head is stuck.

My son is a pro!

I had a moment I really wanted to give up, I prayed and finally got the urge! I pushed with all my might, I have a vein in my forehead that I'm sure looked like it was ready to burst! My mom had been telling my hubby all long to help me with my breathing, but he didn't realize that was during contractions not while your pushing. You can't breathe while your pushing, you hold your breath and push like your pooping! So he's watching me hold my breath and starts telling me to "breathe, Breathe, BREATHE!" I kept pushing, out came her head and with one more big push out came her body. She weighed 7 pounds and was 19 3/4 inches long.

My older daughter's reaction.

Once the clean up was done, we got settled into our recovery room, everyone left and it was nigh night time. The next day I ask if we could go home, so they got what they needed to do done and let us go. I could not stay one more night in that thousand degree room. The whole night I slept in my nighty, those awesome fishnet panties and no covers with my butt hanging out as the nurses came in every four hours. Ugh one more night... No thank you! The nurse pushing me down to my car say's "This ain't your first kid is it? You can always tell moms that have 3 or more. They are in and out and on with life. First time moms will stay as long as they can."

So there you are she's healthy and beautiful. But mostly she out!