Birth story

So, I am really late writing this.  It's been a crazy/busy three weeks.  Babies have a way of being time suckers.  :P

So, I thought I would write down the birth story before I forget it.  After all, this is what I am going to hold over Eliana's head for the rest of her life so I'll need to make sure I remember every detail.  It's worth mentioning that, all of the pain I went through that early morning/all day, has really already started to vanish.  I'm not in the mindset that I want another child right this moment, but I've always heard people say you'll forget about the pain.  Which obviously makes sense, since people have 2nd, 3rd, 4th babies.  Anyway, here it goes...

On Eliana's due date, (1/28) I started feeling a slight cramp.  Couldn't tell though if they were really cramps or if I was having a stomach ache.  This lasted the 28th and the 29th.  On the night of the 29th, I went to bed but couldn't sleep, so I was messing around on my phone.  1:30 am on the 30th rolls around and I got this weird feeling.  I was thinking maybe that was my first contraction?  But I didn't feel anything again until 2:30, where I started to quickly realize I was in fact having contractions and they were about every 15 minutes apart at this point.  They were already keeping me awake and I wasn't able to get any sleep until around 3am, but only got an hour.  Woke up and was timing the contractions, which were now every 15 to 10 minutes apart.  It was already sucking, but I was getting through it.  My goal was to wait until they were every 3-5 minutes apart which was already seeming like a lifetime away from where I was. lol.

Ryan woke up for school and I told him I was having contractions.  Since they were still about 10 minutes apart, I told him to go ahead and go to school, but keep his phone handy.

I continued to labor at home and finally, the contractions were getting closer together, but still too spaced out for what I thought was an acceptable time to go to the hospital.  I didn't want to go too soon and have them turn me away.  Around noon, I text messaged Ryan and asked that he head home.  I was feeling like I was in hell at this point.  All of my labor pains were in my back, which I was 100% positive was breaking.  Jet Puff was very concerned for me and hung out with me the whole time.  I got in the tub and all of that, tried all of the things they tell you to try.  Btw, I found breathing didn't help for shit.  Lol.  Nothing did because contractions are going to hurt, no matter what you do.  Ryan got home (in 6 minutes from UC Davis to our house....on bike.  He looked like he was going to have a heart attack when he came in, he was panting so hard.  I probably would have been more concerned if I wasn't in so much pain.  Lol.)  I was still determined to hang at home for as long as possible, just in case.  At about 2, I was feeling horrible.  Ryan contacted our midwife and she asked to speak to me (last thing I wanted to do.) so she could hear me during contractions.  She suggested we hang out a little longer but that if we wanted to come in, we could.  I sucked it up and stayed at home for almost 2 more hours before Ryan called and let them know we were headed in.

My plan was to try natural first for as long as possible, and if it didn't work, I'd get the epidural.  On the way to the hospital (which Ryan played our wedding playlist and I later remembered and thought it was sweet.) I already knew I was asking for that sucker.  But I was still so worried that I was hardly dilated and that maybe I was just being a big ol' baby.

We get to the hospital and Ryan is having to fill out my registration forms, which brings up a complaint.  What is the purpose of pre-registration if they make you fill out more registration forms with the same damn questions on them?  I was happy on the way there, thinking "THANK GOD WE PRE-REGISTERED!  ONE LESS THING TO DEAL WITH WHEN WE GET THERE."  NOT!

They get us up to triage so they can check how far along I am.  I kept having contractions while I was trying to get the gown on though, and couldn't figure it out how to get the damn thing on.  Lol.  Had to get the nurse to help me and finally was able to get checked.  To my surprise, and everyone else there, I was already dilated to about a 5, which was awesome.  I literally said aloud, "THANK GOD!"  So they take us to our room and we start waiting for the most popular guy in L&D, the anesthesiologist.  Took a while to get him in and to get everything set up, so obviously I'm still laying there dying.  Finally he comes and my midwife gets there and asks if I want to try the Jacuzzi tub first.  Ha!  Tried that at home hours earlier, didn't work, don't think it will now.  Anyway, ten minutes after I get my epidural, I start feeling relief and open my eyes for the first time and see just how many people are in the room.  It's amazing how quickly your shame goes out the window when you're in that much pain.  After the epidural, everything else was easy breezy.

Cara, my midwife, came back in and checked me around 7, and I was already dilated to a 9.  I was glad I was moving along so quickly, but baby girl was still was a little high up.  Cara came back and checked around 8 and suggested breaking my water, since baby still hadn't moved from where she was.  She came back in around 8:30, started pushing and baby girl arrived at 9:53pm.  The nurse (Joy) and Cara were awesome, Ryan was awesome and all of the other nurses/hospital staff were great.  I had such an awesome experience (minus the pain earlier in the day) and was so thankful for everyone's help.

As soon as Eliana was born, they put her on my stomach/chest and she cried and cried some more.  She was definitely pissed to be moved from her nice, cozy home but we were glad her lungs were obviously working.  I will never forget Ryan's reaction.  lol.  The moment she was born and they put her on me, he just started laughing and said, "THAT'S A BABY!"  lol.  It was funny.  It was such a surreal moment.  It was definitely weird to finally see this person, who had been hanging out with me for so long.  Lol.  It's amazing because you just think, "Wow!  We made this!"

It's still so weird to look over and see her.  Ryan and I still have these moments where one of us will say "Wow, we made this!" again.  lol.  I am guessing it takes a bit to sink in.  She's amazing though, and I'm so grateful for her.