Although Chloe is almost a month old, the morning of her arrival is still fresh on my mind. For a full month leading up to my due date, I was overly ready and anxious to meet my girl. I was feeling a lot of pressure, was dilated to 4 cm and then 2 weeks later 5 cm, and was having lots of contractions here and there. My doctor was surprised each time I came in for an appointment which made me think that it was going to happen at any point.
Dr. Hampton told me that I would probably have a few contractions and then be in full blown labor due to how dilated I was. She also told me to expect my delivery to be quick. I had some issues with back pain after my epidural with Avery so I decided that if possible I would really like to try not getting an epidural. I figured that I would have to be like 8 or 9 cm in order to do this because I was not about to lay around miserable for hours. I even discussed it with my doctor who agreed that it would be a good plan.
I had my 40 week visit on a Wednesday, 2 days before my due date. Dr. Hampton told me I was 5 cm, was really low, and offered to strip my membranes. She said it probably wouldn't do anything since I was already so dilated and effaced but that it was worth a shot. We then set an induction date for the following Thursday.
That afternoon, I felt nothing. I decided to be a little proactive and made buffalo chicken sliders which are a little spicy (not very spicy at all to the average person but spicy to me). We then went on a walk which I had not done in a while.
After Avery was in bed that night, Bill and I were watching tv and I started having some contractions. They were pretty irregular and not very strong. Around 10 pm, I told Bill that this might end up being it. I was not really in pain but they were definitely uncomfortable. They were coming anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart. We got ready for bed and I figured that if I could fall asleep then I was not in labor. I ended up falling asleep and then waking up at 1:30 am. I was uncomfortable but the contractions had slowed down a lot. I watched a tv show and then went back to bed. Around 4:15, I woke up to a really strong contraction. I knew pretty quickly that it was go time since I was having to stop everything when I had them. I got up and started putting on some makeup. I decided to call my mom and tell her to head over after about 15 minutes of contractions. I contemplated telling her to take her time since I had just started having the intense contractions but thankfully I didn't.
My mom got to our house around 5:30ish. When she walked in, I was hunched over our island in pain. I had tried to write out directions to Avery's classroom between contractions but I'm not sure they were even legible.
We raced to the hospital where I constantly told Bill to go faster or to slow down depending on how much pain I was in. It was torture! Thank goodness the streets were pretty empty because if there had been traffic, I think I might have died. Like really.
Since I had partially hoped that labor would go this way, I read a blog that a woman wrote about delivering naturally. There was a whole lot of natural junk that I thought was ridiculous but I remember one thing that stuck out to me- you have to keep telling yourself that the horrible, painful contractions were a necessary way to get your baby in your arms. They won't last forever and your body is doing what it is supposed to do.
As we were driving to the hospital, I was praying that I would physically be able to handle the contractions and thanking God for this child that I was about to meet. Somehow I was still able to focus on the positive and not dwell completely on how awful it felt.
I wish I could say that I had that mindset the whole time but it lasted until I arrived at the hospital. At that point, all rational thoughts flew out the window. Bill dropped me off and I hobbled in. He met me in the entrance to labor and delivery because I was hunched over waiting for a contraction to pass.
We finally made it to the check-in desk. There was this sweet, young couple checking in for an induction. I remember thinking that we were them 3 years ago when we had Ave. I had to hunch over the countertop immediately when we walked up. The check-in lady was having a casual conversation with the couple, and it took every ounce of my self control not to yell at this woman to get me to a room.
Once we filled out a form, she sent us over to a bench to wait. I literally could not sit due to the pressure and started to moan/ make a lot of noise very loudly. I could not control myself. I was mortified that I was acting like this in public but I couldn't do anything about it. They sent someone right over that started walking us to triage. She asked how dilated I was when last checked. When I told her 5 cm and she assessed how crazy I was acting, she looked mortified and started taking us to a room.
When I stripped off my clothes frantically in the middle of the room with the door wide open to put the gown on, I think she realized that things were getting serious. She checked me, told me I was 8 cm and extremely low, and pressed the emergency button. About 10 nurses ran in, started asking questions, and put my IV in. It was extreme chaos, and Bill looked freaked out to say the least.
When I think back to what I must have looked like during this next 30 minutes, it makes me laugh but also want to cry a little at how embarrassing I behaved. Bill had to answer the questions, and I clutched the side of the bed for dear life when I wasn't shouting out in pain. I may have even yelled a couple bad words even though I am not one to ever say them. The S variety, not the F- I'm proud that I had some self control :). I was like the crazy women that you see on tv and think to yourself, "why can't she get it together?" The epidural wasn't even an option and I felt like I needed to push about 5 minutes after getting in bed.
When I yelled to the nurses that I needed to push, they told me that the doctor wasn't going to be there for a few more minutes and that I needed to grunt. I was thinking, "are you kidding me?" Grunt? Really? At that point, I didn't care who delivered my child, I just knew that I was going to die if I didn't deliver her soon.
Thankfully, Dr. Turner showed up about 5 minutes later. I pushed twice and out came my little girl! We had gotten to the hospital only 30 minutes earlier when I delivered. It was such a crazy experience. I remember apologizing no fewer than like 50 times to the doctor and nurses. Dr. Turner isn't my usual doctor and I am thankful for that. I would have been extremely embarrassed if Dr. Hampton had seen me acting crazy. I honestly hope that I don't see any of those people again. I usually pride myself on being in control even in stressful situations but all of that went out the window that morning. I still shudder at the thought. Thank goodness it was not on video!
I think it took a couple of hours to fully process all that had happened. It was a little hectic and very painful but it was so worth it to have the little one that I had been praying for and thinking about for the past 9 months and even before that.
I am so very grateful that Chloe arrived safely and is healthy. She is absolutely perfect, and I would do it all over again for her (although if someone offered me a million dollars to do it again with no reward of a child in the end, I would shoot them down in a heartbeat). I am happy that I can say that I had a natural childbirth and really had wanted it to go that way (well mostly that way) but if we have any more children, I will be at the hospital asking for an epidural at the first sign of a contraction.
Chloe girl- you were so worth it! I'm so happy you are here with us! We prayed for you long before we were pregnant with you and could not have asked for a more perfect, beautiful child to join our family. You brought us hope and excitement after such a time of sadness. You made Avery a sister and made us a family of four. We love you so much already and can't wait to watch you grow up!
My mom got to our house around 5:30ish. When she walked in, I was hunched over our island in pain. I had tried to write out directions to Avery's classroom between contractions but I'm not sure they were even legible.
We raced to the hospital where I constantly told Bill to go faster or to slow down depending on how much pain I was in. It was torture! Thank goodness the streets were pretty empty because if there had been traffic, I think I might have died. Like really.
Since I had partially hoped that labor would go this way, I read a blog that a woman wrote about delivering naturally. There was a whole lot of natural junk that I thought was ridiculous but I remember one thing that stuck out to me- you have to keep telling yourself that the horrible, painful contractions were a necessary way to get your baby in your arms. They won't last forever and your body is doing what it is supposed to do.
As we were driving to the hospital, I was praying that I would physically be able to handle the contractions and thanking God for this child that I was about to meet. Somehow I was still able to focus on the positive and not dwell completely on how awful it felt.
I wish I could say that I had that mindset the whole time but it lasted until I arrived at the hospital. At that point, all rational thoughts flew out the window. Bill dropped me off and I hobbled in. He met me in the entrance to labor and delivery because I was hunched over waiting for a contraction to pass.
We finally made it to the check-in desk. There was this sweet, young couple checking in for an induction. I remember thinking that we were them 3 years ago when we had Ave. I had to hunch over the countertop immediately when we walked up. The check-in lady was having a casual conversation with the couple, and it took every ounce of my self control not to yell at this woman to get me to a room.
Once we filled out a form, she sent us over to a bench to wait. I literally could not sit due to the pressure and started to moan/ make a lot of noise very loudly. I could not control myself. I was mortified that I was acting like this in public but I couldn't do anything about it. They sent someone right over that started walking us to triage. She asked how dilated I was when last checked. When I told her 5 cm and she assessed how crazy I was acting, she looked mortified and started taking us to a room.
When I stripped off my clothes frantically in the middle of the room with the door wide open to put the gown on, I think she realized that things were getting serious. She checked me, told me I was 8 cm and extremely low, and pressed the emergency button. About 10 nurses ran in, started asking questions, and put my IV in. It was extreme chaos, and Bill looked freaked out to say the least.
When I think back to what I must have looked like during this next 30 minutes, it makes me laugh but also want to cry a little at how embarrassing I behaved. Bill had to answer the questions, and I clutched the side of the bed for dear life when I wasn't shouting out in pain. I may have even yelled a couple bad words even though I am not one to ever say them. The S variety, not the F- I'm proud that I had some self control :). I was like the crazy women that you see on tv and think to yourself, "why can't she get it together?" The epidural wasn't even an option and I felt like I needed to push about 5 minutes after getting in bed.
When I yelled to the nurses that I needed to push, they told me that the doctor wasn't going to be there for a few more minutes and that I needed to grunt. I was thinking, "are you kidding me?" Grunt? Really? At that point, I didn't care who delivered my child, I just knew that I was going to die if I didn't deliver her soon.
Thankfully, Dr. Turner showed up about 5 minutes later. I pushed twice and out came my little girl! We had gotten to the hospital only 30 minutes earlier when I delivered. It was such a crazy experience. I remember apologizing no fewer than like 50 times to the doctor and nurses. Dr. Turner isn't my usual doctor and I am thankful for that. I would have been extremely embarrassed if Dr. Hampton had seen me acting crazy. I honestly hope that I don't see any of those people again. I usually pride myself on being in control even in stressful situations but all of that went out the window that morning. I still shudder at the thought. Thank goodness it was not on video!
I think it took a couple of hours to fully process all that had happened. It was a little hectic and very painful but it was so worth it to have the little one that I had been praying for and thinking about for the past 9 months and even before that.
I am so very grateful that Chloe arrived safely and is healthy. She is absolutely perfect, and I would do it all over again for her (although if someone offered me a million dollars to do it again with no reward of a child in the end, I would shoot them down in a heartbeat). I am happy that I can say that I had a natural childbirth and really had wanted it to go that way (well mostly that way) but if we have any more children, I will be at the hospital asking for an epidural at the first sign of a contraction.
Chloe girl- you were so worth it! I'm so happy you are here with us! We prayed for you long before we were pregnant with you and could not have asked for a more perfect, beautiful child to join our family. You brought us hope and excitement after such a time of sadness. You made Avery a sister and made us a family of four. We love you so much already and can't wait to watch you grow up!
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