Jude's Birth Story: Part 2

We woke up the next morning just before 5.  My nerves were already jittery before my feet even hit the floor.  I got up to get ready while Adam caught a few more minutes of sleep.  I had been keeping a labor diary on my phone for the past couple weeks, recording my symptoms and feelings.  I typed this while I was getting ready.

                 August 29, 4:50 a.m. I can't believe this day is here. I didn't sleep much last night.  Dozed off and on. Got up 2 or 3 times to pee.  Kept waking up with a stomach ache.  Very nervous about having my water broken and nervous about pushing the baby out without an epidural.

I remember with August that it didn't hurt when the doctor broke my water.  I wasn't even sure she had done it, even though she told me she was fixing to break it.  I didn't have an epidural at that point, but I was on the Magnesium and Nubain, so I was pretty out of it.  I imagined a balloon popping inside of me.  Wouldn't I feel that?  Wouldn't it hurt if I didn't have any drugs?  I knew when I began pushing Jude out, that I would have adrenaline and all that going, but when they broke my water, it would just be me, sitting there dealing with it.  No drugs, adrenaline, or labor to speak of.  Just me getting my water broken.  I was really scared about it.

Adam started loading the car while I finished up my makeup and straightening my hair.  Yeah, I'm that girl.  I snapped a quick picture once I was all ready.

Comparing this picture to my other pregnancy pictures, I could tell that my face was starting to swell.

We packed a diaper bag, the "My Breast Friend" pillow, a suitcase that we shared, both of our pillows (we figured out from August's birth that these are a must have! Hospital pillows are awful, and you only get 1.), the video camera bag, and my purse.  We were set! 

It was 5:35 a.m. when we left the house, and we were supposed to be there at 6:00.  I of course wasn't hungry, but I knew I needed to eat.  We stopped by McDonald's, and I got a chicken biscuit.  I scarfed it down as we made our way to the hospital.  Our car ride was mostly quiet since we were trying to finish our breakfast.  I analyzed my body to see if I could determine anything.  I was definitely feeling some tightening, but no real pain.  It seemed to be coming about every 10 minutes. 

When we pulled into the parking lot, it was right at 6.  I was trying to keep the tears from coming.  I was so nervous, but I wanted to go into the birth optimistic and excited.  Adam parked the car and said that he wanted us to pray.  We bowed our heads, and Adam prayed for the delivery and for the nurses and our midwife.  He also prayed that my body would progress naturally and with as little intervention as possible.  When we said amen, I wiped a tear from my eyelashes, and we began unloading the car.

As we walked in the front lobby, a nurse was leaving.  She smiled at us, watching us with all of our stuff.  I remember thinking that was really nice of her to smile.  She sees people having babies every day.  I'm sure it's nothing new.  But it's nice that she smiled, and I felt encouraged by her.

When we walked up to the nurses' station, I gave them my name and what time I was supposed to be there. 

"She is so cute!" a nurse said.
"She is adorable" another nurse said.

I felt my face get hot, and I smiled when I realized they were talking about me.  I felt kind of silly being told I was cute and adorable.  Especially when they were about to see me not so cute and adorable.  Haha.  I wondered which of them would be my nurse.

They had me fill out and sign a few (scary) papers.  Then a nurse with a strong northern accent took us to our room.  She made small talk asking us if this was our first, and then when we said no, she asked us questions about August.  We got the same surprised reaction we always get when we told her our son was born last year.  :)

She took us into the labor room.  We were at a different hospital this time.  We would have a labor room and then a recovery room, which is different from our last hospital where you stay in the same room the whole time.  It of course looked more medical looking than I wanted.  I saw the IV cart next to the bed, and I immediately wanted to say that I wouldn't be using it, but I decided to wait. 

The nurse gave me my gown and told me to go ahead and change and go to the bathroom.  I walked into the bathroom and started changing.  Seriously, has no one come up with a better hospital gown yet?  Those things are so complicated.  I was probably supposed to go ahead and take my underwear off, but I left it on.  I wasn't ready for that yet.  I came back out and climbed into bed as the nurse had instructed.

A few minutes later, she came back in and asked if I had a birth plan.  I asked Adam to get my birth plan out of my purse, and he handed it to her.  She left the room to make a copy.  Here was my birth plan:

Adam and Amanda Hare's Birth Plan

Jude's Expected Due Date: 8/29/13

We are the proud parents of a 15 month old baby boy named August (born 5/3/12), and we are excited to welcome our second baby boy, Jude, into the world! August's birth was induced at 40 weeks and 2 days. We had planned on the birth being as natural as possible, but I was diagnosed with Preeclampsia upon check-in at the hospital. I was on IV fluids, Nubain, Magnesium Sulfate, an epidural, a catheter, continuous fetal monitoring, and several oral pain and blood pressure medications. I am hoping this birth will be a much different story. Thank you for reviewing our hopes for Jude's birth! We appreciate everything y'all do! We are looking forward to meeting our sweet boy!

-Adam and Amanda

Labor

I wish to have wireless fetal monitoring or intermittent fetal monitoring, as I hope to be mobile during labor.

I would like an IV port only- no IV fluids or IV medications unless medically necessary. This has been approved by my midwife.

I would like to try my very best to labor without an epidural, and I would prefer not to be offered one.

If labor is not progressing at a safe rate, I would like to try natural labor induction techniques and use pitocin as a last resort.

Birth

I wish to sit propped up to push Jude out, since I believe that will help my efficiency with pushing.

Please, no episiotomy unless absolutely necessary. I would greatly appreciate it if I could be coached and assisted so that I will not tear. Warm compresses and perineal stretching would be helpful. I had many 2nd degree tears with August, but he was pulled out of me all in one contraction, so I had no time to stretch. If tearing looks imminent, I prefer to tear naturally as opposed to an episiotomy.

Adam may prefer to "catch the baby" as long as everything is going well. However, he may decide to stay by my side.

I wish to delay cutting the cord for at least a couple minutes and to allow Jude to be placed on my chest after being born.

If any emergency assistance should be needed for Jude, I prefer for it to be given to him while he remains on my chest.

I wish to hold Jude for an extended period before he is passed off for cleaning up, weight, measurements, and the works. During this time I will give him the chance to nurse if he shows the desire.

Jude's Care

 

 

Transition: I request that his transition services be done in our room. I requested to fill out formal paperwork on this service during our hospital tour, but we were told to just request this service when we checked into the hospital.

Jude will be rooming in with us during our stay so that we can establish breastfeeding. I would prefer he be in the nursery (if he even has to be in the nursery) for the least amount of time possible so that he can nurse frequently.

Please do not give Jude any bottles or pacifiers. I would like to establish breastfeeding and will not be introducing artificial nipples until I feel that he has mastered nursing.

If for some reason supplementation is needed, we will not be supplementing with formula. I will be bringing a manual breast pump, and will supplement Jude with colostrum or breast milk (whatever I'm making at that time), and I will use a syringe, spoon, or dropper to give it to him.

　

When the nurse came back in, she told me that she would be off duty soon, and that my new nurse would be here shortly, and she would be with me for the whole labor more than likely.  She walked over to my bed with what I recognized as the IV port.  Yay. I called Adam over to the bed for moral support.

As she began cleaning my wrist for the port, my stomach turned flips.  I hated the smell of the alcohol wipe.  I tried not to look at the needle or the tubes.  Once she had all of her tape ready, she said the infamous words, "Big stick!"

I stared into Adam's face as he watched her place the port.  I wished he would look at me and not at what the nurse was doing.  Then all of a sudden, I felt a sharp, stinging pain accompanied by a loud noise that sounded like someone was slurping the last drops out of a straw. 

"Oh, don't look!" said the nurse.  "I made a mess.  Don't look."

Sweat started pouring off of face.  Here we go again. 

 

Click here for Part 3