I had better be further than 3 cm. These contractions must be doing something, otherwise I am the biggest wimp on the planet. How do people do this naturally? Granted, I am on Pitocin, which is like contractions on steroids. But surely I'm further than a 3.
"You're at about a 6....no....7....Oh! Now you're at an 8!" Lisa announced.
"WHAT?!" I gasped. I went from a 3 to an 8 in....about an hour? I did not expect that at all! I couldn't believe it.
"I'll go find the anesthesiologist...." Lisa said as she hurried out the door.
I could tell she was just as shocked as I was. I couldn't believe I had progressed that quickly! I could tell Lisa felt bad for making me go that far without an epidural. I wasn't mad at her. I was too shocked to be mad.
"Well, are you ready to have a baby, honey?" I asked Adam in between contractions.
"Let's do it!" he said.
After about 10 minutes the anesthesiologist came in the room.
"You are my new best friend!" I exclaimed. "I'm sure you get that a lot though."
I was feeling chatty now. I was SO ready to get rid of that pain. The anesthesiologist was pushing a cart of needles and supplies. I have never been so happy to see a cart like that in my life.
"Are you allergic to any drugs?" he asked.
"Nitrous Oxide," I answered. Nitrous Oxide is the laughing gas from the dentist office.
"What happens when you have that?" He stopped and looked at me over his glasses.
"I seizure," I replied.
I could tell that wasn't the answer he was looking for. I prayed he would still give me the epidural.
"Ok...well I need you to sign these forms. It's a formality letting you know that this is a risk, not just for you, but for anyone getting an epidural."
I scratched my signature as quickly as I could onto the paper.
"Alright, let's get this started," he said.
I sat up in the bed and leaned over onto the nurse per his instructions. I felt him rub a cold liquid onto my back. I had watched a video online before of an epidural being given. They rub that dark stuff on your back before the needle goes in. Then I heard the infamous words, "Big stick! Hold still." Those words were more than welcomed this time. The epidural didn't hurt at all. Not even a pinch. I felt it go in, and I felt him push it in deeper, but it didn't hurt at all. The nurse who administered my IV should've been there to take notes.
"Alright, we're done," he said after about a minute.
"Wow, that was fast." I was surprised. I had read online that it was like a 20 minute process.
"I'll be back to check on you in a little bit," he said, and he pushed his cart out the door.
I had a couple more painful contractions after that. I waited for a warming sensation that I read about online, but that never came. My legs never went numb. I was still able to move them. The epidural took the edge off of the contractions, but I could still feel them coming and going. I could feel the hardness of my stomach and the intensity of the contraction, just not the sharp pain that used to come with it.
We knew it wouldn't be too much longer. I don't remember much about the happenings at this point, but I do remember my mom helped me put on some makeup. Yes, I'm that girl. After laboring all night and all morning long, I knew I looked a hot mess. The Magnesium made me really weak, so my mom helped me out. I wanted to look good in the pictures with my little man. :) My little compact mirror didn't reveal how truly swollen my face was. I was a blimp. My whole body was pumped with fluids. I remember not even recognizing my own feet. They were even worse than they had been over the past few weeks. I didn't think that was possible.
Before I knew it, I was at 9 cm and then 10 cm.
"You're 10 centimeters. Are you ready to do some practice pushes?" Lisa asked.
Wow. I couldn't believe this moment was here. Practice pushes? Like I'm going to practice pushing this baby out? I had no idea how to push. All I knew was that I was going to have to push with everything I had. There was no going back now. He had to come out, so the harder I could push, the faster I could get him out. At this point, I didn't look back.
"I'm ready!" I told Lisa.
Everyone left the room except for Lisa and Adam. They held my legs back, and we waited on a contraction. I was able to tell them when I was having a contraction because my epidural was apparently turned down very low. When the contraction finally came, I pushed down with all I had. Some people say you have to learn how to push, others say you know based on instinct. All I know is that I heard it's a lot like having a bowel movement....a really big one. So that's what I went with. I pushed....like that....with everything I had.
I'm not sure how long I practiced pushing. It didn't feel like long at all. Lisa checked my progress.
"I can feel his head; we are getting close!" she said.
Oh my goodness. I couldn't believe he was coming. He was really coming.
A few more contractions came, and I pushed down.
"Right now, you are pushing a Hot Wheels on ice. I need you to push a Mack Truck with its brakes on!" Lisa coached.
I pushed hard. I mean hard. I thought the veins on my neck would pop out. I grunted and groaned and gave it everything I had. This boy was coming out! The feeling of pressure was intense. I kept thinking that surely he was about to just burst out of me.
"Good job! That was a great push! He came down really far!" she encouraged.
After a few more Mack Truck pushes, Lisa could see his head. He wasn't far. She pulled up one of the stirrups and placed my leg in it. Adam continued holding the other leg.
"Time to call the doctor!" she said as she walked toward the phone.
I gulped. I couldn't believe my son was about to be born. He was about to be here. We were about to meet August.
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