Quickest Birth EVAR: parte tres.

have you read PART ONE? or how about PART TWO? ....well, click those links friends so you can be all caught up for the epicness that is PART THREE...aka the most intense twenty minutes of my life!

again, i apologize for the long delay between posts. i'd meant to post one per day to bring on some suspense, but life caught up with me and i totally forgot to keep posting. forgiveth me? i love you long time!

quick recap: i was in labor. they stopped labor. i was put on bedrest. i bought a bassinet. and all hell broke loose after a facebook status update. 

Part Three: The Hospital  |  practically sneezing out babies.

during that hellish ride I spoke of before, i was holding on for dear life and pleading with charlie to slow down. he kept saying he couldn't, but i was begging. flying around the corners with him trying to obey the stop signs by "lightly" tapping the brake [and by lightly i mean slamming on it for a second] during contractions was absolutely torture. i managed to tell him to go to the emergency room because i knew they'd have wheelchairs and they'd get me up to L&D fairly quickly. besides, i didn't want to chance that the front doors to the hospital would be closed. [and yea, they would've been.] as we pull up to the ER, they had some construction blocking the normal way in so i told charlie to just screw it and drive in the way that the ambulances go...but facing the opposite direction.

next thing i know, there are guys standing outside my door with a wheelchair and telling me to get out of the car. i'll never understand why people say the dumbest things to a laboring woman. i was CLEARLY in transition and could barely speak, let alone move. i was in the middle of back to back contractions and i squeaked out that i couldn't move. they told me to try so during the little fifteen second break i was getting, i rolled out of the car and into the wheelchair just in time for the contractions to start up again. at some point i hear one of the guys telling charlie that he needed to come in the other way next time...i'm pretty sure my eyes rolled at that point from the sheer ridiculousness of these people.

next thing i know, we're flying down the hall. they guy was walking at first and then hearing all of my moaning and groaning, he picked up speed. lol i actually don't even remember how we got to the third floor [obviously the elevator] but i was so "in the zone of transition" it didn't even register. as we're coming down the hall i was screaming, and the nurses and doctors later told me that they knew from the sounds coming down the hall that "this was it" for whomever it was. the guy wheeled me into triage and they start asking me questions.

"miss do you have your military id?"

"how far along are you?"

"what's your name?"

"is anyone with you?"

"have you had the flu shot?"

i'm like, "DUUUDES. i'm about to have this baby..can we ask questions later?" but i managed to answer some of the questions. thankfully charlie ran up with the birth bag a few seconds after so he was able to answer the questions. 

side note: they dismantled my chart from the last time i was there and somehow had the wrong due date. they had me due mid July...so they're sitting here trying to figure out if my baby is even going to be alive and i'm telling them over and over again that i'm due june 1st and such. i shake my head. 

they wheel me into triage room 3 [ i remember bc that's the same room i was in when i was in labor before] and they tell me i need to get on the bed. keep in mind that i'm 5'1, severely pregnant, having horrible contractions and the bed is LITERALLY up to my chest. i straight up told them i couldn't. the guy was like, "you need to". i said, "well i can't. so you have to lift me". so him and charlie hooked me under the arms and lifted me into the bed. while i was moving to the bed, some other nurse holds out one of the hospital gowns and tells me i need to change into it. i roll my eyes and say, in my most exasperated voice ever, "can i just please leave this one on? i don't care what happens to it." basically saying, "PRIORITIES PEOPLE, PRIORITIES!" whomever the idiot was left me alone at that point. 

i get into the bed and they tell me they need to check me to see how far along i was. they ask me if my bag of waters had broken and i shook my head no. keep in mind, i'm contracting like there's no tomorrow. they're trying to get between my legs but i'm all tensed up--- the total opposite of how i should be laboring, but the pain was so intense and all over the place that i couldn't even begin to relax. they instruct me to put my feet together and let my legs fall open but i'm like, "i can't move. it hurts too much". and of course, they're telling me i have to so i suck it up and let them check me. of COURSE i'm contracting while they're checking. there's nothing more painful than a hand up your hoohaw when you're having an intense contraction. they check and announce that i'm dilated to a 7, completely effaced and they can feel my bag of waters. 

i can remember feeling relief when they announced that. i was worried that the pain i'd been enduring for two hours wasn't doing anything. so to hear that i'd dilated 3cm in two hours made me happy. i was also happy because they started to take me even more seriously. these stats put me in active labor so they wheeled me over to labor room 2 and we had to deal with "you need to get into this bed" "well i can't move" once again. somehow i made it into the other bed. i asked for ice chips because my mouth and throat were completely dry from all the screaming i had been doing. i was looking over at charlie when i heard someone ask if i wanted an epidural. charlie spoke instantly saying that i didn't want one. and i looked up at him and was like, "babe, i don't think i can do it." he was like, "yes you can babe."

there were a ton of people in the room. i recognized the nurse that was there when austin was born and charlie. other than that, i didn't know anyone else. there were a lot of residents though. this one resident in particular was trying to start an IV. i was lying on my right side, facing charlie and holding on for dear life when he told me he needed to get an IV in my arm. i stuck out my right arm and said "do this one...it's not going to work, but here". so he started. anyone who knows me knows i'm not afraid of needles. i pretty much NEVER have any issues with needles especially with my super huge veins in my arm, but THIS guy was an idiot. with shaky hands, he stuck me once, i screamed. he stuck me twice, i screamed. he tried another part of my arm, i screamed. and just in case you forgot...contractions on top of contractions. then he tried again and i balled my fist up to punch him. i was two seconds away from punching this guy dead in the jaw when charlie put his arm in front of me so i couldn't connect with the guy. then he handed the needle to the nearest resident who shoved it in my left arm, right underneath the bone in my wrist. i hated her. i STILL have issues with that IV site. oh, and no ice chips at this point. they pretty much suck at listening to me.

a lot of things were happening at once and i just remember people telling me to relax and not fight the contractions. i remember at one point telling them that "i KNOW i need to relax but it hurts really effing bad and i can't help it".  finally after what seemed like forever, charlie had a cup of ice chips and was shoving them in my face. oh, i could've kissed his big ole' head for that wonderfulness. the next thing i remember was the stupid IV resident telling me she was going to check me again. this was at about 9:10pm. my feet were good and in the stirrups so i didn't have to do anything but let her so she started checking. man oh man was there a lot of blood on her gloves. she had to change them once and then she announced i was at 9cm, complete and at 0 station. so in about ten minutes i went from 7cm to 9cm. say WHAT?! she said something about a small anterior lip and she could feel the baby's head. then i felt something catch on the inside and then there was warm rushing of fluids coming out of me. i even tried flexing my PC muscles to stop it. she'd broken my water. in my mind i was upset because i didn't want it ruptured artificially, even though i knew i was having this baby in a matter of minutes. lol. 

they changed the bed dressings with me still on the bed and i looked up at charlie and kept saying that i was feeling a lot of pressure. the resident then told me it was time to push. they instruct me how to push during the next contraction and i said okay. the next one came and i started pushing. i was lying on my right side and someone was holding my left leg up in the air. i could feel her head and it felt stuck no matter how hard i was bearing down. i stopped pushing and told them that i couldn't push in this position and that i needed to be sitting up. they let me roll over to my back and told me to keep pushing. i pushed three times and still could feel her not moving so i stopped. more than one person was screaming at me that her heartrate was dropping and i needed to push to get her out. i told them over and over again that i could NOT push on my back. i tried pushing again and {TMI ALERT} felt a large turd come out of my butt. at that point, i stopped. i clammed up. nope. no more pushing until i was sitting up.

i think charlie realized no one was going to listen to me so he raised the bed on his own. thank the Lord for my husband. as soon as i sat up and pushed, she came flying out. oooooh it was weird. i could feel every inch of her coming out. austin's birth was natural too, but being on muscle relaxers i couldn't feel things quite as "clearly". they held her up in front of me and snipped her cord then whisked her over to the waiting crib in the corner. i looked over and saw about five people surrounding her and it dawned on me again that she was a preemie. i started praying under my breath and saying, "please cry bella. cry dammit." and the most beautiful, strong cry came out of her mouth. i felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and then remembered that i had to get the placenta out. with austin i didn't even remember delivering it. this time, i felt a contraction coming and i pushed slightly and felt it ooze out of me. ew. it was disgusting. lol. i can't even describe it.

then they brought over my swaddled babe!!! she still had vernix on her and her face was super swollen and purple, i assume from my "not pushing" for a few minutes. i kissed her and looked up at charlie and said something like, "she's here!". it was a seriously tender moment and i wish someone had been able to snap a picture of our first moments together. they let me hold her for a few minutes before they had to take her to the NICU. i told charlie to go with her and take the cameras. he ran out of the room and slowly everyone else left the room.

so after two hours of laboring at home, twenty minutes of being at the hospital: my pretty bellz was born!

April 22, 2011

[Good Friday]

21:24

5lbs 0 ounces

16.5 inches long

all natural, no epi

and i totally pooped. 

The Quickest Birth EVAR: Part Two

i apologize for the massive delay in posting this story. two weeks at the hospital and then just being super drained because any sleep i get these days is filed away in the "napping while sitting straight up" category. not because of bellz...because i don't know how to go to bed anymore. lol

if you haven't read PART ONE, go ahead and click there first and see how i did most of the work with little effort.

so we're on to part two of the quickest birth ever. i've been giggling when i think about writing this out because only i could take a birth that last all of two hours and stretch it out over a few posts. talk about creativity. lol so grab something to eat, go take a bathroom break, and get settled in your comfy chair for the rest of this hilarious story.

Part Two: Laboring On | at home

so like i said before, it was all the bassinet. i just KNEW something was going to happen once i bought that little piece of baby stuff. and i think i set myself up by posting this on my facebook:

SEE. "we're all set for the little munchkin"

way to go, ma.

i posted that status at 6:43pm, sitting in the rocking chair and surveying the progress around the room. afterwards, i got up and picked up all of the trash and just did mindless straightening up and making of lists for other misc items we wanted to have in the room. and then i walked out and down the hall to get dinner.

i made it to the end of the hallway and felt a contraction. i'd been having contractions all day, but they were definite braxton hicks ones. we'd gone to motherhood maternity to get a dress for easter and to target for the bassinet. at target the contractions were getting stronger, but i could still breathe through them, even if i couldn't walk through them. but this contraction was different. it was painful in a different way. i stopped and dropped to the floor and "rode the wave" of pain. 

afterwards i got up, looked at the clock [it was 7:00pm] and went to the couch. i laid out blankets [because i was fearful of my bag of waters breaking on our new microfiber couch. lol] and grabbed pillows to help me get into a comfortable position where i could really relax and get into a good labor groove. i sent out text messages to brandi [who would be taking austin for the birth], my family, and my friend cassie [who is my natural labor guru]. the text message read: having contrax, can't breathe through them, timing them now. then i got to work.

psh. within TEN. MINUTES. i was moaning....LOUDLY. none of the positions helped me relax. instead of trying to "get out of the way" like all of my Bradley Method books suggested, i would get on my hands and knees and push my head deep into the cushions and scream. i pulled up the Stage 1 app on my phone and started timing them and immediately they were averaging 3 minutes apart and lasting for 60-90 seconds. charlie asked if i wanted to go to the hospital or call L&D but i declined, knowing that they'd ask me questions about the contractions and i needed to have something to tell them. i said we'd try in an hour.

 then...get this...i started telling my husband to straighten up the house. *facepalm* i guess nesting doesn't rest even in labor for me. lol i was having him fold up blankets and put shoes away and take the dog outside for a walk and all kinds of other random tasks. then i had him start a bag for austin since we didn't have one ready for him. by 7:30pm, the contractions were just crashing all over the place and i barely had time to catch my breath in between them. it seemed like the pain was just constant and never waned.

 i told charlie to crank up the hot water and run a bath for me so i could maybe get some relief. and oh friends, despite being cramped in the tub, the water was a good choice. i was kicking myself for not having rented a tub, but again- i figured we had a few weeks. i laid on my right side so i could hit the start/stop button on my phone without worrying about it falling in the tub. whenever a contraction started peaking, i would sink as low as i could in the water and try to relax, but i always ended up screaming my head off. charlie, austin and buddy were in there with me and each time i'd scream buddy would look positively scared and austin would look at me like i had three heads. and because charlie was running around while i barked orders and screamed through labor, austin was left to his own devices at times. and because he loves water and mommy was in the bathtub, he decided he wanted to splash and play in the water. charlie was stressed out, thinking i would be upset; but surprisingly austin being there and playing in the water didn't bother me at all. in fact, i was more annoyed that charlie kept trying to tell him to leave. at one point i barked out, "he's not bothering me. you're making it worse by telling him to stop. so just leave him alone". lol poor guy.

at this point, it's 8pm. i'd been timing the contractions for an hour so i told charlie to call L&D.  i was trying not to worry but i had started shaking while in the tub. and from my previous hospital stays, i knew that shaking meant definite dilation so i knew these contractions were working. he called and explained that i was 34 weeks along and had already been admitted for preterm labor and that i was having contractions that were on average 3 minutes apart lasting 60 to 90 seconds and they'd been that way for the last hour. they asked him a series of ridiculous questions [at least they seemed ridiculous] and then told him: "get her a bunch of water to drink, have her lie down and try to relax".

:dead:

obviously they weren't getting it. not only were the contractions indicative of labor, but the lady should've been listening to me through the phone. during that phone call [thanks to my handy contraction app] i had contractions that were ONE minute apart and lasting that long. and they were POW.ER.FUL, my friends. i was screaming my head off. no one in their right mind would think i was just having braxton hicks. 

so charlie hung up the phone and was like, "we should just go to the hospital". i was still feeling like i had some time left, and besides i needed to know that austin was taken care of. i told him to call or text brandi to tell her to come get austin. she said she'd be over in about thirty minutes because they were eating dinner. i was starting to feel like the bath wasn't helping as much as it had before..i think due to the fact that i was cramped trying to fit underneath the water. i was also getting more worried because i was shaking even more and i didn't want to have the baby in the tub. i tried to get up and OMG it was painful. trying to move through contractions sucks. i had charlie put some towels down on the bed just in case i hit the pushing stage before we could leave.

i'm sure it was only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity getting from the bathtub to the bed. i was starting to feel a lot more pressure "down there" so i told charlie that he needed to tell brandi to get over NOW. i don't know if he did or not, but after like a minute i told him to run over to our neighbors house and see if she'd keep austin until brandi got there. at this point, i was shaking uncontrollably, contracting really hard and felt intense pressure so i was really scared i was going to have an accidental home birth. which, under normal circumstances would've been fine, but since she was early i was scared of her needing immediate attention. while charlie ran across the street, i called my best friend lauren and told her that i was in labor and she should start making her way out to our house. during that phone call i had a few contractions that took my breath away [but i was still able to scream..lol] and i heard brandi come in the door to get austin. 

once aus was taken care of, charlie was immediately ready to go to the hospital. i had him run and get my nightgown, but he brought back just the robe. he helped me put it on and i attempted to tie it but, again...contractions. i was in a whole world of pain...it was suck city, y'all. we started down the hall and i had to stop several times. i even lied down on the tile floor right in front of the door because it hurt so bad to stand, the pressure was that intense. i asked if we should just call the ambulance and he said no because it would take too long. we got outside [with my open robe...i hope none of my neighbors saw my naked pregnant bod] and charlie is letting me lean on him while we walk to the car. with about five feet to go, i almost collapsed on the ground and called it a day. thankfully my husband is strong. i kept telling him, "i can't do it. i can't move. i just want to lie down right here" and he was like, "no we have to go to the hospital. c'mon you can do it babe." 

we finally made it to the car...thankfully he laid down some towels on the front seat. i told him that i couldn't just go to the hospital in an open robe so he ran to the backseat and got my nightgown out of the bag and threw it at me. lol. i put it on slowly while he ran back around to the driver's side and started the car. had i not been in so much pain, i would've kissed him. lol

he obviously was worried because his wife was in a ton of pain and there was literally nothing he could do about it. and he already has a lead foot so he's frantically trying to get to the hospital before i have the baby, but i'm screaming for him to "drive gentle please" because the bumps on the road coupled with his slamming on the gas and the brake at every intersection is making it all worse.

even though we live less than two minutes from it, the drive to the hospital was VERY MUCH a scene straight out of a movie..lol

...to be continued.

The Quickest Birth EVAR: Part One

the news of being pregnant with Bella completely took us by surprise! we should've known she'd keep us on our toes when a doctor administrated blood test said i wasn't pregnant, but a home test taken in the basement bathroom of my college brought the good word!

throughout the pregnancy, i constantly thought about my labor. austin's labor was, in my opinion, incredibly quick and relatively easy. it lasted seven hours and only two of those was painful. i was induced and felt that it had taken some of the "awesome unknown and spontaneity" of labor and delivery. but this time- i was excited for things to happen as naturally as possible. i monitored my blood pressure and did as much as i could in hopes to experience spontaneous labor.

i had decided that "in a perfect world", i'd have all of our bags packed, labor would start and i'd tell charlie [and other people on my list of "people that need to know"] i'd get in my bathtub to deal with contractions, eating and drinking to keep my energy up, and he would take austin to the sitters and come back to coach me through contractions. then once they got into a steady rhythm and had ben working hard for awhile, we'd get to madigan and head to our labor suite. staying at home long enough would allow me to move as i pleased, wear what i want, and not have to fight people for what i wanted. once she was born, austin would come visit and meet his sister and we'd have tons of film and video of the entire event to look back on years down the line.

Part One: Start & Stop | getting the work done with little effort

as you know, i fell at 31 weeks chasing the dog and found out i was 2cm dilated, 50% effaced, and at -2 station. a few days later, i had a few contractions at school that wouldn't let up so i ended up in the hospital for preterm labor at 32 weeks. they slowed my contractions and gave me two doses of steroids for bella's lung development. i was sent home after four days and put on bedrest. i could cook and shower, but i couldn't do much else. i set up a comfy spot on our couch and proceeded to "relax".

let me tell you, relaxing with a toddler and a dog...IMPOSSIBLE! i did as much relaxing as i could, but it didn't feel like enough. lol i just KNEW something was going to happen once i got home from the hospital. every little thing made me think i was going into labor. i felt like a pregnant hypochondriac. i even joked that i could feel better about her coming early. i remember there was one night that i paced the house all night with crampy contractions while everyone slept. i was for sure i was in labor or would have her, but they fizzled out and i was finally able to sleep. there were lots of other signs to make me think she was coming, but alas she didn't come.

my family had come into town the night after i was admitted for preterm labor and helped me with the "nesting" around my house. they had deep cleaned my house and helped get us ready for bella's arrival. they even went out and bought her two coming home outfits and packed our hospital bag. i felt all kinds of ready to go. the only thing we had to do was buy a bassinet. we're a co-sleeping/family bed type of family, but having a full size bed with two adults, one toddler, and a chihuahua makes for little room for a newborn. so my aunt suggested we buy a bassinet to keep on my side of the bed, especially since bella would be a super little girl. i agreed it was a great idea, but kept putting off the actual shopping.

i guess you could say i had a feeling the bassinet would trigger something...

last picture i took off the belly.

The one where she called my bluff....

So you know how I had mentioned before about deciding my own due date? Well you see, my daughter thought it'd be far more appropriate to run things her way.

I always joke that it's The Kiranda Show! (in fact, that's what my myspace name was), but Bella has made it clear that this is The Bella B show and I need to take a backseat!

Short story summed up (and it really is a short story!!)...Bella made her arrival last night at 9:24pm! She's currently in the NICU (as she was born at 34wks2dys), but the docs all agree she's kicking butt and taking names! They obviously have to monitor her there but anticipate she won't be there long!

When I went to see and hang out with her, she was grasping my finger, sucking her tongue and chillin out. She's breathing perfectly on her own and has only had slightly low blood pressure...like her mama.

She looks like a little old woman...(my babies are old souls I tell ya) and has Charlie's fingers, toes and hairline and my nose and lips! She's a lot more fatty than her brother, despite being a few ounces smaller than him at birth.

Im recovering awesomely and hope to take my baby girl home soon!! I'm pumping to get my milk going and so far so good! I can't wait to feed her!! Look for a birth story soon!!! Trust me, it's kind of hilarious!




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i'm a pregnant hypochondriac.

[source]

i think i have a problem, y'all.

  [beware: there's tmi's in this post]

i denied it for several days, but really i was in labor last week. and some people get excited, but really- it's not a good thing. you see, i'm still in the EARLY baking stage. i'd like to keep her in for just a few more weeks. according to my due date, i need three more weeks. but according to when she was conceived, i'll be safe in exactly two weeks. [more on that later.]

so anyways.

now that i'm home and not in the hospital, but still on bedrest...i keep feeling like i'm going to go into labor at. any. moment. like everything is freaking me out. [here come those tmi's...] take for example, the start and stop of my contractions. i'll have steady contractions all night, but as soon as i start to time them, they stop. or i'll have a ton of backache/menstrual cramping sensations....they were so bad the other night i paced my house and tossed and turned in bed for over four hours before i could get some relief. but nothing happened, obviously.

or like how your body has this sort of "elimination" system to prep you for labor. you know, cleaning out the pipes *ahem* so you don't poo on the table. [thankfully this didn't happen to me while delivering austin..lol] well y'all- i'm pooping on average twice a day. TWICE. A. DAY. i don't think i'm even eating enough to produce that much junk <----hehe. but there it is...coming right out of me. AND IT'S LOOSE!!


there's other things like tons of pressure down there in my pelvic region and sharp pains on my cervix, which i attribute to her rubbing her head down there and getting into position. and just feeling plain ole' "heavy". and gosh- can my belly get any bigger? i don't think so. it feels like it's gonna fall right off my body one of these days!!

the doc told me to come in whenever i experience any of these symptoms, but honestly- i don't want to go because i know they'll just send me home. and i don't want to chance them accidentally breaking my bag of waters or wanting to induce me or something. i'm already at 4cm with minimal work so that'll just make getting to 10 that much easier, right? although, the contrax i had last night felt like they were opening me up some more. can you imagine? being at 5cm+ when getting into active labor? oooh that'd be fantastic!

back to the point- i seriously keep thinking i'm in labor. and it's not cool. i'm always panicking because my phone is dead or charlie won't answer his phone. lol i think when it actually happens [unless my water breaks first] i'm going to think it's a joke. and speaking of water breaking, i'm so paranoid of that happening. i have towels and blankets underneath me all. the. time. i didn't get to experience that really so i'm worried about what it'll feel like if it happens on its own.

ugh. i just want the next few weeks to pass quickly so bella can put me out of my misery. because believing you're in labor when you're really not is a pretty stressful way to live, friends. pretty stressful, indeed.

would you vote? it'll make me feel better?! ♥

thank you, body & little miss bella.

it's 10:50pm here and i think it's safe to say this:

thank you bella (and ute') for not having bella on this day.

not that there's anything wrong with this day...it's just four-twenty. the day that everyone finds it amusing to smoke pot. not that i have a real problem with pot....okay, i'm lying. i think it's just ridiculous and i would not like my daughter to be born on this day.

why so uptight kiranda, you wonder?

ugh. where do i begin?! for one- she'll never live it down. her birth date would never be just about her. it would be about a bunch of lazy douchenozzles who like to further perpetuate their laziness by smoking a plant that affects their mood and state of being. and secondly- i'm just so anti-marijuana that it would totally be a slap in the face. like my ute' would forever mock me. and third- i just don't want it. okay. *stamps foot*

i'm just not into it and i don't think there's anything wrong with thinking that.

now, don't get me wrong- i believe if we made it legal and sold it out of government run shops we'd totally abolish any and all of the national deficit. because really, people are still buying the crap. and i'm one of those "do what you want as long as i'm not forced to do it too" people. but still...it's a stupid drug and i've lost many a friend to it's ridiculousness. no, they're not dead. but they're deadbeats. it's just dumb.

so. all of this is a long- winded way of saying thank you to my uterus and to my bella.

now watch...if i go into labor in the next 60 minutes. i'm gonna be pissed. 

Ok so maybe I shouldve taken it easy...

Hey hey hey! I've had to download blogpress to my phone since there is no wi-fi access here at the hospital. :( and posting from my phone alone would just be too much. Lol

So here's what's been going on:

Thursday, I went to class and was having more clusters of contractions. They'd start and stop and it was pretty annoying. I shouldve known something was up when I opted to nap through contractions rather than blog! (oh the horror!!) I took a long nap and finished my classes for the day and headed home.

My friend, Cassie, had been telling me to go to L&D for a few days now but I kept putting it off. As I've mentioned before, I'm just a few weeks out from graduation (like 6 classes each) and thought I could make it through. On the way home, I decided to just give them a call. I'd been having contractions on the ride home and by the time I parked my
car, they were coming right on top of each other and I could barely walk.

We got to triage and after three hours and a bunch of tests, it was determined that I WAS in preterm labor. My contractions were 3-4 minutes apart lasting for 60-90 minutes and definitely changing my cervix. In the two weeks since my fall, I'd dilated from 2cm to 3cm, 50% effaced and Bella had moved up to minus 3 station. But
my bag of waters was still bulging. In less than an hour, I'd progressed to 4cm (almost 5), 75% effaced and she was down to minus 2 station. At this point, there was no doubt I was getting admitted at least for the night and a few days. I had a ton of "bloody show" after all of my exams and was shaking really bad, which worried the doctors since that was indicative that my contractions were really putting in work.

I got to my room at midnight and had sent Austin to the babysitter (since we didn't know if I was having the baby or not) and Charlie went to get the necessary labor stuff (lip balm, cameras, chargers, socks, pillows and blankets). By the time he got back and settled in, I'd had a steroid shot for her lung development and had taken procardia to slow down my contractions.

The first night was pretty uneventful. I stayed on monitors and on saline to keep me hydrated. Bellas was doing fine and with all of the saline and the water/juice I was drinking (think two large big gulps every hour) I was peeing up a storm! I also had a lot, LOT of bloody show and at one point, thought I was hemorraging when my IV disconnected resulting in a large pool of blood when I went to the bathroom. I had visitors practically all day and it was just really nice to relax and not worry about much.

Hospital Stay part ii, coming up...


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Could ya vote?