Labor and Delivery

My my my... what an experience! We went in at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 5th to start the induction process (Evelyn was a week overdue). They gave me something to soften my cervix, then the waiting began. Jason went home, and I slept. The next day, they gave me Pitocin (the synthetic version of oxytocin, the contraction-inducing hormone) at 11 a.m. Then, the REAL contractions began. Woooohoooo, those little buggers hurt! As the day went on, they increased the Pitocin dosage, which increased the intensity of the contractions. The nurse commented on how I was still smiling...but she was referring to the times BETWEEN contractions. Once the contractions brought tears to my eyes, they had the doctor come in and give me the epidural. Oh my gosh! What a difference! Then they broke my water. Once that happened, I was dilating a centimeter every half hour, if that! After the 13 hours of labor, Evelyn was ready to enter the world.

The pushing lasted two hours. By the end of the first hour, I was begging for help. I said, "Aren't you going to use forecepts?" The doctor said, "No. Push." Then I said, "Aren't you going to use a vacuum?" The doctor said, "No. Push." Then I said, "Are we going to have to have a c-section?" The doctor said, "No. Push." He was obviously bound and determined to make me push that 15 1/4 inch head out!!

Jason was amazing the entire time. I really wonder how he did all the things he did while I was pushing....did he have three hands? He held my leg up while holding my oxygen mask and wiping my face with a cold cloth...How did he do that? He was extremely supportive and kept telling me how great I was doing. He was wonderful.

Then....she came out! When they put that big, red, beautiful baby on my chest, the only thing I could say was, "Oh my God...Oh my God....Hi sweetheart!" Then, they whisked her away to clean her up and check her out. Meanwhile, I was panting like an exhausted dog, periodically asking the nurse, "Is she healthy?" while Jason told me a million times how amazing I was. It felt like a year while the doctor was stitching me up. All I wanted was to hold that beautiful, healthy, 9 1/2 pound daughter of mine.

After a little bonding time, in came the grandparents. I've never seen them so proud and happy. I sat there and watched them as they stood in a little grandparent circle, gushing over our little one...it was so precious. While they were gushing, Jason stood by me, still telling me how amazing I was. I'll never forget that moment.

Here are some things I didn't know about labor and delivery:

1.) Epidurals don't hurt. Oh, on the contrary. Epidurals are a gift from God. I wish there had been a video of me...before and after the epidural. It would be hilarious!

2.) Epidurals wear off! Not because the dosage is lowered...nooooo...because once the baby enters the birth canal, they don't work! It doesn't matter how many narcotics they pump into your I.V., once that baby is ready to come out, you feel every bit of every contraction.

3.) When you feel every bit of every contraction, it HURTS like HELL! I've tried to describe the pain of a contraction as severe menstrual cramps, but somehow, that description does NOT do them justice.

4.) Everyone is different when it comes to contractions and what they want while pushing. I, for instance, wanted silence during my contractions and needed the weight of my legs to be supported between pushing. Weird.

5.) Doctors don't do ANYTHING during the delivery. The only thing my doctor did was the episiotomy. Otherwise, Jason and the O.B. nurse were the ones helping me while I was pushing.

6.) "Proud" has a whole new meaning now. I'm proud that I was able to push her out. I'm proud that I have such a supportive and nurturing husband. And, most of all, I'm proud that I was able to produce such a wonderfully healthy, beautiful baby. The feeling is amazing and brings tears to my eyes even while I'm writing this. We're so blessed and lucky.

So, there it is....my account of the wonderful experience of child birth. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it. It truly was the most amazing experience of my life.

Love,
Mandy