Going into labor

As I sit here watching my beautfiul baby sleep, I can't even figure out where to start on these blogs.  I have sooooo much to say!  These past couple weeks have been such a whirlwind.  Since she came into this world, I have been a sappy, happy, emotional, busy MOTHER! I know everyone says this, but it is seriously the coolest, most joyful experience in the world.  It's also one of the hardest things I've ever done.

P helping me blog

It's like God dropped this precious gift off with no instructions.  I felt so lost.  I am finally getting into a routine and learning how things get done.
  I will try to go through how everything went down so I'll start with laboring at home.  Bare with me...these will probably be long. (PS can these blogs count as her baby book)


Laboring at home: Wednesday, October 2nd
I woke up at 3:30 am on Wednesday morning with some bad cramps.  They just felt like menstrual cramps, but I hadn't had any of these so I was a little concerned.  I started googling "can contractions feel like mentrual cramps" and I found that yes, they can start out that way.  It's totally  not what I expected contractions to feel like.  I was having these cramps like every 15-30 minutes from 3:30 am - 6:30 am.  Even though they had kinda stopped, I decided I should probably stay home from work.  I worked from home that day and when JP got home from work, the cramps/contractions started getting closer together and much stronger.  At about 6:30 pm Wednesday night, we started timing and logging these.  


I just knew this little chickadee would be later than her due date so I was convinced I was in "false labor."  (her due date was October 7th)  That is until the stupid contractions started bringing tears to 
my eyes around 8:30 pm.  From 8:30-12:30 I labored at home, just waiting for these bitches to get close enough together and last long enough, that I could call the doctor.  Every contraction I was thinking, "hurry and end, hurry and end, no wait, last long enough to call the doc, so I can go to the hospital and get an epidural!"  Finally at 12:30, we called the doc and they told us to go to the hospital.

Getting checked in

Hospital: Thursday October 3rd
  We got to the hospital at 1:00 am.  We checked in and then they told me that they had to make sure I was in "active labor."  If you aren't in active labor, they send you home...ummm, what?!?!  Well, if you send me home, can I take an epidural with me?? 

Not happy about more laboring sans epidural

Anyway, so when I came in, I was dilated to a 3.  They made me labor for 2 more hours to make sure I was progressing.  They came in around 3:30 am and I had dilated to a 4.  Thank God!  I don't have to go home.  By the way, the contractions at home and at the hospital (pre epidural) were by far the hardest part of labor.  They asked me when I wanted my epidural.  ummmm, now!  I had been laboring for 9ish hours and was going on 24 hours of no sleep.  I was already exhausted at this point.

J was exhausted too

 
5:00 am - I finally got the epidural.  I have said this before, but I have no idea how people do it without the epidural.  Going into labor, I was nervous about the epidural. But by the time I finally got it, I didn't so much care if it was going to hurt.  I just wanted the pain to go away!  It totally did not hurt by the way.  They give you a numbing shot first.  My IV in my arm hurt worse than the epidural.  Probably because the nurse had to stick me twice.  Anyway, everything was smooth sailing about ten minutes later.  They also started me on Pitocin so I would be ready to go when the doctor got in at 8:00am.  P apparently didn't like the Pitocin.  It made her heart rate drop (or spike, I can't really remember)  Nothing to be too scared about, but they lowered the Pitocin and made me wear this awful oxygen mask.

Up next, Parker's arrival :)