Born June 28th at 11:08pm. He weighed 7lbs 6oz and measured 20.5in. long.
This was no easy task. We got to the hospital at 8:00 in the morning and were quickly set up for the day's adventure. Nancie Mooy, my midwife, met us there and she broke my water. After getting all hooked up to the I.V. , Dave and I walked the hallway of the Labor & Delivery floor for forty minutes of the first two hours. The walking was supposed to get my contractions going. Well, that did not work. After around noon, Nancie came in and checked me to find out I had made no progress since the morning. I was still a two! Things were just not moving the way they were supposed to. We decided to get on pitocin, although it was going to get contractions to be much stronger. I was going natural, like I did with Milli. It also meant that we would have to stay in our room and not wonder the halls. Still it was fine, the contractions were totally bearable and I felt like I could totally handle it. Dave and I practiced some of our hypnobirthing scripts and it was very relaxing. I felt like things were progressing. Well, I was wrong. At 4 in the afternoon I was just at a three! This was moving SO slowly.
Nancie turned the pitocin from a 4mls to 6mls. Contractions got stronger and more frequent. Still bearable and I was in total control. Still things were not progressing. It took hours to get to a five. By this point I had been through two sets of nurses. I was not discouraged, I felt that once I got to a five things would go super fast from there. After all, things went really fast with Milli. Clearly, no two deliveries are the same. Soon, dinner time had come and gone. The pitocin was slowly cranked up from 4mls to 8mls to 12mls and finally to 14mls. The high for pitocin in 20mls., usually given when a patient has an epidural. Needless to say, the contractions were hard and close together. I continued to use the hypnobirthing relaxation methods. Dave and Nancie were a huge support for me during these hard contractions.
It was getting close to 8:00 in the evening and I was sure that things were sooo close. I was feeling a lot of pressure towards the front and a lot of pain on my lower back. I asked Nancie to check me and sure enough, I was only at a 5+. Seriously, I could not believe this! What the heck was going on? I was trying everything I was suggested and everything we had been taught in our hypno class. Still nothing was working. Things were slower than slow. I was not getting frustrated or discouraged at this point. Dave and Nancie kept encouraging me and telling me I was doing a great job. And I was :) This was not easy. We still had some good laughs through the whole thing and we chit-chatted all along the way.
Nancie was pretty sure that things would quickly get moving, however, they did not. Nine o'clock came and went and so did ten o'clock. By this point things were VERY hard and difficult to breath through. Staying relaxed was not easy. All of a sudden I felt like I had to get checked. I was only at an eight! I had been laboring all day and I was only at an eight?!?! The contractions were so strong at this point. I knew I could not do this much longer. Transition was supposed to have happened hours ago. What was going on? I continued to do my relaxation. The contractions were hurting all the way down my legs and lower back and through the front of my stomach. I relied on Dave and Nancie to keep me comfortable by rubbing my legs and giving me counter pressure on my back. They kept on telling me I could do this, and I really didn't feel like I could. Soon I felt like I was finally feeling like pushing was around the corner. Contractions were so close and SO strong I felt like I might just die.
Things had to be close and they were!!! YAY! Finally, he was going to come out!!! Transition took an hour. He was not in the best position but, he had no choice, he was going to come. The end was near and I could finally smile again, knowing our baby was soon to arrive. Three contractions later, he was out! It was 11:08pm. YAY He made it!!! He was also very purple and not crying like a new born should, but he was out. Our little Otis was here. The pain was no longer! Fifteen hours of labor were over... what a relief!
Dave and I looked at each other and all we could do was smile. Our little Oti was here and we were so happy. It had been the longest day ever! I would never do it again, ever. Once he started crying he found his hand and started to try to eat it. Great, he was hungry and he was a great little sucker. It was wonderful to feed him right away. We felt blessed to have been able to accomplish this one more time. The reward totally out weighed the pain that the last three hours had been.
What an amazing experience to give birth!
More on Otis later... there are so many pictures to share and so many fun things to share of the latest addition to our family. Oh he is so cute!!! I love to look at his face and smell his little head and rub my lips against his soft little cheeks. He is precious!
