Elijah is here!!!!!!!

And we are home! He arrived July 15th, at 7:09 am.
So, now I will finish the labor story I started a few days ago

--- So bare with me, this will be a long blog ---

After the appointment with Dr. Chen on Tuesday the 14th I was one centimeter, 90% effaced. Brad took the rest of the day off with me luckily and just stayed with me. So Brad and I got comfortable and watched the All-Star game (ironically Dr. Chen was at the game, so he was probably hoping that I wouldn't go into labor that night) :)
As night fell, I was getting more and more uncomfortable, but again the contractions were sporadic - definitely more noticeable and painful, but not exactly time-able yet. Brad went and grabbed dinner (I wanted some hot wings to try the spicy food old wives tale). We ate and tried to get comfortable and wait for some kind of signal that it was time to go.

That time would come...let me tell you.

I tried SO hard to get comfortable on the couch, on the birth ball, in the tub, in the shower assuming I was STILL in the latent labor phase. My contractions never became time-able and regular. Eventually we just headed to bed around 11:00 and I tried to sleep them off. Around 11:30 Brad was snoring so loud he didn't hear a thing around him, so I got into the tub. No relief there. At that point I was so upset that I was still in latent labor (so I thought anyway) I wanted some help. Brad might not appreciate this next part too much, but it's part of the story nonetheless :)

I started getting really upset that I was in so much pain and I couldn't find any relief and my labor coach was snoring away. I woke him up and asked him what I could do and he told me to sit on the exercise ball --WHAT?? What's my coach there for then??? So I started to get so upset thinking that no one could help me. I tried the ball, I tried walking, I tried anything I could. And I'm still thinking "Dear God, this is still only early labor??" I thought this because my contractions were not but 6 minutes apart and they were not consistent with intensity or timing.

I decided my Bradley birth was no longer an option. I wanted some help, and I wanted it right then. So I woke Brad up and ordered him to take me to the hospital. I was so upset that I didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to do so I just wanted to be someplace where they knew what was happening to me. Brad was reluctant at first - trying to coax me into a walk, and trying regain his coaching status. I was too upset that this wasn't the labor/birth story I wanted so I demanded to be taken to the hospital to have some kind of pain relief.

The car ride to the hospital I was having contractions equal in intensity about 4 minutes apart. The contractions I had in the car ride were the worst yet. I think profanity was my only vocabulary at that point. We arrived at MOBAP Hospital about 2:00 in the morning and went into triage room 4. I was so scared, I knew I was only dilated to a 2 or 3. The nurse checked me in, asked me a million questions as I paused in-between contractions. FINALLY she checked me, which had to be one of the most uncomfortable exams ever...but it was the most beautiful. I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 7! yes, a 7!! Not only that, they couldn't find my bag of water! Thinking back now, I assume it broke while I was in the tub, because that's when the pain became incredible.
I cried for joy when I heard that magic number. She asked me if I intended to have an epidural, I told her no, but if I needed it what was the latest I could get it. She said as long as I was able to sit still I could get one.

Probably one of the worst experiences was getting stuck 4 times to get my heplock (sp?). Those nurses were wonderful, but they just couldn't get a good stick in my vein. After the 4th stick they decided that they would just leave what they had. It was unfortunate because for some reason a comforting thing to me is to have wrists squeezed, and now with all those needle sticks that relaxation idea was not going to work.

Either way I was still so elated. I was only 3 cm away from kissing my baby's lips! -- well, 3 cm and a good rub down to remove any birthing goo--

Brad and I were so excited we called everyone. In my birth plan I only wanted Brad present, but that changed. My mom, Stephanie, Brad's mom and dad arrived. They were there in the room during my labor, and it was comforting to me somehow. I was alert and social in between contractions and it was kind of nice to have them as a distraction, at least for that next hour. The contractions became more and more intense. I labored in the shower for around 45 minutes and asked to be checked because I started to feel more pressure. I was an 8 (which was kind of disappointing) but in the plus stations (I can't remember what station exactly). I got out of the shower and took a lap around L&D with Brad to try and help my dilation progress. However the birthing/exercise ball was my greatest relief -- along with the greatest birth partner ever. Brad definitely regained his coaching status and helped me more than he will ever know. He massaged my back, held my hair, did things I'm sure I'll never remember. All I know is that I am grateful and couldn't have done it without him.

Around 6:00 am I was feeling intense pressure, I kept telling the nurse I wanted to poop. She checked me and said I still had a little bit of cervix left but the baby was very low. She called Dr. Chen and he said it was okay to start pushing and he would be on his way. At 6:30 I was in pushing position lying on my left side. Brad had my left leg, my mom had my right. Steph and Christie had the cameras and Neal had slipped out of the room by then. I began pushing and didn't realize how hard it actually was. The pressure was so intense but it was so hard!! Everyone was encouraging me and cheering me on. Their cheers helped to encourage me, but what really did it was touching the baby’s head. I pushed with everything I had and his head came out. I looked down, freaked out, pushed two more time and was able to reach down and finish delivering Elijah at 7:09 am. (I made it through that with NO tearing and NO cutting -- Elijah however came out with the biggest cone head I'd ever seen)

We let his cord pulsate. Unfortunately it wasn't the 3 minutes we hoped, but because we chose to donate his cord blood they couldn't wait. Things after that were kind of a blur. I remember delivering the placenta and getting to take a peek at it but that's about it.
Now we come back to the awful vein sticks. It's routine to give pitocin to deliver the placenta and start the contracting of the uterus. Well, since my helplock was put in like crap my wrist ballooned up with fluid so I ripped it out. That left them to give me a shot in my leg to get the contractions started.

Never in the books did I read about the massaging of the uterus after birth. I suppose it's routine, but because I didn't have an IV bag full of pitocin they had to squeeze and push on it so hard (for nearly 2 hours, in 15 minute inetervals!). I have bruises on my stomach. I swear that hurt so bad. I just had to lay there and get punched in the gut and my vag would literally pour out blood. It made them nervous so they had to check on that quite often.

Eventually we were transferred to our room and started parenthood. I am falling so in love. I can't say it was love at first sight because I was still in shock from my med free birth. The pain was intense, but a distant memory now - already. I must also say that all the squatting that the Bradley method encourages must have saved me from any tearing during delivery. I am so grateful for that. Now here it is, 4 days later and I feel better than ever. The postpartum recovery has been a breeze (I didn’t even need the pain meds they offered at the hospital – just 2 IB profins those two days I was there!)

I have the most beautiful baby in the world and the sweetest husband I could ever ask for. I can't wait to start the new chapter of my life. Brad, Pattie and little-baby-to-be will officially become Brad, Pattie and Elijah!!!