Warning, this might get graphic, I don't know. The names have not been changed... screw the innocent. XP

I'm taking advantage of my hydrocodone induced good feeling and typing this up.

Okay, so Saturday, I had gone to the hospital with false labor, and everyone got over excited and they all came up. Then we all went home, and I cried because I had had a bad week. And that was just the worst. I was in so much pain, mentally and physically. Then we played D&D that night and were up very late. Anyway, so then on Sunday, I was unhappy, but we got out and did some stuff, even though I hurt. We visited my mother-in-law, and I saw her kittens. They were cute. Then on our way home, I was in so much pain I made my husband stop us by my mother's just so I could whine and get some help keeping track of contractions and talk about how I didn't know the difference between real ones and Braxton Hicks. So we hung out there, I took a nice hot bath to get relaxed. Then my mom had me tighten my upper abdomen, the way I would be while I was pushing. Then I had a contraction. Then we waited, I did it again, and had another contraction. We did that for a while, then I was having the contractions on my own. And over the next three hours, they got closer together, and a bit more intense. And they do actually feel like menstrual cramps.

So about 10 at night we finally went to the hospital. They checked me again, and I actually had dilated another centimeter, which put me at 4 cm. So then, they moved me to my own room. My mom, mother in law and husband stayed with me. And we started calling people. Gradually, a bunch of my family that could made it up there, and my best friend came up and stayed with me. So then my contractions were getting closer together, and were very painful. The nurse asked me if I wanted pain meds, and I didn't want to rush them, because I've heard horror stories about epidurals wearing off too soon, and the half pain is worse than the full blown pain. So I told her no for a while, said I'd see how much worse the next few were. And I was tired from lack of sleep, and the coming hard labor. So I opted to take a hot bath for a little while first. Finally, around 5 am, I decided I really wanted to stop hurting, because I was trying to push, only I wasn't supposed to, so I was trying very hard not to. And I didn't want anyone to talk to me or move, because it hurt so bad, and just noise was too much. So they put a liquid in my IV, I don't remember what it was called, but it hit me after a second, and I got dizzy (good think I was laying down), then I felt goooood ^.^ I could still feel the pain, but I was high... so it didn't really matter, I could relax through them, and actually got a little sleep. My water broke some time in there. It was kind of gross, it all just gushed out of me, the slowly leaked out, and the nurse checked it. Then I was laying in a puddle of amniotic fluid. I think it might have broken after the bath but before the pain killers. But I remember after the painkillers that I passed gas (very common during late pregnancy, labor, and early post postpartum), and it caused there to be a bunch of bubbles, and I laughed because I was high. So the next hour, I got another one of those, and the next hour. But the third one wasn't as effective because my contractions were more intense and I was still trying to push a little. So I asked the nurse if she would get ready for the epidural during that one, and she said fine and had me drain a fluid bag, and I tried to doze a little more. When that was done, the had to actually call an anesthesiologist from his home because the one on duty... something, I was so drugged up and tired and in so much pain I don't remember, but he wasn't there. So I had to wait a while longer... thank goodness he hurried, because I was already dilated to 9 cm by then, (the goal is 10 cm, for those who don't know). So then they put in the epidural.

I had to sit up on the edge of the bed, and everyone else had to leave the room except my husband. I think they might have gotten rid of the dirty pads that I had broken my water on. I braced against my husband, legs around him, his arms on my hips, and my arms on his shoulders. The doctor... Stephens, I think it was... was preparing, and he said I was going to arch my back out and push against where I felt the pressure. I had to suffer through a few contractions while he sat up, and they made me pee... ;.; but it was ok, I didn't pee on anyone, and it was only a few trickles that got soaked up by the bed. So then, he was ready, and he had me push against the pressure, only I couldn't really because of a contraction, so we had to try again. Then he got it in... but it was in a vein, so he had to pull it out and do it again. And finally, they put me on the epidural drip, and I went numb immediately. I got back to laying down, and people were allowed back in. It took another hour, in which I went so numb I couldn't feel my neck, and I got some sleep, but they sent everyone out, called my OBGYN and me and my husband got ready to push the baby out. And me and my family are thinking "Oh yippie, only like another 10 - 15 min and there's a baby" because in my family that's usually how long the pushing takes. Well, it took an hour and a half.

My husband took one leg, and the nurse took the other, and they watched the monitor and when I had a contraction, they pushed my legs up by my feet, I grabbed my knees and they counted to ten while I pushed against them and held my breath. Then it was let it out and in, push to 10 again, and repeat once more. Now we wait for the next contraction. Then I began to notice a bit more pain, and the nurse explained. The epidural had numbed me so bad that I couldn't push. I was trying, even thinking to myself "ok, push... no really... push..." Nothing was happening. They could see the baby was crowing, and had some hair, but that was it. SO the nurse turned my drugs off. When it wore off, I could feel the baby coming, could feel the contractions, and could feel where I needed to push. So finally we got her head half way out, and Dr. Hopkins came in to catch and do all that other stuff, and some other nurses set up the thing to measure and weigh the baby when she came out. So the doctor, the nurse and my husband were all there encouraging me to push just a a little harder. The doctor took my husband's place, and my husband got to stand next to me and hold my hand. And my husband was getting a little scared because I was about to start crying. And finally, I was pushing, and I heard the doctor say, "Okay, look down, here she comes" We had made it past her head, and the rest of her just... fell out. It was neat. And Dr. Hopkins clamped up the umbilical cord, and let my husband cut it. Then he told me I had torn, and he was going to start stitching me up. So my husband looked over the watch them work on the baby. And he started taking pictures. And you'll have to ask him exactly what went on, but they sucked the mucous from her nasal passages and she started to cry a little, and they cleaned her off, and Dr. Hopkins worked on getting the afterbirth out of me... which was kind of like giving birth a second time, but not as bad. Then he started the stitching. And my husband took pictures. And when they were done with the official stuff with the baby, my husband said "hello, Olivia" and she immediately stopped crying. So my husband brought them the thing to put her footprints on, and they also put her footprints on his hand, and he took a picture. Then they let me hold the baby against my chest to warm her up, and I got to see her. I remember saying something about her being hungry, and I promised I'd feed her soon. Then they gave her to my husband, who ended up being a natural at holding newborns, and he got to carry her to the nursery. And then I think I dozed off, because I can't remember the transition into being officially done so people could see me... there were just people suddenly.

And the hospital stay was nice, and also a different story, I have to go feed the baby. Night every one.