Levi's birth story - part 2

...and my water broke!

Charles just happened to text then to check in and see he had time for a run. He didn't. We called Nana, Amy (our doula), and my parents to let them all know what was going on. Charles got laundry in the wash and Charlie ready to go.

The water breaking kicked the contractions into high gear. I immediately went to contractions 2-3 minutes apart, and they quickly got more painful. I didn't think we were in a huge rush, but wasn't feeling so hot. Nana got to our house around 6:30, and Amy showed up around 6:45pm. By the time Nana got Charlie and headed out, we weren't too far from heading to the hospital ourselves.

I think it was about 7:30 when we left for the hospital. I was at the point where I had to walk and breathe through contractions and  That drive was brtual! I had at least six contractions in the 20ish minute drive. Charles did a great job driving slowly and taking the speed bumps with caution (I have serious issue with whoever decided it was a good idea to have no less than five speed bumps in the hospital complex on the way to the birth center entrance).

When we walked in, one nurse said to the other that they should list me as an observation in room 13. At that point, I said that my water had broken and asked for a barf bag. The nurse asked if I was sure my water had broken (um, really?). Another contraction started, they grabbed a trash can for me, since they didn't have any fancy barf bags at the front desk, and apparently I seemed serious enough that the nurse said to change me to an Admit in room 13. Thank you very much.

Standard protocol is to monitor fetal heart rate (and mine I think) for at least 15 minutes prior to admitting or doing anything else. I immediately asked for the Jacuzzi tub. They confirmed that I didn't want drugs, and told me that if I did change my mind I needed to remember that it would be at least 20-30 minutes to get an anesthesiologist to the room. Man, it was tempting to have one ready "just in case." I looked at Amy for silent encouragement, and said (or maybe grunted), "No, thanks."

At this point, I was hooked up to monitors and pacing the room through each contraction, while Nurse Joan asked all sorts of ridiculous (and probably not so ridiculous) admit questions. I was able to answer a few, but mostly just looked to Charles and Amy to answer for me. They finally checked my progress and I was 6cm! I had just prayed that I would at least be 5cm by the time we got to the hospital.

Once I was properly monitored, checked, and cleared that all was well, I re-iterated my desire for the Jacuzzi tub. Nurse Joan didn't think that was such a good idea (since it's down the hall in a separate room), and kept trying to talk me into the shower in our room. After the morning ultrasound that estimated baby over 10 lbs, they were prepared for a difficult delivery and weren't going to take any chances. I'm pretty sure her exact words were, "We have delivered babies in the tub in the past, but you will be back in this bed to deliver."

I got my way, and we headed down the hall. Actually, Nurse Joan, Amy and I headed down the hall. I gave Charles a pass to go grab dinner since it was sometime between 8 and 9pm and he hadn't eaten anything. Hello, Chipotle. Fortunately for us, he had brought it back and was eating in the room when Nurse Joan came in and made him head down to the Jacuzzi tub to help lift me out if necessary (I didn't find out about that part until a few days later).

Meanwhile, back in the tub...I got settled in and it felt amazing. By this point, contractions were agonizing. Amy was able to tell me to relax (apparently I like to tense up my forehead in particular), and suggested some different positions in the tub. Between contractions we chatted a bit (and discovered a random shared acquaintance), and during contractions Amy talked me through them beautifully. After what felt like a long time, but in hindsight was probably only about 20 minutes, I asked Amy to start singing to me during each contraction - the same song we had played during our wedding. She's so amazingly talented that she was able to draw it out to finish almost exactly in time with each contraction.

Strong Tower-Psalm 61:1-4

Lord you are my strong tower

Yes, you are my hiding place

And I'll take refuge in who you are

For it's in you I find my place

So I'll sing in the shadow of your wings

And I'll rest here in your arms

So I'll sing in the shadow of your wings

For in you I find my peace

Absolutely perfect song for a wedding or a baby delivery.

At some point, Charles came in. I remember he and Amy having some random conversation that I was fully unable to participate in, but enjoyed a bit of a distraction listening to them. This was about the time that I was thinking, "What the $*%& was I thinking to do this without drugs and how in the world am I going to get through it?" (And Charles likes to tell folks that I let a few curse words slip out loud also.) I also started to feel a bit of an urge to push, about the time that Nurse Joan came in to check on us.

Nurse Joan decreed that it was time to head back to the room, and that was the point that I thought, "Okay, lady, if you insist, but I had better be ready to deliver a baby when we get back to that room, or I just might murder you." She also had a wheelchair ready, which I thought was a little overkill while I was still in the tub, but realized she was a smart lady once I was out. There was no way I was walking down the hall at that point.

The room was set up for delivery, and a few extra nurses were at hand. I made it into the bed, was checked, and sure enough was at about a 9.5. You got lucky, Nurse Joan. I got situated, and they told me I could start pushing (not that my body was giving me an option at that point). I remember wondering why the doctor seemed to be parking himself in the room already, since I pushed for a good hour before he came in to stay with Charlie. Ha, naive me. Three or four contractions, with two to three pushes per contraction later, and Hello, Levi!

Randomly enough Dr. Broms, who also delivered Charlie, was the doctor on call. "My name is Broms, Anton Broms." I loved him for Charlie's delivery, although I did have one office visit with him this pregnancy and wasn't a big fan then. He was fantastic for Levi also though. The no-nonsense manner that annoyed me in a literally 3-minute office visit was perfect in the delivery room.

All in all, I could not have asked for a better labor and delivery experience (well, minus the whole full week over due and number of contractions for two weeks before labor part). My water broke around 5:15pm, we showed up at the hospital around 8pm, I started pushing at 10:00pm, and Levi was born at 10:09pm. I was able to go all natural and drug-free, with a very supportive hospital staff. One of the nurses told me the next morning that Levi's birth was "childbirth the way it was meant to be."