This is long so bare with me 😬

So, at 16 weeks I got itchy. REAAAAL itchy. Not just in one spot, but everywhere except pretty much my face. I had hives everywhere, and when I mentioned it to my doctor he told me PUPPS and so that’s where we left off. Something in the back of my mind told me to keep pressing for a blood draw but I didn’t.

Flash forward to my 36 week appointment. I mentioned to him that I was still really itchy and nothing was helping. I BEGGED him to draw my blood just so I could have peace of mind that it wasn’t cholestasis. He assured me it wasn’t, but he would draw my blood just in case.

On my last day of work on December 31st (I was 38+4), I got a phone call from a frantic nurse telling me I needed to come in now, because my results came back and my levels were sky high. My hubby and I got to our clinic where they did a NST and an ultrasound. The baby didn’t pass the ultrasound as there wasn’t as much movement as they’d like.

I was then sent to our hospital where I pretty much repeated everything I just did at the clinic. 🙄 it was then they decided to admit me as I was already having contractions. It was about 330 PM. I couldn’t feel them until about an hour later and even then they were really mild.

My mom, dad, mil, fil and sil all joined us. Around 9 o’clock I wasn’t really having anymore consistent contractions, and at 1230 am on New Year’s Day they started me on pictocin. I got sooo excited thinking things were finally going to get moving along... But no, I didn’t feel a single contraction with pitocin. By this point my family started to leave so I could sleep.

The next 12 hours: still nothing. It wasn’t until my doctor came in at about 3PM and broke my water. He told me that my contractions were going to start to get intense but I ignored him. I kid you not, I’ve never felt pain like that in my life. 🤦🏼‍♀️ my dad, my sister, and my mom started crying once I would have a contraction. My whole body was convulsing. My poor hubby wanted to help but he was no idea what to do.

I opted for the epidural immediately, once I got that I could only feel contractions on my left side. And then the nurse switched me so both sides would be numb. Around 5, I started to have back labor and I felt lots of pressure.

At 530 I was finally at a ten and I started pushing. I couldn’t wait to meet my baby!! Disappointment hit again when I pushed for 3 hours, baby was stuck on my public bone 😩 at this point (from 7PM on) I’m falling asleep in between each contraction. I pushed for another half hour and the doctor got the vacuum out. The last push I had, I looked at my husband and told him I had nothing left, and I couldn’t do it. He started crying, he was so scared. FINALLY at exactly 9PM on New Year’s Day she was here.

7lbs 13oz, and she’s worth it. But I am so scared to have another baby ever again. I have hemorrhoids and itchy stitches still 3 weeks later.

She had to spend the night in the NICU for some jaundice the night after, nobody even told us they were taking her and I cried because I just wanted to hold her. One of the nurses was awful, and told me I didn’t have a choice and they were taking her and there was no reason for me to be disappointed. 🙄

Anyways, here she is 3 weeks later and still perfect!

I read about everyone’s easy labors when I should have been reading about the tough ones to prepare myself 😞