Thursday, December 29th:

11:30am- I get in the car and head to my appointment. Im telling myself "It's just an ultrasound to see that my fluid levels aren't dropping anymore... It'll be fine"

 

12:00pm- they call my name. I walk into the back and lay down on the table. The tech starts her work... Her head is still measuring two weeks behind.. My fluid? My fluid is low... Damnit.. I walk back to the waiting room to wait for my midwife...

 

12:30pm- They call me again and I'm lead into one of the rooms and a nurse takes my blood pressure. Shes constantly asking me if I'm okay. I tell her I'm feeling wonderful. She leaves and is replaced by my midwife Stephanie. She's telling me my fluid levels are still dropping and she gives me a choice. Continue waiting or be induced today... I ask her what she thinks I should do and she tells me since my fluid is still dropping and she's still measuring small it's probably better to be induced as she believes my placenta isn't working correctly. I agree and she schedules a time for my induction... 4:30..

 

4:50pm- I arrive at the hospital and my mom and I make our way up to the delivery floor.. I check in and they take me back to what will be my room for the next five days.

 

6:00pm- Stephanie comes in and they put in my fowley bulb, show me how to tug on it and then leave.

 

6:30pm- First contraction hits me and I take it as no big deal. Two minutes later the bulb slips out. I'm not 3-4 cm dilated.

 

From this point until 10:20 my contractions continue and worsen until their about 4 minutes apart.

My mom hears me moaning in pain and she says from where she's sleeping "breath" and falls back asleep.

 

Throughout the night my contractions stay at four minutes apart and I'm sitting in the tub crying because the pain doesn't go away between them anymore.

 

December 30th 12:00pm- I'm about 6 or 7cm dilated and near screaming from pain. I haven't slept since 8 am yesterday and I've now been laboring on my own for over 17 hours. The contractions are no longer in my back and none of my coping techniques I had previously found are working. Im trying hard not to get an epidural but I'm exhausted and throwing up from the pain so I cave for the sake of letting myself get sleep so I'll have energy to push later.

 

12:10pm- The anesthesiologist comes in and he's reading a bunch of stuff off to me asking me if I understand.. I agree and fight through more contractions. I sit up for the procedure and my water breaks.. I tell them I think I just peed. Immediately the contractions become worse.

 

12:30pm- the epidural is in and I can't feel a thing below my waist. My midwife comes in and checks to see if what I had felt was my water breaking... It was the top of the sack.. The bottom will now have to be broken... She breaks my water, tells me anytime now and then leaves. I finally get some rest.

 

4:30pm- my dad and sister in law join us in the room and we're all just waiting for the cervix check that will say it's time. 

 

6:00pm- Stephanie comes in, checks me, I'm 9cm dilated and she says its time. Nurses fill the room, my mom moves to my side to help hold my leg up and encourage me. 

 

6:30pm- I make a joke to my mom I can now tell my daughter one day I was in labor for 24 hours with her. I begin trying to push with each contraction however I keep having to stop to vomit and because I can't squeeze my stomach muscles much because of the epidural I'm choking on it. The doctor finally comes in.

 

7:00pm- I'm still pushing and they can now see her head. The nurses and doctors are all saying she has tons of hair and that they hope I have bows for all of her hair. They ask if I want a mirror to see and I laugh and say no and my moms saying I really should see it. 

 

7:30pm- my doctor says I need to push with everything in me and I should push like my babies life depends on it. 

 

7:33pm- baby Mackenzie-Ray is finally born. They put her onto my chest while a nurse is rubbing her saying "come on baby" over and over. She's not crying and her mouth isn't opening. Finally she opens her mouth and let's out a scream and from there on its lungs of steel. They take her temperature while she's still on me since I had had a fever as well and she's developed one now too. They say as soon as she's done with skin to skin they will have to take her to get her onto an IV. For the rest of my hour I snuggle with my beautiful daughter and my family rejoins me in the room.