Our sweet Skylar Madison was born January 15th, 2016! We are absolutely smitten with this child. I've decided to share her birth story here in a few different posts...and I'll share some of the fun we've been having since she came home in a couple of posts. Let's start at the beginning!
(Side note: I've sat down to write this post at least 3 times, and every time Sky has woken up and needed something...we'll see how far we get today!)
I woke up at 4 am on Thursday morning (the 14th) with contractions. I had Braxton Hicks contractions for months leading up to this, but they had definitely intensified during this particular week. This was the first time contractions had woken me out of a sleep, so I thought this might actually be it. I tried not to get too excited, because I had mentally prepared myself every day for about a month and it was never time, so I didn't want to be disappointed another day! By 5:30 when Ben's alarm went off, I knew these contractions were different. I told Ben about them, and he agreed to work from home, just in case. I spent the day resting, watching tv, making myself a new planner for 2016 (yes, I am a nerd. I love planners and I live by lists.), and timing contractions on my Pregnancy Plus app. They started out at 20 minutes apart. By 4:00 in the afternoon they were down to about 8 minutes apart, but definitely still manageable. I called the midwife somewhere in there, just to let them know what was going on. They suggested staying home, just because the contractions were still inconsistent and I could talk and walk just fine. We had to make a decision at that point, whether we were going to send Kato to the kennel, or keep him home in case this baby wasn't actually coming. Ultimately, my contractions had stalled somewhat, so we decided to keep him home. In the evening, we took Kato on a long walk. We had Sheetz for dinner, and walked again, this time to Walmart to get some supplies for Labor-Ade. (This is a hydrating beverage that the midwife suggested....fresh lemon juice, honey, lots of water, and crushed tablets of calcium). After eating and drinking the labor-ade, I took a shower. (At least the 2nd of the day...). I stayed in the shower until the water went cold, because my contractions had REALLY ramped up by then and the warm water helped. When I got out of the shower we attempted to watch the Republican Debate, but I have no idea how that went, because by that time I had to get up and move during each contraction. I was able to eat a snack, which I knew I would need if I was going to the hospital. We tried to go to bed around 11. Ben was able to sleep some but I kept having to get up and move and breathe with each contraction. I tried about a million different positions, sitting in a chair, sitting on a ball, sitting on Ben's drum stool, laying down, I really tried it all! But the only way I could be comfortable in our room was standing and leaning over the bed when the contractions came. I woke Ben around 1 am. We called the midwife and she was headed in to the hospital anyways, so she suggested to come on in, but take our time. I called my Mom and the doula, and I was able to get in a shower before we left. The doula got to our apartment as we were leaving, and agreed to follow us to the hospital. I was really afraid to get in the car because I felt like sitting and not being able to move was going to be bad. I only had 1 contraction on the way, which really felt like a movie scene. It was the middle of the night, Ben was flying down the highway, and I was trying to breathe...yeah, like a movie. :)
When we got to the hospital, we got into triage right away, and I was 3 cm dilated. The midwife was able to get us into a room really quickly. Thank goodness, because I was in some serious pain. Once we were settled in a room, I sat on a birthing ball, I think for several hours. We got my labor playlist playing which was nice. My doula was great about coaching me through each contraction, and I was SO glad she was there. By about 5 am, my contractions were really, really painful. I held Ben's hand or leaned on him, and tried to make low sounds like they were telling me to, but man, that was ROUGH. The only way to describe it is like my back was arching and I couldn't make it stop. The people around me were a great support though, reminding me how much progress I was making, and how close I was to having this baby. Eventually the midwife suggested I get in the shower. During and after the shower things just got worse. I started saying things like "I can't do this", or worse, "I'm gonna die". It sounds ridiculous now, but in the moment I really thought I was going to die from pain. They decided to go ahead and check me....and after all that I was only 5 cm. 5! It was time for an epidural. I just couldn't deal anymore. I hadn't slept in about 25 hours by this point, so it was time. I was SO afraid to get the epidural though...I knew I wouldn't be able to sit still...I kept telling Ben I didn't want to be paralyzed. (I watch too much tv and read way too many stories). He reassured me that it would be fine, and if it wasn't he would get me the most badass wheelchair ever. Love him. :)
I made it through the epidural just fine! And as it turned out, the anesthesiologist went to UofL Med School and even lived in the same apartment complex as my dear friend Melissa and I! Small world. Anyways, that guy was my BEST friend. I felt AMAZING after the epidural....
That's probably good for today...stay tuned for part 2, coming soon. :)
