Chris and I had a doctor's appointment Wednesday, July 11, 2007 where we learned the possibility of a 9 pound 3 oz baby. Our doctor discussed the option of scheduling a C-section right away or giving a vaginal delivery a try with the possibility of a C-section being the end result. We scheduled an induction for Friday, July 13, 2007. Good thing I am not superstitous, although, if we weren't expecting a houseful of family in a week, I may have re-thought that date. Anyway, on Friday, Chris and I arrived at the hospital at 7:00 am. Petocin was started around 8:00. I began to feel the contractions, but no pain. Contractions were close together, but since there was no pain, the nurse indicated dilation most likely wasn't taking place at a rapid rate. The doctor came in for an exam, only to find that I was still only 2 cm dilated. She attempted to rupture the membranes to speed up the labor process, but the attempt was not successful. Chris and I were awake at 4:15 am, anticipating the days events and our life changing experience, so we were tired. We managed to take a quick nap. At 11:15, I was encouraged to get out of bed and walk around the room a bit. Immediately upon getting out of bed, my water broke. Pain began to accompany the contractions. Chris enjoyed his lunch, including some supportive words between bites, while I sat in pain. I walked around the room for approximately 50 minutes. The doctor came in for another check and determined I was at 3 cm dilation. 1 cm in 4 hours!! I decided to give the birthing ball a try around 1:20, which seemed to alleviate the pain. On a rating scale of 1-10, my pain was around a 5 at this point. The pain seemed to increase exponentially within a short period of time, jumping from a 5 to an 8. At 2:15 I requested an epidural, which was in place at 2:30. Life was good again. An exam at 3:40 revealed 100% effacement, 4 cm dilation and 0 Station. Sadly, almost no changes were indicated nearly 2 hours later (5:35)--4 1/2 cm dilation, 100% effacement, and 0 station. At that point the doctor said I could be having a baby on Saturday. Two hours later (7:35) another exam revealed no changes. I had only dilated 2.5 cm in almost 12 hours. My doctor came back to the room 10 minutes later to discuss a C-section with Chris and I. No other options were given. She stated because our baby is large, my water was broken, and labor hasn't progressed that it could potentially turn into a high risk situation. It happened very quickly. Within 5 minutes, I was in the Operating Room and Chris was getting dressed in his scrubs. In the OR, I was shaking and crying. I was terrified. Even though it wasn't an emergency, it certainly seemed like one. Everyone was moving so quickly. My doctor came in to do a test incision to make sure the anesticia was appropriate. However, I could feel the cut. It didn't hurt like a cut, but it stung. She waited while the medicine took a deeper effect. Chris was escorted into the room, seated at my head. The doctor attempted to proceed, but again, I could feel the stinging sensation. They decided to sedate me for my own comfort. This certainly isn't the birthing situation that I had envisioned for so long. Claire had arrived and Chris captured most of it via pictures. He actually stood up to watch her being pulled from my body. He said everyone was quite impressed. We had talked about whether or not he would cut the umbilical cord because of his weak stomach, so this was definitely a big step for him. He did cut the cord as well. Chris accompanied Claire to the nursery where she was examined while I was put back together. Prior to her birth, we had also discussed whether or not he would cry. I thought he would, but he wasn't so sure. He later confirmed that he did cry. Chris met me when I was returned to the labor room. The next 3 hours were a blur. I remember asking if she were in fact a girl, how much she weighed, and also about her lips, but that is about it. Chris told me she looked like my Dad. Claire was brought into the room and I held her. We were officially a family. We moved to the maternity room where we stayed until Monday morning. Claire slept pretty well, usually giving us a continuous 4 hour spurt each night. She hardly cried. Chris stayed with me each night. On Saturday morning, he left around 5 am to finish the tiling project at home. He was certainly feeling the pressure. All in all, everything went well even though it wasn't the delivery that we had anticipated. Claire is happy and healthy and I am well. Parenthood is already wonderful.
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