on sunday, june 26 (our first wedding anniversary) i woke up at 6:30 am with contractions. i didn't really think much of it because i had been having them on and off for several weeks. but for some reason i got out of bed and went downstairs to relax. i got morgan's anniversary gift all ready for him to open (cards/cubs tickets) and sat around wondering if i should start timing my contractions. morgan moseyed his way out of bed around 9:00, and i told him what was going on. we decided we should go on a walk to try to help things along (if it was the real deal). the contractions were still bearable but i could tell they were consistent - about 5-6 minutes apart. when we got back from our walk, i took an hour nap, but was awoken by stronger contractions. i decided i should soak in the bath. i remembered our childbirth preparation teacher (who became our doula) saying that if you take a bath & the contractions remain, then it's real labor. if you take a bath & the contractions go away, it was probably braxton hicks. well, when i got out of the tub, i was still having contractions, but they had spaced out further - now 10-15 minutes apart. frustrated, morgan and i decided to go on another walk. the contractions grew more intense and slightly closer together, but the inconsistency in time had me doubting it was real labor. we decided we should head into davenport to celebrate our anniversary. first we went to vanderveer park and walked around the rose garden (where our ceremony took place). next we headed to chili's (because we're classy like that) to have some dinner. i couldn't eat...i just felt different. when we got home that night, i remembered that my chiropractor recommended i drink a glass of wine to "knock myself into labor." i decided that didn't sound like too bad of an idea. i laid on the couch and had 3 sips of a $9 bottle of moscato di asti before my contractions became suddenly intense. it was about 9:30 pm at this point. i went upstairs and instinctively started putting together last minute things in my hospital bag. around 11:00 i decided i should lay down and try to get some rest, even though my contractions were steadily coming every 3-4 minutes and were very painful. (i must admit - i was stalling. i had no desire to go to the hospital due to fear of being turned away. i was in denial that this was real labor, even though i was restless & in obvious pain.) finally, my friend heather convinced me that i needed to get myself out the door to prevent myself from giving birth at the I-80 truck stop. (lol.) so, i told morgan to make the call. (this was seconds after he had laid himself down for bed. poor guy.) the midwife gave the go ahead, we called the doula & checked in with her, and the we loaded the car up. we were on the road to the hospital at 12:30 am.
we got to genesis around 1:00 am. they admitted me to triage where they checked my progress. i was severely disappointed to find out that I was 1 centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. this is the SAME point i was at when i went to my last prenatal check-up the thursday before. so, we were instructed to walk the halls in an effort to move things along. about 2 hours later i was 1 1/2 centimeters and 75% effaced. UN. REAL. i couldn't believe it. i was in excruciating pain at this point and was exhausted beyond reason. we returned to the halls to walk, but had already had our minds made up that we were going to go home and try to get some rest after they checked me again. at 4:00 they checked me and i was 2 1/2 centimeters dilated - which gave me my ticket to a room. i remember feeling extremely worried that i wasn't progressing quickly enough, and i began having fears about a c-section. but everything changed very quickly when my water broke on its own about 20 minutes after getting into my room. i'd say that was when things got real. the pain and pressure i was feeling was unlike anything i could ever begin to explain to anybody right now. i felt helpless, hopeless, and defeated. i was already begging for an epidural - the very thing i wanted NOTHING to do with on any level. the nurse was pretty quick to tell me that if i wanted an epidural, i needed an IV and had to go through a bag of fluid before they'd give me any medication. FINE, i said. give me an IV. (intervention #1.) i then remember begging to labor in the tub. my midwife showed up, checked me, said i was 5 centimeters dilated and gave me the go ahead to get in the tub. that was where i spent 90% of my labor. our doula, char, showed up a short time later, and thank God for her. i was at my wits end and morgan was losing his grip FAST. all i remember is her face in mine telling me that i wasn't getting an epidural because i didn't want one. she told me that i could do this the way i planned and that i'd be thankful once my baby was here.
and that was all it took. the epidural as out of my mind from then on (except for one small moment when morgan and i were left alone where i took the liberty to tell him that he didn't effing understand and that i needed the effing epidural NOW. hehe.). from the time that i got into the tub to the time that our precious baby entered this world, i had absolutely no concept of time. i was in the zone. i remember morgan being so sweet and caring while char was my voice of reason. i remember them holding me during contractions and placing ice cold rags on me in between. i remember them reminding me to breathe and make deep noises with each contraction. i remember them telling me how great of a job i was doing and that each contraction was once step closer to meeting my child.
eventually the bathtub became constricting and i felt as if i was being backed into a corner. they helped me out of the tub - but with each movement came another contraction. (yuuuck.) they suggested that i sit backwards on the toilet and experience a few contractions in that position. O-M-G. never, i repeat, NEVER sit on the toilet!! i could have died! so they walked me over to the bed and had me try a position there, but i didn't like that either. then they got out the birthing ball and asked me if i'd like to sit on it and labor there for a while. all i remember thinking was - ew, how many butts have been on this ball? despite the pain & misery i was in, i asked them to put a towel on it! lol. i can't believe i had the energy to even think of that. (by this point it was at least 7:00 am - so i had been awake for over 24 hours.) morgan says i labored on the ball for 20-30 minutes, although to me it felt like 5 minutes. the last thing i tried was lying on my side in the bed. this was where i felt my first urge to push. it was unlike anything i've ever felt before - my body completely took over and was doing exactly what it knew it needed to do. (awesome!) my midwife checked me and said i was 9 1/2 centimeters, 100% effaced and the baby's head was right there. she gave me the go ahead to push. for some reason - and i don't know why - i pushed from my back. this is 100% the opposite of what i wanted to do (and what i should have done). gravity is our friend, people, and when you're on your back trying to push a baby out, you're working against the laws of physics. but, i was so drunk with exhaustion that i didn't really care. my midwife got the mirror out and set it at the end of the bed so i could see what i was doing and know how to push. what a giant help that was!! i pushed for 45 minutes - although it didn't seem that long - and at 8:31 am, little miss Charlotte Joanna Mays was born. morgan and i got to deliver her together, and morgan cut the umbilical cord. i was in absolute shock -- i thought for sure this baby was a boy! i simply couldn't believe that morgan & i had a daughter to love and cherish - such a wonderful surprise! Charlotte - or Charlie for short - weighed in at 7 lb. 12 oz., 19 1/2 inches.
we were so exhausted, but we were even more in love with our sweet little girl; we both managed to stay awake for several more hours, just staring at our baby and falling deeper & deeper in love with each passing moment.
we feel so fortunate and blessed to have experienced birth the way we planned, and to have such a beautiful result. charlie is truly the greatest blessing in our lives and we look forward to watching her grow, learn, and become her own, sweet little person. :)
-the mays'
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| sweet girl scratched her face up before pics :( |
Bawling my eyes out. Must compose myself and go eat lunch. Coworkers will surely mock me. Love you, Betsy!!!
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