Polina Jane Birth Story Part TWO

11:08. I got out of bed.

I went to the bathroom, and there it was. A very large, and unmistakable, bloody show.  Strange, I thought to myself. I sat there for a moment just contemplating all the different things that could be going on here. Is labor around the corner? Is my body trying to tell me something? Am I going to have a baby soon?

All while Andrew is hollering from our bedroom, "What, what, what is it!"

Well honey. There is a big large glob of bleh that is streaked with blood. And then I said to him....

"I think we are going to have a baby tonight."

I got into bed, laying flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling, covers pulled up to my chest, and texted my friend. She asked me if I had contractions, and as I was typing her "no," all of a sudden I had a... contraction.

11:15.

Not having had one this entire pregnancy, there was definitely no denying what this was. Was it a coincidence? Was this just going to be one of those nights where you have a little activity and then things simmer down? Who knows, but I timed it and it was about 30 seconds long. Low intensity.

"Andrew, baby, I just had a contraction."

Half asleep, he asked me if it was okay to go to sleep. I told him, "No! Are you crazy? We are going to have a baby tonight." He squinted, rolled over, and started snoozing.

Five minutes later, another contraction. 4 minutes, another, and then another. More and more intense.

11:30 I text my dad to stay by his phone. I text my MIL to tell her we may have a baby tonight.

11:45 Contractions are getting stronger. About 2-3 minutes about. I decide to get up and start putting make up on. I holler at Andrew to tell him it's time, and he needs to get up. He goes to get bags ready. I walk downstairs and pace around for a minute, having to stop with each contraction and sway from side to side. I wasn't moaning yet, but it was very uncomfortable, and too frequent that I couldn't stop thinking about them.

I make a page to the OB night doctor to tell him what's going on, and that I was coming in. It feels like forever until I get that call back.

12:00 The doctor calls me back and asks me what's going on.

"Hello, my name is ..... I am a patient of ..... I am 37 weeks 2 days pregnant and about 30 minutes ago I had my bloody show. Immediately after, contractions began and have intensified and gotten closer and longer from there. They have been about 2-3 minutes apart for the past 20 minutes. "

"And this is your first baby?" ---he clearly thought I must be crazy to call him only 30 minutes from the start of the first contraction.


"No, my third, and they have been 3-4 hour labors."

"Ohhhhh, well we need to get you in the hospital then."

12:05 a.m.

After I hang up the phone with the doctor, I have Andrew call my dad to wake my mom so she could head over. I could hear my dad on the other line sounding confused. I'm not sure he even realized why we were calling, until it finally hit him that we are going to the hospital.

After hanging up, Andrew rushed upstairs to quickly shower. I was left alone with my thoughts and these terrible contractions.  Although I knew with 100% certainty that there would be a baby here in a matter of hours, I wasn't quite sure where that baby would be delivered. Everything had progressed already so quickly, that I began to worry that we would end up in the news as the next couple who delivered in the car. Thankfully, we pass about 4 hospitals trying to get to ours, so I was assured that at least if we had to, we could stop elsewhere.

12:30 Andrew was finally ready, and our bags were in the car, but the contractions were getting more intense, and I was scared at this point. I tell Andrew to call my mom and to have her jut meet us at the hospital. We pack the kids up in the car and drive.

Lots of contractions in the car, a lot of moaning on my part. But I have periods of rest in between, even if they are only a couple minutes, it feels like heaven.

When we arrive to the hospital, I have Andrew drop me off and him meet my mom with the kids so she can take our car back. The lady at the desk quickly checks me in, and

1:08 Signing paperwork, getting hooked up to monitor, and answering a lot of questions. A little while into being at triage, I finally tell the nurse that I felt like I was wet down there, she barely glimpsed and said "Oh yup, you sure have ruptured!" Somehow the thought that my water had broken somehow slipped my mind. Once we were done with the all the paperwork, she decided to check me.

"Do you want an epidural?"

"I'd like to try without one as long as possible."

She checks me. 5 centimeters, 100% effaced.

Only 5. That is all I could think about. I was hoping to be a 7 by the time I arrived at the hospital. I was hoping that I would be able to deliver shortly after, and that they would tell me that I just didn't have time for an epidural. Why? Because I just knew I wasn't strong enough to do it otherwise. That ultimately if you would give me the choice, as soon as it got too hard, I would choose it.

But for now... I dealt with the pain.

2:00 Arrive to my room. Contractions are really intense at this point, and I can barely talk in between them.  There are a million and one people in the room, everything is set up for baby to be delivered, and I have more paperwork to sign, an IV to go in, and an ultrasound to be completed to "confirm" the baby is head down.

While this is going on, I get irritated with one of the residents, and end up saying that to the nurses who then make the decision that he won't be coming back in again. At this point, I was in too much pain to even care who was coming in and out of my room. My eyes barely remained open.

2:30 I had about 5 back to back hardest contractions of my labor, and I whimpered out "I can't do it. I can't." My nurses were great and kept trying to support me, "Yes you can, you're doing great! Yes you can." And then I said "I need an epidural."

It was amazing how quickly those nurses got things going, because my anesthesiologist was in the room within a couple of minutes, didn't ask me ten million questions, and could see that I was in excruciating pain with little relief in between.

He got it. On one stick. Unlike the last time where it took 4-5. And he was able to do it in between my 1.5 minute apart contractions. My hero in that moment in time.

But the pain. Oh the pain, I said. I still feel it. He gave me a boost. And another boost. And then finally, it was like the angels were singing in my room and I was a completely new person. I felt like I could actually breath again, and I believe I finally did just that.

I opened my eyes and I could tell that everyone was just staring at me with the next contraction on the screen, waiting to see what I would do/say next. Apparently, I didn't even know I was having one.

The ice was broken when my anesthesiologist says,

"Well, good to see you aren't cursing anymore!" And everyone laughs. Oops, I don't deal with pain well obviously.

2:45 Now that my epidural was working, all questions and procedures were completed, and there was nothing left to do but to have a baby, everyone left and there was finally peace and quiet in my room with just me, my thoughts, and a sleeping husband next to me. With my pain completely dissipated, I was able to quickly text a few people, snap a picture, and post an update to FB/instagram.

"It was time" I said.

3:20 The nurse comes in to check me. The last time I was checked was when I arrived in triage and I was a 5. The first nurse checks me and says she thinks I'm an 8, but wanted her preceptor to double check. The other nurse checks and says, "Oh she's further than that." I'm over here thinking, only 2 numbers left so 9 or 10? The doctor then comes in to check and says I'm in between 9-10, and it's time to call the doctor.

When I hear those words, I immediately ask if we could have the anesthesiologist come back and turn down my epidural so I can feel my contractions to push. They make a call in, and it was decided to just completely turn it off.

4:25 The head doctor comes in and decides to check the baby one more time. At that point, he discovers that the baby is positioned posterior, meaning the back of P's head was against my back. He stated how he couldn't believe that I rapidly progressed with her being positioned posterior. He decided to go ahead and try to turn her head with me pushing during a contraction.

My nurse looks at me and asks, "You feel like you can do this?"

The adrenaline was starting to rush through me. This is the part of labor that I looked forward to. This is what I dreamed about. "Yes! I could feel my legs, I could push."

So I grabbed my legs, and with the coaching of my wonderful nurse and doctor during a contraction I pushed in three 10 second increments.

"Stop stop stop!" The doctor says. "I need to gown up, she's coming out."

And he hurries to the table, while the other doctor helps tie him up, and the nurse hurries to try to get my mirror in front of me, but we wouldn't get it in time, because with the next contraction I push, and there she is. She comes out so quick, that I almost don't even realize what happened.

She cries so loud, and so strong, and she is finally actually here.

4:29 a.m. Sweet Polina Jane is officially born.

She's placed on my chest, and Andrew and I kiss her. Another child for us to call as our own. Another blessing from the Lord. She's here, early, and healthy, and we are completely, utterly, smitten by her.