Lauren's Birthday

Lauren's birthday was quite a memorable day. It was a wonderful experience, and I feel so blessed that we all made it though with no problems. I found that with Mason's birth, I quickly forgot many details, so in effort to hang on to the memories, I jotted down notes from our day.

Monday, October 13 (Columbus Day)
2:15am - Was woken up with pretty hard contractions. Started timing them. After having contractions of varying strength and frequency for a solid two weeks, I wasn't quite sure this was the real thing.
2:45am - Contractions around 6-8 minutes apart. Still had them after drinking a glass of water and moving around. Upset stomach.
3:00am - Contractions too painful too talk through them. Woke up Dave.
3:30am - Finished packing my bag for the hospital
4:00am - Called the midwife's office and started getting ready to head to the hospital. Woke up my parents to tell them we were leaving.
4:22am - Headed to the hospital. Contractions about 5 minutes apart.
4:45am - Admitted to triage room at hospital with head nurse. Was put on monitor for five minutes for initial assessment. Dilated 6cm. Contractions getting a little more painful.
5:15am - Moved to room 11, changed into gown, and settled in.
6:00am - Nurses tried to get IV antibiotics started (for Group Beta Strep). Three different nurses (including the head nurse) tried 4 different times in different places on both arms to find a vein, but it kept getting "blown".
7:00am - Midwife Sage arrives along with my labor and delivery nurse, Angie.
7:05am - Sage checks progress. 7-8cm dilated, 90% effaced
7:10am - Decision made to forgo antibiotics since vein could not be found for IV. Sage says there probably won't be enough time to get at least two rounds in anyway (which would be necessary to not have to test the baby after delivery)
7:30am - Began walking in maternity center halls. Passed by nursery. Never seen so many babies at one time. (Perhaps due to the full moon?)
7:50am - I have some graham crackers and water for breakfast
8:30am - Contractions about 3 minutes apart. During each one, I hold Dave's hand and bury my head in his shoulder. I move between sitting up in bed (with foot of bed lowered), sitting on a birth ball, and walking. Nurse Angie occasionally checks baby's heartbeat during a contraction, but I'm never hooked up to the monitor.
9:00am - Back begins to hurt. Try getting on hands and knees in bed with Dave applying pressure to my lower back
9:04am - Sage checks progress. 9cm dilated
9:10am - I begin light pushing. Sage helps baby's head move past pelvis
9:15am - Start of two contractions which I consider the "transition" phase. (They were pretty painful).
9:25am - After a fairly long resting phase with no contractions, I begin really pushing while sitting up in bed. Nurse Angie and Dave helped hold my legs.
9:51am - Water broke as baby's head was crowning. Stinging and burning sensation very intense now. Dave said I was making loud, guttural groans. I couldn't bear to stop pushing.
10:01am - Lauren Reese is born! As she came out, I reached down and pulled her up to my chest.
10:02am - The baby nurse helped clean her off as she assessed her condition. First APGAR score 9. Lauren poops on my belly.
10:07am - Second APGAR score 9.
10:11am - Sage lets Dave cut the cord after it finally stops pulsing.
10:12am - Begin trying to nurse.
10:19am - Lauren weighed and measured: 7lbs, 10oz. 19in. Placenta delivered.
10:20am - Sage begins stitching up small tear.
10:32am - Lauren nurses like a champ. Nurses for about 50 minutes. She's very alert.
11:30am - My parents and Mason arrive at hospital to meet Lauren
11:40am - Dave changes first poopy diaper
12:52pm - Nurse Angie gives first bath

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Lauren was healthy despite my being GBS positive and not getting any antibiotics. I had the natural birth I was hoping for (no pain medication, no IV, no monitors, no medical intervention, no artificial rupture of membranes). The pain was manageable, and I felt in control the whole time. (It wasn't as bad as with Mason's birth when I was induced with pitocin and my water was broken manually.) And we have a beautiful baby girl to complete our family. We've truly been blessed.