RaVae EricksonBoo was born in eight hours. I was SO calm during labor with her-it wasn’t until transition that I freaked out at all.
I awoke around 6:00 with an urge to pee(nothing new by this point). When I stood up to go to the bathroom my water broke. It wasn’t a huge gush, but I was certainly glad I was on my way to the bathroom anyway! I sat there for awhile and then crawled back in bed and asked Hubbin if he was ready to be a Daddy, because it was happening today. Neither of us could go back to sleep, so I got up and went to take a bath….and there I stayed until 8:15 when the contractions were only three minutes apart and lasting for 30-45 seconds.
We finished packing the hospital bag and I made Hubbin move some furniture around so Boo would have a place to sleep when we came home. Then we headed to the hospital.
Hubbin will tell you we stopped at Walgreens on the way-which is both true and untrue! We did stop at Walgreens, where we got snacks that remained untouched during labor, but it was NOT on the way since we only lived a block away from the hospital and Walgreens is five blocks away.
At the hospital they checked us in….and didn’t believe me that I was truly even having contractions! I had to test myself to see if my water had broken-ha! It totally had! I felt so vindicated because the nurse was treating me as if I was an idiot for even thinking my water had broken. So much so, that she didn’t check me during check in.
We got in a room, got my IV (I was group B strep positive with Boo), and then the nurse checked me…. Good Lord! Talk about some pain! Contractions were nothing until she did that! I was at a four and 90% effaced, so I asked about the tub. The filled it with water and in I went! Ah! But only for awhile, after getting in the tub contractions continued to get longer and stronger and closer together for about an hour, until the nurse came in And told me to let her know right away if I felt the urge to push…..I hadn’t thought about it, but on the very next contraction it was definitely there! I told Hubbin, who told the nurse, and as all of this was happening, I hit transition! Yikes!
I lost it, I had no time to regain control and calm down in between contractions and I started freaking out! Hubbin did his best to calm me, but between that and the nurse telling me she needed to check me, and me not wanting to move or be checked because I knew the tub felt the best, and being checked hurt like hell (sorry, but it did!), I just lost it. They finally convinced me that I could be checked in the tub, so I said fine. She checked and I was at a nine and a half and 100% effaced. And THAT dear friends is when I really lost it!
By this point I had resigned myself to getting the gosh darn epidural because I could NOT, and I mean could NOT recover between contractions. This left me panicky and scared. I decided the epidural would allow me to calm down so I could push the baby out since, you know, I was already through transition! Anyway, I started bawling when she told me where I was, and both Hubbin and the nurse asked what was wrong, I practically yelled, “that means you’re not going to let me get the epidural!” To which the nurse very sweetly responded, “oh sweetie, we will get you the epidural right now.” And she left to go get the anesthesiologist, also known as my hero, aka, the epidural dude!
During the next five minutes they got me out of the tub and up to the bed, NOT my idea of a good time! The epidural dude came in and I calmly endured that process while pretending a super-long needle was not, in fact, going into my spine! Ugh! I still can’t believe I let them do that! But oh! It was totally worth it! Relief came quickly, and I was able to calm down and regain my wits.
I was allowed to labor down for about an hour before I could really feel baby moving down low with each contraction. They got Dr Revoal and I started pushing…and pushing…and pushing, for an hour and fifteen minutes. With every push I could feel Boo moving lower, getting closer to coming out, but it wasn’t painful at all until the very end, but even then it was only a tiny bit. I was allowed to push on the squatting stool until they thought she was ready to come out. I still regret not demanding being allowed to stay up there on that thing for the birth! I think I wouldn’t have torn if I had…oh well, live and learn.
I pushed, and then she was crowning, I was so focused, so calm, working so hard, and Hubbin was talking and laughing with the Dr. I pushed and then she was here. 1:56 PM. All slimy and wet, and covered in goo, and on top of me. My very first thought was, “this is mine.” Immediately followed with, “this is mine! How do I take care of her?!”
They let me hold her and love on her and talk to her for awhile (during which time I was given a local, and stitched up-only a few stitches and a second degree tear. You ladies with worse are my hero! I don’t know how you did it!) and then they asked if they could weigh her, so they weighed and measured and vitamins K gooped her eyes before giving her back. 5lbs 9oz, 19.5 inches long. We let family know she was here!
Hubbin held her on the way back to me, and then we took our first family photos. I looked aweful! I looked so tired. But I treasure those pictures because they were our first family pictures.
I asked to pee. The nurse said she would be right back because they needed two people to help me stand the first time….she came back an hour later! I asked to pee again, and was told the same thing, she let and came back….and hour later! By this time I had not only seriously considered just getting up and going myself, but had turned to the edge of the bed and was trying to convince Hubbin to just help me! When she came back She saw this, and apologized-they had had two emergency C-sections and all staff had gone to help. And she let Hubbin help me on the side…..not that I needed help, I was totally fine walking, just not to ally fine with the grossness still oozing out of me!
It then took another hour before we were moved to the other section so people could see us and Boo. Our first visitors were Grammy and Grandpa followed closely by a steady stream of aunt, uncles, and cousins! Everyone commented on how tiny she was. We didn’t truly know how tiny she was until the next day….
The next day a steady stream of doctors and nurses visited us…all asking what I had done wrong during pregnancy to have such a low birth weight baby! I was mortified and pissed! I had done nothing wrong! Other than eat a little soft serve ice cream a few times. By the forth Doctor I had had enough of it. It still infuriates me just to think about it!
The following day, at 2:15, we headed home a family of three, and the real adventure began!