A Birth Story

Today My Silly Tilly is 7 weeks old! Wow. I don't know where the time has gone,but I figured it was about time to write out her birth story.

*This is a BIRTH story,which will contain details that some might not want to read,...like if you're a male,related to me.*

So,according to me,my due date was January 26th; According to the doctor it was January 30th. Not a big difference,but we knew I was due sometime that week. We happily ticked by week 36,37,38,and 39 of pregnancy,and I was starting to wonder when our little girl might decide to come out. I was determined to let her pick her own birthday. I would not agree to an induction unless we got to 42w+6days. So,I was trying to be patient in case we were in for the long haul,but when I went to my 39 week appointment the doctor checked me and I was 4cm and 50% effaced. It sounded promising and the doctor was sure I wouldn't make it to my 40 week appointment. She told me not to overdo it with the walking and such,and try to relax for the big event.

On January 25th,I woke up from nap with a real contraction. The time on the clock: 3:20pm. Was this it,I wondered? Or was this going to be another day of false contractions? I tried to rest for a little longer,but another contraction came 10 minutes later,and I started to get excited.

I got up and puttered around the house,woke Julianna up from nap,emptied the dishwasher and rested until Erik came home from work. I told him I was having consistent contractions,although they were far apart,and I thought we might be getting somewhere. Around 6:30pm,I went to the bathroom and had "bloody show." Once I saw that,I was pretty sure we'd be having a baby within 24 hours. I made dinner for the family,we ate,and then I called my mom to tell her what was going on. My neighbor Jen and I chatted on FB and then she came over and brought me some magazines to look at while I was in labor. Around 9:00pm, I took a shower and was still having contractions every 10 minutes. I spent a little time snuggling with my 1st baby before I put her to bed around 9:45. We talked to her about what was going to happen in the morning,and she was so excited for baby sister to come. Erik and I laid out our clothes,put our bags by the door,and called our contacts to keep them updated. Around 10:30,Erik went to bed,and I followed around 11:00pm.

My contractions were still 10 minutes apart,but they were getting to be a bit more painful. I tried to sleep,but lying down was becoming very uncomfortable. I decided to get up around midnight because I was tossing around and I wanted Erik to get as much sleep as possible. I came out into the living room,and started reading on baby center about when to go to the hospital. My contractions weren't getting closer together,so I was still unsure of if this was "real." Around 1:00am,I started having to breathe through my contractions. I needed to focus on each one,though they were still 10 minutes apart. By 2:00am,my pain was getting worse,and I thought we better start getting ready to go. I woke Erik up,and asked him to call our babysitter. While he was on the phone,I decided to take a warm shower to help me through some contractions. It proved to be a very short one,because I was pretty sure "it was time." Our babysitter got to the house,and Erik and I left for the hospital. We made it there around 2:45am,and headed up to L&D. We stopped at the admissions desk,and had to turn in our pre-registration paperwork and answer quite a few questions. I had to vocalize through one contraction,and I could see Erik starting to get worried. After we finished paperwork,we sat in the waiting room,and got called back to triage at 3:00am.

The nurse came in and made me lay on my back while she found the baby's heartbeat. That was SO uncomfortable,I started to get a little panicky.Next,the doctor came in to check me,and she said I was 5cm and 90% effaced. Let me be honest,at this point,I really started to get upset. I was in a LOT of pain,and I could NOT believe I was only 5cm. I wanted to cry LOL. The doctor left the room,and the nurse came back in to walk us across the hall to a L&D room. I was hit with a raging contraction at that point,and I told Erik I was going to be sick. I threw up twice,and then we walked across the hall to our room. We got into our room at 3:10am. I thought I had to pee,so I walked into the bathroom and sat down,but nothing happened,so I got up and went to the bed. I sat down on the edge,and the nurse told me to lay back so I could get an IV bag. Erik was signing some paperwork,and I said "something's coming". I guess I didn't look to convincing because the nurse said,"oh honey,that's just the baby making its way down,that's normal." NO,something's coming! I got a little louder that time. All of the sudden,the nurse threw me back on the bed,picked up my legs and said, "she's crowning." Uh,what? How is that even possible? I thought I was only 5cm. No time to worry about that now! While the nurse was telling me not to push since she didn't have on gloves and there was no one to grab the baby,a contraction gripped me and I screamed. I swear,I don't know where it came from,I wasn't even in my body anymore. And then,the doctor ran in with one glove on,slapped the other on,and out came our little girl. The time: 3:14am .

That's right,less then 30 minutes after getting to the hospital,and 4 minutes after getting to our L&D room,our little girl was born. No pain meds,I didn't even get my shirt off or hospital gown on. :) And that is how it happened. The nurses then referred to me as the "stop and drop" for the rest of my time at the hospital LOL. Fun times. If there are any questions or comments,please feel free to let me know. I would be more than glad to answer any questions.

Matilda Eleanor
3:14am
1/26/2010
6lbs,2oz.
18 inches long....and sweeter than a piece of pie!