The day arrived 4 weeks early! Wyatt wanted to come out and meet the world.
I was actually getting ready to go on maternity leave. I only had 3 days left. I was going to pack things away to be put to storage until we get a bigger place. I was going to get my sleep in, have lots and lots of rest. My baby shower was supposed to be this Saturday too! Tuesday morning came around. I went to pee like usual first thing in the morning. Peed but when I was done I kept trickling more water, which I thought it was just more pee and then jumped into the shower. When I got out and toweled myself, water leaked out like I peed a little. I thought it was weird so I rinsed myself off and proceeded to get ready for work. Then as I was looking for clothes to wear, I felt a sensation like I just peed in my underwear. I woke Greg up like usual and told him that I keep kind of wetting myself. So I called Labor and Delivery and told them I was trickling a little. The lady told me that discharge is normal for late third tri pregnancy. So I hung up and within minutes, my underwear was drenched. I showed Greg and then called labor and delivery again. So the lady told me to come in. We waited hours in triage. When a dr finally came in to check me, she said she was pretty sure my amniotic sac ruptured. I felt a gush of water come out as she stuck a probe down there. She was going to look under a microscope to confirm and she came back in minutes and said that it came back positive that my water did break.
So, I got transfered to my labor room, by the way, the rooms are really really nice! Got hooked up to pretty much anything and everything! I had an IV put in, monitor of Wyatt's heart and my contractions, my heart monitor and blood pressure cuff. I was confined to that bed for majority of the day. Greg and I then started sending text messages and phone calls letting everyone know I was at the hospital and Wyatt was ready to come out.
I was no where near being dilated at all. No thinning of the cervix.... nothing. So they explained to me that i'll have to take some kind of medication to start the dilating process. I didn't feel any contractions until they gave me 1/2 the pill that's helps my body produce such hormones. But they weren't bad at all. Hours later, I was given a whole pill and I started feeling a little more contractions, but very bearable. By 2230 I was given another whole pill and that night, I barely had any sleep. A fee hours of sleep but the contractions kept me awake or kept waking me up! By late morning I was 2.5cm dilated and 70% cervix thinned. I wanted to see if my body could go into active labor on its own without being induced. So they gave me about. An hour or two to see how mt contractions were going. Not much really changed so they started the inductions.
For a few hours, everything was fine, I was able to handle the pain of the contractions, got my mind off them and then an hour or two before 1700, the pain was so bad I started crying. Honestly I was really glad Greg and Roni were there to help me through them. At first I kept repeating to myself that I can handle the pain and that I can get through it. But my contractions ended up being one on top of the other. Some of them I had to close my eyes and just scream, but I was reminded that I had to breath to give oxygen to Wyatt. Some of the contractions, Greg told me to focus on him and as tears are gushing through my eyes, Greg holds my hands and reminds me to stay focused and try not to think of the pain. Each hard contraction both Roni and Greg were reminding me to focus on something esle and reminding me to breath for Wyatt. It was hard and painful. But for some reason, since typing this, it's been kind of difficult to remmeber what happened during labor. Weird. It was hard on Greg to see me in so much pain, but he helped me through it. I've caught him tearing up as I'm crying in pain. I was so tired from lack of sleep and working through the contractions that I would litterally fall asleep instantly after a contractions. But obviously, it was only a minute or two of sleep each. when the contractions were really bad, I tried to remind myself that I can do it, that I can work through this pain. And there were times when I just screamed and said I can't handle it. When asked if I wanted to have an epidural, I kept saying I wasn't sure or that I'm going to keep trying. But it was unbearable that I did end up asking for an epidural.
So the midwife came in and checked my cervix to see how far along I am and I was able to handle all the contractions up to 5cm dialated and I don't remember how thinned the cervix got. As soon as the anaesthetist arrived, he was explaining to me what the epidural is and what to expect and the risks. Right before the procedure started, I started second guessing myself. I guess I was afraid of the epidural. I've seen a video of an epidural so I guess it freaked me out. Or maybe I was afraid to fail? I sat on the bed, Greg and Roni sat right in front of me to help me cope through the contractions and epidural. The whole time I was looking at Greg. The anaesthetist then injected a local anesthetic where the epidural will take place and with the contraction and the pain of the injection, it felt like it hurt a lot that I screamed. Greg rubbed my leg and brought me back to him. I was crying the whole time the epidural insertion was taking place. The contractions were so painful it was so hard to not move. I didn't want to take my eyes off Greg because somehow it was soothing to me. I saw tears forming in his eyes. I knew it was hard for him to see me in pain. As soon as the epidural was done and the nurse finished whatever she needed to do to me, I was out like a light. I instantly fell asleep and I needed it. The lack of sleep and the fight through each contraction made me REALLY tired. I think I fell asleep for a good hour or two. Then on and off for the next few hours. My mom then arrived around 8pm and I was feeling a whole lot better by then. I felt contractions, I wasn't completely numb and I was actually glad about that. I did a lot of research with drug free/epidural free labors and the effects of epidural. One of the main reasons why I didn't want an epidural was because I didn't want to be bed ridden. I also didn't want to have a hard time during delivery because I heard some women can't even feel the contractions. But luckily I was able to feel a little bit of the contractions, like as if it were a braxton hicks contraction.
By 2130, I started feeling pressure in my rectum and pelvis. Then slowly the pressure started coming around more often and were harder as well. It seriously felt like I was getting ready to take a massive dump! (yes, that's exactly what it felt like). So I told Roni that and she said that I'm getting ready to pop Wyatt out. When the nurse came in, I was telling her what I was feeling and so she told me to try not to push and to let my body "labor down" and that the midwife will be in to check me. The nurse checked how far along i was and I was already 8cm dialated and 80% thinned out. So she asked me to push and she felt Wyatt's head move down quite a bit. So she informed the midwife and it took a while for the nurse or midwife to come back. When the nurse did, I told her that I felt some strong pressure and that I have a hard time trying not to push to "labor down." So by 11:25 or so, I had a few people in my room. A few nurses for me and a few nurses for Wyatt. The contractions were so far apart that it took 50 minutes for Wyatt to finally be in my arms. For each contraction though, I was told to breath in deep, hold my breath and push like I'm going to take a massive dump. And I was told to do it 3 times during each contraction. Greg sat in front of me between my legs and he said that he saw the top of Wyatt's head start poking out. Greg checked the clock and it was just 10 minutes before midnight on 11/09/11. He motioned to me to look at the clock. I laughed and said that it looks like he'll have his Marine baby! Then, the last few contractions, Wyatt was crowning and when he was ready to be pulled out, Greg was right there, ready to catch Wyatt and hand him to me. On my last contraction, My eyes were closed and I heard the midwife say to Greg to get ready. I felt Wyatt come out and I opened my eyes, I see Greg holding Wyatt and then as he was handing Wyatt over to me, we both started crying. Wyatt has a lung on him! Greg and I exchanged kisses as I got to hold our son for the first time. It didn't take long for Wyatt to calm down. I enjoyed having him skin to skin on me for a good hour or two.
One of the nurses took Wyatt and put him in the heat lamp machine thingy that keeps Wyatt warm and weighs and measures him. It was also where Wyatt got his first bath and his first diaper, cap and shirt. Greg was by his side the whole time. We thought Wyatt was going to be a good 8 pounder baby! But he came out 6lbs 9oz and 19" long. Oh and 15minutes after midnight on 11/10/11, The Marine Corps Birthday. He was a whole lot smaller than we expected. I was carrying a lot of water in my amniotic sac. So after everything settled down, We moved to the 3rd floor to the post partum for me and wyatt to be watched for a few days.
This whole experience was amazing and so well worth every bit of pain and joy. Who'da thunk that something so little and someone you just met, one would instantly just fall in love. I love my little future Marine!
