My labor started on Wednesday, February 20th sometime in the evening. I was really hoping to hold out until Friday, so that my mom could be there and I could have my doctor present for the birth (as opposed to someone else from her office). I tried to focus my energy away from labor and spent the next two days relaxing in the shower or laying on the bed watching movies. The contractions were very sporadic and I was able to sleep a good bit and eat as I wished.
Thursday night it snowed about 4-6 inches in the city, which was the biggest snow this entire winter. Friday morning, I woke up to the news that the delay at the airport was 10 hours. My mom was scheduled to fly into New York at 11am that morning. Todd and I headed to my doctor's appointment at 9am and the doctor found that I was "probably in early labor" and she jokingly asked me to hold out until 5pm, because that was the time she was on call in the hospital. I got a call from my mom that her flight was delayed 6 hours and was very bummed, because I thought she would miss the birth. We headed across the street to the AOLTimeWarner Mall and got breakfast at our favorite pastry shop. My mom called and said that her flight was scheduled to take off in 10min. She called again as they were actually leaving. The contractions were still coming sporadically and I was having a bloody show, which usually indicates that labor is imminent.
After breakfast, we went to the Borders Bookstore in the mall. I found a chair and sat down because I was determined to wait until my mom arrived to go into labor. The contractions spaced out a little I breathed a sigh of relief. No baby yet I kept telling myself. Around 11:30am, my mom called and said her plane had landed. WOW! Apparently the 130mph tail wind helped rush them to NY.
Todd and I decided to go back the Obstetrician's office, because the contraction we really painful, but not regular. At the OB's office, she found that I was 4-5 cm dilated and she wanted me to go straight to the hospital. Meanwhile, my mom went to our apartment and got our bags, which were sitting by the door. She also headed up to the hospital. Todd and I walked the 2.5 long blocks to the hospital. It was a very slow walk. My contractions (still not regular) stopped me cold and had me hanging on Todd for support. We finally made it to the front door of the hospital and headed towards the elevator. There are 6-8 main elevators in this hospital. Labor and Delivery is on the 12th floor, which I think is the highest floor in the hospital. The elevator door opened and about 16 people filed in. *damn* I thought to myself. This elevator is going to stop on _every_ floor. It did, almost, and I had at least one very bad contraction, forcing me to grip the handrails of the elevator and try to breathe through it.
We got up to 12 and went into the triage room. Triage is the area of L&D where they determine whether or not you are in labor. The waiting room is small and dreary was filled with well meaning, but misplaced men and lots of bags filling up the remaining chairs. There was one free chair in the room and Todd motioned me toward it. I declined. Who wants to sit in a yucky chair next to a strange man while one is in active labor? The men in the room stared at me as I breathed through the contractions. They did not understand what I was going through and no one thought to get up from their chair or even to make space for us. I went out into the hall and labored for at least another 10 minutes or so, while Todd filled out some paperwork. I was hoping to use the hospital's Birth Center, as opposed to the regular L&D rooms. Unfortunately, I had to wait for my doctor to finish with her office hours before going to the Birth Center.
My contractions were on top of each other at this point. I was beginning to hope that our baby would not be born in the triage waiting room. Finally a nurse called me back to triage. Doctors and nurses surrounded me, because it was clear to them that I was in active labor, transition perhaps, and they might be needing to deliver my baby very soon. They all worked to get me in the bed and they check me and said that I was 6 cm dilated. When Isaac was born, I went from 6 to 10 cm in the space of 2 contractions, so I knew it could go very quickly. I was joking with the nurses between contractions telling them that I was waiting for my mom and my doctor to arrive before having this baby. I don't want an epidural, I added. One nurse was quite surprised and she asked me on how I would handle the pain of the rest of my labor. At this point, my mom had made it to the hospital. She visited me in triage and heard the nurses comments about my desire to go natural. She was not impressed.
The nurses moved me to a room in L&D and I laid on the bed in the room strapped to monitors and such. I hugged my body pillow and my mom gave me my cd player with some soothing piano music. I zoned out completely and actually tried to relax a bit after that triage ordeal. After 20 minutes on the monitor, I was allowed to get in the bathtub and continue laboring there. Once in the bathtub, I was really able to relax and chat with my mom about the triage experience. My contractions spaced out a bit and I asked Todd if he would call my doctor and see if she was on her way to the hospital.
One of the doctors came in and told me I needed to get back on the monitor because they didn't like the baby's heartrate and I would not be allowed to go to the Birth Center without a "better" fetal heart rate. Um........okay..... I got out of the tub and lay down on the bed again and this time I felt like transition was around the corner. I've labored naturally before so I know the feeling of transition contractions. I laid there for 20 minutes and tensed up during every contraction. I really really wanted to give birth in the birth center.
After the 20 minutes had passed, I was told that my doctor had arrived and was in the Birth Center filling up the jacuzzi for me. I was relieved to know that I would get to go to the birth center after all. The nurse wheeled me to the Birth Center (11th floor) and I got to my room got in the tub and was able to relax again. My doctor was there. My husband was there. My mom was there. I was in the Birth Center. I told my body it was time to have a baby. I labored through transition for about 40 minutes. Some of the contractions were really bad, some were less intense, but it was all pretty manageable. I knew I would have the baby very soon. My doctor offered to break my water once I hit 9 cm. I agreed and got out of the tub and laid on the bed.
After having another contraction, I was 10 cm. My doctor told me she was going to break my water and then she wanted my to give 3 little pushes with the next contraction. I sort of laughed to myself as I have already pushed 2 babies out and I *know* exactly how it will go. She broke my water and I started pushing almost immediately. I didn't know it at the time, but apparently as soon as she broke my water, she was holding the baby's head in. I told the doctor I was pushing and she was telling me to stop, because she had no supplies ready. She yelled at the nurses "get the tray!" or something. I kept pushing and she caught the baby with a towel that had been on the bed. I pushed 2 times, I think. Anna Sophia squirmed a bit and opened her eyes and within a few seconds she was screaming at world. She looked small to me, which I announced to everyone. My OB laughed and said she looked like a good size to her. Once she was weighed, we realized that she was my smallest baby at 7lbs, 14.8oz.
I want to add a bit more to this story, but that will have to wait for another day.
