Labor went very quickly. I began feeling contractions on Friday night around 6:20pm during dinner out at Pizza Fusion. They were coming about 5 minutes apart, but were not very strong, so I didn't think too much of it. I just kept track of how far apart they were, and mentioned it to David and my mother-in-law. When we got home, they were still about the same, so we just went about our business, and decided that if they were still going by the time Vincent went to bed, we'd call the hospital.
I gave Vincent extra hugs and kisses at bedtime, thinking that the next time I see him, he may no longer be my only child.
We called Labor & Delivery around 9:30pm to let them know my status, and they advised us to stay home and see if the contractions become longer, stronger and more frequent for 1-2 hours. We decided to try and get a little sleep. I couldn't sleep. My contractions actually seemed further apart, but when they occurred, they were lasting a bit longer and definitely stronger. By about 11:30pm, I woke David up and we called the hospital again. They told us to go ahead and come in.
We arrived at the hospital around 12:30am. They put us in a room to assess my progress. When the on-call resident, Dr. Melanie Lastname-I-Cannot-Remember, checked my cervix, I was dialated to 5 cm, and she admitted us. I would say this was about 1am. The doctor contacted both Dr. Jackson & Dr. Vasavada.
They told me I could walk around, bounce on the yoga ball, etc., but MAN! I was in so much pain, I could barely sit on the ball or walk around. The nurse, Kate, told me about my pain medication options, even though I was hoping to go unmedicated. I managed to get out my birthplan for her, which still amazes me a bit. David tried to get out the meditation CD that we used when I had Vincent, but it was such a struggle to find while the contractions continued - we never did find it in time.
Back to the pain meds...I thought that I may need some meds. Nurse Kate ran through my options again, but I couldn't decide. She suggested that I have my cervix checked again to see how far I had progressed and then I could decide. Well, no wonder I was in so much pain, I was at 9 cm! Dr. Melanie Lastname-I-Cannot-Remember said she was going to call my doctors to come now.
It wasn't long before I wanted to push. Both doctors arrived around 2am, and I think I was already starting to push a bit. Dr. Vasavada had to break my bag of waters halfway through pushing, and sadly, Baby had pooped. That meant that the pediatrician on duty would have to come in, and they would clamp and cut the cord and take him aside to check out before I could hold him. This happened with Vincent, too, and I really wanted skin-to-skin contact right away. But, I did get to touch him - I was pushing and losing focus at one point, and Dr. Jackson brought me back to center and told me to reach down and touch my baby's head. I actually saw and felt his slimy little head, and that was enough to motivate me to get him out.
As soon as he was born, I looked down and said, "It's a boy..."
Many thanks to Dr. Jackson, and Dr. Vasavada, who was actually the one to catch Tyler. They came through for me, and were wonderful. But, more importantly, David did an awesome job coaching me through this labor. It was mostly him that was getting me through each contraction and each push. It was like it all came back to him. He kept me focused on my breathing and told me what an amazing job I was doing. He let me grab on tightly to his arms and bang my head up against his chest. And, when it was all over, he continued to shower me with praise and tell me how proud of me he was and how beautiful I am.
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