My Birth Story (very LONG)

I woke up on Friday morning January 12 and didn’t feel right. I brushed it off since I’d been feeling like crap for a while. I got dressed and left for work. I was having what I figured were contractions and timed them partway to work. They were coming every 6 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds. I called John, who was still at home, and told him I was turning around and to call the doctor. Dr. Freedman told me not to call back until they were 4-5 minutes apart lasting for a minute or more. All day Friday I was having contractions pretty regularly. By Friday night they hit the criteria Dr. Freedman had specified so we called the covering doctor and he sent us to labor and delivery.

We got to labor and delivery about 9:30 or so on Friday night and they checked me and I was not dilated at all. They had me walk and put me in the Jacuzzi but no dice. We headed home about 2:30 Saturday morning, very disappointed.

After sleeping until about 10:30 John and I headed out to do errands and I was having more contractions which were more painful and lasting longer. However, since I didn’t ever think I would go from nothing to being in real labor in a few hours I wasn’t bothering to time them. By 8:30 Saturday night I was in a HUGE amount of pain, laying on the bed crying. I couldn’t make a decision about calling the doctor because I couldn’t bear the thought of going back to the hospital and being sent home again. I talked to my mom, during that conversation I had a major anxiety attack and that spurred John into calling the doctor.

We again got to Winchester Hospital around 9:30 or so. The nurse I’d had the night before was on again and told me to go to “my room”, hook myself up to the monitors and she would be in if she felt like it – hehehe she was the best!!! She checked me and told me I was 4 centimeters dilated and I wouldn’t be going home without a baby!!! YAY!

My mom came and we settled in for the night. She and John were both my rocks throughout early labor. . . reminding me to breathe through contractions. I got a narcotic shot which took the edge off some and just waited until it was epidural time. In the meantime the covering doctor, Dr. Pesin, came in to introduce himself. The man looks like a blond, fat Elvis. He left and I looked at John and my mom and was like “ELVIS is delivering my baby??!!!” That was the comic relief for the night!!

The anesthesiologist came in at about 1 a.m. to prep me for my epidural and by 1:20 a.m. it was in and I was in a MUCH better mood. So then it was just a waiting game. Mom, John and I dozed and tried to rest but I was definitely way too excited to get much sleep.

At about 4:30 a.m. they checked me again and I was still only at 8 centimeters and they felt the baby was “sunny side up” so they hung a bag of pitocin and we waited some more to see if she would turn. At about 5:45 the anesthesiologist came back to top off my epidural as I was beginning to feel the contractions again.

The shift changed at 7 a.m. and my new nurse came in and introduced herself and checked me. At about 7:45 I called the nurse as I was feeling some serious pressure in my bottom. She checked me and asked “are you ready to have a baby soon?” I couldn’t believe it was almost time and at that point I started shivering and shaking. ..nerves I guess.

Sharon (the nurse), explained exactly how I would be pushing and for how long etc. I think I started pushing a little after 8 a.m. Apparently I’m pretty good at it since I only had about 3 “sessions” of pushing. .each 3 or 4 pushes. John said her head started coming out and you could only see the top. Sharon turned to call the doctor into the room since she was crowning and by the time she turned back the baby’s head was pretty much out. She tried to have me hold on and finally was like “oh just forget it go ahead” and one more push and Miss Ellery made her VERY LOUD entrance into the world. The doctor never made it in, Sharon delivered her and didn’t even have time to put on gloves!!! I would then be known in labor and delivery and the maternity unit as the woman whose baby just fell out.

Ellery was immediately placed on my chest and I just remember sobbing and sobbing and looking at John who was crying and he kept saying “look at her, look at our baby!!!” Dr. Pesin finally showed up, the placenta came out with one push and my mom cut Ellery’s cord and it was over. Because I delivered so fast I tore; it was described to me as “high and inside” but it was a tissue tear, no muscle, so I was pretty lucky. Dr. Pesin began stitching me up which actually took longer than my delivery! He’s very thorough but VERY slow and he took so long that my epidural wore off and he didn’t give me a local right away. I’d definitely say the stitching part was 100% worse than labor and delivery combined.