I went to my 39 week appointment on Tuesday 3/3/15 with the hopes of being induced that week but was disappointed when my Doctor told me he didn't want to induce until after my due date since the chance of c-section increases with induction. With that said, I refused to leave the office without a scheduled induction date. (Insert small tantrum) So we agreed on one more check the following Monday followed by induction the next day if necessary since I hadn't progressed any further and was still 4cm dilated and 80% effaced. At this point, I had given up all hope that Liv would come on her own and tried to mentally prepare for another week of pregnancy. On the way home we picked up a buffalo chicken pizza, which had become a weekly staple while trying to kick start labor with spicy food. That night I was absolutely ravenous, eating anything and everything I could get my hands on. Little did I know my body was storing up for the following day.
Sometime in the middle of the night I moved to the couch so my husband could sleep since I took to snoring in the last couple weeks of my pregnancy. I woke up at 5:30 with back pain. I attributed it to my sciatic since I had been experiencing those lovely twinges down my back at night. But when it stayed constant instead of shooting, I thought maybe it was constipation. I layed back down and the pain disappeared. However, it came back a few minutes later and I realized I was having back labor contractions. Yay! I started timing them and discovered they were 8:40 apart. I calmly showered and experienced 2 more contractions. At this point, I knew it was the real deal b/c previously a shower always made the braxton hicks go away. I think it was when I started packing some last minute items that my husband got the message it was go time. Around 8am we headed to the hospital since the doctor told me not to wait too long since I had already been so far along.
After being checked in, the nurse informed me I was 5-6cm and that my doctor would be shortly after she got out of the OR. I was so happy to discover my favorite doctor was on call until 5pm. Around 10:00am she checked me and I was 6cm. I continued to breath through contractions while listening to the Dixie Chicks Pandora as a relaxation technique. I labored on an exercise ball for little bit but ultimately found that laying on my side in bed was the best position to alleviate the back pain. However, laying down must have relaxed me a little too much as my contractions started to become irregular. In the early afternoon, I was only 7cm but they did not want to break my water until the second round of antibiotics were administered since I tested positive for Strep B. Next thing I know, the owner of my practice walks in, breaks my water and orders pitocin to kick start labor again. I had been so relaxed up to this point that my husband and family were all down the hall having lunch unaware of what was going on. In a quick second, my contractions went from bearable to holy hell. I think I had 2 contractions before my mother walked in to see the pain on my face and ran to get my husband. I am not sure which was worse - experiencing the pain or my husband watching me go through it. I knew I wouldn't have any energy to push if I continued in this fashion so I begged for an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, I was 8cm. It was about the same time that I layed flat for the epidural to take effect that I experienced the pressure to push. As the nurse notified the doctor I was ready, my epidural kicked in. Instantly I felt relaxed so much so that I closed my eyes between contractions. I could feel each contraction enough to know when to push but overall it took all my pain away. It was brutally warm in my room because the ac was broken but who knew it would be needed when there was snow on the ground outside.
I pushed for an hour and twenty minutes before Miss Olivia made her grand appearance at 5:20pm on 3/4/15. During all the pushing, I was continuously told about her full head of dark hair. I guess the old wives tale about heart burn indicating lots of hair is true. She was just perfect even with the umbilical cord wrapped 2x around her neck. We all took bets about her weight before she was put on the scale. My healthy baby girl weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 21 inches long. While I got stitched up, my very proud husband shared pictures of her to our family waiting anxiously just outside the door. I came to find out later, that they were all crying when they heard she had arrived. There is nothing like the love of a family. Randy and I had about 20 minutes alone with Olivia before family came in, which was the perfect bonding time to stare at our little creation. This is when my husband held her for the first time, which is a sight forever etched in my mind.
I talked all day about food and finally got a bite to eat while family visited. My sister brought chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, which I inhaled only about an hour after giving birth. Then I moved onto sugar cookies and ranch pretzels that my younger sister anxiously baked in waiting. I finished off the night with chicken fried rice and a champagne toast to our little bundle of joy.
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