08-22-09
NINA MARGERET
Margeret, Tori, and Mathew were in town for the birth (that's Sean's Mom, sister, and brother, by the way). I couldn't believe I had actually gone past the due date. Honestly, I couldn't believe I'd made it to June. The day I was due Tori went to my midwife appointment with me, where Janice scraped my membranes (again, and yeah it's as fun as it sounds) and that's when we discovered that my blood pressure was too high. We all went to the hospital so they could strap all sorts of crap on my belly and they monitored my blood pressure (still too high) and we were informed that the Burnaby hospital doesn't induce at night, otherwise they'd be inducing me now (I was measuring big, bp was high, time for baby to get out). With heavy heart (and body LOL) I went home being told that I'd be induced the next morning if I didn't happen to go into labor before then (yeah no pressure).
I could NOT, COULD NOT get comfortable that night, moreso than every night leading up to that niight. (I wasn't comfortable in my body from about Christmas on, getting progressively worse leading up to this night, but this night was much worse.) On top of being so uncomfortable, I was sad and depressed that I'd be birthing in the hospital (not my plan) and I also had to pee an unbearable oh, every 20 minutes or so, leading me to pee and spend 12 minutes just arranging myself in bed trying to get in a tolerable position and then... have to pee again. So that made me angry on top of all the other emotions I was going through.
After Sean and I watched both Caddyshack and Karate Kid on TV (it was late) we turned out the lights but my body just couldn't deal, and by about 2:30 I woke up Sean to tell him I was gonna try to sleep in the 2nd bedroom (closer to the bathroom, and wouldn't disturb Sean and Ever every time I huffed and puffed all angry and annoyed getting back into bed).
I cried.
I cried that the pregnancy was just. so. SUCKY.
I rolled back and forth feeling cramps and nausea and then getting up to go pee. Add seven pillows. Repeat.
I didn't sleep.
I called Susan around 5:00 am since it was 8:00 her time in Indiana. I asked her if they really HAD to induce, and why. We talked for a bit, but at times my cramps/pain/annoyance made me stop talking and I'd work through the pain. After this happened a few times, Susan said "You aren't getting induced this morning. You're in labor." I guess it came along so slowly as annoyance/frustration/cramping, that I hadn't noticed what it was. With Ever's birth, it was BOOM my water broke, then everything ramped up within a few hours. I had assumed my body would do the same thing this time.
Susan then suggested I get off the phone and call my midwife and, you know, have a baby.
Of course I then called my mother.
See I was so miserable by this point (hadn't slept on top of all of this) that I decided I wanted her here whether I was really in labor or not. And she lives 45 minutes away so I had to give her & Jeff time to wake up and get up here.
Then I called the midwife on call at that time, Kat (she was the 2nd midwife at Ever's birth!). By this time I was circling around the dining room table - exactly what I did in early labor with Ever. She stayed on the phone with me through 5 or 6 contractions and determined that it was, in fact, labor, and said she'd come over as soon as I called, knowing that we'd know when to call.
Then I called Margeret and Tori and Mathew, and cousin Debra, and cousin Katie, and sent out a text from my cell phone to friends and family in my contacts. It got chaotic in our house FAST.
Debra came over with Isabella in her arms, and when it was time for her to go back home, I got upset, and realized how badly I wanted her with me for the labor. Katie started with the Facebook/Twitter updates, some people were texting me back right away (especially Indiana people since it was about 9:00 their time by then), and I tried doing the exercise ball and standing up through the labor pains. Even with the crowd and it only being early labor, I was losing my sense of humor. Soon we went into the 2nd bedroom and closed the door, and very soon after that I said a resounding I WANT KAT.
At some point around then it was me, Debra (she returned to help me!), Sean, and my Mom in that 2nd bedroom.
Kat showed up pretty quick, and my labor pains were being... weird. I was warned about them coming on fast and strong, but these felt different as well, but I couldn't put a finger on it then (I can now! Hello, back labor!) I was also confused because I was fully alert and having normal conversations, but with Ever's birth I was in Labor Pain Subconcious LaLa Land once I was in active labor, so I was questioning "Why am I here talking to you guys?!?" Kat was checking me and I wasn't dialating which was weird to her as well, since she figured she'd just show up and I'd deliver pronto.
Hours went by, and I was grunting, groaning, and PUSHING the whole time. And still fully conscious and aware of the world around me. (RIP. OFF.) Sean put a bad Olivia Newton John song into my head, then a bad Def Lepard song. We were having regular conversations only I WAS IN UNBEARABLE PAIN every couple minutes. I tried every position I could to "change" the pain to no avail.
My water finally broke while I was laying in the tub and Sean was spraying the shower wand on me. He then had to lift me - I mean LIFT ME at 208 pounds dead weight, out of the tub because I had ZERO strength or physical ability by then. Oh and I was naked and slippery. And PUSHING.
We finally figured out why I was pushing involuntarily for HOURS: take your right hand and pat yourself on your left shoulder, like you're choking yourself. That was what the baby was doing, causing her head to NOT touch my cervix to encourage it to OPEN even thought the REST of my body was REALLY QUITE CERTAIN that there was a baby in there that sould be coming OUT ANY MINUTE NOW DID YOU NOT GET THE MEMO? Her adorable little elbow was going ge-dunk ge-dunk ge-dunk along my spine and tailbone on the way out.
At some point my pushing had finally shoved things where the sun kinda shines and my Mom opened the door so the parade of people could come into the room to watch me scream and push: Sean, Mom, Kat, back-up midwife, Jeff, Margeret, Tori, Katie, Debra. Yeah that's NINE PEOPLE. Sean had my hand, Mom and Debra each had a leg, and Kat was front and center yanking the baby out of me (baby's hips got stuck, too). I won't go into detail as to HOW Kat got her out of me, but I will repeat the words GET and YANK.
The baby came out fat and bruised and a bit traumatised. Nine pounds fourteen ounces. Nina Margeret. A room full of people to greet her.
I had two stitches, one inside, one outside. That impressed even me.
I was so, SO happy to get her outta my body. And I think she was happy to be out, too.