How I Became a Mommy Again

Zach has had a crazy last few months at work.  It was all in preparation for a deadline at the end of Friday. On Friday he got home and said that some of the higher ups have extended this deadline to Monday and he would have to work on the weekend (boo!)  On Saturday morning Zach and Lucas joined our neighbor, Cam and his daughter, for a quick trip to the zoo.  The kids enjoyed running around and climbing on random rocks and structures more than the actual animals (the animals are usually sleeping or hiding or being boring, so I guess I can't blame them).  Zach headed to work around lunch time, when we got back.

Around 5:30 I felt a long, uncomfortable contraction (or maybe it was more of a cramp?).  I decided to send Zach a text about it with some hopes it would lure him home for dinner.  About fifteen minutes later -- another contraction.  Zach came home for dinner, but around 8pm had to leave again for the office.  My contractions continued, but were not getting regular.  Sometimes they were 15 minutes apart, sometimes 8, then 2, then 20.  Their duration was not regular either.  Most were around 50 or 60 seconds, but some as sort at 15 and others as long as 90 seconds.  They were also concentrated in my lower abdomen, not evenly spread across the uterus.

I searched some hospital and clinic websites for "false labor".  Sure enough, I had all the signs (irregularity, lower abdomen pain, do not increase in frequency...).  They even mentioned that changing positions (such standing up, bending over...) would bring on more contractions.  And it did.  By 9:30 I got tired and worn out by these contractions, as they were getting quite intense, and decided to lay down and rest.  Annoyingly, contractions continued, still at irregular intervals, and I couldn't sleep.  I was thinking that if this false labor continues for days then I don't know how I'll be able to handle it.

I called the doctor on call.  Twice.  The first time I felt silly because my symptoms were so clearly false labor so I hung up before being connected.  The second time I left a message.  The doctor called back within minutes.  She said that it does sound like false labor but that she senses concern from me so I should come in just in case (she mentioned that she could at least give me something that would help me get rest when I go home).  I thought it was interesting that it was the same doctor who was on duty when I delivered Lucas.

Zach dropped what he was doing at work (his boss said he understood) and came home around 11:30.  We got Lucas up and took him to Zach's parents' house (conveniently, they live on the way to the hospital).   In the car, I was trying to stay relaxed, but these contractions were so intense that I couldn't talk through them.  I told Zach that when my contractions reached this intensity before Lucas' birth, I was already laying flat in the hospital bed and we had kicked everyone out of the room. Yet they were still quite irregular in duration and frequency.

We got to triage at midnight.  Contractions continued.  So intense!  I was starting to feel like a wuss because I wasn't sure how much more intensity I could handle -- especially if they were false labor.  The triage nurse asked me a bunch of questions and told me that I looked like I was doing great (she was sweet).  Finally she checked my cervix and said "oh girl! You are at 8cm, you are not going home without a baby tonight!"  I was relieved.   I walked down the hall to the delivery room, stopping three times to get through contractions.  I hugged Zach and swayed my hips side to side on recommendation of a nurse and it was very helpful.

I had two or three more very intense contractions in the room and then was asked to lay down in bed because the urge to push was coming on pretty strong.  I was fully dilated but my bag of waters still hasn't broken.  The doctor asked if she could break it so I could start pushing.

So the pushing began.  My sister arrived just in the time to hold my leg.  I already felt so tired... I pushed and pushed and pushed.   Both doctor and sister kept telling me that they could see the baby's head and that I was oh so close...  push after push.  I couldn't help but remember my OB's words from one of my appointments about how the second baby usually slides right out.  She was definitely not sliding right out.  She was stuck!

The baby was posterior (face up) and a little twisted at a strange angle.  The doctor kept saying that we just need to get "around this corner to turn her".  After about an hour of trying to turn this corner, the doctor suggested an episiotomy.  I didn't want one, but she said that I will definitely have to rip some to get this stuck girl out and it will take longer.  At this point of exhaustion all I could say was "so this is going to make her come faster?!" "Definitely," she said.  Anyone who has been in my situation would understand that this offer is difficult to resist.

Snip snip and my daughter was born about (very intense) fifteen minutes later, at 1:47 am.  I cannot describe that overwhelming feeling of joy an relief I felt when I heard her little healthy cry.  She was out! I had a daughter!  I had two kids!  I didn't have to push anymore!  Oh how wonderful this moment was.  She was placed on my chest right away and Zach cut the cord (he didn't get to the first time.  Later he said that it was "more bloody than he expected" and "kinda gross").  I was able to bond with her for an hour before she was taken away to be cleaned and measured.

I was mended and my abdomen was violently pushed on (and it hurt!) but I was so thrilled to not have to deal with a sore arm from an IV port.  The doctor and nurses allowed me to be IV - less and accommodated almost every other request I had.  I don't want to make the experience sound like it was all peaches and cream -- I was on the edge of my tolerance for a long time, especially during the pushing, you know those times when you don't remember a life without a pain and it seems like you're always going to be feeling it? -- but ultimately it was a good experience.  There were no monitors, no vacuums, no oxygen masks, no beeping equipment, and stressed looking nurses.

Anna (you may hear us calling her Anya also, it's a cuter version of "Anna" in Ukrainian) has some bruising on her little cony head from being stuck and scraped against my pelvic bone, but is recovering very well.  It took about 16 hours to notice, but my upper body is ten time more sore than it has ever been, I can barely use my arms.  I was holding on to some handles during the pushing and must have really gotten into it.  I have a few burst blood vessels on my face and a serious case of "tired" -- but other than that doing great!

A big thank you to my friend and photographer Courtney Blaisdell for coming out in the middle of the night to take photos of Anna right after birth.

Oh, and how to pronounce her middle name (I thought it was obvious :) ...  Lyubov, Lyu -- as in jiffy LUbe, with a soft L, and bov as it cOVE, but with a B.  The accent is on the bov.  It is my mom's full name and means "love" in Ukrainian.