Laboring Laura

I sat in this chair most of my labor. I was having contractions for a long time but couldn't feel them, which meant they weren't intense enough. They had to give me pitosin to speed the process up and I was worried that we would not have a baby that day. We really wanted it to be on the 7th because that was Mike's football number and his favorite number, so it was a very special date!

5:30 p.m.
The pitosin did not work very fast for me at all. At this point, I was dilated to 4 cm.

Mike was so awesome and we had so much fun during labor! I thought we would be bored and would want to read books, play cards or watch TV, but we just enjoyed the time together. I was so thankful that we had taken a natural childbirth class because it had a lot of tips for labor. We had calming music playing, dim lighting and some fabulous lavender bath salts for some relaxing aroma. The instructor also made a rice pack that Mike could heat in the microwave for me.

My Man

It was a lot of work taking care of me so Mike was excited to get a boxed lunch during the process. I, on the other hand, got to drink chicken broth, yum! (Actually, at that point, it really hit the spot.)

7:00 p.m.
I wanted to deliver naturally but I was open to an epidural. By this time, I was dilated to 5 cm and was having strong contractions. Mike was such great support and I could not have gotten through it without him! It was starting to really hurt, but I could handle it. But I knew that it would get worse so I wanted to get the epidural before it was too late.

7:45 p.m.
The anesthesiologist arrives. I really wanted Mike to be in the with me. He had several of them for his back, but he said he couldn't stand the thought of it so he left. It was good he did because it really, really hurt! It didn't seem to be working right so they had me lay differently with no luck. Then I started shaking and it hurt so bad! I closed my eyes, curled up in pain and could hear the nurses talking about what to do with me. I thought I was dying and I was in so much pain I didn't care!

8:40 p.m.
By this time, I was dilated to 8 cm and the epidural was only working about 60%. It was pretty painful and I thought I was just going to have to get through the delivery like that. They said they could try to give me another dose, and boy am I glad they did! The pain was making me very nauseous. Luckily I had a peppermint sachet from the childbirth class and that helped some. I held onto that thing for dear life, it was like my blanky, I loved it and had to have it in my hand during every contraction. I did end up getting sick and then a nurse said something about a head. More nurses came in and they were all getting ready. I asked if they could see his head but they said no. They didn't want to freak me out because my doctor wasn't there yet! They didn't move me at all for fear that baby Peanut would come before they were ready.

9:20 p.m.
My epidural was finally working thank goodness! After my doctor arrived, I was able to start pushing. It's hard to hold your breath and push like that. Apparently, I held my breath in my cheeks which you aren't supposed to do because when you release it, you can't help but spit! Mike and the nurses were laughing at me, but I had no idea why at the time. I guess I was spitting on everyone!

I would highly recommend an epidural. I was able to enjoy the delivery process! In between pushes, I would say things like "wow, this is great, wow!" and "I love the epidural, this is easy, I feel great!". I felt like I was tipsy because I was so relaxed. It allowed me to hang out and chat with the nurses and doctor between pushes. As strange as it sounds, it was a blast!

The room smelled of lavender, the lights were dimmed and my relaxing music was playing. Mike and I have no other words to explain the experience other than magical. One of my favorite memories from my childhood is waking up on Christmas morning really early and going into the living room, which was lit only by the Christmas tree lights, and seeing the beautiful tree and the present Santa brought me. This moment compared to that, it was just perfect and I couldn't have asked for any more beautiful.

9:50 p.m.
After only 30 minutes of pushing, we had our baby boy! The labor and delivery was so much fun. It was such a special time for Mike and me to enjoy by ourselves. It was truly perfect. Thank you God for such a great experience to remember for a lifetime!

Original Date: September 7