As you know, from my previous posts, I began laboring on Sunday night, around 9 p.m. (on my birthday!). I had been hoping I would actually deliver on my birthday, but it didn’t happen that way. At least I did begin labor itself on my birthday! The contractions starting coming consistently every 10 minutes or so. I started to get excited that finally there was some baby action! Even overnight, I was having some contraction, some of which were uncomfortable enough to wake me up. I felt SURE that I would wake up on Monday morning, in complete labor soon after waking, and would deliver that afternoon. At least, that is what I THOUGHT would happen, since after talking to so many other second-time moms, their second labors went so much quicker the second time around!
Yes, I still had contractions on Monday, but again–10 minutes apart…..then maybe 15 minutes apart….then they would stop for a little, but start back up 45 minutes later…. I decided to take off work. No way was I going to go to work contracting every 10+ minutes! LOL
Kwasi had some work to do that Monday morning, so I drove Kwabena to daycare. Yes, driving and contracting. Crazy, huh? I guess he thought I was Super Woman or something 😉 Anyhow, after I dropped Kwabena off, I decided to go to Target to return some shampoo, and–oh, what the hell–just walk around for a bit, seeing if my walking would progress things any faster. Didn’t appear that way! I just continued on with my not-getting-much-closer contractions, to my dismay.
Because we totally didn’t plan much, we had to go to Kwasi’s mom’s job to install an extra car seat into Kwasi’s mom’s car, in the event that she would have to pick Kwabena up from daycare that afternoon. This is something we should have done (probably) days/weeks in advance, but noooo, not us. LOL. Anyhow, I so thought I would be delivering by 4 p.m. that afternoon!! No such luck.
Anyhow, on the way home from her job, we stopped off at one of our favorite department stores (Sym’s), where I walked around, purse shopping, and contracting. LOL. They were pretty strong ones at times–enough to make me stop, squat, and start bouncing up and down for relief. Anyone who spotted me must have thought I was crazy or something! Oh–but I did end up finding a nice purse, which just had to be the most expensive one I could find (but I like it!). Kwasi was nice enough to buy it for me, along with a new wallet, as a belated-birthday gift 🙂 Thanks, baby! 😉
After we left there, we stopped by Chipotle’s for lunch. We came home….ate….and then Kwasi went to pick up Kwabena from daycare.
That evening, around 6:30 p.m. or so, I had called my OB to tell her about my contractions. By this time, maybe they were around 6-8 min. apart. I thought when they were 5 minutes apart, I should call her. But it just wasn’t getting to that point, so I decided to give her a call anyhow. Oh, by the way, I had called her twice earlier that day, and got no response. It was finally when SHE called ME around 6:30 p.m. that we spoke. The OB office was closed that day and having their holiday party, and she didn’t hear her beeper. UGH….Glad it wasn’t a total emergency!
She had said that, considering this is my second labor, don’t wait to get the hospital if I feel they are getting stronger, regardless of whether they are 10 minutes apart or not, because since this is my second birth, I could transition pretty quickly, and it’s better to already be at the hospital than to get caught at home delivering, unprepared! She recommended we probably go in the next hour or so.
We fed Kwabena….I showered….packed up the last bit of items I thought I would need…..and then dropped Kwabena off at Kwasi’s mom’s house. On the way out our door, Kwasi paused and pointed out that we were leaving a family a three, coming back as a family of four. Awwww… 🙂
So we get to Kwasi’s mom’s house, and she’s asleep (she goes to bed early most times, and wakes early to leave for work). Kwasi’s brother, Kofi, had finals and was adamant that HE could not watch Kwabena, that we’d have to send him upstairs to be with Kwasi’s mom. Hmmmm….I was starting to feel like Kwabena was being a burden on them, but Kwasi assured me that I shouldn’t feel that way, that his mom knew we’d be coming by sometime that night. Anyhow, he ended up doing fine there, thankfully!
The ride to the hospital was quite…uncomfortable, just like it was with Kwabena! Each bump we could have hit–we hit it. UGH…Contracting and bouncing do NOT mix! LOL
We arrived shortly after 9 p.m. (same as with Kwabena’s delivery!). And wouldn’t you know I had a contraction right there at the registration desk, and felt this–POP!–and my water broke! You don’t know how worried I had been about this! When you’re pregnant, you often wonder if you’ll break on your own, in the most embarrassing and inconvenient places, or if you would need to have your water broken for you during delivery (with Kwabena, my water was broken at 8 cm during active labor). My worry, too, was that I would have my water break at WORK! UGH, how awful would THAT be?! LOL.
One of the L&D nurses came down to get me, and put us in a room. While changing into a hospital gown, the amniotic fluid was water running down my leg, making a mess all over the bathroom floor. LOL. Definitely not something you want to happen while at work or something!
I changed quickly and Kwasi and I waited for the nurse to come and check me. I continued contracting about 4-5 minutes apart. I was disappointed when the nurse said I was at 4 cm. What?! All those contractions over the course of the day, and I’m “only” at 4 cm? And then, about 1 hour later, I was checked again, and I was still at 4 cm! Ugh….I didn’t know why it was taking so “long”…or rather, so much longer than I expected.
So between about 10:30 p.m. and nearly 1 a.m., I went from 4 cm to 10 cm, but didn’t even know it! I was lying there on my right side (because sitting up was causing Ohene’s heart rate to decelerate as labor progressed). As I lie there, breathing through those contractions were the hardest part. Even with the heating pack, the sensation was intense.
And then I had requested it………an epidural! Yes, I actually caved. I knew Kwasi did not want me to do it, but then again, it was my body, my birth, right? But there I was–having the more intense contractions I had ever felt. I couldn’t even hold my regular breathing pattern through them! That’s when I started to moan, and was shaking. The nurse came in to prep me with extra fluids. I had requested her to check me prior to the epidural, just in case I was further along than I thought. Didn’t want to get one if I was at, like, 8 cm or something! To my amazement, I was 10 cm! Well, with only a small lip of the cervix left!
No fucking wonder that I didn’t think I could go any further! Contracting at 10 cm with no epidural, well, hurts. I laid there, gripping the side of the bed with holding-on-for-dear-life control. Prior to knowing I was at 10 cm, that is. Because at that time, I was thinking, “OMG, if I have to have these contractions for the next 2-3 hours, there’s no way in hell I could do that to myself!!!” Well, no shit–those type of contractions were not meant to be experienced the whole labor and delivery! LOL So to find out I was where I needed to be, was pretty empowering!
Glad that I was able to manage the pain effectively on my own, with no meds! 🙂
Anyhow, a few contractions later, the intense sensation to push was there. Holy hell!!! It came on suddenly, and intensely! Even Dr. Nyguen wasn’t even there! They had to call the house OB. She came in and told me that because I am not having the epidural, then I really need to listen to their directions when pushing, as to prevent another 4th degree tear. As hard as it was, I did pretty good with breathing through it as much as possible!
Dr. Nguyen came in after the first big push, barely making it! His head was already out, from what I was told, when she came in. Kwasi even mentioned to me that with the next push, a boat-load of blood and fluids came out and got on her shoes/pants or something. HAHAHA! How embarrassing!
So there I was, on the bed, pushing with an intense desire to push, unlike nothing else a woman will ever feel…..Can you believe I only had 2 big pushes, and he was out?? Seriously, I pushed for all over 2 minutes or less, and he was out! The sensation was uncomfortable, but not too bad, really!
At 1:13 a.m., little Ohene Kwasi Appiah was born!!! The placed him on my chest, and Kwasi was able to cut the cord (we didn’t get to experience these things with Kwabena since he had meconium in his lungs and needed immediately attention.
The best part (other than the fact that Ohene was here healthily), was that I did NOT tear into my ass!! Seriously, this was amazing to me. I did have 2 small tears on the inside labia, which took 45 minutes for Dr. Nguyen to mend because they kept bleeding and such. Just my luck, I ended up with major swelling in the right labial area. Felt like I was carrying a penis around in between my legs!!!
Four days later, here I sit on the sofa chair, inched down low, to avoid direct pressure with my sore vulva! I’ve been doing a couple Sitz baths, as well as Tucks with each bathroom uses. Recovery is on the way, however! I am now seeing some of the swelling go down, thankfully. But I am taking Motrin, too, to help. Maybe a couple more weeks until a full recovery??
I had much more to include, but will have to do it soon, as to not forget. But it’s 12:26 a.m. and Lord knows that I need to maximize on the fact that I have 2 sleeping boys! (At least for a few minutes….) LOL
‘Night!
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