Labor

So...our last ditch effort to start labor semi-naturally wasn't successful. After having my membranes stripped again, Ben and I headed out to the MetroParks and walked (waddled) for a good hour. Then we headed to Aladdin's for a spicy mediterranean "last date" and afterwards walked over to Mary Coyle for some ice cream. I had intentions of going back to the MetroParks for another round, but given the state of our super-stuffed stomachs, we decided to head home and rest instead. I thought I was having some small contractions, and I spent a little too much wishful energy keeping track of them. They were coming anywhere between 8 and 12 minutes apart, but never really firmed into a pattern or increased in intensity. We went for a "magical" walk around our apartment complex around midnight. Ben thought he heard something or someone following us, and we were astonished to see four deer standing in the yard. We shuffled home quickly watching over our shoulders to make sure they weren't following us! Ben and I tried to go to bed, but it was like trying to sleep on Christmas Eve when you're seven years old. I don't think either of us slept more than four hours.

Tuesday morning came early, but I was anxious and excited and popped right out of bed. I peeked out the window to see if I could view the eclipse, but dawn was already arriving and I couldn't really see anything. Ben was harder to coax awake. After several anxious pokes, and "We're going to be late's!" he finally got moving. We left for the hospital around 7:15 AM. On our way to the hospital we hit a major traffic jam due to a truck fire. Part of the highway was closed and all of the exits were backed up. I called the hospital and let them know we were on our way, but would be late. After lots of maneuvering and interesting route changes we arrived at the hospital around 9 AM, a full hour after we were scheduled to be there.

Our nurse (Tracey? I can't remember!!) was ready and waiting for us. She asked if we'd like to have the room with the birthing tub, and although I had no intentions of using it, I decided that if no one else wanted to have it, we might as well have the option (and it turned out to be really fabulous!) We spent a bit of time on paperwork, and we told her that I'd really like to have my water broken rather than starting pitocin. I had been told previously that they wouldn't do it because my strep B test was positive, and going too long with broken water would increase the risk of infection for the baby, but I figured I was receiving IV antibiotics and if it didn't work they could always go ahead with the pitocin. So, she called the midwife, Alice, and let her know we were ready to begin. When Alice arrived, she said she would be willing to break my water on the condition that if labor didn't start within a short period of time we would go ahead with the pitocin. I agreed and asked her for two hours. She broke my water (I was surprised by how warm it was!) at 10:25 AM, and left me to begin my labor while she checked on a couple other patients.

Ben and I spent our time walking around the hospital and visiting a little bit with mom, grams, and Gina who had all arrived to spend the day in the waiting room. Contractions started almost immediately, and we were taking breaks to relax through contractions as we walked outside the hospital and around the lobby while women gave me knowing glances as they passed. Before long, we headed back into our delivery room where it was calmer and easier to relax. My contractions were coming regularly and they were uncomfortable, but I was doing pretty well at staying on top of them. When Alice returned, she let us know that she didn't think we'd need to go ahead with the pitocin since labor seemed to have started well enough on it's own. I was thrilled! I labored for a bit longer, trying out some different positions and doing my best to stay relaxed, before she checked me around 1:30 PM and let me know that I was dilated to 5 cm. It was good progress and it was nice to hear. I was doing it!

At this point my memory gets a little fuzzy, labor started to get more intense and demand more of my attention, and my concept of time got lost completely. I spent some time on a birthing ball and then someone suggested I try the tub. They filled it up and I got in for about an hour. The warm water felt really good and I found it easier to relax and change positions in the tub. When I got out they checked me again and I was 7-8 cm. dilated. Good progress! I was extremely uncomfortable laboring on the bed for awhile, and at some point I discovered that if I pushed just a little during my contractions it was easier to get through them. I told Alice that it was more comfortable if I pushed a little, and she decided to check me again. I think it was probably only an hour or so since the last time she checked, but I guess because I had a slight urge to push she must've expected that I had made some progress. Since transition is typically a very short period of labor, I can understand why she wanted to check again. Unfortunately, when she checked I was still at 8 cm. She said she could feel a lip of cervix and she wanted to see if she could move it if I tried to push. So she had me try to push through my next contraction. What a mistake! It was extremely painful, and she wasn't able to accomplish what she hoped to.

At that point I decided to try getting into the shower. Alice took the nozzle down and sprayed the warm water on my belly while I had a contraction. I asked her to let Ben do it, and we spent about half an hour in the shower. By this point I was really getting out of control, screaming like a banshee through my contractions (I wonder how many mom's in early labor I scared to death!) and I was really feeling ready to give up. After awhile the build-up of steam made me feel like I couldn't breathe, so I got out and spent some time on the birthing ball. My contractions were beginning to space out and I was really losing control. Around this time (7:00 PM) there was a shift change and we got a new nurse, Rebecca. Before the first nurse left I heard her and Alice talking about how they thought I needed a little pitocin. Not long after that Alice began to suggest that we needed to kick my labor back into gear, and it was time to consider some pitocin. I was so scared of pitocin induced contractions, the natural ones were unbearable enough and I couldn't imagine how bad they'd be with pitocin. I put off making a decision for a bit. Ben and I got back into the shower for awhile, but my labor was stalling. I was only having a contraction about once every ten minutes or so. When I got out again it was time to make a decision. My ability to cope at that point was pretty gone, and I was feeling desperate and ready to give up. My body was shaking uncontrollably and I even asked for a c-section! I was so afraid of the pitocin, and didn't think I could handle the pain anymore, but we had spent so much time preparing to have a natural birth and I didn't want to have an epidural either. I remember feeling like Ben would be really disappointed. After a bit longer hemming and hawing over what to do I decided I just didn't want to be in that kind of pain anymore, and I didn't think that I would tolerate the pitocin well without some pain relief. Ben didn't put up much of a fight, and we asked to have the epidural.

Less than half an hour later, probably around 8:00 PM, the anesthesiologist was completing the procedure and by 8:15 PM I wasn't feeling contractions at all. It was complete heaven. I joked with Ben that next time we have a baby we're just going to have the epidural immediately and sit around watching movies until it's time to push! It felt so good to finally relax in a bed of warm blankets and let my body rest a little bit. My contractions started to pick back up a little bit on their own, and for awhile I thought that it was my fear of the pain that had slowed my labor down, and perhaps I wouldn't need to have any pitocin after all. Heidi called the hospital to check on me and they put her through to my room and I gave her an update. Mom and grams came back to the labor room for a quick visit. Then Ben and I spent a little bit of time trying to catch some sleep. My contractions petered out again and they decided to go ahead and give me some pitocin. They turned the pitocin up three times before my contractions became strong and regular. I was concerned about the pitocin causing contractions that would stress Sofie, but her little heartbeat stayed perfect through it all. When they checked me again I was 9 cm. dilated, but now there was no lip of cervix, and Alice suggested that I try to push again to see if Sofie would move down. It was about 10:20 PM.

I had absolutely no feeling or indication that it was time to push, but Alice coached me really well and I was able to push pretty effectively. That first push did move Sofie down, and so we decided to go ahead and continue. Ben and Rebecca held my legs and Alice stood at the foot of the bed. I pushed holding onto my legs, the handles on the bed, a sheet that Alice pulled against, and even tried squatting for a few minutes. I had a mirror during the whole process and it was really helpful. I was able to see what was working and what was not, which was really great since I couldn't feel anything. I pushed for an hour and 15 minutes before Sofie was born at 11:35 PM. It turned out that she had been hanging out posterior, and she turned while I was pushing to come out right-side up. She did turn her face to the left instead of the right like most babies do, which was so cool because the mirror that I was watching was on my left side and I got to see her little face right away. If she would have turned to the right I would have only seen the back of her head. They put her on my stomach right away and suctioned out her mouth. Ben and I looked at each other in complete shock. There was this warm, squirming body on my belly! What an amazing and surreal experience!

After the placenta was delivered and Ben cut the cord they took her off my belly for a couple of minutes and checked her out. They gave her back to me because I wanted to try to feed her, she was so alert and she immediately latched right on and went to town. It was such a cool and amazing experience. After we spent some time bonding, Ben went out to get mom, grams and Gina, and they all came back to meet Sofie.

The whole hospital experience was wonderful. I had great nurses, Michelle, Angi, and Renee, and it was nice to be pampered and taken care of for a few days. After that first day spent in a state of disbelief and shock, and some frustrating breastfeeding attempts, I fell madly in love with Sofie in the middle of the night Wednesday. There is no explaining what it feels like to be someone's mama. There is this completely irrational worship of this new little person. There is nothing greater than kissing those chub-chub cheeks, birdy lips and neck rolls and smelling her sweet baby breath. We are so in love with our little girl.

Welcome to this big and amazing world Sofia Claire. You've changed our lives forever, and made our world more full and wonderful already. Happy Birthday!

Meet Worm!

Sofia Claire
August 28, 11:35 PM
8 lbs. 13 oz., 20 inches

Longer post when we get home from the hospital!

Last Ditch Effort

Um, yeah...so the castor oil didn't work!

I called the OB's office and begged them to try stripping my membranes again today. We're going in at 3:45, and then we're going to walk and walk and walk like crazy monkeys and hope that Sofie magically decides that it would be really nice if she'd come out on her own before we drag her out kicking and screaming. I don't think she has realized yet that her mama has had 26 years of practice at being stubborn and fully intends to give her a run for her money.

There's a lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning, beginning at 5:52 AM and lasting for a full hour and a half, the longest lunar eclipse in seven years. Wouldn't that be an amazing way to be welcomed into the world?

If our little plan fails to hatch our Stubborn Sofie, we'll be inducing at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. So...rain or shine, our next post will be complete with photos of brand-new chubby cheeks!

Super Dooper Pooper Potion

2 Tablespoons of Castor Oil
2:45 PM

Good Grief...

...child what on earth are you waiting for?

How much do you want to bet that all that hair they saw on Tuesday's ultrasound is bright red?!

Sheesh.

The Scoop

Sofie passed her non-stress test with flying colors again today. She was wiggling around like a crazy woman and the heart monitor kept losing her heartbeat, which was a little aggravating, but all in all everything looked great. One of the midwives came in to check the printout and said, "Has anyone said anything to you about stripping your membranes?" Well, I had asked about stripping my membranes or breaking my water as more natural options for starting labor a few weeks ago, but I was told that because my Strep B test had come back positive those would not be options for me. She said, "That's not true, I keep trying to tell everyone!" and offered to do it for me today. Of course, I was all for it. So she went ahead and did it, and while she was at it she let me know that I'm almost four centimeters dilated now, and Sofie has come down to a -1 station. She gave me a few instructions regarding how to spend the rest of the day (mostly resting and some other...ahem...things) and said she's be surprised if I didn't go into labor tonight.

So keep your fingers crossed, maybe Mr. Psychic Lube Stop man was right. I'll be sure to put a short note up before we leave for the hospital!

Patience...

...is apparently a virtue I'm still working on!

We're scheduled to be induced on Tuesday morning at 8 AM. We decided if there's still nothing brewing by Saturday night we'll try the castor oil route...ugh.

I have another non-stress test tomorrow afternoon.

Dichotomy

Funny:

• Ben trying to convince me that the color he painted Sofie's letters is BABY PINK!
• The guy at the Lube Stop who thinks he's a psychic. He told me that Sofie is a girl and that I shouldn't make any plans this weekend because she's going to be born on Saturday around 2:30 AM after a labor that only lasts 1.5 hours. And by the way, according to him only 1/2 an hour of it is going to be hard labor...don't I wish!
• The look on the faces of the bank tellers when I told them I was 8 days overdue!

Not Funny:

• Being 8 days overdue with absolutely no signs of labor.
• Weighing the pros and cons of castor oil...
• Ugh!

Loot!

We took a slight detour to West Point Market after my appointment today and now I've got a nice start on my stash of things to eat once Stubborn decides to vacate. I think all that's left is warm scones (Aunt Barbie!) and dark chocolate (Heidi!) I found out today that I could've been eating stinky cheese all along, apparently most of it is pasteurized, but what's stinky cheese without a good glass of wine!

Mom and Grams met me at my appointment today and sat in on my ultrasound and non-stress test. Everything came back swell, and Sofie is still hanging out quite contentedly. The ultrasound was a little bit disappointing because she is so smooshed up in there now that you really can't see much of anything. We did catch a quick glimpse of her chubby cheeks (and man are they ever chubby!) and she was sucking away on the back of her right hand. The ultrasound lady said, "You'll have to check her hand after she's born and see if she's got a sucker mark!" Apparently she's got a lot of hair, which I can't seem to digest...I really thought this kiddo was going to be a baldy like Ben and I were, and they estimated her weight to be 8 pounds 2 ounces.

I really haven't made much more progress this week...dilated about 3, effaced about 70%, and still at a -2 station. They're setting me up to be induced either on Monday or Tuesday next week. Hopefully I won't have to keep that appointment! This Friday I have another non-stress test, just to keep an eye on her in the meantime. Heck, hopefully I won't make it to that appointment either!

What a Guy

Sofie, I picked one heck of a papa for you! He came home one day with letters to spell out your name on your bedroom wall, complete with Pepto Bismol pink paint. (That's right, your papa set foot into a genuine craft store without me!) Interestingly, he believes that everything you own should be pink and that you should be dressed head to toe in pink at all times because you are a GIRL for goodness sakes. Of course, that doesn't mean he thinks you should be limited to girly things. He's campaigning hard for a pink, glitter-laden, five-year-old sized dirt bike, for instance.

Your papa reads you a book every night. I know he's reading to you, and not just to appease me, because sometimes when I fall asleep halfway through he keeps right on reading. He calls us his "girls" and he'd do anything in his power to keep us safe and out of harm's way. He fights me tooth and nail when I talk about piercing your ears, because how dare I willfully hurt his precious little baby! Oh Sofie, what a lucky little girl you are...

...and what a lucky grown-up girl I am. I love you buddy!

Desperate!

Thought a bumpy bike ride might do the trick...no such luck. Sofie you've been upgraded to Stubborn with a capital S!

Don't Let This Happen To You!!

This is what happens when you've been cooped up in the house for two days without emerging even for a quick breath of fresh air. You start to get a little loopy and think, "Hey, maybe it would be fun to play hairdo parlor!" Do you think that counts as nesting? Wouldn't it be funny if I ended up at the hospital with this crazy bouffant hairdo?

Feet!

As cute as nine month pregnant bloated whale feet can look!


Way too cute to resist, tiny lavender Crocs!

Sofie's Spot 40 Weeks

Oh Sofie...you are stubborn already! Today after my prenatal appointment I popped in at Don Drumm to use the last of a gift certificate while I was in town. The sales associate asked when I was due. I told her, "Today! but she's not coming out...she's already stubborn!" She laughed and said, "It's good for a girl to have a bit of a stubborn streak!" I hadn't really thought of it that way, but I guess she was right. It'll be nice to have a spunky little girl and little miss, you come from a long line of spunky girls...so I suppose it was unavoidable!

According to my bathroom scale this morning I'm hanging in there around plus 44 pounds. The scale at the OB says it's a couple more than that...but we'll stick with mine, since mine will be the one measuring the pounds coming back off. I haven't had any progress since my last appointment 5 days ago, and they've started to talk to me about inducing you...ack! Since I'm violently opposed to pitocin, we instead scheduled another appointment in a week. If we make it to that appointment they will monitor you (ultrasound and non-stress test) and make sure you're still ok to hang out a little while longer. Let's hope we don't make it to that appointment!

I'm trying to stay occupied and not think too much about how much it stinks to be waiting waiting waiting for you. The house is clean, there are casseroles in the freezer, all my loose ends have been tied up tight. I went to the library and checked out a few books yesterday, and today...I've been thinking it would be awfully nice to treat myself to a pedicure. My feet have been ridiculously neglected since I stopped being able to reach them awhile back. The toenails have terribly chipped polish, and my poor feet are rough and peely and although they are 200% less swollen than they were just a week ago, they are still yuck! We can't really afford splurges like pedicures right now, but sometimes you just have to find a way to pamper yourself...am I right girls?

I've been daydreaming a lot lately about all the things I'm going to eat once the kid is no longer connected to the bloodstream. Here's the list so far...

A good glass of red wine
Dark chocolates
Stinky cheese
Warm scones with cool clotted cream

Now...I'm not suggesting that any Sofie visitors are obligated to bring us anything, but if you show up at our house with one of those things in your hands, you will certainly be greeted with a very warm smile!

Stats

2.5 centimeters, 70% effaced, baby is at a -2 station, and the midwife said, "I can feel a big bag of water. I'm not going to poke too hard or I'll pop it!" I'm also officially done working until October 15th. My midwife gave me a note stating that my "maternity leave" should begin immediately due to my swollen whale feet. Let's hope I don't have too long to sit at home with nothing to do but anxiously wait...wait...wait!

Emotional

Less than a week from our due date and my emotions have been all over the place. I'm excited, nervous, anxious... Mostly I've been thinking about how different it will be to have another little critter around all the time as a part of our family (Holy cow, we're really going to be a "family!") Sometimes at night, when Ben and I routinely enjoy a little snuggle before bed, I look at him and realize that it's not going to be so easy to have time alone together. We've been talking for months about how sweet it will be to have a little baby addition to our snuggle sessions, but it's still bittersweet to think about losing those special moments between just the two of us.

I've been very uncomfortable the past three or four days. I'm not sure if it's the humid weather, being so close to delivery or maybe a little of both. I've been achey and crampy and grumpy...doing my best to coax Sofie out a little early! Today at work they were kind enough to offer to let me leave early, and I gratefully took them up on the offer. I've been lounging, enjoying an uninterrupted nap (maybe the last one I'll get for awhile), and making the most of the unexpected free time to just relax. I really love what I'm doing right now, but it's getting harder and harder to roll out of bed in the morning and get my achey body moving. I keep reminding myself that it won't be much longer now!

We have another OB appointment tomorrow morning, and if there's any interesting news I'll post a short update. Last week they didn't check me, so I don't know if there have been any changes. Sofie was measuring at 38 weeks (she's been pretty much right on target the whole pregnancy) and her heart was still plugging away. Her head is down, and I've had a lot of pressure (even to the point of some sharp pain) where her heavy back is resting on the right side of my belly. I still can't believe that there's a whole perfect little baby hanging out in there. We can't wait to meet you Sofia Claire!