Labor and Delivery (Part One)

Labor and Delivery… I am sorry that this is late but for those of you who don't know the story here it is part one and I wrote this on November 13th.

On Monday November 9th, I had an OB visit and NST (non stress test). During the visit I started having contractions 5 minutes apart. The OB-GYN check me and said I was only a finger tip dilated and I should go home with the instructions to call if the contractions did not let up or if they got closer together.

Chief got home from work and walked the dogs. Then he and a neighbor moved the rocking chair to Nemo’s room. Unfortunately, he also threw out his back in the process. By 7pm I had talked with the doctor and was sent to the hospital because the contractions were now 2-3 minutes apart and I had some concern about the amount of spotting that was occurring.

We grabbed the bags and off we went to the hospital; me with contractions and Chief with back spasms. When we got near the hospital Chief considered not parking in the garage because it would cost $4.00. You see, he pays for parking because he is an employee, but his parking spot is a bit of a walk for a man with an injured back and a woman with contraction. Thankfully, he opted to park and pay!

I knew his back was killing him so I hopped out of the car, grabbed the bag and cameras. He was having a hard time getting out of the car. We walked slowly to the hospital and I asked him if he would like a wheel chair and I could give him a push. I carried the stuff for a while until his back loosened up and then he took over. His next funny question and I think he was serious: “Do you want to take the stairs?” I think my glare answered the question.

When we got to L+D they quickly got me on a monitor. Yep, contractions are regular and 2-3 minutes apart. I was examined and was told I dilated about 1 cm. They decided to give me a liter of saline with the hope that this would slow things down. Over an hour later I was still contracting. I only progressed to 2 cm, which isn’t very much in 8 hours. The next step was to give me a shot to stop the contractions. Finally, around midnight they stopped and we got to go home.

We made it though the week until Thursday when the contractions started at 2:00 AM. At my OB appointment I was checked again and still only 2 cm. The contractions were only 7 minutes apart and I was instructed to stay home, drink fluids and call if anything changes. On Friday we had our ultrasound and we saw Dr. White afterward. The baby was 9 ½ pounds. Dr. White talked to Chief and I about our options. Her gut feeling was that the baby is big and if we tried to labor naturally it would probably result in 48 hours of labor and a C-Section anyway. She did check me and I was only 2 cm dilated with the baby still high. I was sent home to rest and wait for Nemo to come on Monday.

Now I am resting, drinking, and praying that everything works out. I can’t believe we are going to see our baby in just a few days. It seems that the time has passed too quickly. I know this pregnancy will end and another journey is about to begin. I thank God everyday for blessing us with this baby. Nemo, mom and dad can’t wait to meet you.