For the longest time I really expected my water to break and then we would go to the hospital and have a baby. That's how the first two came, so I just imagined that. Alice was a scheduled induction so we don't know how her's would have come. As my due date got closer, though, and my water wasn't breaking, I started to imagine I would be timing contractions... if they even came before I would be induced at 41 weeks! I had an appointment on Friday and the doctor said I was dilated to a 4 already. That was encouraging. I hadn't been having regular painful contractions, but I did notice how my stomach would tighten uncomfortably more often and my hip joints were miserably sore. Later that day got more uncomfortable and I hardly slept on Friday night. It was mostly that my hips were so sore I couldn't find a position that worked. The next morning my contractions started sporadically and still, I wasn't certain if it was just gastrointestinal pain. My hips and other leg joints were aching so badly I could hardly walk and I was so, so tired. I managed to get an hour nap and after that my body started to feel a little better other than the contractions here and there. My parents arrived at noon and the contractions continued 10 to 30 minutes apart. Chris and my dad gave me a blessing that night. I remember that he blessed me that I would know the signs in my body and know when to go in. He also blessed me that I would get the care that I needed. That night I dreaded another sleepless night. I managed to get a couple hours in before my hips and back pain were just too much. I took my pile of pillows out to the couch and arranged them into a sleeping throne. It was pretty good, but I soon found my contractions were too close together to really sleep. After timing them for about 40 minutes, I went and woke up Chris. They were still 6 or 7 minutes apart, but I felt like we should get ready and just go see if they would take us. I showered and gathered my things and we got to the hospital around 3:30. In triage they checked me and I was already a 6 or 7 so we were admitted. My contractions continued to get stronger and more regular. I got my epidural and it helped, but took a long time to spread to the left side of my body. In fact, when she put the catheter in, that was the most painful part and I continued to feel that in there for a long time.
It took about 4 minutes, Chris said. When they took me out of the room, he sent a brief text to the family thread, "Prolapsed cord. Emergency C-section" and then started changing into the scrubs they had given him. They said if they didn't put me all the way under, he'd be able to go in with me. But 4 minutes after I had left, they told him the baby was out and just fine. They took him to the recovery room and there he met Sam and fed him a bottle. An hour later they brought me into recovery as well.
Waking up from the general anesthesia was awful. Just awful. I was confused and in pain and so emotional. I immediately started crying which caused my nose to get stuffed up. Then I felt like I couldn't breathe. My throat hurt from the tubes that had been down them and I kept struggling to sit up. A nurse holding Sam kept trying to give him to me so he could nurse and we could have some skin time. She kept claiming it would help me feel better, but that's the last thing I wanted right then. She put him on me and basically hooked him up herself. I could hardly see him or focus on anything. Chris was patient and sympathetic. I'm sure he'd been anxious for me to wake up and see Sam too, but it wasn't until later that night that I would hold him and gush about how perfect he is.
