The experience of the last 1.5 months of pregnancy, the delivery, and the hospital stay after the birth were all very interesting and trying, but we eventually made it home safe and sound on Thursday, January 13th...only to our dismay, Dathan was not too thrilled about coming home, hence the 8 hour crying spat upon coming home.
About the 2nd week of December, the doctor told me I was dilating like 2 cms and that I needed to be very careful and watch out and be ready to come back to the hospital if I felt any pain. Other than the increased heartburn, the size of my belly (and butt, by the way), and the fatigue that I was feeling, I felt no real pain. I did feel more and more constipated though. One night I had to go to the hospital for that, but little man was just doing fine and dandy in my belly.
On Friday, January 7th, we had an appointment at the doctor's office (we were going like every 3 days at this point) and he said that it was getting closer but still only 2 cms dilated, which he always said, so we didn't know what to think at this point, so we headed home once again. That night at home, Doug and I were watching a movie from 9-11 on our lovely AFN Movie Channel. By the end of it, I was having some intense pains in my belly every so often. I first thought it was gas or something. I think got my iphone and started timing them on the stopwatch. They were there for about 25-30 seconds and would come every 2-3 minutes. Still not really knowing what a contraction was, I just laid there and thought they would go away, so I kept trying to fall asleep. At about 12:30 am they hadn't gone away and I called my mom. She told me I should probably go to the hospital....
So off to the hospital we go (by the way, this is the same place the doctor's office is and it's about 20 minutes away, and we are both getting tired of going there at this point...we were already there earlier in the day)! We get there at like 1:20 am and have to go through the emergency entrance. At this point, I am feeling some stronger pains and have to even take breaks to make it up to the 4th floor. They do their routine...put me on the baby heart rate monitor for 30 minutes (it's so boring) and then check my cervix. It was not easy sitting there for 30 minutes because of my contractions...the little Indian nurse (in a German hospital, don't ask, I don't get it either) looked at me and said I was 2 cm dilated and I could go home. Against my better judgment, I said, "ok." I just knew that I didn't like that hospital and maybe I was wrong about what I was feeling in my stomach since this is my first pregnancy.
We traveled back home and by that time the pains were starting to increase a bit with shorter intervals. I told Doug to take a nap on the couch and I tried to walk it out/sit in the living room chair and see if the pain would stop. They got harder and harder, so at about 4 am I felt something really painful and I yelled for him to get up and let's go AGAIN. Ha, so Here we went again....back to this hospital....this time I could barely walk without stopping every 30 seconds...I got up to the 4th floor and they wanted to put me on that stupid monitor again, and I said I can't lay there for 30 minutes....I need and epidural soon! That was at like 4:50...here comes my little Indian nurse again and she said that she was admitting me now and that I could have an epidural; then she started poking me with needles and IVs. She then made me walk downstairs to the 3rd floor to "Nursery" floor. Again, they put me in a room on a hr monitor and wanted me to lay there for 30 minutes...these pains were coming more and more at this point. I was dying, but I did it. Doug was trying to be supportive, but didn't know what to do for me. He was so sweet during it all though. We didn't have any of the hospital personnel stay in the room with us....they just come and go and no one really attends to you in the German hospital...it's so very different than what an American hospital is like. I kept trying to ask for an epidural and they kept saying it's coming, it's coming....we have to wait for the English speaking mid-week to get here...come to find out, she wasn't due at work until 6 am.
She finally shows up to work and they then make me walk down to the 2nd floor (again, it's getting harder and harder to walk) and take me to our delivery room. She again hooks me up to the baby hr monitor. I ask for the epidural again and she says ok. I am really starting to feel the pain at this point. Now I know why they call it labor....it really feels like death more than anything else. Thankfully, Doug had my ipad and started playing some Shane and Shane for me! At least I could focus on my favorite music to take my mind off of the pain. At about 7:40, I am at my pain threshold's end, and I ask one more time about it, even send Doug to talk to them...and low, the little Indian doctor comes in and says it's too late now...you are already dilated to 10. At this point, both Doug and I wanted to strangle her, but we refrained. Then a normal dressed, German man walks in and tells Doug to leave the room. He is the doctor that is going to finally give me the epidural. The mid-wife stays in there to assist him and she puts me in a choke hold to bend me over...like WWE, no joke. I wasn't even done with her yet. Finally, I have my "walking" epidural (about half of what an American epidural is, but hey, it's better than the alternative)....and my body starts feeling num, which is great after 3 hours of intense pain.
We have a new doctor come in that speaks great english and is so nice. Out of all the people at this hospital, she is bar none the best! She explained to me the process of what was going to happen next. After about 4 bouts of pushing, and the mid-wife basically sitting on top of me, almost breaking my ribs pushing downward, little man came into the world. It was a blessed moment. We were so excited to see little man. The elation was hard to explain. We wanted to call people, but it was so early in the states. We did call the parents at about 10 am our time. I was so happy to have that all over with...and was thinking that it would get easier, physically, from that point on....little did I know!
We were moved back up to the 3rd floor where we would stay for five long days...and I do mean, LONG. The excitement was getting me through the first 3-4 hours before I got really tired and started getting a fierce headache. Dathan had a low heart rate, so they put him on a monitor and Doug went to be with him...I was laying there missing both of them. I mustered enough energy to get up and go to the nursery. I got to hold Dathan for about 2 hours and his heart rate was better. Later that night, my headache turned worse...very much like a migraine, and they told us they would have to monitor Dathan at night so he couldn't stay in the room with us. I did get to sleep, which was good because I haven't been asleep for over 30 hours, but we both missed him, so at like 4 am, we went to see him and they told us he was fine and we could take him to the room with us.
Three days down and my headache is only getting worse. They only gave me ibuprofen for the pains. Doug is having to do all of the work with Dathan because I can't stand up. The nurses keep making me pump for milk, but nothing is coming and I have severe mistatis, and have terrible German hospital food. I finally had had enough. They gave me a blood patch for my headache and Doug and I decided that due to my condition that we were going to just bottle feed, even though we had planned all along to breastfeed. My headache did eventually go away and my upper body needed 40 hours of constant ice packs and some serious medications, but that even got better, and we were finally on our way home!
We love little DATHAN ELI HABERSTROH!
