Here we are at the hospital. This was my labor and delivery suite. As you can see, everything at this point was pretty laid back. Momma came with Matt and me to the hospital, but went home for a good night rest.
After I settled in, they started an IV and the Prostaglandin treatments. The nurse gave the first one around 10 pm or so. After that, I couldn't get up for 2 hours. They put the monitors on me to monitor Mattie Anne's heart rate. Matt found the need to video tape everything...including my belly with monitors on it. The second Prostaglandin treatment was at 2:00 am. I got a little sleep before this treatment, but not much after it. My contractions/labor started around 3:00 am much to our surprise. My midwife didn't think that the Prostaglandin would induce labor, but just help prepare for labor. The contractions weren't painful; they just prevented me from sleeping.
Here Matt is on Monday morning... He got a pretty good night sleep. I didn't wake him, I figured one of us should at least be rested and it wasn't going to be me. He got up around 6:00 am when the nurse came in to start the Pitocin (IV medication to induce labor). I was already having contractions but they were very small so this was to help move along the process. My midwife came in at 7:30 am to check me, I was 1-2 cm dilated and my cervix was thinning... They got us up and walking at 8:00 am, Matt pushed my IV pole and we started making the U shaped walk down the Labor and Delivery hall and over to the Mother Baby Unit. We walked for around 30 mins and then had to get back on the monitor. By now, I was feeling my contractions pretty well, starting to get a little painful.
At 10:00 am, it was time for another walk. This walk was a little more eventful. We began our U walk and as we approached the complete other end of our U walk and are about to turn around and walk back, I get a funny feeling and then before I could get "I think my water just broke" out we here a huge splash! I have heard many stories about people's water breaking and most women who's actually broke on its own say that it was just a trickle of water, kind of felt as if you peed on yourself. Well, if I'm supposed to compare it to peeing, I would have to say that my completely full bladder, feel out and splashed like a water balloon. It wasn't a little fluid, it was a ton! Trying not to exaggerate I would say at least 2 liters. So now, we have a problem, a huge wet spot on the floor...total hazard. Matt goes to tell a nurse that my water just broke and there is a mess to clean up. Then we have to walk all the way back to our room. I am completely soaked! The front and back of my gown and my slippers are completely wet and I have to walk down a very full Mother Baby Unit, very embarrassing! But not as embarrassing as the pharmacy delivery guy that I had to yell at to not step in the huge puddle I left on the floor, it wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't the same guy that delivers to the Cath Lab... Where I work! I hope I looked bad enough that he didn't recognize me! The one thing that is helping me from being really embarrassed is keeping in mind that we are on a floor were many women walk during their labors, so this isn't the first time it has happened. Well, when we got back to our room, we let my nurse know about our excitement, she came in and said that this never happens! She has never had a patient that had her water break while walking. She said they always joke about it but it never happens. Well, I definitely don't want to fit into the typical mold! So for the rest of my hospital stay, I was the girl whose water broke in the Mother Baby Unit!
Well the water breaking and the increasing of the Pitocin was getting my labor moving along. My contractions were getting painful. My midwife came in around 11:30 am and checked
me I had progressed to 2-3 cm, and she said that I could start thinking about pain control. I thought I could handle it a little more before I got an epidural. As the contractions got stronger and stronger, it was obvious I was in back labor. I felt all of my pain in my lower back. They say that back labor is more painful than regular labor, I don't know, back labor is the only labor I've experienced. Around 1:30 pm, I met my favorite doctor of the day...my Anestiologist! I felt so much better after my epidural. I had instant pain relief! After that, I was good to go; I didn't care how much longer it took! Here is a picture of me with the socks that Jon got me from India. I could barely move my legs after the epidural, hence the weird positioning of my legs. Notice the smile on my face; this is probably the first smile since that morning! Labor progressed much faster after the epidural. My midwife came in at 5:00 and I was 5.5 cm! I was feeling much better because I was able to get some catnaps.
Around 7:00 pm, I started feeling allot of pressure, I had progressed to 9.5 cm. Finally at 8
:00 pm, I was 10 cm and could finally start pushing! After 30 min of pushi
ng, Mattie Anne arrived at 8:33 pm!
Matt's first time holding Mattie Anne!
Mattie Anne Safley weighed 5lbs 13oz and was 18 1/4 inches long.
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