Gosh, it's been so long! I keep meaning to post this and forgetting...
Molly was due January 8, 2010. I was 3 cm dialated and 80% effaced 2 weeks before my due date. In retrospect, I really regret knowing that because it made me so impatient! My doctor kept telling me that she thought I'd go any day.
On Thursday night, January 7, I was watching the BCS championship game with my students (we live in a dorm). I had felt normal all day-like every other day for the past month! At halftime, I went into our apartment where my mom was watching and was chilling with her for a minute. Darcy, my boxer, kept bringing me her toy for me to throw. I threw it and it hit my bottle of TUMS and knocked them unto the floor. I panicked and jumped up immediately (Darcy likes to eat said TUMS) to run over and get them. Just as I did that I felt an aching pain in my belly and had to grip the side of the chair for support. I backed myself up and sat in the chair.
I said to my mom, "woah, that was weird." She said, I bet that was a contraction. I said "I don't know, I doubt it...' About 1 minute later, my water broke everywhere. It was 9:30 p.m. when that happened.
My mom had to run to the lounge in the dorm to get Charles and he came running in. I was a complete disaster-I did not want it to happen this way, I just knew I'd never get my epidural if it went really fast (like my mom's!). Charles was running everywhere stuffing things into our hospital bag and putting Darcy away and letting our students know we were going (they took care of Darcy for us).
We were in the car and headed downtown in about 1/2 an hour. I called my doctor right before getting in the car and she told me, "Ok, don't worry, I'll leave home now. It will probably be a while, so just take your time."
My contractions started pretty hot and heavy about 5 minutes after my water broke. We got in the car, as I'm screaming through them, and my mom started timing them. They were 2 1/2 minutes apart as we pulled out of the parking lot. It hurts, just FYI. During the car ride, I was really starting to panic because I already felt a small urge to push. It had only been about 1/2 hour since this whole thing started!
We got to the hospital in about 15 minutes and I headed for Triage with my mom. Charles went to park the car. It was around 10:20 p.m. when we arrived at Northwestern. I couldn't believe how long it took them to check me and stuff downstairs. My contractions were less than 2 minutes at this point and they were debating whether I was 7 or 8 cm dialted. Who cares! All I wanted in life was an epidural.
Charles told me later that I screamed "I am going to die." about 50 times.
They wheeled me upstairs to the delivery room. When I got up there, they had to page my Dr who had just bought some tea at Argo downstairs and tell her she had to get up there stat. At 10:45 I was in the delivery room and Dr. Norlin walked in. She told me that she would check me right after the anesthesiologist prepped me and gave me my epidural. My contractions were hurting so much I could hardly breathe. The labor nurse that I had was really great-I loved her. She helped me breathe and stay "still" for the epidural which I really did not think was going to be possible. It took a little while to sign the papers and for him to prep me-in retrospect it really wasn't much time at all but it felt like eternity right then.
I had that epidural in for about 30 seconds and I could already feel it start to work. I love medicine! Dr. Norlin checked me right then and said , "Wow, we are ready to go right now. You are 10 cm." Right around 11:10 p.m. I started pushing.
I had them bring a mirror out for me, which I didn't expect to want, but it was really helpful. I pushed off and on for about half an hour....it was about 7 or 8 times and she was here!
Molly was born at 11:47 p.m. Only 2 hours and 15 minutes. So crazy!
I was so amazed and exhausted at the same time right afterward. I couldn't believe the fatigue I felt and found myself wondering how people can go for hours and hours!
There's the story!
