Baby Jessica is here fast and furious!!!

Traci72
on 1/3/06 11:17 pm - Hastings, MN

Short version~ Jessica Mae born on 12/29/05 weighing 7lbs 11oz and 20" long. Blue eyes (so far...never know how soon they'll change) and blonde hair. Here's the story~ DH and I went into the hospital at 11am to have the gel applied. The nurse did not want to do it because my 'Bishop's score' was a 7, and that's higher than what they 'like' for gel application. After talking to my Dr for some time, she agreed to apply it. By that time I'd been on the monitor for close to an hour and baby was exceptionally active. Nurse says she has to "settle down" for a certain amt of time, or she won't apply the gel. Meantime I'm getting irritated because none of this was in the plan. I ended up sending DH home because he was getting on my nerves, and I just read my book. Just before 1pm the nurse was FINALLY happy w/everything and applied the gel. I had to lay there for another hour to be monitored to see if there were any changes/contractions. I had a few BH as I had earlier, but nothing else. The only other change was that I went from 50/60% effaced to 80/90% effaced. At this point the nurse called my Dr back to see what she wanted us to do. I was told I could either hang out there and walk for a while, or I could go home. I chose to go home...would have gone stir crazy had I stayed. I was told to come back between 6 and 6:30 to be checked again and a possible 2nd application of gel. DH came to pick me up and we were home by 2:30pm. I was STARVED and ate a little too fast and too much, so my pouch was a bit upset. I was a little sore/irritated 'down there' as well (side effect of the gel...it's a great irritant of tender flesh!) so I decided to take a bath and relax. I was in the tub about 10mins when I had my 1st contraction. (3pm on the nose) Followed by another at 3:02, 3:04, 3:06, 3:07, 3:09, 3:11....you get the idea. By 3:20 I couldn't really concentrate any more and hollered at DH to get DS#1 ready and that we needed to go to the hospital...NOW! I had to go to the bathroom and had a BM, so figured I'd check myself too. Felt her head or the sac, not sure which, very easily and LOW!! My mom had to come in the bathroom and help me get dressed, DH called the birthing center at the hospital to tell them we were on our way (he was told the nurse had them ready a room for me ASAP after I left and told the other nurses I'd be in "real soon") then I called my doula as we were backing out of the driveway. Got the the birthing center and my doula met us as we were walking in. She helped me through a couple of contractions as we were walking to my room and noted that they were more like 1min apart and several were piggy-backing. Got in and settled (3:36pm) when my nurse (a different one than earlier) checked me. 6cm and completely effaced. She called my Dr who told her to check me often and call her at a certain point. She asked me around 3:45 if I was feeling "pushy" to which I said yes. She asked another nurse who is training specifically for L&D to see if she could determine my dilation. If only I could have had a pic of her face...She said she couldn't find my cervix, to which Mary (my nurse) explained to her to spread her fingers as far apart as she could. Geraldine (in training) says she is and it's not there. Mary checked me and said I was 9cm and what Geraldine was feeling was a bulging bag! They called my Dr back to rush in, called another Dr as back up from the clinic next door, and called in the ER Dr. The ER Dr showed up 1st (man was he HOT!!!!) introduced himself to us and went to check me. I had been blowing through the contractions starting at 3:50pm (I was 10cm at 3:48pm) and was DYING as I knew I couldn't stop from pushing. Anyway, he checked me and said I was more than complete but was suprised that my water was still intact. I told him his hand in me was really uncomfortable and as I asked him to remove it, he informed me it wasn't his hand, but that sac. I asked if he would pop it PLEASE to which he did after the nurse told him ok. MUCH BETTER!!! As soon as he popped it I had a HUGE urge to push and they let me. 1 push and she was out! I got to reach down and help pull her the rest of the way out, so I did get to help deliver her which I wanted to do. After head was out, my doula asked DS#1 if he wanted to see her being born and brought him near my feet, so he saw the whole thing!! When the Dr asked DH if he wanted to cut the cord, I asked if DS could. The Dr thought that was a great idea, so he offered to DS#1 and was really encouraging. DS cut it and was just so THRILLED at the whole thing! I delivered the placenta w/in the next 2mins and that's when the other clinic Dr came running/panting in the room. 3mins or so after that my Dr came running in. I've now had 2 births where my Dr didn't make it which we thought was kinda funny. Anyway, labor from 1st contraction was 55mins. I asked them if I should count from when the gel was applied, and the Dr's and nurses said no because I wasn't IN labor at that time. They all said to count from when I felt my 1st contraction, so that's what we're doing. I took her in yesterday for a weight check and she's still at her discharge weight (7lbs 2oz) but they are really happy w/how she looks and she hasn't lost any more weight. To make ME happy, I'm taking her back in Thursday for another weight check. My milk came in on Saturday and she's been doing great nursing. We had to work on her initial latch as it's a bit painful. It's normal for it to be a bit painful upon 1st latching on, but should go away w/in the 1st min or so...if not, that's NOT normal. I picked up some Lansinoh to put on my nipples and that's helped a lot too. We've had a few rough nites, but last nite was really good. She's napping now in her bassinet which is the 1st time she's spent any real length of time in it. (longest before was about 20mins!) Speak of the devil... Traci and baby Jessica~ 5days old! 248/154/140 (pre-op/day of delivery/today)