Meeting Elizabeth

Gentle readers, it has been quite a week.  My daughter, Elizabeth Jeanette, was born on Sunday, June 26th, at 11:55 A.M., and she was 8 lbs and 7 oz, and 20 inches long.

My birthing experience was very different from what I'd expected, but in a mostly good way.  For one thing, it was a much faster labor than anyone expected--the nurses and doctors included. Most first-time mothers have a rather long labor and delivery, and when I checked in it was determined that I really was only 3 centimeters dilated.  I didn't go into anything approaching active labor until sometime between 3:35 AM and 6:30 AM.  The doctor had tried to start off labor by giving me something to ripen my cervix that would take up to 8 hours to take full effect--thus, I spent most of the first night in the hospital sleeping (thanks to a sleeping pill that the nurse highly recommended I take, even though I was a little hesitant to take it).  When contractions didn't start, they gave me pitocin around 3:35 AM. Once the contractions began, I only felt them as a bit of pressure. Around 6:30 AM, the doctor came in and checked me, and broke my water to speed things along. He estimated that I would deliver sometime on Sunday afternoon or early evening, given my dilation and effacement, etc..

The contractions started coming much faster after my water broke, and I was definitely feeling them by 7:30 AM.  I had always planned to get an epidural, but I was trying to hold out as long as I could so that I wouldn't slow down the labor. My contractions were coming pretty quickly--about 2 minutes apart. I caved and asked for some IV pain meds in the meantime, and I received some Staydol around 8 AM.  In hindsight, I should have asked them to check me at 8 AM, and I should have taken the epidural then--because I'm almost certain they would have found that I was dilated at least to 6 cm.  By 8:30 AM I was requesting my epidural be given as soon as the Staydol wore off (it only lasts about an hour), and I received it a little after 9 AM.  When the doctor checked me some time after I received my epidural, he was shocked--I was already at 8 cm dilated, and he asked the nurse to confirm. She said, "Oh my God, she's nearly complete!" (Completely dilated, completely effaced--in other words, nearly ready to start pushing).  I immediately felt like less of a wimp when I heard that, because when I'd started caving in and taking the pain meds, I was convinced that I was probably only dilated to 4 or 5 cm.  Women who go through labor and delivery without any pain relief have my respect--it's not something I'd want to do, and I nearly did it quite by accident.  

The nurse spent most of the time between 10 and 11 AM getting the room ready for the delivery.  By 11 AM, she had me start some practice pushes, and I was given the task of pushing with the contractions. I was determined to deliver quickly--I didn't want to spend a lot of time pushing.  I felt very focused, and I followed the nurse's coaching and I was able to deliver with just under an hour of pushing--yet another surprise to the doctors and nurses. The relief and joy that came with Elizabeth's arrival is impossible to describe.  She was placed on my chest after Michael cut the cord, and that is where we finally met her.  She was wailing her little head off, but I was just so happy that she was safe and healthy and finally here!  We were absolutely thrilled with her, and everything else simply melted away as we looked at her little face and her fingers and toes and knees and listened to her cry. Our baby had finally arrived, and a circus could have come through the room and we wouldn't have really noticed or cared.

So that is the story of the events that led to the time we met Elizabeth. Yes, it was uncomfortable and at times painful.  But look at what I got out of it:

 

Absolutely, totally worth it.