Around 10:00pm on July 11th I started having cramps. They were coming and going on a regular basis, not like the BH that came and went. I also had diarrhea that night so I told my husband that this may be the night. I then tried to watch Rescue Me. The cramps kept coming for the whole hour. They were anywhere from 6-10 minutes apart. I told my mom and called my sisters and friends and put them on high alert. The birth class said don't go to the hospital until the contractions 5 minutes apart and you can't talk thru them. Well, they started coming between 5-6 minutes apart and I began to barely be able to talk thru them. I went to the bathroom to go pee and when I wiped there was blood. I got very nervous and decided it was time to go. It was about midnight. I woke up my mother and husband and we were at the hospital in 5 minutes. I was hooked up to the machines and the Dr came in and said that I was in fact in labor so I was admitted. No one seemed concerned about the blood. The Dr asked me if I thought about pain management and if I wanted any drugs. After a few hours of contractions, I said what ever you have I'll take. Its 1:00 in the am, I'm in active labor and maybe 1cm dilated. I don't want to be in pain for the next 20 hours. They gave me something in an IV drip and let me sleep for a few hours. They said I needed to be rested for when it became time to push.
The hours are a blur, but the next morning I was given an Epiand hours of Pitocen. I guess I was in labor forever because she wasn't born until 6:16 pm on the 12th. Sometime during the contractions I felt a gush, I thought it was blood, but it was my water breaking. I started pushing about 4:00pm. They asked if I had rectal pressure. I said yes - for about an hour now. They set up a mirror so I could see what was going on. The nurse opened my labia with her fingers and the baby's head was right there! I pushed for 2 hours. I didn't feel like I was making any progress. After 2 hours the baby's heart rate started to rise during contractions, so they decided I needed some help. The brought in the vacuum and the NICU team. My family said they couldn't believe how hard the Dr was pulling. It looked like she needed some help too! Dalila finally came out at 6:16pm on July 12th. She was blue so my husband was unable to cut her cord. The NICU team took her and did their thing (in the labor room still) - she was very quiet but they assured me she was OK. Her APGAR was 4 then 9. Everything was fine. I didn't rip open or need an episiotomy - thank GOD! I just had a few small tears in my labia nd inside that she sewed up.
I had to wait until the EPI wore off before I could be moved to my room. I was unable to pee on my own so they had to put the catheter back in to empty my bladder. I was moved to my room, and had something to eat. Later that night, I was still unable to pee so they had to put a catheter in again. This time is hurt so much because the pain meds wore off and I was already tramatized and swollen down there. OH MY GOD the pain. The cathater stayed in all the next day. I was so miserable. I hurt so much and it inhibited my movement. So the pain of just having given birth, the catheter and breastfeeding - that entire next day was awful. I was so afraid for them to take it out because I didnt want them to have to put it back in again, but I was in so much pain. They took it out around dinner time and few hours later I was able to pee. I was so relived! I was so much more comfortable that night and the next day. We came home on the 14th and the whole breastfeeding nightmare started from there.
I love her so much - she is so perfect and beautiful. I am looking forward to when she can hold her head up and interact more. I can't wait to hear her little voice speak and finally be able to see her little personality.
She is a little fussy girl right now. She is either sleeping eating or crying. She doesn't like to be put down. So someone always has to be holding her. The binky is also a lifesaver. She definitely needs the pacifier to passify her!
She is not sleeping thru the night yet. Some nights its two hour spans others its 4. Once in a while she will sleep for 5 hours. If she would sleep from 12-6 I would be happy.
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