Mo' Better Love: 22 Hours of Labor and a 5 minute Delivery

Now that I have a little break from motherhood, I can sit and recount the labor and delivery of little JSL.

It started at around 5 in the morning Tuesday when I started feeling what many women describe as "menstrual cramping". I didn't wake D.L. at the time, because I knew this could be the start of a VERY long day. So when D.L. woke up, he began planning his day for work. For the past week and a half, everyday he would ask, are we going to have a baby today? Are you in labor yet?
Side note: I have to add that the evening before, D.L. talked to JSL and let her know that we were ready to see her and asked her to come when she's ready to see us! So a few hours after their conversation, she started the process~
So as D.L. asked his routine of questions, I looked at him and said YES, I think I'm in labor and I think today is the day. Of course, he was very surprised and looked at me in disbelief. He asked, how do you know?? I don't know if you remember the Raven-Simone line from the Cosby Show, but I thought back to her line in a particular episode and said...I KNOW MY BODY! So needless to say, DL called in to work and let them know he's off for the next week!

I will try to recap highlights of the day, because 19 hours of detail could get a bit long for a blog!

5 am - First feelings of cramping
8 am - Told D.L. -- It's time!
10 am - Called the doctor's office
11 am - Went in to the doctor's office and found that I was 100% effaced and 2 cm dilated
Noon - Came back home and walked 2 miles on the treadmill through my contractions and walked the dogs with DL. The doctor recommended walking to increase my dilation
2 pm - Went back to the doctor's office to see what progress the walking made - Found out I was 100% effaced and 4 cm dilated. At this time, she recommended that I go to the hospital because I'm definitely in labor and having active contractions. Because I was pursing a medicine free birth, I didn't want to go to the hospital yet, so I told her I want to go home for a couple of hours and then I will go to the hospital.
4 pm - Came home and labored for another hour and half
6 pm - Got to the hospital - After their assessment, I was 100% effaced and 5 cm dilated. They asked if I wanted to be admitted and they could break my water. Again, because I wanted a natural birth, I wanted everything to happen as it was supposed to. So I decided not to get admitted, but I wanted to walk around the hospital for another couple of hours to increase my dilation.
7 pm - D.L. and I walked 5 flights of stairs up and down and walked the hospital hallways through INTENSE contractions. As D.L. and I walked, I listened to my Hypnobaby Affirmations which was given to me by a friend. Essentially, it was a CD of calming, positive affirmations to help motivate me that I'm made for this! I do have to laugh and say that one of the lines on the CD says...(in a SLOW and CALMING voice) ~ After every contraction, BREATHE and send the anesthia to where you need it to go! Yes, it was affirming, but there was definitely no anesthia in the breathes I was taking! LOL!
8:30 pm - We stopped walking and got admitted. At this time check I got to 6 cm dilated.
9 pm - We were in our L & D room!
1:30 am - FINALLY, my water broke at 8 cm dilated! At this point, I still didn't want them to break my water because I would've been confined to the bed and could potentially need pitocin to increase my labor, which I didn't want.
2 am - Game time...the contractions were, as DL said..."off the Richter scale"! Each pain seemed greater than the last
3 am - Getting from 9 cm to 10 cm! At this point, this was the only time that I yelled and was vocal. Before this time, I breathed through my contractions and my consolation was ice chips hand fed by DL, biting his shirt which he eventually took off for me so I wouldn't bite him, and holding onto DL's neck when the contractions seemed unbearable!
3:15ish - I told them I was ready to push! DL was on one side and our nurse Anna (by the way, who is the MOST AMAZING nurse EVER) was on the other side. My first push I stopped in mid contraction, so Anna assured me to just push through it. So I said, okay, I'm having a contraction and I'm about to push. Out came JSL's head! Next push, out came JSL!
3:24 am - Our precious and perfect blessing arrived!

The nurses and doctor said I was an inspiration to all the women on the shift. With no medicine and an all natural birth, I did it! I never really talked about this goal of mine, because I was open to an epidural and didn't want to speak as if a natural delivery was my only way to go!

DL was my doula, coach, my husband, my friend, my advocate! Every step I made, he was there the entire time to hold my hand and be my support. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience!

And when we finally heard JSL cry and saw her face...ALL the time, energy, pain and preparation was ALL worth it!