Pre-labor:
We held off until our 39 week appointment before having any internal exams, but our doctor was really pushing for one so we had one on 8/4 when I was 38w6d. We found out that I was already 4cm dilated and about 50% effaced. We were glad to hear I was making progress early, even though it really had no indication of when I would go into labor. Throughout that week, I got really motivated to go on lots of long walks and climbing stairs 2 at a time...anything to keep progressing.
At our 40 week appointment on 8/11 (I was 39w6d) we had another exam and found out I was still 4cm dilated but had progressed to 70-80% effacement. We again were glad to hear I had made a little bit of progress. Because I was super paranoid about going past my due date and having to be induced, I suggested to the doctor that she strip my membranes (look it up if you don't know what it is) to help get things started and she strongly agreed. While doing so does not guarantee that you will go into labor, it does statistically up your chances by 30% that you will go into labor within 48 hours. We discussed with my OB what would happen over the next few weeks if I did not go into labor. She said she would let me get to 41 weeks and at that point would need to go in for a non-stress test and amniotic fluid level checks, and would have to do so every 2 days until 41w6d at which point she would induce labor. It was scary to actually schedule those appointments because I REALLY didn't want it to come to that. That night, Collin, my mom, sister and I all went for a long walk after dinner and I made Courtney and Collin go up and down 5 sets of stairs with me 2 times each, on both directions of the walk. I wanted this baby out NOW!
Nothing much happened on my actual due date (8/12) until late that evening when I went to the bathroom and saw that I had lost my mucous plug. I was VERY excited because it meant things were happening (I only told Collin at that time). I also felt very hormonal that evening...I remember being a little snippy and emotional toward my family, which may have clued people in that something was going on...
Labor day:
The next morning, I lost more of my plug and told my family that I wanted to go for a long walk. Collin, Courtney, Chloe and I went for what ended up being a 7 mile walk, all the way to the Newport Beach sign on PCH. I was so motivated and just wanted to keep going and going. Toward the end of the walk I started feeling a little bit crampy/achy and thought it might be the start of contractions but figured it could also just be aches from walking so far. The one strange thing (looking back) is that Chloe starting acting really funny toward the end of the walk. She kept stopping and whining and looking up at me. We thought it was because she was tired from such a long walk, but normally when we pick her up when she's tired she just melts into our arms. This time, every time Collin picked her up she was frantic and wanted back down, but kept up the whining and crying. We now totally believe that she sensed something was going on with me...our doula had even told us that this could happen when I went into labor because dogs just have weird senses about things. Anyway...I digress...
We stopped at Starbucks on the way back from our walk, got an iced latte and a breakfast sandwich and went home. Around 1:30ish I was eating lunch and started to feel very mild contractions but at that point believed for sure that they were in fact contractions. I told Collin that I was pretty sure things were starting. I finished lunch and then kept busy for the next hour and a half or so, organizing things, etc.
At just before 3:30 I went up to Collin's office to tell him that I thought we needed to start timing the contractions because they were getting really consistent and much stronger. He got a huge smile on his face and high-fived me and said "this is what we've been waiting for...it's happening!" We used an iPhone app called Labor Mate to monitor the contractions for about a half an hour and realized that they were consistent enough and close enough that we should contact our doula Rena' and let her know what was going on. The iPhone app allowed us to email the data to her iPhone so she was able to see that my contractions were coming every 2.5-3.5 minutes and lasting approximately a minute each. She was just leaving another birth and headed straight to our house.
She arrived at 5:10pm and assessed how I was doing. Our goal from the beginning was to labor at home for as long as possible and only head to the hospital when I was getting close to wanting to push. She monitored me for about 40 minutes and then suggested that it was time to get in the car and go to the hospital. As I headed downstairs, I had to stop for a contraction at the kitchen table and then again outside at the car. I had 4 contractions during the ride to the hospital, had to stop for one at the valet stand when we got to the hospital, had one in the elevator on the way up, and had one (or more) at the nurses station while being checked in.
By 6:20pm we were in the Labor & Delivery room. I undressed and put on a gown and was hooked up to the monitors. The nurse checked my progress and I was 9cm and had a bulging bag of waters! I was so excited we had done as we'd hoped and got there so late in the game. The nurses went over our birth plan with us and we were super pleased at how respectful they were with all of our desires. I did not want an IV so at 6:40 we allowed them to put in a hep- lock. At this point, my contractions were getting really painful because I was lying down on the bed. I had found my rhythm at home by standing up and being able to sway back and forth, so being tied down to monitors on a bed was not my idea of a good time.
Thankfully, by 7:02 I started to feel an increased urge to push. The nurse checked me again and I was at 10cm and given the OK to start pushing. During my first push at 7:04, the bag of waters was released (which was a really weird feeling), and we knew the baby wouldn't be far behind. At 7:08 the doctor arrived and I really started pushing. At this point I totally stopped feeling contractions and just pushed as often and as effectively as I could. It felt good to be pushing and making progress. Collin and Rena' kept me informed as to how I was progressing and very quickly Collin told me he could see that Laila had a ton of hair! At that point my determination to get this baby out grew beyond anything I can imagine and by 7:28 she was born into the world.
As soon as her head and shoulders were out I took the doctor by surprise by reaching down and grabbing her and pulling her the rest of the way out (which was something I really wanted to be able to do). Collin and Rena' said the look on the OB's face was priceless...he was so surprised! I immediately pulled her onto my stomach and was just able to love on her. At that point, Collin grabbed the umbilical cord so he could feel it pulsating and make sure the cord clamping was delayed until it had stopped. When it stopped, he got to cut her cord and I was able to pull her up onto my chest and we got our first good look at her and Collin gave me a kiss.
Up until now, everything was perfect and went "according to plan" (as best as you can "plan" your birth!) Unfortunately, something had to go wrong. It had been about 30 minutes since Laila was born and my placenta had yet to detach. The doctor tried a bunch of tricks but nothing was working, so he had to manually extract it. I refused drugs because I had just had a baby without them, but holy moly having to go through this was 800 times worse than giving birth. Thankfully, the pain was relatively short lived and the doctor was able to get the placenta out at around 8:10pm. The doctor strongly recommended a shot of pitocin in my arm to help with the bleeding since the placenta was so stubborn. I looked to Rena' for advice on this and she thought it was a good idea, so I had that done. I also had minor 2nd degree tears that were repaired and I had a local anesthetic for that.
Collin had the baby during the whole placenta saga and the nurses took that time to weigh her, do a heel prick and get her APGAR scores, which were an 8 and a 9. She weighed in at 8lb 2oz and was 21 inches long. We declined the Hep B shot, Vitamin K injection and the eye ointment since we didn't feel any were necessary for her at that time. Once I got Laila back, she breastfed immediately on both sides and was very alert, which was so fun to see. At this time, I ate a protein bar and some orange juice to get my strength back up.
So that's pretty much it! We were soon transferred to the Mother/Baby room, got settled and got to show Laila off to our family. We can't thank God enough for allowing us to have the natural birth experience we so strongly desired and spent so much time preparing for. Collin could not have been a better coach for me and we couldn't have done it without Rena' (thanks also for the time line and the pictures!). Thanks to Anne Marie and our Bradley classes for preparing us so well and thanks to Laila for being so cooperative and popping out so quickly! It was the most incredible experience and I wouldn't change any of it. Our long-awaited baby girl is finally here and we couldn't love her more.
