Monday March 16th I had minor contractions every ten minutes for three hours. I went for a walk around the neighborhood with Taylor and the kids and then came home and took a nap. By the time I
woke up my contractions had stopped and I was pretty bummed. I had been swollen for several days and my back and hips were very uncomfortable. By that night I was crying and telling Taylor I
wasn't sure I could handle the next day without him home.This is usually a sure sign that I am about to go into labor, but it felt like I would just keep being pregnant forever!
We went to bed and I got up about 1:30 to go the bathroom. When I lay down I felt a very distinctive pop. I was fairly sure at that point that my water had broken, but there was no distinctive gush of fluid.
Within ten minutes I had real contractions starting. I was so excited,but hesitant because I didn't want to get too excited and then have to deal with my emotions the next day. By the time my Mom
arrived to watch kiddos I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes but they were less than 30 seconds and very manageable.
We got to the hospital at about 3:30 and they confirmed my water had broken. I was 3 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced. Every time I lay down though, my contractions would space way out. Like 15-20 minutes apart. This had happened with the other kids, so we knew I wanted to keep walking as long as possible. They admitted me and I started pacing my room. Within ten minutes I had my contractions back up to 3-5 minutes apart, but still, short and manageable.
Taylor and I had talked about not getting an epidural in a very casual way. Like, sure if everything goes OK we would be up for that...
I was checked again at about 6:30 and was 6 cm dilated with a very bulging bag of water. Basically the leftover water was what was holding back Corrie dropping the rest of the way. We decided to break my water and I confirmed that I could get fentanol and an epidural afterwards if I needed it. We were still putting off the epidural knowing how much it slowed down my labor. Broke my water and got up to continue walking. Shortly after that contractions were close and getting stronger. I decided to get a dose of fentanol so I could keep walking but still take the edge off. Fentanol is awesome. Within 30 seconds I was asking Taylor repeatedly if He was certain my eyes weren't crossed. It gives you the best mellow feeling without having to stop moving. Probably the closest to buzzed I've ever been:) That got me through another 30 minutes or so. The bummer with it is that is has a very short life and wears off quickly. I think it did get me through the time I would have normally asked for an epidural. I remember Taylor looking at me and asking if I was ok with what we were doing. I prayed and felt like the Lord encouraged my heart to keep trying without anymore drugs. Should have told him that because he felt bad later.
Once the Fentanol wore off the contractions hit me full force. They hurt so bad and quickly came one right on top of another. At this point Taylor was really encouraging me and I still felt in control. I started breaking out in chills and got super hot. My sweet nurse kept changing cold washcloths for me. At some point I got back on the bed and was going through contractions up there. They checked me one more time and I was 8-9 cm and just needed her to drop a little more. My other nurse had me doing some rhythmic breathing and choosing a focal point to look at. I think this would have helped more if I had more of a reference for the amount of time I had left. I just kept thinking, what if I have to do this for hours??? I would start breathing and looking at Taylor and at some point during the contraction, break and start screaming lovely things at everyone.
Some of the gems that left my mouth: I can't do this. I want to run away. Why didn't we get an epidural? I am so scared. I don't want to do this anymore.I really didn't want to be a crazy screaming lady! I'm so sorry!
I am honestly shocked that I didn't kick anyone during this process. It was the most intense feeling I have ever felt in my life and I wasn't prepared for how emotional I would be. I think one of my biggest fears is losing control in front of people...haha blew through that one. I am so incredibly thankful for all the people who helped me so kindly while I was acting like a raving lunatic!
Just before 9 I felt overwhelming pressure and told the nurses I was gonna go to the bathroom all over the table. They had switched around the entire bed in less than a minute and Dr. Vogt was in place ready to deliver. He administered a local anesthetic so that the baby crowning wouldn't be as painful. The local sure hurt like heck though! I was still terrified that it was gonna take forever, when Taylor leaned over and said, Becky I can see her head. You are right there. That was exactly what I needed to hear to get down to business. They had me start pushing and with the first contraction I could feel her head come out. Dr. Vogt looked at me and said you have to stop pushing now. The cord was wrapped around her neck and he quickly clamped the cord and cut it from around her. With the next contraction I pushed the rest of her out and it was the biggest release of pressure and emotion. They laid Corrie on my chest and I still think I was just in shock over everything that had just happened. She still had some fentanol in her system and was super limp. They whisked her over to the table and rubbed her all over while I kept askingif she was ok. Within seconds she was crying and all the anxiety just left. I was really surprised how quickly the contractions just dissipated. No tearing and not having an epidural it was pretty great to have full movement immediately afterwards. I am really glad things went the way they did. I don't know that I would have done it if things had gone more slowly. I had the perfect labor to "trick" me into a natural birth. I did miss the calm excitement of delivering a baby that came with the epidural. However, there were other things that were so unique to not having it that I can't say that I have any regrets. The one thing I would change would be to look up some coping strategies BEFORE I am actually in transition! The entire experience felt like a huge grand finale for the entire pregnancy and past year. I immediately sat up afterwards and could feel how much better my body felt already and am so looking forward to holding Corrie in my arms now.
