Felix: Birth Story

Last picture of belly taken 12/20/12;

On the night of December 26th, I was feeling tired, especially large and uncomfortable but mostly just ready to add another sweet boy to our family.  Arty and I sat in bed and played a game of Battleship and I joked that if I won he would have to go to the store for some castor oil.  Well, I won and he promptly made that trip to Kroger and brought back the oil.  I quickly swirled 4 tablespoons with orange juice and chugged it down before I had a chance to change my mind and went to bed.  I woke up at 2:30 AM and went to the bathroom.  Yes, that castor oil was doing its thing to my stomach (TMI, I know).  Then the contractions started, and once they started they were never more than three minutes apart.  I stayed on the toilet for awhile and then tried to lay down.  I laid in bed timing contractions with Arty for over an hour and they never slowed down, each lasting over 45 seconds.  I told him to try to sleep.  I grabbed the ipad, flipped the light on to our closet and sat in there trying to figure out if this was really labor or not.  At 5AM I decided to call my doctor to find out what I should do since the contractions were increasing in intensity.  She said it sounded like labor and to go in to the hospital to get checked.  I told Arty and we both got dressed.  I told my parents I was going to the hospital to get checked out.  I mentioned that I wasn't even bringing the bag I had halfway packed.

 We got checked in to the hospital around 5:30 and the nurse said I was 3cm dilated but could be stretched to a 4 (ouch) and the bag of water was bulging.  I was admitted.  The nurse told me I could walk around or take a shower if I wanted.  I walked a little, but one of the only places that felt good to me was the toilet.  I told Arty I wish I had my flip flops and he said he would go grab my bag, the camera, and my family and come back to the hospital.  We live a couple miles away so that sounded great to me.  By 7AM I was 5cm dilated and in pain.  I told the nurse I was ready to start prep for the epidural so she got the IV of fluids going.  I sat on the bed with my legs crossed, eyes closed, listening to the Bon Iver station on Pandora.  The only thing I focused on was not clenching my jaw shut.  That's all I could do.  A new nurse came in at 7:30 and sped the IV up.  At 7:40 the anesthesiologist came in and started putting the epidural in.  My doctor arrived in the room as well.  Almost as soon as the anesthesiologist told me I could lay back down, my water broke and my doctor said she was going to check me.  She said that there was no cervix left, and I asked what that meant and she said I was ready to start pushing.

I should mention that as soon as my water broke I felt a huge shift and an immediate increase of PAIN.
Arty wasn't back yet so the nurse handed me my purse so I could try to call him, but as I riffled through my purse searching for my phone he walked in the door with my mom.  Cue a huge sigh of relief.

The anesthesiologist left the room promising each contraction would get easier and things were prepared for the delivery.  Pushing started at 8 and  Felix was born at 8:08 AM weighing 8lbs 15 oz.