The Davis Dirt: About the Birth

Well who doesn't love a good birth story? :)

On Thursday June 19th I had a doctors appointment. I was 37 weeks 6 days pregnant. After an exam the Doctor proclaimed I was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced he had stripped my membranes and predicted that I wouldn't make it the week before I delivered. After a couple of days of a few contractions here and there Saturday the contractions got a little more constant.

Terry was nervous because of our experience with Jillian (from first contraction to baby in arms was only 2 hours and I was only in the hospital for 30 minutes when she was born). He wanted to make sure nothing was happening and I wanted to make sure if it was that I was there in plenty of time to get an epidural. So Saturday June 21 we headed to the hospital to get checked out.

I really didn't think any thing was happening just yet, but we both wanted reassurance. After getting set up in triage I was checked and told I was still a 3 and 70% effaced. I was monitored for a little over an hour, checked again and told there had been no change. My contractions were anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes apart but they weren't very strong and ultimately, not doing anything.

The nurse was very sweet! She asked how I felt about going home. Was I comfortable going home? Did I feel like my body was doing something yet? Did I want to stay and walk around a bit and get checked again? I said I did feel comfortable going home and I really didn't feel like anything was happening yet. She reported all this to the on call doc and everyone agreed and I was discharged.

Fast forward to Thursday June 26th. I had another doctors appointment. After the exam the doctor told me I was still 3 and 70% effaced. He stripped my membranes and we set up and appointment for me to come to the hospital the next morning to be induced. I would be 39 weeks Friday morning (the next morning) and could be induced at that time. I was MORE than ready to be done being pregnant! I was nervous and anxious about the delivery and really wanted to make sure I got the epidural. I didn't feel like I was mentally and emotionally strong enough to handle the delivery with out completely losing it unless I had an epidural.

We went home and started getting ready to head to the hospital in the morning. Around 9:00pm my contractions really started to pick up they were 5-9 minutes apart still but this time really feeling like they were doing something. We decided to head to the hospital. It takes 30 minutes, with no traffic to get to uptown Charlotte where the hospital was. Again our experience with Jillian was making us nervous. We arrived at the hospital around 10:30. I was checked into triage and the nurse came in to check me.

ENTER nurse NASTY! she was NOT pleasant! I made the mistake of telling her I was supposed to come in in the morning for an elective induction. She immediately looked at me like "Oh, you are one of THOSE. You're just trying to get in here and do this earlier then you should. Well not on my watch!" She hadn't even checked me for the first time and started taking about me going home. I asked if she was at least going to check me. "Well yeah, but it is going to be up to the doctor whether you stay or not." SHe checked, I was still a 3 and 70%. My contractions were a consistent 5 minutes apart and really feeling painful! I wanted an epidural right now! After only 40 minutes nurse nasty came in and started talking about me going home again. I was almost in tears. "What is the doctor looking for to keep me?" In the most condescending, nasty voice ever she said, "We define labor as consistent contractions and cervical change. YOu are not really in labor. YOu need to just go home and get some rest and if we have an open bed for you we will call you in the morning and you can come in and be induced." I asked if she was at least going to check to see if I had made any progress in the 40 minutes I had been there?

Normally they let you lay around for an hour at least. She was in some huge hurry to get us out of there. There was not a single other soul in triage! I don't know what her problem was. Every time she would leave the room Terry would say, "Wow, she really doesn't want us here!" She said, "Well if the doctor wants to keep you then so be it." She was going and making reports to him, I don't know what she was saying but I'm sure it was along the lines of this girl is not in labor we should just send her home. And of course with out seeing me or ASKING me how I was feeling how would the doctor know what was really going on. I finally convinced the nurse to check me again.
Remember it had only been 40 minutes. She checked me and I was STILL a 3!

I was SOOOO frustrated! I KNEW I was in labor but with out "cervical change" the nasty nurse was not going to listen to me. She brought my discharge papers in casually dumped them on the bed and said, "You are free to go."
I wanted to cry! And I as in too much pain to argue with her. I should have been more assertive. I should have said okay fine but I'm just going to walk the halls for a few minutes and then have you check me again . . . .Actually SHE should have offered all those things. SHE should have asked, but she was NASTY!

Terry and I went down the elevator to the parking garage, got in the car and drove the 30 minutes home. My contractions were still very painful and still 5 minutes apart. By the time we got home it was around 12:15. I walked in the door sat on the couch for 5 minutes and my contractions were going from 3-4 minutes apart. I told Terry "I can't be here! I need to be at the hospital! Lets just go walk the halls and when I deliver the baby on the floor they will let me stay."

We got back in the car drove back to the hospital. We parked in the garage at 12:45. My contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and VERY painful. I couldn't walk through them any more. By the time we got up to the 8th floor maternity ward I was in tears and it was 12:50. I signed in and told the nurse at the desk (through my tears) that I had just been there and was sent home, this was my 6th baby and I KNEW I was in labor, I didn't feel comfortable being home, and I wanted a different triage nurse, because the last one was so awful." We were walking toward the triage room at this time. SHe was very kind and said not to worry they would take care of it.

I was able to change and get on the bed. A new nurse came in to check me and I was freaking out a little. MY contractions were 1 minute apart. She checked me and I tearfully asked, "Am I still a 3?" She says, "Well, no you are more like a 5+" I freaked out! "You know that's a problem! All my babies come when I get to a 6!" She believed me, didn't even get the contraction monitor all the way on and said she just needed 3 minutes to call the doctor. She left the room and the contraptions continued! With force. Terry stuck his head out and said, "Umm, she's not going to make it 3 minutes!" The nurse came back with another one and I was yelling. "Why did you send me home! I want an epidural! I hope you are ready to catch this baby in the hall way!" Terry was trying to make me nice. "Lets not worry about that now, it's too late for that, lets just get the baby here."

They wheeled me down to the delivery room very quickly. MOved me over to the bed and I felt my body move into transition. My water EXPLODED and I informed everyone that I was going to push now! The doctor was there and frantically trying to find gloves. I actually never saw him (because my eyes were closed and I was crying/yelling) I only heard him ordering the nurses around and getting frustrated that nothing was set up. I started pushing and the baby came out in one giant push. I just assumed there was someone there to catch. There must have been because she didn't land on the floor. I have no idea where Terry was through this whole process. He said he was standing right next to me but I was oblivious. She was born at 1:05 am! A short 15 minutes from the time I signed in at the labor desk!

I had some complications with bleeding and "hysterectomy" was tossed out as a possibility if they couldn't get it under control. Luckily, after some intense intervention everything was fine!

I was admitted into a recovery room. I appreciated they next morning when the doctor came in and apologized that I was sent home. I really wanted to make sure that nurse got yelled at, but that's not very nice, so I didn't worry about writing up a report. I'm sure she must have heard about it!

In the end the baby was here and safe and I wasn't going to have to pay the anesthesiologist for and epidural :)

Here are the first pictures of our little Affy