Kaelyn's Birthday

Last Saturday started off just like any other fall football Saturday. Jeff and I settled in front of the t.v. ready to watch Gameday and the Penn State homecoming game...we ate some lunch and I thumbed through the latest PotteryBarn Catalogue. I had noticed that I had a lot of cramping all morning but it was nothing more than I had been having for the last two weeks so I didn't think much of it. At around 2 I was having some bad pains low in my abdomen. Being that all of the pregnancy books said real labor pains start either in the back or at the fundus I figured it was gas (this was just the first of many lies the books tell). I started thinking it was funny that these "gas" pains kept coming and going and so I asked Jeff to time them. At 2:40 Jeff announced that the pains were only 2-3 minutes apart and frantically took off trying to get stuff together to head out the door. I called the doctor and they told me to head over the hospital right away (poor Jeff was running around like a mad man...I had planned on laboring at home for several hours and thus would have had plenty of time to do some last minute things) . I couldn't really talk through the contractions (I had to just blow through them) and I asked Jeff to help me put my sneakers on...the poor guy was so wound up he tried to shove my foot into a sneaker that was completely tied tight already. Even though the hospital was only 10 minutes away it was the longest drive ever! In the car I remarked to Jeff that the contractions hurt so bad that there was no way I was going to be able to labor for another 10 hours! I also thought to myself that I was way more serious than I should have been for "early"labor. We got to the hospital and parked the car....we had to stop 4 times from the car to the L & D for contractions...at this point I was bent over with them with my hands on my knees). They got us into a delivery room and had me change into a gown and give a urine sample. While in the bathroom room I had 3 more contractions and I knew I was in some trouble....they were coming soooo quick & really strong! From here on out its a little fuzzy for me. The nurse checked me and said I was 5-6 cm...I panicked because I knew I had a long way to go and wouldn't be able to do it with out meds (the nurse later said that I was really 7 cm and that she likes to underestimate for when she calls the doctor- I wish she had told me this because 7 cm marks the beginning of transition- the hardest part of labor). All of the reading/prepping/breathing practice we had done for months basically went out the window at this point as I resorted to screaming owe...I was literally a deer in headlights. I flat out told Jeff that I wasn't going to be able to do this without meds and he reassured me I would. The doctor showed up and checked me and said I was good to push. I pushed for 54 minutes during which time I projectile vomited all over Jeff and myself...several times. Also at one point I pointed out to Jeff that my hand was bleeding- turns out my IV ripped out of my hand- I didn't even feel it! Kaelyn entered the world like superman with one arm straight up against her head, unfortunately this is not the optimal position for birth...ouch! Although they had a mirror set up for me to see her my eyes were firmly squeezed shut during the actual delivery but Jeff got to see it all and he yelled "look, look" several times as they put her on my belly. Jeff cut the umbilical cord and we got to spend a few minutes with her before they cleaned her up.
All in all my labor experience lasted 3 hours and I ended up doing it without meds! As the doctor said it was fast and furious but in the end well worth it!