Finally, I went to my appointment last Wednesday (1/26). Dr. Wuckert stripped my membranes for the third time and told me I was dilated to 3.5cm and was 80% effaced. Since my blood pressure was high in the office that day, she decided that I was ready and she told me she was admitting me to the hospital right away. Woohoo! I think I told her that I loved her, I was so excited to finally get this whole birth process going and meet my son! Doctors orders were to go home, finish packing our bags, and get to the hospital asap.
Of course, I called Bill from the parking lot of the doctor's office and he didn't answer. He has had his phone glued to his ear these last few weeks just in case I went into labor. I tried calling him 5 more times and he still didn't answer. I called his work and told them they needed to find him because I was going into labor. That did it and he called me right away!
I got home and was cramping (which I thought was just due to my membranes being stripped again) and went about my business getting the final stuff packed and the house tidied up a little bit. Bill got home, we ate a little dinner, and then left for the hospital. I was still cramping on the way to the hospital, and it seemed like the cramps were about 6-7 minutes apart.
We got to the hospital at about 6:30pm and I was admitted to triage. While in triage, they monitored my blood pressure (which was reading fine) and drew blood for labs. They hooked me up to the fetal heartbeat monitor and the contraction monitor. Baby was doing great. One of the nurses looked at the contraction monitor and said, "Honey, are you feeling those?" I told her I was feeling cramps, and she told me I was having contractions! They were coming about 2 1/2 minutes apart and were lasting about 90 seconds each. I had no idea that the cramping I had been feeling had been contractions all that time!!!
After a little over an hour in triage, I was admitted to my labor and delivery room. My regular doctor, Dr. Wuckert, wasn't on call until the morning, so I had another doctor for the evening, Dr. Matoian. Dr. Matoian measured me and said I was dilated to 4cm and that she was going to break my water to get things going. At 8pm, my water was broken and they started me on a small dose of Pitocin to get contractions going. I remember American Idol was on tv in the background. As the contractions got worse, I remember thinking to myself that I would always associate American Idol with pain now. Bill called our parents and my sister, who began making their way to the hospital.
Every hour I was checked to see how far dilated I was. I was dilating about a centimeter an hour and the contractions kept getting more painful. I always thought I had a low pain tolerance, but this being my first pregnancy, I had no idea what contractions were supposed to feel like, so I held off on asking for the epidural.
Finally, at midnight I asked for the epidural because the pain was unbearable. The doctor couldn't believe I had gone that long without asking for it because she said my contractions were really strong. At 12:30am, I got the epidural and life was blissful for the next few hours. I was able to rest a little and relax from the pain.
At about 6:30am, I had finally dilated enough to start pushing. Dr. Matoian said that we would try pushing for awhile, and if it didn't seem like things were progressing (since Andrew's head and shoulders were so big), then the last resort would be a c-section.
I was so exhausted by the time I started pushing. I had been awake for over 24 hours and hadn't eaten since noon the previous day. I had decided prior to going into labor that I wanted my mom, sister, and Bill's mom in the room when Andrew was born, so Bill went to go get them from the waiting room. My mom wet cool cloths for my forehead, my sister fed me ice chips, and everyone was counting while I pushed and cheering me on. Dr. Wuckert arrived and took over for Dr. Matoian.
I pushed for almost 2 hours. The nurses got a mirror so I could see my progress and it was amazing when I could see Andrew crowning. It was all the motivation I needed to continue pushing. I did not want to have to get a c-section when it seemed so close.
Due to Andrew's head being so big, I started to tear. Dr. Wuckert told me she was going to do an episiotomy, which I wasn't very excited about, but was a better alternative to a c-section. She made the incision, and one push later Andrew Martin Pantuso was born. Bill cut the umbilical cord and all I remember hearing was the sweet cry of my baby boy as they placed him on my chest. I started crying myself and was just feeling so relieved that he was healthy and that it was all over.
He weighed in at 8lbs 14oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. The time of birth was 8:15am on 1-27-11. He was proclaimed a healthy, beautiful baby boy by all. We were all immediately in love!
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