Labor & Delivery :: Part 3
Around 2pm my doc came to check my progress and I was still only at 3 cm. Boo. If I remember correctly I was at the highest level of pitocin they could give me without putting in an internal contraction monitor. So in that went too. At this point I now have an internal fetal heartbeat monitor, an internal contraction monitor, and catheter.
(FYI - the little guys heart rate was fairly steady during the entire delivery)
My contractions were about 2 minutes apart and were plenty strong enough, so they didn’t have to crank up the pitocin. But, the monitor was in just in case.
At 4:30pm, since the baby wasn’t budging, Angela decided to try a technique called the pretzel. She said that a nurse at Vanderbilt swears by this technique. It supposedly helps drop the baby when they are being stubborn little boogers like mine. For the pretzel, mom lays on her side with her top leg bent and pulled up to her chest, and her lower leg laid out behind her…kind of like the Running Man.
Surprise, surprise….he didn’t drop. So, now it’s 5:30pm and my tenant is still at a negative 2 station. And, me…well I had dilated to 5 cm. Yea me!
7:00pm rolled around, and that meant a shift change in nurses. I was scared. My nurses had become like family. They would do anything for me. They were more comforting to me during the day than lying on Ed Burns’ bare chest. Wowza!
I said my goodbyes and prayed for the best. Well, I must have saved a puppy earlier that day, because luck was on my side. I got another wonderful nurse. She was like a comforting older sister. I don’t have an older sister, but if I did she is what I would want. The shift change also meant my OB was off rotation, and I would not be delivering with my OB. He said something about helping his kid with Algebra homework. Yeah, yeah…good excuse doc. Being a helpful and loving father. Oldest excuse in the book. 
At some point in the day, I can’t quite remember when, I requested a bit more in the drug department. Up until this point I had been able to move my legs, but not after my second epidural cocktail. My left kept falling of the bed, so that put Derek on leg duty. I would feel my leg slipping of the edge of the bed, and try as I may I just couldn’t control the dang thing. That’s when I would call for Derek “The Leg Dude”.
Around 9:00pm I was only 7cm dilated and this kid was still w-a-y up inside me. Things were not looking good for a vaginal delivery. One of my main motivations for delivery was the ability to eat. I hate to say it, but the anticipation of meeting my son was a bit overshadowed by extreme hunger. I knew this would be the case before I ever got close to my due date. In the pre-baby classes we took the instructor warned us of not being allowed to eat or drink while in labor. I cowered in fear of that moment.
I get seriously grouchy when my belly is empty, and it becomes all I can think of … an obsession if you will.
At this point, we began discussing a possible c-section. I was okay with a c-section. I started dreaming about food again and asked the obvious question (to me) “If I decided right now to have a c-section can I eat once I get out of surgery?”
“No. You cannot have solid food for 24 hours after the procedure.”
Let’s just say that did not float my boat.
My nurse told me that I would only be allowed jell-o and chicken broth for those 24 hours. Boo. At this point I was Cookie Monster hungry, and was trying to convince myself that Jell-o is somewhat of a solid, and if I ate enough of it I would be full. Come on Jennifer…don’t be silly. That’s why they say “there’s always room for Jell-o”, because you never quite get full on the stuff.
We decided to give it another 45 minutes and check on my progress. Then we would make the call. As luck would have it, I progressed! FINALLY!
Around the 9:45pm mark I was at 8cm. I attempted to take a cat nap until they checked me again at 11pm. My mom and Derek kept me company in the room while I napped.
They just sat and chatted quietly as I faded in and out of consciousness. In between my little naps I would have Derek sneak me tiny drinks of water. The ice chips helped (they had awesome ice…like Sonic), but it just wasn’t enough to keep my hydrated. So I had my main squeeze occasionally sneak me drinks of water. They were lifesavers.
Then 11pm rolled around and I was then at 9cm and Grayson finally moved his way down to the starting line. That kid was way too comfy in there.
Kinda makes you wonder that if I had been pregnant in pioneer times would I and/or the baby make it though labor & delivery? I mean I was a week over due, induced, pumped full of pitocin (almost maxed out on the amount they were allowed to give me), and the kiddo waited until the very last second to drop.
I’m waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of the birth story!!! =)
I feel your pain with the hunger thing… when I was having Evelyne (I was induced as well), I was starving and SO thirsty. While I was pushing I saw a bottle of Gatorade across the room and declared that I didn’t care whose it was but it would be mine when she came out… it was GREAT motivation! I will say, though, that not letting laboring moms have anything to drink is a very outdated rule that hospitals here in Seattle don’t do anymore. My midwife was shocked that I was only allowed ice chips for almost 24 hours in the hospital in Memphis. Here they let you have clear liquids and I’m not sure about food, I think there might be some that are allowed like Jell-O.
If you’re in labor, you need to maintain your strength, and dehydration isn’t good for you or your baby. Usually your digestive system is slowed down so you’re not really that hungry, but eating during labor keeps your energy up and can really help things. My midwives recommended I pack a labor snack bag with healthy food and drinks..and even chocolate since eating candy helps dull the pain of contractions! My labor was too fast and intense with Harris to eat or drink anything, but I had a great goody bag to dig into when I was finished! (They made me start eating and drinking as soon as he came out) So next time? Disregard the hospital rules and sneak a hamburger in there! It’ll probably help things along! =)
Emily,
I’m working on it I promise. I’m still getting use to balancing baby and blogging. And remembering what I intend to blog about. But I’m sure you know about that new mom brain all too well. Maybe next pregnancy I should use a midwife. Anyone that lets me eat is a friend of mine. I guess everyone needs motivation. Food just happens to be mine.
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