| Piper is here, and here's her birth story: 12/12/02 All day I'd been experiencing some changes that led me to believe that things were "moving along". I had had an amniotic fluid level check and non-stress test in the AM - and was threatened with an induction if either or both were bad. The fluid level was borderline on whether or not they would want to induce, but the NST showed Piper to be happily playing away in there and seeming to have no problems whatsoever... so they let her stay. By about noon, I was experiencing some "different" contractions... but they were really infrequent (REALLY infrequently, like hourly), and totally painless. I didn't believe them. By evening they were closer together, but still totally painless. I didn't believe them (we'd been doing THAT game for weeks!). 9:30PM, we'd put Phoebe down and fallen asleep... 11 or 11:30, I was waking to some pretty intense contractions, but falling back asleep between them. Sometimes I would even work the contraction into my dream! MN 12/13/02, not able to sleep between them anymore. Up to try some position changes, contractions about 5 minutes apart - tried the rocking chair... that was good for a while... tried LEANING on the rocking chair... that was good for a while... 1:15 AM, into the tub. Still not totally believing that they wouldn't space back out again. Contractions now 3-4 minutes apart and about 50 seconds long. 1:30, starting to MAYBE believe them, and woke Phil. Still in the tub, able to manage the contractions there. 1:45, called mom in so that we could do a little walking, to "test" the contractions (you know, see if they'd slow down or speed up based on the activity, then stop walking and rest and see if they changed frequency again, then I figured I would know if they were real or not). Out of the tub, the contractions seemed a little harder to manage. 2:15, mom arrives, and I walk a short block about three times... using moaning to get through the contractions. Back inside for potty break, then try resting. 2:30, lying on the couch, water breaks! Okay, NOW I believe it's real... sudden need to get to hospital! 2:40, on way to hospital contractions getting harder and harder to manage... finding myself tensing up, which isn't helping! 2:50, walking into hospital, squat for contraction on elevator, and am afraid I'll never be able to get up again! Bump into a couple of co-workers in the hall (yes I delivered where I work), can only grunt at them. Check into L&D... they want to triage me, but I convince them that I KNOW my water has broken. 3AM, check into room, cervical check is 7 cm's, and I start to get frantic as my body starts to shake and I have three contractions back-to-back and then it just starts to PUSH! Nurse checks me again, and the head is crowning!!! She urgently calls for the resident. 3:06AM, I have frantically gotten on hands and knees and my body just pushes two more times, and Piper is born! She's delivered by the nurse... thankfully, because I didn't want that resident touching me. Apparently she was trying to get her gloves on as Piper came out, but the first words out of her mouth when she walked in the door were "she HAS to get on her back" - in a military, order-barking type voice. Phil and the nurse shared a "yeah, RIGHT" kinda look, and I recall hearing the nurse saying, "I don't think she's going anywhere". I LOVED her!!! She's 6lbs, 6oz, 18.5 inches long, and is nursing GREAT. I got a tear from the precipitous delivery but otherwise feel GREAT! Will post pics shortly! |