Tommy and I checked in to Swedish hospital just after 5:00 on Wednesday, May 4th. After we were shown to our room (sounds like a hotel, right?), the nurse inserted the first capsule of Misoprostol. The plan was to administer one capsule of Misoprostol every four hours until the following morning when my OB arrived to start the Pitocin drip. Misos are used to soften (efface) the cervix prior to inducing labor. When the nurse came to check my cervix at 10:30 PM, she said the drug had done its job – I was 3 cm dilated and was contracting every few minutes. So, I did not need another dose of Misoprostol. Tommy and I tried to get some sleep in anticipation of our big day, but obviously, it was a restless night.
My OB arrived at 8:00 AM the next morning and examined me. Because I was dilating and contracting like crazy, she decided not to start the Pitocin. Instead, she suggested that she break my water and see what happens. She completed her morning checks at the hospital and returned to my room around 9:00 to break my water. At this point, I was having huge contractions but was not in too much pain. By the second or third contraction after my water was broken, I was flagging the nurse to call for an anesthesiologist. Epidural, PLEASE! Whoa, the contractions went from 0-100 in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, the epidural was complete by 9:45 and I was somewhat comfortable again.
Around 11:15, the nurse examined me again and reported that I was fully dilated and my cervix was gone. It was almost “go” time! My OB was attending to some patients in her office that morning, so we pretty much waited until she had a chance to head back over to the hospital. I spent the next two hours “laboring down” until it was time to push. Tommy called the grandmas and told them to head over the hospital – this definitely put the pressure on me because I knew they were in the waiting room with Taylor – I couldn’t spend hours pushing while they were trying to entertain a two-year old in a confined space. I started pushing about 1:15, and our little boy was born at 1:35. I will never forget my doctor’s expression as she tried to pull Matthew’s shoulders out. Keep in mind she had told me just three days before that the baby was about 8 pounds. She said “it looks like we’ve got a linebacker on our hands!”
Several people have asked me what it was like to learn the sex of the baby at delivery. As much as I tried to take in every moment, I can’t really remember how I learned that I’d delivered a boy. The doctor may have said “it’s a boy,” Tommy may have said it, or maybe I saw Matty’s “parts” before anyone said anything. It was all such a whirlwind of emotion. It was almost too much to process in that moment. Here I’d spent nine (okay, 9.5) months envisioning this moment, and now my family’s dynamic was determined in a matter of seconds. The verdict was in: we have a son! Regardless, I cried and cried as my little guy was placed on my chest. It was a moment that I wish I could hold on to forever.
Tommy went to the waiting room to deliver the exciting news to Grandma, Mimi, and Taylor. They waited patiently until we were ready for visitors. Tommy set up our camcorder to record Taylor’s reaction as she met her baby brother, and I have to admit it is priceless. I will try and post a clip of it.
We spent that night in the hospital and were discharged the following afternoon. It was a short stay, but we were ready to head home. The second time around is much easier, so the transition has been better than we expected. Like I’ve mentioned before, Matty is easy. Taylor makes it more difficult since there is no rest for the weary during the day…
If you are still reading this post, thank you. I’ve written most of this down for my own record keeping. Sorry to bore you with some of the details.
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