The best Halloween ever!

Elias Alanui Yago
10/31/2011, 7:09am
6lbs 9oz, 19" long

Let's see how short I can make this labor story. I don't know who will even see this, so I'll go shorter than on ravelry, but longer than Facebook.

I was working on Sabrina's Rapunzel costume until 12am. I didn't have any notable contractions, I'd been having small ones off and on for a week or so. Mostly just Braxton Hicks. Anyways, at midnight I decided I was done enough with the dress for her to wear it trick or treating and we could finish up some last minute things in the morning. I had purposefully taken Halloween off so we could have a fun day, making caramel apples and doing crafts. My last thought as I was drifting off to sleep was "I guess I won't be having a Halloween baby after all." (since my labor with Sabrina was over 25 hrs).

I woke up 2 hours later in active labor. Richard was sleeping downstairs, but I waited an hour before I went down there. I thought it was going to be a false alarm. I called my mom at 3 something because she lives 45 minutes away and she was going to come and stay with Bina. I called the advice nurse, who told me to drink 4 glasses of water and take a warm bath "to see if it stops" (I told her I was having very painful contractions, but she didn't believe me because I was talking to her through them). My mom got there after 5, she told me I could ignore the advice nurse, but to sip water and take a shower. I knew something was wrong as soon as I got it the shower. If I moved, I would have another contraction. So I got out, slowly.

I laid on the couch for awhile, my mom trying to tell me to get up and walk through them. (oh boy, this is getting long, sorry!) I told her I couldn't. Richard and her were talking and I yelled at them to stop talking. Then I said, we need to go, this isn't right. My mom gave in. She thought I was being a wuss, but I told her that the worse thing that would happen would be that they'd send me home if I wasn't ready.

I knew this labor was different than my first. I have a very high pain tolerance, but I was crying through contractions. Part way down the road I realized we forgot the camera... I said "screw the camera."

The walk down the hall to labor and delivery is a long one. I had multiple contractions, having to lean against the wall. The receptionist called down the hall "do you want a wheelchair" "No, I'm fine." Once we got there, she did a quick and dirty check-in, cuz she realized I was on the verge of having the baby. I kind of felt like I was going to have him right there. They got me into triage, sent me to the bathroom to empty my bladder and get the gown on. I thought I was having the baby on the toilet, so I called Richard in to help me. We had to get the triage nurse to help me into the gown. As soon as I was down on the bed, I wanted them to check me. But first, they had to take my vitals. grr, I felt like I needed to push already.

In walks my midwife (thank goodness she was there already!) and says "Let's check you" I was at an 8. The triage nurse was talking to me about pain meds, but my midwife cut her off and told me that she had to be honest with me, there was no time for meds .They didn't let me get off the triage bed, they wheeled it down to the delivery room. She checked again (since I sounded pushy) and I was at a 10 and free to push. It's funny how you can go from an 8 to a 10 in the few minutes it took to get to the delivery room.

They put my iv in between pushes. He was out within 5, 30 minutes after I arrived at the hospital. I tore, rather badly. I was glad they put the iv in, so they gave me something for the pain while they sewed me back up (that took a long time).

(oh boy, I think this is longer than my story on Ravelry. Maybe I should have just cut and pasted it)

That's my 5 hour labor story. Lesson learned? Don't listen to the advice nurse.

My mom didn't believe Richard when he called her at 7:30 to announce Elias' arrival. Richard promptly send pictures to facebook and no body could believe he was here already, especially since they all read my post the night before about finishing the dress.

Sabrina got to come and see her brother immediately and she also got to go trick or treating with her cousins.

I feel so lucky to have a Halloween baby. I made jokes the whole pregnancy about how cool it would be (my due date was 11/12).