The Goodwin Baby Blog: Amelia's Baby Story

In reality, I couldn't have ordered a better birth experience. Amelia was really quite considerate with her timing and efficiency, the hospital staff was excellent and we've been flooded by friends & family sharing in our excitement!

For posterity's sake, here's a written record of Amelia's birth:
*WARNING: be sure you want to read this, details of the labor and birthing process to follow!*

5:30 am--Sleep in (with my insomnia, I had been getting up and staying up at 4:00), wake up to an intense contraction, then feel my underwear get wet. Hmmm...did my water break or did I just wet my pants? (I did have a full bladder from sleeping through the night and perhaps I lost control with the contraction.)

Jason gets up (he'd been sleeping in the front guest room because of my supposed snoring) and I advise him, "I think something's happening."

6:00--All signs point towards my water breaking--lots of fluid, a little bloody discharge, continued wetness (I'd filled two maxi-pads by 6:15), contractions becoming increasingly more annoying--OK, painful, throughout the morning.

6:30--Call doctor's office & family, tell them we're going in (first, shower and eat bowl of oatmeal--my "last meal" for who knows how long!)
7:00--Call the neighbors to arrange drop-off for Nate; put last remnants of laundry away, unload dishwasher, make bed

8:00--Arrive at hospital; check-in to L&D (they ask us if we're a scheduled induction--it is quite a convenient time!); get shown room, prepped, answer my oodles of questions
9:00--I'm considered a full admit, Nurse Linda checks me (while I'm having a contraction...ouch!), I'm already at 6 centimeters (just 4 more to go)! Decide to grit down and "see what my body can do."
9:45--Crush Jason's hand with each contraction; they're coming about every 4 minutes.

10:00--Request & receive awesome epidural from Dr. Hearn--feel no pain, yet still feel a tiny bit of the end of each contraction. Smile. Enjoy the rest of labor much more.
12:00--Feel the need to push. Yes, indeed! I'm complete!

12:15--Put on hold, on-call doctor needs to assist on a c-section! She yells into my room as she's passing by, "Don't let her push yet!" Huh. I'm thinking how ticked off I would be if I didn't have my epidural and I'm waiting through 45 minutes of extra contractions. Jason says, "I'm giving her until 12:45. Then I'm gowning up and delivering this baby on my own!" She walked into the room just in time!
12:45--Meet Dr. Cerny-Leecock, seems a great personality match for me...probably the doctor I should have been seeing the whole time! Start pushing with my next contraction. At the last minute, I remembered to ask for the mirror.

13:02--Amelia Grace arrives in this world (pushed about 12 times, 3 or 4 times through 3 contractions)...an absolutely wonderful birth experience!

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