Tuesday, Febuary 9th around 10:30 PM I was pretty sure that I was starting to have real contractions. I had Braxton Hicks so bad and so often that I wasn't one hundred percent sure but I knew that these felt different. I barely slept at all that night because I was having consistent contractions that would range anywhere between 5 minutes to 8 minutes apart. I woke John up around 6:00 AM and told him that I wanted to go to HMH to get checked because contractions hadn't let up. We got up to the L&D floor and they got me all hooked up and monitored me for about an hour. They said that I wasn't progressing enough for them to keep me, to go back home and wait it out a little while.
After we left the hospital, I wanted to go to the bank to try and finish up some notes that I needed to have done before I went on leave. I told John that I would be fine, he of course didn't believe me, so he came into the bank with me. I don't know how I thought I could have worked any that day because I was having to basically lay on my desk anytime a contraction happened. Yikes! Needless to say I stayed for about 30 minutes, finished what I needed to get done and was out of there!
I had my 39 week appointment that morning around 10:00 AM so John drove me to that. Dr. Goodman said that I still hadn't dilated any more but that he definitely thought we would have a baby within the next 24-48 hours!!! We were told to go back home, rest, and if the contractions were still like they had been to go back to the hospital that evening. So I labored at home during the day. Tried so many different things to get comfortable (baths, trying to sleep, etc.) but of course, nothing was comfortable! It was nice to have this time because John, the neat freak that he is, was able to get our house completely straightened up so that when we came home our house would be ready! We made dinner around 5:00 PM, ate, got the car packed up and headed back to the hospital.
My contractions were getting closer together by this point. The nurse that I had told me that they could either keep monitoring me or we could walk around the unit for an hour or so and get checked again. I knew that I would be laying around for a long time in the near future so we decided to walk around. This was very interesting. We'd be walking and I'd have a contraction and be trying to get into any kind of position to make it through. I'm thankful that the people around me knew the pain I was going through or they probably would have thought I was crazy! This next part is about to be TMI - so read with caution! lol We walked around for about 30 minutes and I thought that my water was leaking. My nurse checked me and had some lab work done and sure enough it was!! Which meant they had to keep me! This was like music to my ears! We were going to meet our sweet Oliver James soon!!!!!
I immediately called my Mom and told her they were getting us in a delivery room. She relayed the news to my sisters and grandparents while John was on the phone with his parents to let them know what was happening. Shortly after this we were moved into our room and my Mom, John's Mom, Frank, Tamara and Cheryl arrived. They swapped off turns of being in the room with me and I am so thankful that they were there!
Around 10:30 that night Dr. Preen came in and told me that she wanted to get me started on Pitocin to help speed up the process. I was afraid to do this because I had been told that it hurts so much more once they get that going and I really wanted to try to go without medication. However, I decided to get started on the Pitocin and just see how it went. I made it maybe an hour before I decided to get an epidural. I believe I was at 4-5 cm whenever I got the epidural. According to John I was a completely different person once I had the epidural. I was happy and on top of the world!
Labor continued on throughout the early morning. The only scares that we had was when the nurses would have me turn to certain positions and Ollie was just not having it. His heart rate would drop significantly and they would immediately have to move me onto my other side. This happened a couple times and they made me wear an oxygen mask (yuck) for what seemed like forever.
The timing from now on is just a guesstimate. Around 6:15 or so my nurse checked me again and said it was time to get ready to push! They started wheeling in different stuff and we had so many people in the delivery room. It seemed like all the nurses that night were training people so I had double the amount of what you would normally have. The main nurse that I had, had me go ahead and start pushing to get ready for when Dr. Preen came in. In total I would say I pushed for maybe 30 minutes, if that long. John and my Mom were in the room and they, along with all of the nurses, were such great coaches.
At 7:18 AM, we welcomed our sweet Oliver James Bumpus into the world. When they said his weight, 8 pounds 1 ounce, I think all of our jaws hit the floor. We were so surprised! My doctor had said all along that he thought Oliver would be a small baby, around 7 1/2 pounds max. Well, he was definitely wrong!
We had such a great hospital stay and I am so thankful for the L&D unit at HMH. The nursing staff there is seriously so amazing. That, I believe, is about all of our story! I was sad that I didn't make it without medicine. If I hadn't been in labor for about 34 hours I really, truly think I could have made it. Even though I know the relief that an epidural brings I would like to try again next time to make it without meds. We shall see when that time comes!!!
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