Two in a half months later, but HEY! Just proves that I spend all my time with my beautiful children :)
Okay. Here it goes. On April 18th I had my 38 week check up. We had an ultrasound to check out baby and he measured in at 42 weeks in the head and belly. My doctor was nervous that he wouldn't fit through the canal if I went to the full 40 weeks so we scheduled my induction at 39 weeks.
April 25th, 2012: We called in the morning at 5:30 am to see if we were good to come in. They said that they had a busy night and they needed to post pone me for later, so to go back to bed and they would call me when they were ready. A little bummed out, Kyle and I went back to bed. They called back around 7:30 and said, We're Ready for you!!! Here we go! Kyle's sister, Shantell stayed over the night before (tues) and was there to watch Bailey all day. We packed up and were able to say Goodbye to Bailey and headed to the hospital. We got there about 8:00am.
The night before, I called and requested for the one and only room with a bathtub so I could labor in it since I was going all natural. I also requsted a nurse who supported natural labor and they were totally cool and said it would all be arranged.
We walk into L&D and my tub room was available and my nurse jumped up and escorting me in. I was really exciting to go through Labor. I know I'm crazy, but I actually look forward to laboring, it's kind of a rush! We got all checked in and my nurse started asking me questions. I told her the game plan I had with my Dr. and how he was going to break my water to see if my body would go into labor on its own, so I didn't have to get pitocin. I also told her I was going natural and DID NOT want an epidural. She straight up stared at me and said, "What!!? You don't want an epidural? WHY NOT!??" I got all pissed off and told her because I have my reasons, and I'm NOT going to get one! She totally didn't believe me and questioned me. She told me she was going to call my Dr. and see if that's what he really was going to do! Tension was immediate in the room and I looked at Kyle and said, "HERE WE GO!" With her being all pissed off that I didn't want an epidural, it gave me all the more reason to stick it out! While she was still talking about how she didn't believe me, my Dr. walked in the room and said, "Hey Heather, I'm here to break your water! I turned to her and just gave her my known smirk! haha Needless to say, she was not nice, not supportive of me, and was annoyed by me. She never smiled, hardly talked, and ugh!
8:30-Dr. McCarter broke my water. Wasn't painful for me, just yucky! I hated sitting in a bed full of warm fluids, Ewww!
He said he would give me 2 hours and see, then we would start pitocin.
He was leaving out of town at 6pm so we were under a timeline! lol
I went into the hospital dilated to a 3 and about 80% effaced, when he checked me, he forcefully made me about a 4 cm, ouch :)
8:45-10:30: I walked the halls, around and around. Yes, it was nasty to walk after the water was broken. I don't think I should have b/c it wasn't very sanitary. lol I made frequent trips back to my room to place a new towel between my legs and waddle around some more, and to change my socks.Yuck!
Nothing happened!
10:30: Nurse comes in to start pitocin. We started at a lower dose so the pain would be manageable. I swear, as soon as the first drop of pit came through my IV, contractions started!
Heidi, my mom, and Kyle were my labor team. Annalee came later, about when the Dr. arrived, and took pictures. Heidi's job was to do soft tickle on my legs and back, Mom's job was to massage back and shoulder, and Kyle was to do anything I asked of him! haha. I was going to hire a doula, but decided against it. I was also going to go to Hypnobirthing classes, but didn't! I knew if I wanted to do it, I would!
Contractions were very manageable for a while. Heidi was by my side the whole time talking and joking around. My mom was eating broccoli and immitation crab, so I demanded she stay away from me so I didn't throw up on her, and Kyle was entertained by the birthing bouncy ball and sports on tv. Haha, I wasn't really in pain yet so he didn't know what to do!
I told them all that If I keep myself and everyone else laughing through it all, I would be just fine, and that's what I did!
Time was blurred by now.
Contractions were stronger. I stayed in the bed for a while until they got pretty painful. Heidi filled the tub and I climbed in. The water was a lil too warm but felt good. While lying in there, my contractions picked up a ton and were about every 2 mins. They were really hurting by now. I was listening and singing to Boyz II Men music and trying to stay relaxed and funny. Every time, I would remind myself to relax my face and shoulders. That's all I needed to get through them. I kept my eyes closed and just stayed very focused. I was getting too relaxed between contractions and was almost falling asleep. I felt like my energy was draining and needed to get out so I had energy to push!
Around 3 is when I got out of the tub and sat on the birthing ball and leaned on the bed. This position was the best for me. The tub didn't really relieve the pain, like I thought it would. When I sat on the ball, Kyle's duties were in full fledge now. I kinda stopped being funny and that's when they knew it was down to business. Contractions were very intense now and Kyle was counter pressuring on my back. This labor was so different than with Baileys. My contractions with her were in my whole abdomen. With Easton, it was just in my lower stomach and pelvis. It felt like I had diarrhea!! Major poo cramps that come and go x 1,000!!!
While sitting on the ball, I had this weird sudden urge to push that I could not control. I yelled to my Nurse that I was pushing and couldn't stop and needed to do it again! She didn't believe me again b/c when I got in the tub I was only 4cm. I demanded her to check me b/c I was pushing! I jumped on the bed and I was dilated to an 8 and I WAS pushing! She ran and called the Dr. and he was there about 10 minutes later.
He checked me and I was still an 8 but I told him I was going to push the baby out whether I was a 10 or not! haha
So I started pushing and they started counting. I did not like them counting. I yelled at them that I couldn't even hold my breath for 10 seconds, let alone push for 10 seconds, and that I was going to push when and how long I wanted.
This is when crazy, labor Heather came out, but still I was making people laugh, So I was doing my job!
The Dr. kept his hand at my cervix the whole time so while I was contracting, he stretched me out to a 10. (When I say I was yelling, I really wasn't, it was more joking and sarcasm)
I kept telling the Dr to take his hand out and move his face out of the way because I was going to, (pardon my language here, but I want to really remember what happened, lol) shit on his face! And then I would say, Sorry, sorry, for cussing! But then repeat it over and over. I just remember yelling at him that I was seriously going to shit in his face, because that's what it felt like every time I tried to push! hahaha He was laughing so hard, with the rest of the room.
I also remember being so hungry and in the middle of pushing, I opened my eyes and the TV above the Dr's head had a Carrabba's commercial on it! No one else could see this so randomly I yell, Damn you Carrabbas! Everyone looked around and realized what happened and started laughing. Again, I apologized for cussing, and then would say another one :) I remember saying, Gosh dang it, this hurts SO BAD, But I'm doing it! I was so proud of myself and actually was kinda enjoying proving everyone that I could.
I also kept yelling out...."POISONOUS DIARRHEA!"
Refer back to my post after Bailey was born. (My mom poisoned me once. I had a bad stomach bug and asked her to bring over Malloxx, but instead she gave me Milk of Mag which is a laxative and I was running to the bathroom every 5 mins with major stomach cramps!)
I told this story to the whole room while pushing b/c that was the only pain I could remember and relate it too. So then I kept yelling out....Poisonous Diarrhea!! Again, everyone laughing at me :)
When Easton's head was coming down, it wasn't fitting. His heart rate started dropping and the NICU nurses started trickling in. I, of course, didn't know this at the time. They put O2 on me, and the room changed a lil bit. Suddenly the Dr. grabbed the vaccum, and was trying to pull his head out for me, he tried 3 times and then it slipped off. Everyone started yelling at me to PUSH as hard as I could and I needed to get him out ASAP! I only was pushing for about 20 minutes but it felt like an eternity. I honestly felt like I ran a marathon and wanted nothing more than to just go to bed.
I remember thinking in my head that if i just close my eyes, I could fall asleep and it would all go away. I wanted to quit and didn't want to go on another minute with the pain. When I opened my eyes and saw the urgency in everyone's eyes, I grabbed the handrails, dug down into my inner core, and gave it all I had. This push was the only real scream/grunt I let out. The Dr. gave me an episotomy and out popped his head! Body followed after and the feeling of such relief and I knew I was done! I had NO energy left and remember trying to lift my head to see Easton but it fell back to the bed.
Easton Kyle Johnson was born on April 25, 2012 at 4:06 pm. He tipped the scales at an even 9.0 lbs! I was so proud when i saw he was a 9 pounder. He was 20 1/4 in. long. They checked him out for a bit b/c his Oxygen sats were low and they were debating whether to take him to the NICU. Luckily, he was rebounding and they put him on my chest, skin to skin, and he started breathing better! After that, he was perfect!
I held my lil boy for the first time and I will never forget that instant love. Childbirth is the most amazing thing, and I got to experience it 100%! It was awesome, painful, and awful for that 20 mins, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
As soon as I pushed him out, I turned to my nurse and said, "HA...I did it! And you didn't think I could!" By this point, we had bonded and she losened up a lil and she gave me a smile and I could tell she was proud of me too!
Dr. McCarter stitched me up, and literally ran out the door. He had a speaking assignment about an hour away! He told me that he was going to use me in his speech for his favorite woman in labor! haha. He called me a champ and couldn't stop laughing at all the things I was saying to him!
At my 6 week check up, he told me again, how funny I was and he would never forget me. He said he gets yelled at all the time but I was the only one that apologized after everything I said! haha
Needless to say, Natural childbirth was HARD! It wasn't easy, but it is totally do-able! I would do it again anyday! I always say now that I can do anything, because I went through labor. It really was a personal goal that I wanted to achieve and I wasn't going to disappoint myself.
Other than my mom popping my hip out of place during the pushing part, I got up and walked right away. I felt great!
I wanted to leave the hospital the next day but we decided to stay the full 48 hours. When we got home from the hospital, I went shopping at Target! Bad idea! But I was feeling so good. I got a lil light headed and decided I should get home. Then the next day, we went for a walk and I ended up walking a mile! Bad idea again! It set back my healing and my hip started hurting all over again. I should have milked it b/c I was being so tough that nobody thought I needed help! Bad idea again! I guess I was on such an adrenaline high that I thought I was SuperWoman! dang :(
Nursing of course was the worst part! Easton didn't latch on right and still doesn't! Breast feeding is so painful for me and would rather go through the labor again rather than start the nursing part! It hurt for a full 8 weeks this time.
Bailey got to meet Easton shortly after he was born. She wasn't too sure about it all. She hesitantly walked in and got nervous when she saw everyone staring and taking pictures of her. He gave me a hug and then hid her face. My mom presented her with a lil baby doll for her and that broke the tension. Bailey cuddled her new doll for a bit and when she was ready, she came up on the bed to meet her lil brother. She held him and fell in love with him! She was so sweet and she started singing the song from Tarzan that the mother sings when she found him crying. "Stop your crying, it will be alright, Just take my hand, hold it tight". It was a precious moment to experience and to finally have my children, one in each arm! We felt like a family now and I couldn't be happier!
Thanks to my 'birthing team", family, friends, and neighbors for all you did! The meals were great and I will still welcome a homemade warm meal anyday :) Two kids is an adjustment and time management is hard for me. Luckily, he doesn't cry as much as Bailey did! He loves to be held though so I don't get much done, but OH WELL!!! That's hard to actually practice but I have to keep reminding myself that it's OK to sit and be a mom, and not clean all day!
