On Tuesday night, we were up quite a few times with Lucy, who was sick. I think something about getting up and down very quickly multiple times overnight did something, and I woke on Wednesday morning wondering if I had had a leak. I spent all day Wednesday feeling uneasy, wondering if I was imagining things or just feeling weird or something. Once I finally called the phone nurse that evening, she recommended I come in to be checked. I waited until Jon got home, and we made it to the hospital at 11:00 p.m. They checked my fluid and confirmed it was indeed amniotic, so they admitted me at 1:30 a.m. I wasn't completely mentally prepared for this, as I was 35 weeks along and planning for at least a couple more weeks of pregnancy! I hadn't even brought anything (like a camera) other than my purse with me along to the hospital. Oh well!
I was having contractions pretty regularly, and they started to progress a little bit, but not much. The doctor wanted to start me on pytocin, but I asked instead that they let me labor for a while, then check me and also break my water the rest of the way; the doc agreed. I asked my nurse several times through the night when I could get up out of bed, since I knew that would help the contractions progress, but she kept saying no. I could tell she was a new nurse, and knowing my history of quick labor with Lucy, she didn't want anything bad to happen (I guess). So I spent a few hours in the bed, watching my contractions being monitored on the computer screen.
At 5:00 a.m., when my contractions had gotten quite a bit stronger, the doctor checked me, and I was at a disappointing (to me) 1.5 cm. She broke my water, which I was sure would really jump start things, considering my labor with Lucy (water breaks = baby born!). But instead, my contractions stopped! I guess when she broke my water, my blood pressure went way down. (Incidentally, this is the only time I slept all night; I took a nap for about 20 minutes--my blood pressure must have been really low.) They put me on some oxygen, and I agreed to have some pytocin, which they started around 7:00. This is when they finally let me get up out of bed.
I spent the morning laboring, visiting with Neil, Casey, and Bennett, and walking around the room. Contractions were getting much stronger, but I could still talk through them.
Around 11:30, I was pretty uncomfortable, and the nurse checked me: 4 cm. Hmm. Contractions were no fun at this point. I'm not Superwoman, so I asked for an epidural. During the hour-and-a-half wait for the epidural, my contractions kept getting worse and worse. Casey came again and visited with me (while Jon rested on the window seat), but our conversation had to stop every 2-3 minutes while I focused and breathed through a contraction.
The anesthesiologist arrived. He started explaining the risks and benefits of the epidural while I ignored him through a contraction. Mid-sentence, he asked in good humor, "Do you even care what I'm saying right now?" "No," I moaned. He gave me the epidural, which took a little while so I had to remain completely still during several very strong contractions. Ahhh, relief!
Within 2 minutes, my doctor came in and checked me. "She's complete!" she exclaimed. Yes, I had made it to 10 cm before even getting the epidural. The baby was at +1 station, which meant he was low and pretty ready to come out. Dr. Raffo had to do a scheduled c-section right then, so I waited (happily, since the epidural had kicked in). My nurse turned off the epidural, so no new medicine was coming in, but I was still numb. Just a few minutes later, though, even through the numbness, I thought I might feel the urge to push. I told the nurse; she checked me and declared the baby was at +3 station (VERY ready to come out). I held tight (quite literally) while we waited for Dr. Raffo. The baby's heart rate was starting to dip really low during each contraction, and I had to really try not to push, so the nurse called for a different doctor to deliver immediately. Just then, Dr. Raffo arrived.
I pushed through two contractions, able to feel a little bit through the epidural medicine, and Levi was born! They had told me earlier that I might not get to hold the baby right away since he was premature and may need to be taken immediately to the isolette for the neonatologist to check him out, but Levi cried out on his own right away, so I got to hold him for a moment. His APGARS were 8 and 9--he was teeny tiny but healthy! His hair seemed blonde when he was first born, but it looks brown today. He doesn't look much like either Nate or Lucy, especially his little mouth and chin. I am so glad he's here!
Nate and Lucy came to meet their brother a few hours after he was born. Nate was SO excited to get to hold him. He held him long enough for Jon to snap one picture, and then he enthusiastically said, "Here you go!" and lovingly but quickly handed him right back to me.
Jon said that Lucy kept saying "Wee-vi, Wee-vi!" in the car all the way to the hospital. When she saw him, she didn't know quite what to think, and she isn't a big fan of someone holding him instead of her. She warmed up to him a little bit, though, especially while Colleen was holding him.
