My Unique Pregnancy Journey

The doc planned to induce me Sunday February 26, 2012. I had it in my mind that I was going to have him naturally, so my goal was to make myself go into labor without induction. Thursday morning I woke up put his swing and stroller together. I got his car seat ready, and walked the hills of North Chattanooga. I also took my golden to the dog park. That evening my friend Bard came over, and we went to dinner at J Alexander's. I ordered the Rattlesnake Pasta, and put a hold on the spice. Now that I look back on it I should have ordered it full of spice!

I believe my contractions started when I went walking, but died down until later that night at about eleven o clock. I was on was on the phone with my mom, and they started up again. Bard left, and I hopped into the tub. I was taught a pressure point at massage therapy school to help speed up or start labor. I was massaging that point in the tub. These are all natural ways to start your labor when you are ready. It worked!!!! I was amazed, and freaked out. I stepped out of the tub, and big gush of water broke all over the bathroom floor.

My plan was to wait until the contractions got bad enough to head to the hospital. My plan was altered. My water broke early on which made me worry about infection. I packed my bag, and cleaned the house a bit. I got my dogs fed, and left the key for my mom. It was about 5 o clock in the morning at the point. I loaded the car, and headed to hospital. I arrived at the hospital at about 6am. As soon as I got out of my car, another gush of water ran down my legs. I went to the front desk they asked me a few questions, and sent me straight up to triage.

I can only brag about the nurses at Erlanger East!! They were so welcoming! I had a specific birth plan, and they worked hard to make that come to life. The nurses were down to earth, and I clicked with most of them right away. They checked my fluid, and said "The good news is you are staying here. Bad news is we have to wait for a room to open up."

I waited in limbo for a while in the admission room. I called my mom and shortly after that I called my dad. They were both shocked!!!

My contractions were very mild they felt a bit like menstrual cramps. I was thinking “Oh yah I can do this no problem.” The charge nurse checked my cervix. I had dilated a little over 1 1/2 centimeters.

My blood pressure was up a little at the end of my pregnancy. They took blood to make sure that I did not have preeclampsia. The lab work was negative. Thank God!

It was about 11 am when they moved me to my hospital suite. I love that the hospital and staff strive to make you feel at home. It was a big room, and very clean. It had a fridge, television, and a nice shower.

After I got settled in, they came to check me again. I had only moved to about 2 centimeters. I did not progress as much as I hoped. The doctor stepped in at this point, and told me it was time to start the pitocin. (an artificial hormone that speeds up labor) I had tried to avoid this, but because of the risk of infection it was the necessary thing to do.

I was doing fine at first managing the pain. A couple of centimeters later I was feeling a completely different pain. It was coming on so fast! I had been up forever by this point, and I was exhausted. I simply could not breathe through the contractions anymore. To manage the pain I was getting in and out of the shower. I was sitting on a birthing ball. I was doing anything I could think of to help me get through the contractions. I found myself in the shower, and the pain was so horrible. It was one contraction after another with what felt like no breaks. I started to panic! "How am I going to be able to do this?"I thought. "My God I am going to have to get the epidural." The “pit” was on a machine that was hooked to me. The machine was heavy, and I had to drag it around everywhere. When I attempted to get out of the shower I was stuck. The pain was not giving me enough of a break to get out of the shower, and to the birthing ball. I tried to pull the emergency cord, but it was wrapped up to where I could not pull the alarm. I finally moved from the shower to the toilet. I had a few more contractions, and then I made it to the ball. I was screaming for the mercy of God! I screamed at the top of my lungs "O my god! I am so sorry! I am so sorry!" I thought I can't do this I have to get the epidural. I was in a panic, and the nurse walked in. She talked me into getting the epidural. She assured me that it did not affect the baby. I did not even really need to hear that. I already had my mind made up to do the drugs. I am sorry kids, but sometimes you have to say “yes to drugs.”

The nurse and my doctor walked in. I was still in a crazy amount of pain. The doctor said "I feel like if you are in this much pain, it is time to get the epidural." I responded "I know I just had an idea of how it was going to go." I did not realize how attached I was, to the idea of a natural birth without drug intervention. He told me "It is not a contest!" He asked me "Do you think you want to go ahead with the epidural?" I gave him a big YES. "I will send in the anesthesiologist," he proclaimed.

Relief from the pain seemed to be an eternity away, even though in reality it was only a few short minutes away. The RN and the anestegeologist walked in the room. He went through all the side effects of the epidural. He said "Now you are going to have to be still when I give you the epidural. If you move it could hit a nerve so it is VERY important that you are still. You will go through about three contractions while I am giving it to you, and you have to be still." I started squirming around in my bed with the pain of the contractions. "I don't know if I can be still," I cried. He turned to me with confidence and explained, "You can do it! Now do you want the drug?" I shook my head yes. With just a small nod, my labor took a 180 degree turn towards blissful relief.

The doctor came in a little later and said "How are you feeling?" I was feeling great! He did not even have to ask that question, to see that I was feeling good. He checked my cervix, and I moved to 6 cenemeters. He told the nurse "We might as well take advantage of the pit!" He had been there since 9 in the morning, and it was now 12 in the morning. They cranked up the synthetic hormone to speed the labor along. My doc came in the room around 1am, and I was at 8 cenemeters. I was excited, but I was soooo tired. He told the nurse to check me at 3am. When they left I got two hours of much needed rest. The nurse walked in at 3 on the dot. She checked me, and said I was at 9 1/2 cenemeters. "It won't be long, and you can start pushing!" I was thrilled, and I know the staff was too. It had been a long labor.

The nurse walked in with the charge nurse, and she checked me again. She said it was time to start pushing. She said push into your bottom like you are pooping. I did so and, she was impressed with my skills! :) "From here on out you will push just like that whenever you have a contraction," the nurse said sweetly. I could feel the pressure on my bottom, and pushed with it. I pushed about 2 or 3 times, and they were on the phone to the doctor. The doctor came in, and I pushed a few more times. His head was out. They told me to look down, and I got to see my baby for the first time. I pushed a few more times, and he came out peeing! They said "O he's peeing, that's good!" I remember the doctor exclaimed "What a good looking baby!!" They followed my birth plan, and handed him right to me (skin to skin). They weighed him, and did all the necessary procedures. They handed him back to me to breast feed. "We did a great job with that," I thought. He weighed 6 lbs and 12 oz. He was born at 4:27am. He came out to be 20 and 3/4 inches long.

After the birth the doctor gave my mom a hug, and said "that is about as good as it gets!" Keep in mind he delivers 150-250 babies a year, so I took that as a great compliment! My dad came in, and got to see him shortly after he was born. It was a great experience, and I would not have it any other way. I now have a beautiful healthy baby boy named Liam Wesley Patten.