I have been very lucky through this entire experience. I have had a very uneventful pregnancy and have felt mostly good the entire time. There was a bit of time in the first few weeks where I was trying to get my head around the idea of being pregnant, and during that time I also had to make sure that there was food in my stomach for fear of getting sick, but otherwise it was quite alright.
I had decided with my boss that my last day of work would be the end of October (we had initially decided November 5 but changed it when I was starting to see that I could finish by the end of October. The last few weeks were quite stressful as I was trying to get as much done as possible including a trip down to Malmö the week before my last week.
Taking off two weeks before the due date was a brilliant idea! I was able to get things done at home(cleaning etc) that would have just annoyed me if they had been left undone and was able to get some distance from work as well.
On Monday the 15th, after being off for two weeks, I was starting to wonder what I could possibly do for another week or so to make myself feel like I was being some-what productive and not a total lazy person. I did some paper work in the morning and then after lunch I took a walk down to ICA to send a package and pick up the wall stickers for the nursery that I had ordered.
I was eager to get the stickers on the wall so as soon as I got home I started working on figuring out where the stickers should go. While I was working up in the nursery, the phone rang and I ran downstairs to answer. It was mom, and I decided to continue in the nursery while talking to her. While I was walking around, my water broke! I talked to Mom for a few more minutes and then called Pelle and then L&D. I was thinking that they might not need me to come in but they wanted me to come in and get checked out mentioning that I should bring my stuff with me.
The water broke around 3-3:30 and it was after 5 by the time that Pelle got home. He changed and we finished packing and were off by about 6 ish.
We arrived at L&D and they hooked me up to their monitors and asked to look at the water, since it contained myconeum, they wanted me to stay overnight for observation.
This was a bit disappointing because I had imagined that the start of labor would start at home and had not expected to be in L&D until well into some painful contractions. At this point I was not feeling anything.
Since I had googled water breaking and had noticed as well that the water was colored, I suspected though that there was a possibility that I would not go home.
They set us both up in an observation room and since I had not really eaten much I asked for a sandwich. We went out in the reception room and watched some TV and then went into the room and read a bit. Around 11 or so they did another monitoring and I was still not contracting and baby's heart rate was still ok. We went to sleep not long after.
There were two beds in the room and one chair. One bed was a "normal" bed and the other one was a birthing one. Pelle started out in the birthing one and me in the other but sometime in the middle of the night we realized that the other was better for each of us.
Durring the night I was starting to get some weak contractions that we more annoying than anything else. They were uncomfortable enough that I was not sleeping very well so I kept rotating between the bed and the chair. I was angry as well because I knew that if I had been at home I could have propped myself up in the sofa or somewhere in a way that would have been more comfortable and been able to sleep.
At 7 we were done sleeping and they came in and monitored again. Nothing had changed. The midwife mentioned that if I was not starting to go into labor by noon, that they were going to induce me. She mentioned that it was a good idea to walk to try and get things started, so we ate some breakfast and then went for a walk down in the basement of Akis.
While walking, I was starting to get contractions that were at least causing me to stop and breath for a while. We went up to the main entrance and got a newspaper and then headed back to L&D.
When we got back they took some blood and gave me antibiotics. We read.
Soon after, the Dr came in and had a look at me and I was only open 2 cm so they made the plan to induce me with a drop. I went out and had some lunch. While eating, the contractions started getting a bit more intense.
I did not finish my lunch and we went back into my room and the midwife came by and checked me and I was still at 2 cm.(this was around 2 pm) So she mentioned that they were going to move me into the birthing room and went away. When she came back she saw me having a contraction and noticed they were intense, and we talked about pain management. She suggested warm pack for my back and laughing gas. We went to the birthing room and got me on laughing gas and the contractions were getting harder and harder.
I spent the next period of time figuring out how to plan the laughing gas to my contractions and was having a hard time getting it right. The contractions were quite hard and the midwife decided to check me out alreay around 330 and I had already gone to 7 cm.
I had to stay in the bed and could not try other positions for the first part because they wanted to monitor baby's heart rate by setting a probe on her head. From this point it was taking a while to move from this 7-8 cm and between 4- 6 I was just laboring. (They made me try some new positions including standing, it was very uncomfortable and at that point I would have prefered lying down) I also tried on my side but that also hurt.
I could not urinate so they had to put a catheter in but they took it out quite soon.
At around 6 she convinced me that I should stand again and that I needed a drop to get the last few cms open. SHe was quite good in peping me showing me my progression and mentioning that baby was having a high heart rate and needed to come out so I stood for about 1/2 hr and got the last few cms open.
At about 630 it was time to push and it took them a while to get situated. (I was not feeling any real need to push, just what they were saying) I decided to get a local anestetic "down there" and then was ready to push. After only a few pushing contractions she was born!!
It was really the most intense feeling ever, when she was born. It is so indescribable and is something that I am so happy and proud to have gone through.
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