For all you people interested in the battle stories of a new mom's labor here's my labor story in short - began with happy natural labor, followed by EXTREMELY difficult labor on Pitocin, finishing with lovely labor with Epidural. Shall I expound? Here is the full story from start to finish in time line format mostly so that I have documentation of the very long and hard marathon labor that I'll hold Joshua to for the rest of his life :)

• 12:15PM - Went to routine doctor appointment and found that I not only had traces of protein in my urine but was also having elevated blood pressure. These two things made my doctor think I have pre-eclampsia. So they draw blood for testing that would be back the next day, but strongly suggests that I consider inducing that very night at 6pm for risk that I did have pre-eclampsia and not wait until Sunday's scheduled induction.
• 2:45PM - I then called my mom and friend Jami for council and arrived at the conclusion that it would be wisdom to induce that evening. Considering the risks of pre-eclampsia we didn't want to chance an emergency c-section over the weekend. We told the nurse and she called the hospital ahead for us.
• 6:30PM- After cleaning our apartment from top to bottom and packing up our last things we headed off to the hospital signing in half an hour late. But didn't matter since we were informed that they were not expecting us after all and had to hold in the waiting room till they could get us back.
• 7:30PM - We met our evening nurse Laura, got set up in our room with IV and fetal monitor and draw blood for pre-eclampsia testing. After getting our medical history, Laura checked my contraction monitor only to find that I was laboring naturally at about 2cm. She told us that results should be done in an hour.
  
• 11:00PM - 2 1/2 hours later... blood work came back showing no pre-eclampsia! Contractions show I'm still laboring naturally, so the Dr. on call gives the nurse the thumbs up to let me labor out of bed. So Anna & Joel kept us company while we walked around the halls, watched the Office and sat in the hot tub (ladies only on the last one ;)).
  

• 12:00AM - Nurse Laura checks me at 3cm and blood pressure is at normal readings.
  
• 1:00AM - Since my natural labor was not progressing on its own at the rate the Dr. on call would have liked, they decided to progress labor with 2 mL/min Pitocin. I was very disappointed that they wouldn't let me labor all naturally and now being on Pitocin I could no longer labor out of bed, but this was only the beginning of releasing my ideal desires for labor to the Lord.
  
• 3:00AM - Once the Pitocin started that's when I new the true meaning of the word contraction. So I asked for some Nubian to take the edge off and got some rest from 3-7am. I was 3.5-4cm dilated and entered officially "active labor".
  
• 5:30AM - My doctor had called to check in on me and told the nurse that she "wants to deliver today".
• 7:00AM - My night nurse Laura switches shifts with my day time nurse Becky (ie the sweetest nurse ever!)
  
• 8:30AM - Dr. Tran comes into visit me. She determines that I'm really only 3.5 cm. After breaking my water she orders an increase on the Pitocin drip to 4 mL - did I mention how much I like Pitocin? No? Seriously that stuff must be of the Devil or something!
  
• 8:30AM-2:30PM - Nurse Becky continues to steadily ramp up Pitocin drip from 4 mL to 6 mL, 6mL to 8mL, 8mL to 10mL and finally backs off from 10 mL to 8 mL. These hours were without a doubt the hardest part of laboring. Not only were the contractions crazy intense - especially at 10 mL - but I hadn't had anything to eat since 2:30PM the day before. Here I must say how grateful I am for my dear husband, my awesome mom and my sister Anna, who stayed with me the entire day just encouraging me, helping me move to and from the bathroom, holding my hand as I rocked on the Thera Ball, feeding me Popsicles... I could go on and on but they were CHAMPS. I was also so grateful that Jim and I had prepared a mix of worship music and scripture verses focusing on weariness and strength in the Lord. These truths really helped me get through each contraction.
  
• 2:30PM - Dr. Tran finally came back to see me and measures me at only 5 cm! Here she strongly counseled me to get an Epidural so that I could get some rest for the labor ahead and also allow my body to relaxation enough to let dilation progress the labor. Jim and I agreed that the Epidural would be the best way to progress labor and told her to order it up. Dr. Tran had to leave and was not on call that night so she was not going to deliver our baby. But in the Lord's kindness, our second choice doctor, Dr. Apgar, was on call and would be delivering Josh!
  
• 3:00PM - Received the grace of God via EPIDURAL! Note here: Ladies who have labor ahead... if you are induced with Pitocin, do NOT tough it out. There is nothing to prove. Get the Epidural as soon as possible! I learned this truth the very very hard way.
  
• 3:30PM-5:30PM - Slept so so soundly! I was exhausted from all that hard Pitocin laboring! At one point the baby's heart rate dipped down over three contractions so Becky stopped the Pitocin all together, put me on the oxygen mask and laid me on my right side to keep the heart rate stable.
  
• 5:30PM - Dr Apgar came to visit and measured me at 5cm - still. With the dip in heart rate, he discussed two options with us - one would be c-section - just end labor right then and there, or (not our preference) or he would insert an IUC monitor that would read the strength of contractions and up Pitocin while observing how the baby's heart rate handled the contraction. We opted for door number two and prayed for dilation to progress without stress on the baby to avoid c-section.
  
• 7:00PM - Yet another nurse shift change (what a LONG day!) saying hello to new nurse Maria and goodbye to Becky. I did feel so badly that the nicest nurse was suck with me through the most difficult stretch of the labor. She was just awesome. It was then that I got a catheter too (yet another thing I'd be scratching off the Birth Plan list).
  
• 7:30PM - Maria checked me and I'd dilated a whole 2cm! Answered prayer at 7cm!
• 9:00PM- Things only continued to speed up with the relaxation of the Epidural and I was at 9.5cm before I knew it!
  
• 9:15PM - Ready to push. Maria tells Dr. Apgar.
  
• 9:30PM-10:30PM - PUSHING! With my husband, my mom and Maria as my supporters this was not a difficult task. I just remember thinking how aerobic it was like a work out. Last 15min of pushing Dr. Apgar came in and geared up gently helping our son come out.
  
• 10:30PM - Joshua Taylor Winn was born! Because there was micomium, the team quickly whisked him away to check the baby and clean him up.
  
• 10:50PM-11:35PM I finally got to hold and nurse our son :) This was by far the sweetest moment... no words really to describe it. Love. Pure love.
  
• 11:30PM-12:30PM - While getting cleaned up he met the flood of family who were all waiting in the waiting room for his arrival - Jim's mom Carol and her husband Bill, my parents and then my sisters Brie & Laurin who brought be a pint of B&J's Phish Food ice cream which I DEVOURED - so so hungry! Once I was moved to postpartum room 3A4 Joshua met his uncle Joel and Aunt Anna. Then we recovered...
  

Hours later on Pitocin.

Jim's mom in the waiting area.

The excited Aunts to be :)Thumbs up! Time to push!
Last visit before pushing.
Mom & Dad
My coach & assistant coach... couldn't have done it without them!
Us. :)
11 day's overdue and he's finally here! Big boy!

His doctor evil pose...
meeting dad for the first time.
the new Winn family!
his aunt Laurin
and his new aunt Brie
the bearers of the ice cream goodness - my sisters :)
meeting uncle Joel & aunt Anna
us with my nurse Maria. She was so good in delivery!
my sweet nurseBecky came back to visit the day we left for home.
whose the man? Dr. Apgar is!
us with our great delivering doc the morning after delivery.more pictures to come....

Posted by tessa at 2:45 PM |  
Labels: ::baby::, ::pregnancy::, ::updates::