It's Friday morning and I finally get to put these thoughts and words down. I have been thinking about my birthing experience for the past few days, retelling the story to friends and family but actually writing it down is kinda absolute and finalizing that yes, I actually just did that! So here we go, Part 1.
I had been having contractions for a few days but they would pitter off into nothingness. Saturday, 5/17, we walked 5 miles during the day, I had contractions but they died out. Sunday I contracted throughout the day and in the evening I started having more contractions than normal and they weren't going away, and stronger. I started timing them earlier in the day and they were 12 min apart. I was convinced that Sunday was the day. I talked with my doula and she suggested that we get out of the house for awhile and just do something else to get my mind off of laboring. So we went and walked around target for about an hour and a half just getting a few things and looking at other areas and such. It is actually pretty easy to get swallowed up in Target for a long period of time.
We came back to the house, I made a ton of cookies, and my contractions picked up later that evening to about 8 min apart. I didn't want to have hard labor at home and I didn't feel all that comfortable with laboring here at the house, since we live about 35 min from the hospital. Talked to the doula and the doctor and I went in to the hospital that evening to get checked out and see what was going on. I was only 3 cm but I was 90% effaced at that point. Doc sent me home and told me specific instructions on when to come back. Contractions 3 min apart and such. (Before he had said the 5-1-1 rule, contractions 5 min apart, lasting for 1 min, for an hour) We got home around 1:30am.
The next morning after talking with my doula she suggested that I just not think about laboring at all and I made a goal to just ignore anything that felt like a contraction, and just go about my day. My doula also suggested that I take a small amount of castor oil to help unclog the plumbing because I had said I felt very blocked, and I was. So down the hatch the castor oil milkshake went. (doesn't matter how you mix castor oil it is gross!) I went about my day and ignored any contractions. Which I was having, but yeah. I vacuumed the house and did laundry. Cleaned up the rooms and kitchen.
I talked with my friend around 1:30 and we talked about my fears of laboring at home and worked through them. Before we ended the call around 2:30 I felt a stronger contraction that I couldn't actually ignore like the others. I remember I told my friend that I had to get more comfortable and change position. She was like, "okay?" I told her I was still have GI cramps from the darn castor oil that did clean me out, violently, in about 2 hours. I got off the phone and went into the bathroom and kept having the "GI cramps". Matt came home around 3:30 and I was still in there. He peaked his head in asked what was going on and if I was ok. (He had heard me moan a little as he entered our room.) I told him I was still having GI problems. I left the toilet area and as I walked over to him, like 10 feet I doubled over in pain. He looked at me and said, "GI problems, huh?" I told him I took castor oil and had been dealing with that all day. I doubled over again and said, get the tub read. I will just go in the tub to help me deal with the cramping.
I got in the tub and Matt noticed that I was reacting to my "cramps" closely together. He asked how close they were. I had no idea. I kept calling for him to put pressure on my low back and every time he did I would just purr at how amazing it felt! He did a good job taking care of me!
After a little time I said, "call the doula." We called her and she asked Matt to time the contractions. She was listening to me over the phone. In between my "cramps" she was asking me questions. I kept telling her that I wasn't in labor and it was GI cramps from the castor oil. She said she was on her way to our house but that we should really think about getting ready to leave for the hospital. I told her I didn't want to get sent home again and that it was from the castor oil. Matt got a few contractions in a row and was able to determine that they were 3 min apart on average. (some were only 2 min apart)
Our doula told us to call the docs office and see if we could come in and get checked out before the end of the day. We called the office at 4:30 and the office just closed. We had to call the answering service and wait for the doc to call us back. He called back and asked Matt the basic questions and could here me over the phone. Between a contraction Matt held the phone up to my ear for me to talk to him. I told the doc that I was having cramps from the castor oil I took. He asked how much and told him 2 oz. He said since I took it so early in the morning that I was actually in labor and it was not castor oil. I was going to have the baby today! I started bawling saying that I didn't want to get sent home again. He said I wasn't going to be sent home, and at that second I started another contraction. He told Matt to get me in to the hospital, NOW!
Matt got me out of the tub and I got dressed. Still having more contractions in which I had to kneel down to deal with. I rushed down the stairs so I didn't fall down in the middle of the contraction and at the base of the stairs kneeled down and had another contraction. Matt seemed to take forever to get the car ready and unlocked for me. Right as I was walking to the car our doula pulled up out front. Matt told her that the Doc said to go NOW! I got in the car and pulled the seat down to be on my side in the car. It was time to go to the hospital with my "cramps" from the castor oil, in rush hour traffic. It was about 4:45 at this point.
2 things happened in the day that I didn't want to do. I labored in my house, which I was very scared about doing, and now I was going to be having hard contractions in my car, which is a stick shift, in rush hour traffic.
Part 2 to come next...
2 years ago
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