My last doctors appt was on a Friday, the day before my due date. We had scheduled for me to be induced the Friday after that if she didn't come before then and I was hoping so bad that wouldn't happen because I wanted her to come naturally. Before I left work I sent out my thank you cards from the baby shower and I told everyone I was hoping I wouldn't be seeing them on Monday; I didn't think it would actually happen that weekend! (because I had read the first baby usually comes late).
I was still only dilated to a 1 when I went to the doctor so she did a partial membrane sweep. I think that helps to get contractions going (I had read quite a bit about that before I went so if I hadn't asked her what she was doing I don't think she would've even told me). Anyways, that evening Jerod and I went to eat at Macaroni Grill, I'm not going to lie, I had a little bit of red wine. And I got eggplant parmesian, I had read eggplant helps start contractions (and pineapple, which I got some of the next day, lol). After getting home from the doctor I kept feeling period like cramps, and I was bleeding a little more than usual but that happens sometimes when they check your cervix, so I didn't know whether to think it was from that or if it was the "bloody show." I think the cramps went on throughout the next day, Saturday. We went to Lake Worth and ate at Mexican Inn with mom and Phillip, then went to Home Depot and got some gardening stuff. Then I dropped Jerod off at home and went to get my oil changed. I walked to Sonic while that was being done, just doing whatever I could to get some contractions going. I remember talking to Marie while at Sonic and told her how I felt and she said those were contractions.
That night we grilled some chicken and rented the movie Bernie with Jack Black. It was not very good. The cramps started getting worse and worse that night. We went to bed but I was only laying down for a few minutes before I got up because they were hurting too bad. I started timing the contractions and I don't know how long I was walking around wondering what to do before I finally called the hospital and asked them when I should go up there. They said when they were 3 minutes apart, and to take a hot bath. So I did that, didn't help that much, and the contractions were getting closer and closer so I finally woke Jerod up and told him I wanted to go to the hospital. On the way there I started crying pretty hard because I was scared!
We got there and checked in and it felt like forever before the nurse finally checked me. I was only dilated to a 4. They waited a couple hours before checking me again. My mom, Phillip, Mandi, Susan and Ronnie came up there (although I had told them they should wait). The pain from the contractions were in my back and it hurt sooooo bad, when they came I didn't want to move or talk or anything. Jerod tried rolling the tennis ball on my back, it helped a little. I also kept feeling the need to poop throughout all this, lol. I walked around the hospital some but it was a very slow walk, and I would have to stop when the contractions came. When the nurse checked me again I was still a 4 so they told me I should go home. I was like "am I just supposed to deal with this pain?!" They couldn't give me any pain medicine so she gave me some ambien to try to help me sleep. Therefore, the rest is kind of blurry. I don't remember the car ride home. I remember Jerod ran me a hot bath and put Titanic on. But the pain was so bad I couldn't fall asleep. Jerod took a nap though. I don't know how long I was home but eventually I felt like I couldn't stand the pain any more and wanted to go back to the hospital. I was crying, I tried waking Jerod up but I guess he didn't think it was serious (since we had been sent home earlier), so he wouldn't get out of bed! Instead of MAKING him get up I called my mom and asked her to come pick me up, so her and Phillip did. Jerod woke up when they got there and was like what the hell? I made him feel pretty bad lol.
This time when the nurse checked me I was at a 6. I started crying because I was so relieved to be more than a 4! So then I got the epidural. I had heard it was painful but I didn't even feel anything. I think that was around 6 pm on Sunday. All of our family came up there and I remember a few of them coming in to see me. I remember uncle James laughing at me saying I was "messed up" and I was like no I'm not, but now I realize I was, haha. It was weird how I felt nothing but I could see on the monitor when I was having a contraction. Oh and I couldn't eat throughout all this and that really sucked, I was having Jerod sneak me teddy grahams when the nurses weren't in there. They finally turned the lights off and told the visitors to go to the waiting room and let me and Jerod sleep. Around 11pm they decided it was time; the nurse broke my water. It sounded weird and rubbery and took a while for her to break it. Then it was time to start pushing. We had to wait until I was having a contraction to push. I basically just had to tighten my stomach as hard as I could, it took me a while to get it right. I think I got annoyed with doing this pretty quickly so it's a good thing it didn't take long. She was born around 11:45pm.
I don't really remember how I felt when they handed her to me. It was just weird. I must've just been staring at her because Jerod said "talk to her Jessica." So I started saying things I had said a lot when she was in my stomach, lol, like baby beluga and "where's bubba kiki?" Also the doctor was stitching me up, which didn't hurt, but I could still feel it and just kept thinking I wish she would hurry up!
I don't think I felt like they do in the movies, when they are just so in love and crying... and I feel so bad that it wasn't like that for me, I don't know why it wasn't. I mean I loved her but I just remember thinking this is so weird. I'll never forget though that when we finally went to sleep that night she kept crying, so I put her in bed with me and she would only go to sleep that way, with me breathing on her. Of course it was hard for me to get any sleep but I didn't care, I just wanted her to be happy and comfortable. The nurse that night was really nice and had told me I could do this. The next night when I tried this the nurse made me put her back in her "bed," I was so mad! We couldn't wait to get out of the hospital. A nurse came in once an hour and I know they're supposed to and they were very helpful, especially with breastfeeding, but it was very annoying, especially when we were trying to sleep at night.
I wish I could've been strong enough to not get the epidural, but I don't know how women do that. All the pain and problems are quickly forgotten, though, so they must just tough it out, and not be big babies! During the contractions I kept telling my mom I was going to adopt next time, but now I can't wait to go through it all again! Haha
Look at that sweet face
