Baby G is Here!
27 Hours
Baby G
March 15, 2020 5:38am
She’s here, she’s finally here! Our little Baby G has finally arrived!
Whenever I asked some of my girlfriends, “What is labor like?” I always got the same answer: “It’s scary. It never goes how you planned it. Everything just goes right out the door. It’s long. It’s painful. It’s different for everyone. But above all, it’s so worth it!” And boy are they right…about EVERYTHING.
Let’s go back to when this wild ride began. On the evening of March 13th, my husband and I were hanging out just watching some TV. Our due date has come and gone (March 9th) and by now, the only thing on our mind was the potential Stay-at-home order that was inching closer and closer to going into effect. And to be safe, we made sure we were stocked up on Diapers, Baby Wipes, Formula (incase our little refused the boob) and had everything we needed to avoid leaving our house for the next few days, maybe even weeks. My Husband decided that regardless of baby showing up or not, the 13th was his last day of work and he’d go on his paternity leave (well, if that isn’t a sign of perfect timing, I don’t know what is).
Fast forward - A few hours later and I had a lovely surprise during my trip to the bathroom (hello mucus plug!). Thinking I had lost this over the course of a few days prior, I was shocked. It finally came out but to be honest, I figured, “Huh? Any day now then?”. But what I didn’t realize was, today was the day. As the night continues it’s getting later and later and finally we decide we should probably go to bed (it’s nearing 2am by this time). We get in bed and right as I’m about to shut my eyes I feel my first contraction. *Cue eyes wide open and my immediate thoughts of, “Huh? Is that what I think it is? Hm? Maybe? Maybe not? Is it?”* Ha! It definitely was. And just like that, I’m in labor.
So I tell my husband, he can’t believe, I can’t believe it, and after my third contraction we both know for sure this shit is REAL. But what’s even crazier is that, my contractions went from 0-60mph in no time. I started timing them immediately just to get an idea of where we’re at in labor and by my fifth contraction and the feeling of my water potentially starting to break, I started to think this baby was coming sooner than we thought. We completely skipped the 4-1-1 rule and right away my contractions were 2 minutes apart, 1-1:30 long, and there was no sign of them letting up. So we call Labor and Delivery and they tell us to hustle and get to the hospital. Mind you, it’s almost 3am now and we’ve had ZERO sleep and now my water was breaking more and more with every new and longer contraction (thank god we had towels in the car). But of course, this little nugget clearly had plans of her own. We check in at Hoag Hospital and get into triage and lo and behold, I’m only 1cm dilated. Ugh. But I decided I did not want to make the drive back home only to potentially rush back here and potentially not make it in time, so we stayed until we got our room and this mama was gonna labor unmedicated like the badass she is!
Fast forward - It’s almost noon on March 14th (shooting for a Pi Day baby here!) and I’ve been laboring for 10 hours unmedicated. Just me, my husband, my breath and the only energy I have left having not gotten any sleep that night. Contractions are still 2 minutes apart, still 1-1:30 long, and there’s not end in sight. Our incredible nurse is helping me through each contraction by keeping my mind focused. (He was seriously our greatest cheerleader. I want him present for all my babies. He was so committed to giving us the birth that we wanted, and was there for us with zero judgement.) But this mama was running out of energy, we both were. We had been up for almost 24 hours and I could barely keep my eyes open. I couldn’t stay on my birth planet and all I wanted was sleep. So I called in for reinforcements and got the Epidural. And let me tell you something, I DO NOT REGRET IT ONE BIT. While I would have LOVED to have had my dream unmedicated birth, I needed sleep. If I didn’t get any sleep, there was no way in hell I was going to have enough energy to push this little one out and I as determined as I was, I refused to have a C-section. So finally, after getting a big ole needle stuck in my back and taped up like boxed being shipped across the country on my back, I get the Epidural and I slept. And it was glorious!
So now, I’ve got my Epidural and I’m on Pitocin (totally not what I planned for) and dang was this girl stubborn. 2cm, 3cm, 4cm, 6cm; this girl had no plans to come out anytime soon (oh also, I couldn’t walk around anymore and I “couldn’t eat” but I still snacked when I could without them knowing). By nighttime, my mom had been with us for most of the day, and after my husband finally had some dinner and we we’re getting ready for bed she decided to head home. (Side note - Only two people were allowed in the hospital with moms due to COVID-19 restrictions). By then it’s about 11pm and I’m still only about 7-8cm dilated even after the rest of my water had been broken hours ago. But, thankfully my nurses and doctors never once rushed me and allowed me to labor as long as possible since Baby G was showing zero signs of distress. This is when the real fun begins.
It’s about 1 or 2am and I am in pain. Back labor pain. The epidural is still working for my general contractions but now I feel this immense pressure on my lower back and it feels like it’s being ripped apart (and I thought the contractions sucked). This girl was finally dropping and getting ready for her debut. I’m 9cm dilated and I’m trying to get as much shut eye as possible but now she really isn’t making it easy. I’m breathing, I’m moaning, I’m trying hard as hell to stay on my birth planet and finally, around 4:30am, I’ve hit 10cm. (Huzzah!) But wait, there’s more! I do a test push and my nurse goes “Whoa! Great push, but hold on I gotta get your doctor!” And she rushes out of the room. She then comes back a few minutes later and tells me that my doctor (or rather, the doctor on call) was just going into a C-section and that I had to wait to push. (NO!!) I BEGGED her no but I also didn’t want to not have a doctor in the room so I waited (for what felt like FOREVER) and finally, around 5am they said I could finally push! (Hallelujah!) They transition the room, I get into position, Dr. Kent is present and right away I get to pushing! On my 1st contraction, I push 3 times and already she’s on her way out. I ask for a mirror (cause, yes, I’m that mom) and on my next contraction I push again for 3 times. By now I’m crowning, and hello ring-of-fire! She’s right there! I can totally see her! She’s so close! So the next contraction I push again, and by the third push Dr. Kent tells me I can either wait for the next contraction or I can keep going and push and this baby will be out, and hell yes I kept going! And boom! She is OUT!
After 27 hours of labor, 10 of which are unmedicated, 17 are on Epidural and Pitocin, 10 minutes of pushing, 3 contractions with 3 pushes each and a 4th on the last, our Beautiful Baby G was born at 5:38am on March 15th, 2020. Weighing 8lbs 2oz, and 19.5in long, she is PERFECT. Nothing, and I mean, nothing will ever compare to the adrenaline and amount of love that takes over you when you finally get to see and hold your child that you worked so hard for. I honestly can’t explain it but I know that without a doubt, I never truly knew what unconditional love was until this sweet baby entered into this world and looked into my eyes. And to do this with my husband, my best friend, my rock. Seeing the tears in his eyes and feeling the love in that room is truly indescribable. It’s a day I will never ever forget.
Welcome to the world Baby G. We Love You So Much.