Labor Day
Friday September 3, 2010 I went to the doctor for my weekly check up.
I was still 1 cm dilated, but the doctor said she “made sure” I was 1 cm now. It was a little painful and by that night I started having mild contractions. Since they were about 5 minutes apart I called my doctor and she told me to go to the hospital to get check out. Well we got there and I was only 1 cm still so we walked for about an hour and they sent us home. At the time I didn’t think the contractions were so mild but I soon learned they would get worse. So Saturday mom and Samantha came over and we walked the mall for about 2 to 3 hours and by that night the contractions were worse. D.J. took me in to the hospital again at about 1:00 am and we got sent home again. I was really getting discouraged and couldn’t believe this could go on for days!
Well by Sunday afternoon I was on the phone with mom and Samantha timing the contractions and over about an hours time they went from 6 minutes to 4 minutes apart. I couldn’t talk through them anymore or move for that matter. I was seriously in pain. So I called the doctor and told her what was going on. Since the hospital wont schedule to induce people on the weekends, my doctor went ahead and called the hospital and had them admit me. By the time we got there the contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I was walking in and started having one and could not move… so a man and a nurse ran over and helped me into a wheel chair. D.J. was parking. We get admitted into a room and I lay there for what seemed like eternity waiting for my epidural. Everyone down the hall could hear me yelling through each contraction. FINALLY the anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural. Talk about bliss! Oh man I felt so much better but realized how exhausted I really was. I hadn't slept in three days. Doctor Johnson came in a little while later and broke my water and gave me pitocin. By the time she broke my water I was 3 cm dilated. This was probably about 3:00 pm on Sunday September 5th. By about 10 pm I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.
Think we are almost there?? Nope, remember she wasnt born until MONDAY!!!
So all of the sudden the nurse says she isn’t getting a heart beat reading on the baby. As it turns out Laila flipped over face up! UGH! What does that mean I ask. Well nurse says she can be delivered that way but it’s harder and takes longer. So we start pushing…. They try to turn her to no avail. We keep pushing and pushing and pushing for 4 hours!! Finally doctor comes in to decide if we can keep going or if I will have to have a C-section. I definitely didn’t want that if we didn’t have to. Doctor says baby is right there. So if I still had the energy we can give it a try. So over the next hour with the help of the doctor, about 5 nurses and my sweet husband, she was finally born! I really felt like my head was about to pop off from all the pushing. My eyes were bloodshot and my face was so swollen after all that. But it was entirely worth it. I’ve never seen such a beautiful baby. She was perfectly healthy. The umbilical cord was around her neck but luckily not very tight and it didn’t affect her in anyway. She had quite a cone head but it quickly went down.
Laila Madeline Arsenault was born on Labor Day September 6, 2010 at 2:32 am. She weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and was 20 inches long. She is absolutely adorable and so beautiful. We are so happy she is finally here and completely in love with her.
