The Birth Story

On Tuesday morning I had my regular doctor's appointment, both Mike and I went and learned that while I had made some progress the doctor wasn't sure how imminent labor was, so she sent me home and said she would call me in the in the morning and let me know what she wanted to do next (i.e. maybe an induction). I must admit I was disappointed so I just went home and decided to just relax and try to nap, because I have not been sleeping well at night. About 5:30pm, I noticed some cramps were becoming much stronger but not consistent and so I figured with was just Braxton Hicks. At 8:00pm, I told Mike that i wanted to try and time the next couple of hours just to see where we were at and while they were definitely stronger than earlier they were still not close enough or consistent enough to go to the hospital. At 10:30, after trying to sleep I called my doctor and she said that I could take Tylenol PM and a bath, and not to come in until they were 5-8 minutes apart for over two hours. At midnight after Tylenol PM and a bath I tried to go back to sleep, but the contractions were hurting too much and at 2:00am I woke him up and he joined me in the waiting game. Finally at 5:00am-- I said that we were going to the hospital. We got there and by 7:00am I had dilated some more and the doctor decided to admit me. I ended up getting an epidural around 10am and other than being severely hungry I just slept on and off throughout the day waiting for things to progress. At about 4:00pm things started looking up and the doctor asked if I would want to start pushing and was happy to-- Let's get the main show on the road right. Well, I officially started pushing about 5:00pm and quickly we all figured out that she was coming in slightly from the left (not straight down) and was face up. Her coming in the on the left put a ton of pressure and pain on my hips and back, but what choice did I have but to keeping going. After about 4 hours-- YES 4 HOURS! of pushing, Roxanne made her way out and ended up turning at the last minute coming out perfectly.It was a very long day, Mike and I were up for about 36 hours straight, but of course it was worth it. Mike was an incredible coach and I don't think I could have made it through without him. My mom was able to get all the way from Texas to Corvallis by 7pm and was able to be there for her birth which is truly a blessing. Reflecting back over this I consider myself really lucky-- I have a very happy and healthy baby, a wonderful husband and family and my own health. All I can really say is that I am very thankful.