Labor Day Meme: Totally NOT for the faint of heart!

In honor of Labor Day, there is a Labor Day Meme going around about, what else, labor. No, not the blue-collar-worker variety - the rhythmic breathing, begging for drugs variety. (Thanks, Anna, for the inspiration!)



If you're squeamish, do not read any further!



Because my labor with Mitchell was - like the rest of my pregnancy - boringly by the book, I'll share my story of the blessed event with Noah.



Oh, and I won't be sharing the story of thinking I had really bad heart burn after eating way too much at Little Italy, only to be urged by my OB to meet her in labor and delivery, stat - AT 28 WEEKS. No, I'll relate the events of the actual begging-for-drugs event.



How did you know you were in labor?

Well, it all started with the passing of the plug and the stand-in OB saying that I'd probably have the baby in the next 12-24 hours. Frantic call to in-laws and hubby (in-laws = built-in babysitter who need 4-hour delivery time of their own, as they're driving in from Houston) then my mother. Let the record reflect that Mom and Larry were on vacation, so I knew they couldn't drop everything to be here.



Throughout the day, I had been experiencing contractions off and on, but nothing too regular. So, I had the Tex-Mex Express Delivery Special - a plate of enchiladas at Alamo Cafe.



(Note: Since the blessed event was to take place any moment, the doctor encouraged me to kick the couch goodbye and walk as much as possible to speed things along. So, naturally, I dialed up a girlfriend and met up for lunch then went grocery shopping.)



Well, evening turned to night - and no baby. So, I went to bed. Then, I woke up with the urgency of she who's preparing for a colonoscopy (been there, done that, so I know what I'm talking about). After about a half-hour on the toilet - and nothing to show for it - I realized that this wasn't a grand poo that wanted out!



I woke up Paul with that exorcist "we have to go the hospital NOW." He woke up his parents and we were off. Oh, it was like 1:30 in the morning. We got to the hospital, and by 2 I was hooked up to that mandatory-before-we-even-call-the-god-with-drugs IV to ensure my hydration. And, I was at 8.



Side note: With Mitchell, I had what they refer to as "precipitous labor and delivery," which means, "when she says 'NOW,' it means 'NOW!" Every doctor in my OB's practice was instructed of this, multiple times.



So, the god with drugs finally shows up. The first try, she hit a nerve and my foot went numb. Second try, my hip went numb. Third time, the catheter broke. Finally, she gave up on the epidural and gave me a spinal block.



Dr. arrives, breaks water, contractions STOP. Great! He asks me to give a practice push, just to see if we can do this without contractions. Midway through practice push, he tells me to stop, as baby is half-way out and the cord is around his neck.



I stop, baby slithers out and is handed to one of the six cheerleaders-posing-as-NICU nurses standing in the wings. All in all, it was about 4 minutes from doctor breaking my water to baby plopping onto scale. (That was a personal record - Mitchell arrived in 10 minutes. And, I will NOT attempt to break my own record.)



How long were you in labor?

From first urge to poop to blessed moment, about two-and-a-half hours. From water breaking to delivery, 4 minutes, tops.



Where did you deliver?

North Central Baptist in San Antonio.



Drugs?

Absolutely! Why women try it alone is beyond me!



C-section?

Thank goodness, no. When I stopped having contractions, I told the doctor I wasn't having a C-section. That's when he invited me to try a practice push.



Who delivered?

Dr. Mark Thompson of Northeast Ob/Gyn, with Paul and my then-neighbor Vanessa (a labor and delivery nurse), another nurse and a ton of NICU nurses by my side. Ironically, Dr. Thompson wasn't my normal doctor - and yet he delivered both boys. And, Vanessa was my L&D nurse during my delivery with Mitchell, and her shift had just ended when I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way. So, she stuck around to be there. Thanks, V!



I'm very quick to recommend Northeast Ob/Gyn. I've seen every doctor at the Stone Oak office and can't applaud them enough. Especially Dr. Tammy Murdock, the best Ob/Gyn a girl could find!