Introducing...
Kate Grace Logan
6.19.11
9:24am
9lbs 2oz
22in
Well. I did it. She's here! SHE! Oh my! I have another girl! <3 I just cannot believe Miss Kate is finally here! And.. I also cannot believe that my days of birthing babies are over. I really really really get sad about it when I think about it too hard... I know- I'm nutz... but I really really really really love giving birth!
We were very surprised that Baby Logan 3.0 did not choose to come into the world on his/her own. When I made it to my 40week point... I thought I would just die of heartbreak. After being induced with Jude...and going into labor naturally with Emme, I had decided that letting the baby come on it's own was best. ...but as in so many things in life- sometimes things are not in our control... even when you vacuum the house a zillion times... or have 2 lil kids at home you're chasing... or try acupressure... or even have contractions for a couple weeks! But one thing I've learned...but often forget... is that God's timing is perfect- and apparently 40 weeks was not the right time... nor was the entire week of my 40th week! So. My doctor scheduled me to be induce on the day of my 41st week. Part of me was disappointed to have to wait so long... but the other part of me was excited at the thought that this would give me time to go into labor on my own...but still have that cut off of "I will not be pregnant past this date".
On Saturday, Derrick, the kids and I went to Derrick's parents house to celebrate Father's Day. At this point... the BitterBettyness had turned into a great big joke. We even decided that I could be the star of a new reality show... "I Didn't Know I Wasn't Pregnant"... you know... like a spin off of the "I Didn't Know I WAS Pregnant"... ;) We got home at 10:30pm...which was kinda late- seeing as the hospital could call us at any point past midnight. By the time we got ready for bed and finished packing up last minute things... it was 11:30. We got the call from the hospital at 12:30am. F.A.I.L. 45 mins of sleep is awful. I wish we woulda just stayed up! Gr! I called Tori to let her know we were going to the hospital...called my parents... and then proceeded to brush my teeth and grab my luggage!
We got to the hospital at about 1:30am. We got to our birthing room shortly after...which was different this time b/c I didn't go to the triage room first! My labor nurse came in and started getting me prepped. I informed her that my goal was to birth without an epidural...and that I was concerned about the pitocin. I wanted to see if we could hold off on doing pitocin until my water broke...but unfortunately, I was only dilated to a 3...and the baby was still high (like above my cervix or something?!)... so the best option to get things rolling was to go ahead and start the pitocin....but my nurse said she'd only bump me up 1 dose each time instead of the regular 2... Whatevs.
At about 3:45am... some Nasty McNasterton doctor came in to break my water. I'm not joking folks... this guy looked so greasy and nasty...like a child predator. All I kept thinking, as I looked at his sausage shaped fingers was that this man makes a butt-TON of money...you'd think he could at least bathe before shoving his arm down my crotch! Yuck. Anywho. He breaks my water and leaves (PTL)...and the fun begins.
One of the things I love about not having an epidural is the freedom to move out of my bed... so... I got to go potty (which was recommended to keep my bladder empty and let the baby come down more) and sit on the bouncy ball thing. I think it helps time to go faster! Of course I also had to text my friends the whole time too- although it was tough b/c it was still so early in the morning! Thank goodness I have friends on FB that are on the east coast/other countries to keep me entertained!
By 7am I was starting to feel the pain... I was about 8cm and wasn't really wanting to do anything but lay and breathe through the contractions. I truly think that any woman can do it without an epidural (I mean... they didn't have them way back when, right?!)- and the key is to relax your ENTIRE body and breathe. It helps that Derrick always brings along our ipod and doc and we listen to our "Baby Logan" playlist (which is full of songs that I find inspiring and we've used all 3 times!) It was time for shift change...and my new labor nurse specializes in natural deliveries. I mean... that's fine- I have Tori for all that, but whatever! It was very encouraging to hear everyone tell me how well I was doing and Tori even predicted that I would have a baby by 9:30am! Oh thank goodness- that's only a couple hours away!
The pain started getting worse...and closer together...I remember asking Tori and my l/d nurse if it were too late to get an epidural... not so much b/c I wanted it, but I wanted to gage how close I really was. Time meant nothing to me at this point... it could have been 7:30am or it could have been 12pm... but it felt like the pain was going to last forEVER and I was still only an 8! I did make sure, though, to inform my nurse (Robbie) that when I'm complete- I WILL be pushing and that SOMEONE better be there to catch the baby (You may recall that I had to "hold" Emme in for 20 mins!!!) She immediately got my Dr. in the room...which is when the annoyance started.
Now. I didn't particularly like my doctor to begin with. She's nice...but she's just not my cup of tea. She talks a million miles a minute and has the personality where you can't tell if she's just SUUUUUPER friendly/ditzy... or fake. She doesn't seem very knowledgeable (although I'm sure she is...) and I was annoyed that she never bothered to find out my "birth" history- ie- how big my babies are... how quickly I deliver... you know... only those MINOR details! Geez! So Dr. S comes in... and she immediately starts talking... alot... about nothing... loudly... basically busting up my mojo that I had going on concentrating on the music. Ugh. Robbie had to leave the room for something...Dr. S and the "substitute" labor nurse put an O2 mask on me b/c the baby's heart rate was dropping. This was the point I started mentally flipping out. All the worries of going a week over started flooding in... Will the baby be too big to come out? Will it get stuck? What if they have to break the baby's arm? What if the baby gets stuck and dies? What if they have to do a c-section? .... b/c I had been listening to the heart rate monitor... and I KNEW it was slowing down... and the last time I had an O2 mask on me- the baby was in distress and there was drama (see Jude's birth story).... I'm sweating bullets... BULLETS... I have to take my glasses off b/c they are sweating off my face! ...and instead of listening to the music and calming down and breathing through contractions- I get to hear my doctor's annoying voice. (Tori was next to me so I rolled my eyes and screamed "Shut up!" but no one could understand me with the O2 mask) Dr. S doesn't know it... but I also almost had to rip her arm off... as she kept patting my belly (absentmindedly) as she was talking. I had to yell at her to stop touching me... and it was at THIS point that her and the sub l/d nurse realized that I didn't have an epidural. (Yes... I know.)
When the sub and doc left the room... I asked Tori why I was on an O2 mask... she explained that they were WAY over reacting... that it was not uncommon for the baby's heart rate to dip during a hard contraction but then come back up as the contraction ended- which was our case. Good. I immediately ripped that mask off and threw it across the room. Jerks. ;) Robbie comes back in the room... but I'm still an 8. I'm stuck. Story of my labor life! The "peanut" ball they have me put in between my legs seems to be helping.... (literally- think of two balls fused together at the middle like a peanut!)... and I tell Tori that I feel like I should "poop or push" which is a phrase I used a LOT when I was giving birth to Emme. Robbie suggested that I push just to see what that would do... and... when I did... well- that did the trick for me and I was complete! So... as with both of my other births- I went from stuck (8) to DONE in seconds!
Thankfully, my doctor was still hanging around... b/c she was in the room very quickly. I kept telling her to hurry... HURRY! And she informs me she is... but even w/o my glasses on- I can see that she's not putting her scrubs on NEARLY as quickly as I need... b/c LITERALLY- I refuse to not push... I cannot put my body/mind through that again... and I'm kinda freaking out (internally) b/c the feeling "down there" is all too familiar now... and the memory of NOT pushing Emme out is too fresh. I think Dr. S got the picture that I was going to push- b/c she didn't bother to finish buttoning/tying her scrubs but started trying to break down the bed.... except... she can't. Apparently the beds are "new" and she can't get the bed apart...and Robbie, instead of breaking down the bed for her, is in my face telling me to breath and count and wait to push until the NICU gets there...
...things get blurry for me at this point. I didn't pass out or anything... but things happened WAY fast. I remember them telling me to pull my legs back- and telling them that I couldn't (not that I couldn't, but I needed help)...I remember telling them that I'M PUSHING!!!! And that I could tell that I was crowning... and feeling like someone was tyring to push the baby back in!!! (which I later found out was Tori- she wasn't pushing the baby back in, rather trying to make sure that I didn't rip- which I did) And...then I remember them finally saying to push... and the baby being OUT in that same breath! And then I remember hearing Tori say, "Derrick, look!!!"... and then hearing "IT'S A GIRL!!!!" and then seeing, blindly, a big.black.headofhair!!!!! :)
Derrick looked at me and said "She looks like a Kate"...and although she didn't officially have a name for about an hour... a Kate she was. Kate is perfect. She has the cutest little dimples...the coolest head of dark hair...the smallest lil feet...and the best little cuddles ever. I am blessed. <3
Wow. I am the mother of a 3 year old! What?! When did this happen? It's going by way too fast... WAY too fast. It seems like only yesterday that I was bringing my first baby home from the hospital... and now... I'm getting ready to bring home my THIRD! Just. Wow.
