Judd:
We went to bed on Monday night and Nicole told me she had been having some non-painful but regular contractions. I thought to myself “this is happening tonight.” I couldn’t sleep so I got up and watched TV and had a glass of wine. Nicole came out at midnight and said that a contraction woke her up and she thought it was happening so I needed to get some sleep! I popped 2 Tylenol PM and passed out.
We went to bed on Monday night and Nicole told me she had been having some non-painful but regular contractions. I thought to myself “this is happening tonight.” I couldn’t sleep so I got up and watched TV and had a glass of wine. Nicole came out at midnight and said that a contraction woke her up and she thought it was happening so I needed to get some sleep! I popped 2 Tylenol PM and passed out.
Nicole:
Monday
evening I noticed the Braxton Hicks (non-painful, practice contractions) I had
been having inconsistently for the past few weeks were suddenly happening at
steady 3-4 minute intervals. I thought
this could maybe be leading toward labor; however I was hesitant to get my
hopes up. I headed to bed with the goal
of getting the best sleep possible, just in case.
Judd:
At 7am Tuesday Nicole said she had had contractions all night and was able to sleep thru some of them. I decided to work from home when I could since we had a regularly scheduled appointment that afternoon with our midwife. At the appointment Nicole was really encouraged to find out she was 3cm dilated. Once we got home after about 3pm her discomfort picked up and the contractions became closer together. We tried to figure out when we should head to the hospital because Nicole knew she couldn’t sleep thru another night.
At 7am Tuesday Nicole said she had had contractions all night and was able to sleep thru some of them. I decided to work from home when I could since we had a regularly scheduled appointment that afternoon with our midwife. At the appointment Nicole was really encouraged to find out she was 3cm dilated. Once we got home after about 3pm her discomfort picked up and the contractions became closer together. We tried to figure out when we should head to the hospital because Nicole knew she couldn’t sleep thru another night.
Nicole:
I woke up
just after midnight, early Tuesday morning to a contraction I could actually
feel. I continued to have contractions
spaced about 10 minutes apart for the rest of the night. These were definitely
not BH and felt like really bad period cramps that would build and then taper
off. I tried really hard to get myself
back to sleep in between them because I knew if this was labor, it was only the
very beginning and I needed to be rested.
I slept on and off in 1-2 hour chunks until 9am. At this point the contractions slowed down
and I thought maybe it was all just a false alarm. At 11am Judd and I went to the hospital for a
routinely scheduled ultrasound to check fluid levels because I was 41 weeks at
this point. At my 2:10pm Midwife
appointment, one of the midwives, Kala, told me that my fluid levels were on
the lower end (meaning I needed to have him in the next day or two) but it was
not an immediate emergency. She then
checked me and to everyone’s amazement I was dilated 3cm. She gave me a
high-five and a hug and told me this was going to happen soon.
Back at home
my contractions started to pick up again. To pass the time Judd and I went on a
slow walk around the neighborhood, ate dinner and watched an episode of Gossip
Girl while lying over my yoga ball. At
7pm I called Merrilynn, the midwife on call that night to give her an update. I
told her I was having consistent contractions, about 1 minute long every 3-5
minutes, however I could handle them pretty well and felt completely fine in
between them. She suggested we head to
the hospital where she could give me morphine so that I could sleep through the
night and be rested to labor the next day.
I felt really silly as we calmly walked the halls up to L&D,
carrying our bags and yoga ball because I didn’t think I looked like I was in
labor.
Judd:
Finally at
7pm or so we talked to our Midwife and decided to head to the hospital with the
plan that Nicole would take some morphine to sleep ~5 hours that night. Then in
the morning she would be rested and able to start labor. We got checked into
our room and Nicole had some “medium” intensity contractions and I rubbed her
back a lot. Our midwife arrived and
checked Nicole at 815pm. She looked up and said “change of plans, you’re 6-7cm.”
We were excited to learn she had progressed so far in a relatively “easy” way. I was thinking that this could be quick and usually that the last few cm are hard
but are the fastest, (or so I’ve read).
Nicole:
When Merrilynn
announces I am 6-7cm dilated I am elated, especially because I really did not
want a drugged night of sleep. Judd
texted my friend Laura who was planning to come give me additional support as
well as take photos throughout. Quickly
after this the contractions pick up in intensity, but I still felt pretty great
and normal between them. I cope by
leaning on my ball, pacing the room and leaning over the bed sitting on the
ball, all the while Judd is right by my side, rubbing my back through each of
the contractions. Meanwhile the lights
are turned down and Merrilynn drapes Christmas lights around the room and
places a few LED candles throughout.
Around 10 pm
I still felt really in control and was unsure if I was really making
progress. Merrilynn assured me I had all
the time in the world and to just keep at it.
The second she left the room I felt my water break. Actually it felt like I involuntarily peed
myself and I honestly wondered if I could have done that. Laura fetched Merrilynn back and she told me
things were probably really going to start picking up now.
Judd:
11:15pm arrived and Nicole had been laboring hard for 3 hours. The pain and intensity really picked up around 10pm which was around when her water broke. We paced around and I would cradle under her arms when she had a contraction. She would hang on me and breathe with loud moaning exhales! Other times she would sit on the ball and lean against the bed while I put pressure on her back with my thumbs. I was really expecting her to be really close to fully dilated but was told she had progressed to 8cm. “ok so maybe she was closer to 6 and gained 2 cm in 3 hours. Not bad. We’re almost there,” I thought to myself.
11:15pm arrived and Nicole had been laboring hard for 3 hours. The pain and intensity really picked up around 10pm which was around when her water broke. We paced around and I would cradle under her arms when she had a contraction. She would hang on me and breathe with loud moaning exhales! Other times she would sit on the ball and lean against the bed while I put pressure on her back with my thumbs. I was really expecting her to be really close to fully dilated but was told she had progressed to 8cm. “ok so maybe she was closer to 6 and gained 2 cm in 3 hours. Not bad. We’re almost there,” I thought to myself.
Nicole:
I tried to
make low moaning exhales through each of the contractions because I had read
that low noises were good and helped move the baby down. High pitched screams
were never a good thing in labor. When I heard I was at an 8 I was slightly
discouraged because I didn't seem to be progressing as fast as I had before. I
also thought to myself that active labor is from 7-9, so I was in the midst of
some of the hardest stuff. Mentally I
felt prepared to keep at it, but started hoping things would move quickly. I got back in the tub to hopefully help move things forward. Suddenly I felt nauseous and puked. It didn't really bother me because I knew this was a good sign. Judd's cousin who has had two natural childbirths told me a few weeks earlier that puking gives you a free centimeter (haha) so I saw it as a rite of passage.
Judd:
Nicole kept trucking on like a rock star and I was there every contraction. A few times I had to leave her right after she had recovered and head to the bathroom. By the time I could pee and wash my hands she was calling for me and I rushed out to barely hold her up when another one hit. I felt pretty helpless that I couldn’t take any direct pain away. I did try to do whatever I could to make her more comfortable. I knew that the hard contractions were a good sign that her body was working and advancing. I would try to tell her that she was strong and that she could do it and that so many women have done this before her. I told her that she was made for this.
Nicole kept trucking on like a rock star and I was there every contraction. A few times I had to leave her right after she had recovered and head to the bathroom. By the time I could pee and wash my hands she was calling for me and I rushed out to barely hold her up when another one hit. I felt pretty helpless that I couldn’t take any direct pain away. I did try to do whatever I could to make her more comfortable. I knew that the hard contractions were a good sign that her body was working and advancing. I would try to tell her that she was strong and that she could do it and that so many women have done this before her. I told her that she was made for this.
Nicole asked us to talk to her about Risden and other things
during the contractions. Laura and I would just ramble about all the fun ski
trips and fun times we were going to have with him in the future. I tried to
take her away to past epic powder days, Mexican beaches with margaritas, warm
Italian coastlines, and other fun memories.
Around 2:30 am she was checked again and was up to 9cm. I
was frustrated since I thought the last few cm were supposed to be the
quickest. But Merrilynn reassured us that she was advancing and it just takes
time.
Nicole:
Occasionally
I would glance at the clock and felt more and more discouraged as the hours
passed. Our nurse Laura, Merrilynn and my friend Laura kept telling me I was
really close. After hearing this over
and over, yet watching the hours pass by I became more and more discouraged. After
getting checked again at 3:45 and still being at a 9 after an hour of really
intense labor I started to lose it. Merrilynn
suggested I start on a very low dosage of Pitocin to help move things forward
and that I should get back in the tub.
Judd:
The next hour or so was probably the hardest of the night. The pain for Nicole was really high and the contractions were close together. She was talking about some “pressure” which is a good sign. She was checked again at 3:45 or so and was still at 9cm. This was really disheartening since the last hour had been so intense. It was suggested that since she had been laboring all the previous night and all day her uterus was “tired”. The contractions might not quite be doing enough. So a little Pitocin was administered to help get to that last edge. Nicole got back into the tub and I would hold the shower sprayer over her lower back on full blast. She was miserable. I was so hoping that it was almost over.
The next hour or so was probably the hardest of the night. The pain for Nicole was really high and the contractions were close together. She was talking about some “pressure” which is a good sign. She was checked again at 3:45 or so and was still at 9cm. This was really disheartening since the last hour had been so intense. It was suggested that since she had been laboring all the previous night and all day her uterus was “tired”. The contractions might not quite be doing enough. So a little Pitocin was administered to help get to that last edge. Nicole got back into the tub and I would hold the shower sprayer over her lower back on full blast. She was miserable. I was so hoping that it was almost over.
Nicole:
I had liked
the tub before, especially when Judd would spray hot water on my back. These
“Pitocin” contractions did not seem harder; in fact I was surprised when I had
seemingly long breaks between them. Laura was in there with us and she would
hold my hand during contractions and give me Sour Patch Kids in between. I
really needed Laura and Judd to distract me with their conversation during
contractions. I liked when they talked
to me about all of the cute clothes Risden would get to wear, including the
beanies I had recently knitted for him. After awhile I felt like I needed to
relieve my bowels, but not in the “I actually have to push” way. I had foolishly eaten beans for dinner and
really did want to relieve myself so I wasn’t doing it while pushing (haha). No
one really believed me and thought I was actually cueing that I wanted to
push. In reality I was terrified to
push. I think that the reason I was stuck at a 9 for so long had something to
do with this fear. Mentally I had
prepared myself for contractions. I knew they would be extremely painful period
cramps, and I could wrap my head around that. Pushing however, involved pushing
something very large through a very small opening and I didn’t really believe
it would work. I was afraid there would
be complications and I would not be able to do it.
Judd:
So the “pressure” thing was important because that was indicating that it was time to push. Nicole seemed hesitant. An hour later at 4:45-ish she said that she “had to poop” which is actually a sign that you have to push. So we got her out of the tub and back to the bed. Merilynn checked again and said that one little spot of the cervix was still in the way but that she could push past it. It was really hard for Nicole since she didn’t have any reference on how to push. The nurse then checked the Pitocin and realized she hooked up the IV wrong and Nicole hadn’t been receiving any!!! So that was turned on correctly and the contractions continued.
So the “pressure” thing was important because that was indicating that it was time to push. Nicole seemed hesitant. An hour later at 4:45-ish she said that she “had to poop” which is actually a sign that you have to push. So we got her out of the tub and back to the bed. Merilynn checked again and said that one little spot of the cervix was still in the way but that she could push past it. It was really hard for Nicole since she didn’t have any reference on how to push. The nurse then checked the Pitocin and realized she hooked up the IV wrong and Nicole hadn’t been receiving any!!! So that was turned on correctly and the contractions continued.
Nicole:
Once I was
out of the tub I figured everyone thought I should try pushing and since there
was no way around it, I did. I got onto the bed and Merrlyn had me grab the
squat bar that had been raised above the bed. She had me pull myself off the
bed and bear down during the contraction.
I asked for coaching because I did not experience this “overwhelming
sensation to push” that I had heard about. Since there was some cervix left I
was terrified and really hesitant at first. The first few times I tried to push
I thought it hurt really bad (probably because of the small amount of remaining
cervix) and was pretty scared to continue.
I would alternate between breathing through contractions and trying to
push. Eventually I gave into pushing and with some coaching got the hang of
it.
Judd:
At 515 Nicole was fully dilated and the baby was coming down. The nurse and midwife were coaching her on how to push thru each contraction. Nicole quickly realized she liked pushing more than just breathing thru it. She could get about 3-4 pushed out per contraction. In between she was so exhausted they gave her some pure O2 which helped calm her breathing. I was standing next to the bed the whole time just encouraging and counting. Each push we would try to get her to get 10 seconds. She was so determined it was amazing. Sometimes I would say “Ten!” and she would keep going for an extra few.
At 515 Nicole was fully dilated and the baby was coming down. The nurse and midwife were coaching her on how to push thru each contraction. Nicole quickly realized she liked pushing more than just breathing thru it. She could get about 3-4 pushed out per contraction. In between she was so exhausted they gave her some pure O2 which helped calm her breathing. I was standing next to the bed the whole time just encouraging and counting. Each push we would try to get her to get 10 seconds. She was so determined it was amazing. Sometimes I would say “Ten!” and she would keep going for an extra few.
Nicole:
At first I
thought I would push for like 3 seconds or so, but when my nurse Laura started
counting to 10 I realized, “holy crap, I have to push much longer than I
thought.” A contraction would come on, I
would take a normal, good breath, then take a really deep inhale and hold my
breath while I pushed as hard as I could for 10 seconds. Merrilynn applied pressure inside of me,
directing where my effort should be.
Each second that I pushed I would go deeper and deeper into myself,
finding an entire reserve of strength I had no idea I was capable of. I quickly realized that pushing was so much
better than contractions because as I pushed, I actually pushed the pain away,
I could no longer feel the pain of the contraction. Instead I felt like my body was helping me
push out a huge constipated poop (sorry if this is TMI!). I felt like I was doing half the work, but my
body was doing the other half instinctively (like when your body takes over
while you are puking, or helps you push out the aforementioned poop). Once I realized that I recognized these
sensations and that I did not need to be afraid of them, I fully embraced
pushing. With my eyes closed, during
those 10 seconds of pushing I felt like my mind suddenly became extremely clear
and I felt extremely strong. I thought
to myself, “yea! I’ve got this. I’m strong. I climb mountains, I’m competitive,
I can totally do this.” I would push for
10 seconds, take a deep breath, push again and do this 3-4 times per
contraction. After it was over I would
fall back onto the bed, gasping for air while someone gave me oxygen. I would catch my breath and fully relax,
sometimes up to 4 minutes before I felt the next contraction come on. I was really encouraged when Merrlyn would
say things to me like “you are really good at pushing,” “you are really moving
your baby down,” “he’s getting really close now.”
Judd:
Pretty quickly they started wheeling in more carts with medical equipment on it and our midwife got in a big fabric throw-away gown. Sometimes there were 3 contractions back to back and Nicole would push like crazy in each one. Then a nice break she would get 5 minutes and just breathe and relax. After a bit I could start to see his head during the pushing! We kept encouraging Nicole and she kept pushing him down and out! It was crazy. The nurse got on the phone and called for the “baby’s” nurse. I knew we were close then. Once his head crowned I grabbed Nicole’s hand and placed her hand down on his head. She was so close. Nicole then said “alright, I’m going to do this!” She pushed 3 times and then on the 4th, bam, his entire giant cone head popped out. Before I knew it Merilynn pulled the rest of him out and onto Nicole’s chest he was placed. Then it was like the pit crew operating with the nurses cleaning him and sucking fluid out of his mouth while we were just in awe as he flopped around with eyes wide open. I glanced at the clock and it read 615am. I saw first light out the window and knew sunup was soon. Welcome to the world Risden.
Pretty quickly they started wheeling in more carts with medical equipment on it and our midwife got in a big fabric throw-away gown. Sometimes there were 3 contractions back to back and Nicole would push like crazy in each one. Then a nice break she would get 5 minutes and just breathe and relax. After a bit I could start to see his head during the pushing! We kept encouraging Nicole and she kept pushing him down and out! It was crazy. The nurse got on the phone and called for the “baby’s” nurse. I knew we were close then. Once his head crowned I grabbed Nicole’s hand and placed her hand down on his head. She was so close. Nicole then said “alright, I’m going to do this!” She pushed 3 times and then on the 4th, bam, his entire giant cone head popped out. Before I knew it Merilynn pulled the rest of him out and onto Nicole’s chest he was placed. Then it was like the pit crew operating with the nurses cleaning him and sucking fluid out of his mouth while we were just in awe as he flopped around with eyes wide open. I glanced at the clock and it read 615am. I saw first light out the window and knew sunup was soon. Welcome to the world Risden.
Nicole:
After Judd
had me touch his head I knew he was close.
I pushed with everything in me because I just wanted him OUT. With my last push I felt an immense release
of pressure as his entire body passed through me. Immediately he was placed on
my chest and I got to see the most precious and perfect face I have ever seen
in my life. I kept gasping “oh my God,
oh my God, you’re here!!” I felt so much
relief that it was over and I was in disbelief of what I had just done.
And that is
how Risden William came into this world.
Good job guys! What a beautiful story! I love that you both contributed to it, giving each of your perspectives. Congratulations!!!
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