The birth story of Gianna Marie

Well, it has been almost 3 weeks since Miss Gianna made her appearance in the world. Here is the birth story, if you don't want to know, then don't read it :)

In the last few days of my pregnancy, I was beginning to grow impatient. I was eager to meet and see what Gianna looked like. The night before I went into labor I started looking up "natural induction techniques". With Sophia I had done the whole castor oil thing, and I vowed to NEVER do that again, lol! I have said it once, and I'll say it again... laboring with no sleep and self induced colon blow is no fun.. enough said. Well, curiosity got to me and I started looking up induction techniques. The one thing I saw was to apply pressure on certain pressure points, so jokingly I held the pressure point between my thumb and pointer finger. Nothing happened, Anthony told me I was crazy, and we went to bed as usual. As to whether or not that helped, the next morning stuff started happening.

I'm not a morning person. I'd love to sleep the day away if I could. So that Tuesday morning, Anthony was already in the shower and I had dozed back to sleep. Sophia had to be woken up because she had school that day and I had a dr. appt. at 9:45am. It was my last appt. before my due date, yay! So in my sleep I started to dream. I was in a cafeteria, like a school cafeteria. I was there with Joanie and I was asking about some sort of huge platter of dip, whether it was for fruit or vegetables. Then a "pop" woke up me. The same familiar pop I had with Sophia when my water broke. Of course, I am just laying there now wide awake, waiting for fluid to start leaking. I was too freaked out to move. So I felt around on the bed and my pants to see if they felt wet and they didn't, so I figured it was nothing. At this point Anthony walked in the room and said, "Oh, you're waking up??" (I told you I hate waking up in the morning, so I think he was surprised to see me laying there with my eyes wide open). I figured nothing of the "pop", and told him yeah. I waited another minute or two, I could hear him waking up Sophia. Then I sat up, and I felt something leak. Oh crap... something was definitely happening.

I went to the bathroom and had a bit of bloody show, called Anthony in there and told him I thought my water had broken, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't like with Sophia where I had a HUGE gush. There was definitely leakage, and I swore I heard a pop! So I called Joanie and told her I thought my water had broken but I wasn't sure, but that I thought stuff was going to happen that day. I called the dr.'s office asking if I should go straight to the hospital or come in for my appt. still. Thankfully, I was told to come in as usual and that Bari could check me there. At this point I was not feeling contractions, and my worry was that my water did break and I'd have to go to the hospital and be hooked up to pitocin.

So I did everything as usual. Anthony made me a light breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and a huge glass of water (my 32 oz. cup). At this point I may have been feeling crampy, but I think I was too freaked out to notice. We got dressed and went out the door close to 9am. It was on the way out the door and in the car ride that the contractions started. And they were coming every four minutes about. By the time we got to Sophia's school (which takes maybe 15 minutes driving the speed limit), I knew I was definitely in labor. I kept thinking the Friday before I was 3+ cm, surely I was working my way to 4 by now, and that gave me hope.

I walked in with Anthony and Sophia to drop her off. I didn't want to sit in the car alone having contractions... I didn't even want to sit to be honest. I walked in having contractions, ran into a friend and she jokingly asked when the baby was coming and I told her "I think today". I made it into Sophia's classroom, told her teachers I thought today was the day and asked about her coming on Wednesday and Friday. Her teacher went to give me a hug right as I was starting a contraction. I must say, I am pretty impressed with how well I was handling the contractions at this point.

So we finally make our way out after letting the office know about Sophia coming the extra days and make our way toward the dr.'s office. I got in pretty quick, I guess they were expecting me :P I was weighed, had my blood pressure taken, did the last pee in the cup stuff and went to Bari's exam room. Bari walked in with a community health major student and she asked if the student could observe anything and if I went over to the hospital if she could come, which at this point I could care less. So Bari checked me...

I was 4-5 cm.

I sort of freaked out, this was really happening. Bari could see me contracting and knew I was in labor. She checked my bag of water... she said it was still intact. My personal feeling... I think it did break, but up towards the top of my uterus, because that is where I felt and heard the pop come from. Because of that, I think that Gianna dropped a little into the cervix preventing anything else from leaking and making my bag of water feel tight and intact. That's my feeling, I'm not a dr or nurse :P

So Bari wanted to get a contraction pattern on me, they hooked me up to the NST monitor. I was having contractions very regularly, at about 3-4 minutes apart. Bari came in and told me my options... either I could go to the hospital and labor there and she would show up around 1, OR I could go home, labor in the comfort of my own home, and she would meet us at the hospital around 1. Hmmm.... that's a tough choice :P So we headed home. I was contracting pretty strong at this point. I hopped in the shower hoping the warm water would help me relax. I stayed there for about 4-6 contractions, maybe 20 minutes. I wanted to get out. I had never wanted my husband by my side more than at that moment and I was all alone in the shower (I think he was getting stuff ready per my request... maybe doing dishes??). So I got out, and continued to labor with his help. I sat on the bed on a towel contracting, I leaned on him for support. At some point I made my way to the living room and was sitting on a rocking chair. Anthony was so good to remind me to breath! We called family and told them it was happening today. I told Anthony to eat lunch and to fix me something small, a peanut butter sandwich, no jelly, on whole wheat bread, again per my request. He brought me a sugar free powerade too... I think he knew I needed my electrolytes while my body was going through this. Again, he did so good while I was in labor!

I remember I made my way back to the room slowly. He was off brushing his teeth, because he had doritos with his lunch and I told him I wasnt going to labor with his breath smelling like that :P Oh my gosh, it was torture me walking by myself contracting to the bedroom. Again, I kept thinking "Where is my husband?? I need him!" even though I knew where he was (in the bathroom brushing his teeth) and I knew he was there because I sent him there. I remember calling his name as a contraction was starting up again, but I could barely get his name out, so of course he didn't hear me.

Finally, I made it to the room with his help... he couldn't brush his teeth forever, right? lol. So I sat on the bed, and had the iPod in my ears at this point. I put Kanye West, Stonger, full blast. I listened to it more than once, and that helped me get through the remainder contractions. I looked at the clock and remember thinking it was 12:35pm, I had waited long enough, let's get the hell out of here and head to the hospital. So that's what we did.

The car ride sucked, but thankfully was only 2-5 minutes to the hospital. We went to park at the ER, and guess what... no parking spots. So we parked out in the physician office parking. I had to walk what seemed like the world's largest parking lot to get to the ER. I had I think 2 contractions walking up to the ER. They checked me in down there, I contracted some more, and waited on someone from L&D to show up with my wheelchair to take me up. Finally a nurse showed up... sans wheelchair.

What? Seriously? Where was my wheelchair? She walked me around the corner to an elevator and we went up, again I was contracting in the elevator thinking where the hell my wheelchair was. L&D was different when I walked off the elevator. I forgot, they had renovated it. I saw nursing students and made a comment about them being there, but I have no idea what I said. I was walked to my room, told to put on a gown, etc. Oh God, the contractions were getting tough, my anxiety was through the roof now that I was in the hospital, and I was so scared, but trying to relax. Then the nurse walked in and told me they needed to run a 20 minute strip.

This is when the torture began and when the contractions got BAD. That damn strap across my stomach hurt so bad with the contractions. The contractions felt so much worse. Finding Gianna's heartrate was real fun (sarcasm). The nurse had a med. student (whom I told had beautiful hair, it was long and curly... loved it!) with her who had to hold down the thing for the heartrate in order to catch Gianna's heart beating. I guess that's what happens when you have extra fluff on your body :P I think at this point it was around 1-1:15pm, and Bari showed up with the community health major student. Bari checked me and I was 7 cm completely effaced, but G was still sitting up at a minus 2 station (I had been minus 3 in the dr.'s office, so it was some progress, but man, that girl had alot to come down still!). Holy crap! I had done that all on my own, but holy crap it hurt. Bari said she wanted to get the strip, and break my bag of water to get things going. She felt that by doing that things would go really quick from there. So they finished the stupid strip, and in they brought the hook to do the breaking of the bag of water. I wanted to say, "Wait! Stop! I'm not ready yet, give me a second to compose myself now that the monitors are off of me!", but it seemed like everything happened so quickly. I'm sure it didn't and that is just how I remember it.

So my bag of water was broken. It was approximately 1:25pm. Oh my gosh, that was alot of fluid I could feel. And OH MY GOSH the contractions were awful! I said I had to go to the bathroom, I remembered I should empty my bladder in order for the baby to come down and I kept thinking he was really high up. So a bunch of people helped me to the toilet. I tried to pee, but all I remember was how bad it hurt with the contractions. Then all of the sudden my body took control. My legs came up, and I felt like she was coming and that's what I screamed. My body was pushing this baby out and I couldn't stop it! The nurse and Anthony grabbed me and put me on the bed. i dont know if they picked me up or what, it was so quick. Bari went to check me and sure enough the baby was coming. All I keep remembering is how quick everything seemed to happen. My body kept trying to push it out on it's own. At that point someone was yelling at me to push (I dont know who, I had Anthony, a nurse named Patricia, Bari, two nursing students, a med student and the community health major student all in there). I kept hearing Anthony telling me to breath, but I could barely do it. It hurt so bad! I screamed so loud, and they kept telling me to stop screaming, but EESH! IT HURT!!!! I was scared of the pain too. I had never felt this with Sophia since I had an epidural. I was scared to push because I was scared of the pain. Finally, I sucked it up and pushed. I felt Bari pressing on stuff down there, I have no idea what she was doing. It felt like the biggest turd of my life working it's way out of me, and on it's way out, it was ripping me in half from my rectum to my urethra.

Then she was out. I felt the head come out, then the rest of her body. She was a big girl, she didn't slide out quite as quickly as I remembered Sophia sliding out, but it was still such a relief. She was born at 1:57pm, it took 4 pushes according to the nurse. She was 7 lbs. 13 oz, 20 inches long.

And just like that, I became a mother of two children. Just like that, my life would forever be different. They put her on top of me, my first thought was how much she looked like Sophia, but with SO MUCH HAIR. The cord was cut, but I don't remember seeing Anthony cut it. I remember holding her, and then delivering the placenta while holding her, and still having contractions. I told them that I was still contracting, and my thought was... well crap, she's out, no more contractions, this isn't fair :P Oh yes, then while I was holding Miss Gianna in her first few minutes of life she peed on me. Lovely.

After that, I felt like super woman. I even told that to Anthony and the nursing students. I'm pretty sure I said something like "Oh my gosh, I totally rock. Did you see what I just did?" They got her all cleaned up and brought me a tray of food to eat. That was it, I had had another baby. I did it without drugs, and I felt awesome.

On my way to postpartum, the nurse asked me, "So, you had your first with an epidural, and your second without any anesthesia or analgesia... how do you think you will do it next time?" I almost laughed in her face... next time? You seriously think I'm going through that again?? HAH! Yeah right lady!

Well, that was my thought right afterwards... I told you it hurt, didn't I?? Well, almost three weeks later, I can't wait to have another baby, and I can't wait to do it again all natural. Yes, it was the toughest experience of my life, but it was also the best experience of my life and I am so proud of myself for doing it. The next one we have will come on it's own time, like Gianna did, and I will let things happen naturally. With Sophia, since I tried to self induce, I ended up with a 16 hour labor that went nowhere that resulted in an epidural and pitocin. I was contracting, but not progressing. I dont think it was her time yet, and I rushed things along. With Gianna, I let things happen when they were to happen. She was born almost a week later than big sister (still before her due date), when she was suppose to be born, and it was the best labor experience for me by doing that.

So what I have learned about Miss Gianna... she cries alot! I think we are having issues with the formula/bottles and just tried out the Dr. Brown's bottles last night... things seem to be taking a turn for the better. She hates to wet or poop her diaper. AS SOON as she pees, she is crying. She hates to be undressed, but she likes the warmth of the bath on her head and body. She gets so quiet when we wash her hair, completely different from big sister. She doesn't like wide mouth nipples on bottles, only the standard size, takes a paci (and just about anything else put in her mouth, burp cloth, my cheek, her thumb, her arm), and seems pretty sensitive already. She is comfortable sleeping in her own bassinet, but will sleep snuggly next to me in bed. She is the opposite in so many ways of her big sister. She's such a girly looking baby, and I love her :)