We go to bed and I actually sleep really good. The next morning I wake up bright and early at 6:00 am with a contraction. I thought, I might be in labor. I woke Cam up and let him know that I had just had a contraction but it wasn't a big one and to go back to sleep. He had stayed home that day because he was working at Clean Harbors... Which is hours away and doesn't get good cell reception. I was also losing my mucous plug. I texted my friend Carolyn who was planning on watching Kaizie and let her know what was going on. We talked about how long she would keep her, and how much I didn't want to be in the hospital. I was planning on leaving a few hours after the birth.
I was keeping track of contractions on an app on my phone and they were consistently 9-11 minutes apart. I stayed in bed and tried to relax. Cam got up with Kaizie and I drank some dragon fruit vitamin water to stay hydrated and ate some left over little ceasars pizza. I wasn't really hungry but knew I would want to have some energy later. I fell back asleep until around 12 and I got up and showered. The shower felt wonderful but I knew I had to get out. I got dressed and tried to but some makeup on and curl my hair. By this time I was leaning on Cameron during contractions or over the counter and breathing through them. I still wasn't sure it was time. Finally Cam told me I needed to go because things were getting serious. I didn't want to. I walked out to our truck but he had to lift me in because a contraction hit the moment I tried to climb in. I called Carolyn around 2 and told her we were going to L&D so I could get checked. I asked her, "Do you think I am in labor?" She laughed like I was crazy and said, "Yes. I will see you at the hospital." Once we got on the freeway, the car ride was awful. We are about 30 minutes away from the hospital I had chosen to deliver at (The U). I think I might have been transitioning in the car. Now I was softly groaning through contractions and I could NOT sit on my butt. The pressure was unreal.
We finally got to the hospital and met Carolyn. I remember this sweet old man told me we had a beautiful family and asked me if we needed any help.... No. Haha. I just said thank you and after walking to the entrance I asked for a wheel chair.
She took Kaizie and her and Cam took me to L&D. Cam was yelling at the nurse to get me a room NOW but she insisted I go to triage which I was fine with. I had no idea why he was so huffy haha. I kissed my beautiful little girl goodbye. I get to triage and strip my jeans off. Cameron went to park the truck because he had left it up front (only to discover valet had parked it for him, whoops). I asked the nurse to help me on to the bed because another contraction hit. She helped me on and checked me, that's when shit got real. Your at a 9.5 with only a small cervical lip. My immediate response was, YEAH RIGHT. She laughed and said no, really, you are. The slammed the bed rails up covered me with a sheet and started running. I called Cameron and I said, get back here now. I'm at a 9. Get here now. Hurry up. They get me into a room and the room fills with people slamming things getting the delivery kit set up a nurse to put in a iv, everything. I didn't have a birth plan but had it written in my chart that I wanted to go natural. Nobody offered me pain meds. I asked if it was too late for IV pain meds and they said yes. So I labored in the bathroom and on the floor of the room and finally the bed on my hands and knees. My baby was posterior so I was trying to get her to turn. They midwife Lisa and her student midwife Heather kept asking me to push so I did. I worked through the contractions by chanting, Sah sah sah, over and over again, and swearing a lot. No yelling. At one point I went to bite down during a contraction, on Cameron's arm! He said please don't bite me, so I bit the pillow instead and ripped it open... No joke. The nurses probably thought I was crazy. Both the midwives were being so helpful and helping me cope and everyone was saying positive affirmations. Cameron was an amazing support. Finally on one push, my water broke. I just closed my eyes and said, oh shit. Because I knew things were about to get intense. But actually it wasn't that much worse. The midwives convinved me to turn on my side so I could push her out. Moving hurt so bad and I hated it when the nurse touched me. One of them was taking my remaining clothing off and tried to take my bra off so I could do skin to skin with baby. I told her I wanted to keep it on but she kept trying to take it off... Finally I yelled at her to stop and I wanted my bra on. Adalind was finally almost here, her head emerged and she was very blue. I was irritated at this point that they were rushing me to push her out because nobody told me what was going on. Finally Cameron turned to me and said, you have to push her out. Right now babe. Right now. You can do it. I knew I had to listen to him... And pushed with everything I had. Her cord was wrapped around her neck 4 times. The student midwife cut her cord and ripped her out, literally. At 4:33pm she was born. They placed her on my chest and I think I said, hi baby!! But I honestly don't remember. I started hemorrhaging really bad. They took my baby and told me this is going to hurt, the student midwife put her hand inside me and manually scraped my uterus looking for anything that was left behind. I was screaming. Screaming. Screaming. It was so painful. Much worse than birth. I kept bleeding and I was so in and out. They were violently massaging my uterus. They tried to place a second iv but nobody could get one. An anesthesiologist ran into the room and finally was able to place a 2nd IV. They were trying to transport me upstairs to preform a hysterectomy - nothing was working. Finally after pitocin, methergen, and two other medications, the bleeding slowed. Total I had lost over 2 liters of blood. They took away my baby and put her in the nursery because she had a low temp, but otherwise was fine. I was so relieved to hear she was ok.
I was separated from her and Cameron for 3 hours. A nurse brought me a pump and I pumped some colostrum, but she had to do everything. I could not move. I was in shock and shaking and so weak from the blood loss. I kept asking for my baby but the wretched nurse told me I was too weak to see her. Finally Cameron came back and he brought my sweet beautiful baby with him in one of those tiny bassinets. I truly got to meet my baby for the first time and I cried and cried and cried. I was so happy. And I cried some more because I couldn't hold her without help. My arms couldn't hold the 7lbs 14 oz of her. Cameron helped me, and finally I nursed her. Around midnight they moved me to Post partum and I had a normal recovery from there. They wanted to keep me for 5 days to monitor my hematocrit because of my hemorrhage but I said no. We left AMA The next evening.
Giving birth all natural to my beautiful little baby was amazing. I wish things had went a little smoother after she was born, but I'm still the luckiest mama ever and so happy, because I have this -
