My Labor Story

I wanted to put my "labor story" on paper before I forgot it. I woke up Tuesday morning very early (1 or 2 am) with false labor which kept me awake for most of the night. The contractions subsided sometime around 5:30 or 6 am. I was too stubborn to stay home from work. After a full day of work doing physical therapy with my home health patients, I was exhausted but had a great since of accomplishment--and frustration that all that moving around did not re-start the contractions. I did get lots of encouraging words from my patients! Most of them reassuringly said- "Don't worry, we won't see you Thursday!" Tuesday night around 10 pm the contractions started up again. Mike and I decided to try to "sleep" downstairs just in case we needed to get going quickly. It's really hard to sleep when you have gut wrenching pain every 7-10 minutes. Around 3 am Wednesday morning, the contractions stopped and Mike and I went to bed. Just two hours later, the contractions started again, but I could tell these were different. These contractions meant business. Several of them had me hanging onto the bathroom sink. I felt sick after almost every one. I refused to wake Mike up until I was completely sure these were the real thing. I figured this was the last good night's sleep he would get for about 18 years. At 8:00 am I called my mom in Kentucky and told her to pack her suitcase and get ready to leave at a moment's notice. My contractions were still not very regular and I didn't want a bunch of people sitting around my house staring at me. So, I tracked the contractions starting around 10 am, but they would fluctuate between 6 and 15 minutes apart, some really strong and some I could barely feel. All of the books said to wait until they were consistently 5 minutes apart before you went to the hospital. We only live 8 minutes from the hospital, so I knew we'd make it in time. My biggest fear was being sent home. Around 1:00 I called my OB, Dr. Saujani and they told me to come into the office at 2:00 to get checked. I made Mike pack the car before we left (just in case) with our suitcases and labor stuff ( I-pod and a little blue horse for the baby). We got there and WAITED AN HOUR!!!!! Can you believe that??? Anyway, when she checked me I was already dilated to 6 centimeters. I just about jumped for joy that I could finally go to the hospital and see my baby!!!! On the drive across the parking lot to the hospital, I called my parents and told them to come on down. We checked in to the Northeast GA Medical Center around 4pm and by the 6:00 news I was resting comfortably with my epidural. They administered some pitocin around 8 and broke by water around 9pm. Meanwhile, my parents were taking multiple detours to get to the hospital in time. I called them sometime after midnight and told them our boy would arrive on his due date and they could relax and take their time. It was around that same time that it started to storm. I took it as a sign from God that everything was going to be okay--we hadn't had any rain in weeks. The lightning and thunder were peaceful to me. I tried to nap off and on as much as possible, but was just too excited. Since I checked into the hospital, I hadn't been in very much pain and was pretty relaxed considering the situation. Mike tried to rest in this uncomfortable looking hospital recliner. My parents got there around 2:30am on Thursday. I was stuck at 7 cm. I sent them to our home to rest and said we'd call if anything happened. The nurse said it would probably be another 3-4 hours. Just a couple of minutes after they left, I asked the nurse if I could roll over onto my side for comfort. Doing that changed Landon's position somehow and I went from 7 cm to 10 cm and ready to push in a matter of minutes. I was holding onto the bed rail for dear life. My epidural was no longer working and I was in misery!! Poor Mike was trying his best to help, but I was starting to lose my mind. I thought there is no way I can do this another 3-4 hours. Something had changed and this kid was ready to come out. I felt like I needed to push. About that time, the nurse came in, checked me, said I was at 10 cm, and said I could start pushing. I thought--THANK YOU GOD!! To me, it felt like I pushed about 15 minutes. Mike said it was longer than that. I lost track of time when the epidural wore off. Mike was a great labor coach. He really helped me settle down and breathe between contractions and get the most out of my pushes. He was really coaching me up. The nurses were impressed with us as a team- I guess most husbands aren't helpful and most wives don't want to hear it! At 4:07 am, my life changed forever when Landon Gerald Riddle was born. At first, I didn't hear any crying and panicked a little, but Mike said..."he pooped on me as he came out!" That's my boy!! Then I heard the best sound ever, my baby's first cry! When they handed him to me, his eyes were open, his hair was thick, dark, and wet, and his little face was perfect. He had no blemishes or red marks--absolutely perfect! He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen!!! I instantly fell in love with my baby boy. Mike and I feel truly blessed to be Landon's parents. That's my story!!