January 3, 2012
My due date. The day that Riley was fully baked and could come out. Did she? No way, she had much better plans. Where was I January 3rd? Working and at the mall shopping with my best friend. Try to walk this baby out of me. Did not work.
Forever Many months pregnant running around with my best friend.
January 4th, 2012
He also said "if I schedule a induction, 9 times out of 10 the women will go into labor on their own, so I want to try that. No it's not scientific proven but somehow it works"
He was not on call today, my next favorite doctor was on call. But he knew I was most comfortable with him and that I wanted him to take care of me. David and I had also gotten really close with him so he wanted to take care of us. It was just something we had all talked about before.
So he decided that since I had been 1 cm for about 4 weeks, he wanted to check me into the hospital January 5th, the next day. Thursday. 2:30. Be there, the doctor for that day, the one I was least comfortable with, would come in, and do a balloon catheter. It would help get my body to 4 cm "naturally" and hope that I would then go into labor on my own. For those of you wondering what a balloon catheter is, I'll explain. If you don't care to know just skip the next sentances and go to the next paragraph.It's a deflated "balloon" if you will. There are two of them, attached to each other. They stick it inside you and then fill it with fluids to inflate the "balloon". The point is to put pressure on your cervix and it helps to make you naturally dilate.
No medications. Just a little balloon. Okay, I was a little nervous about it. But I could do it. I had total faith and confidence in myself. I also prayed that I would go into labor tonight and wouldn't have to deal with any of this mess. Before we left he told us to go to insurance and scheduling and set all this up. Then he said "and if you go into labor tonight, call my assistant (a friend near and dear to my heart who works there) and she knows how to get in touch with me. I'll answer, I am not on call tonight but I'll come to take care of you guys" Total peace and comfort when he said that. I knew he wouldn't let us down. So we set it all up and off we go. On our way, the last time I'd leave that office pregnant with Riley.
January 5th, 2012
(Last picture being pregnant. Sorry if my belly grosses you out)
Our first nurse comes in and instructs me to put on my gown. The same gown I would wear for about forever hours and I did not like it. Then I got my IV. While getting my IV, another nurse is hooking me up to the moniters to check on Riley. They inform me that not only can I hear her and watch her but at their station that can hear and watch her too and if anything goes wrong it will alert them and they will be in my room in a flash. Okay good to know. A little scary too. As that same nurse is turning on the machines, she falls silent.
Scary silent.
David and I both kind of freeze.
Yesterday everything was fine.
What's going on.
She looks at me and says "Darling on a scale of 1-10 what is you pain. 1 being you feel a teeny tiny pinch but nothing to serious, like a headache. 10 being you just got in a car crash and broke all your bones at once."
"hmmmm a -3...Why?" I say
"Well it looks like you are having of the charts contractions every 2-3 minutes, I am going to get you something for pain"
"But I don't need it, I am fine." As I sit there and crack a joke or two laughing with David and the other nurse.
"Okay well if you need anything for pain, don't wait too long"
"Yes ma'am, thank you"
Honestly all I could think about was how hungry I was and how I was dying for something to eat.
They informed me the doctor would be in around 4 to give me my balloon catheter but I was not limited to only the bed and I could eat and drink water up until midnight. Okay perfect. I ask David to go get food while we wait for the doctor. Too bad everything was closed. So we had to wait.
4pm rolls around no doctor.
5pm still no doctor but David was able to go get me Moes. A wonderful burrito. Last meal as a pregnant woman and it was divine.
6pm no doctor.
Finally at 7:30 the doctor comes in and begins to explain the catheter to me and prep everything. David grabs my hand. He knows I will need it. Without me even asking. Perfect I tell you.
It took all of 3 minutes for the catheter to be put in me and then the fluids. The pressure was unreal but it was not painful. All I knew was I was ready for this to get over with so I could go to the bathroom. Finally, it was done and he cleans it up and tells me to relax and that my doctor will be in to induce me at 7am. Just relax and enjoy yourself. and Try not to watch too much TV. He laughs. David and I do too.
I ask my nurse to unhook my machines so I could go to the bathroom and she does. She says be careful and call me if you need me. David had gone on the quest to find a drink machine and so I went potty.
As I did, I felt a gush. Oh gosh what was that I wonder. And I look down and there's my balloon catheter. Yep it was in for all of 10 minutes. I freak. I call the nurse and she comes and calms me and helps me clean up. She asked "did you strain when you went to the bathroom?"
"Um no all I had to do was go pee"
"Hmm that's weird, well the doctor is not going to want to put another in, so I guess you should just get some rest and we will just induce you in the morning"
"oh sure great that sounds wonderful"
In the mean time, these things called contractions I was having, where getting stronger with or without my notice. I was still not feeling them but the machine was telling me I was having them. And so was David. He was enjoying watching the machine asking well...and I just continue doing whatever I was doing.
David and I conitnue hanging out, talking, watching tv, and playing games.
9pm my dear sweet best friend comes for a visit. Stops by to say hello and bring a few laughs. She also comes to beg Riley to make this deliver quick so she can see her before she leaves for Charlotte for the weekend. She leaves around 10:30 deciding I need to get some rest because I had a long day tomorrow.
So I begin what will be a short nap little to my knowing.
David in his highly uncomfortable chair bed thing, me in mine, we both dooze off.
11:04
A sharp pain in my back wakes me up. Felt like I needed to poo. I try to look at the machine to see if I was having a contraction but then I realize that I never got rehooked up because they were going to let me sleep without the machines. How thoughtful.
The urge is back. I decided it's because I need to go potty. I get up stumble to the bathroom. Sit down and its gone. Ah thank goodness, relief. It was too bad but just not comfortable. I walk back to bed and David ask if I was okay.
My exact words "I think I just had a contraction"
He laughs and said "Most likely"
11:06
It's back. I walked back to the bathroom. Still nothing but the second I sit down it's gone.
11:46
David falls asleep while I toss and turn in bed. I attempt to get comfortable I can't. I sit, I stand. I walk. I breath. I do it all. But the second the pain is gone. I am fine again.
I do this for 4 hours. 11pm until 2am. I was able to get some rest and dooze off here and there but never for more than 15 minutes.
January 6th, 2012
2:14 am
I can't take it anymore. I'm standing up, going to the bathroom, bending over my bed, trying to do everything to get comfortable without waking David. After all I wanted to be a good wife and let him rest because 7am was going to be a big deal for us when they came into induce me.
Thank God my miracle of a nurse comes in right as I am hunched over my bed, breathing, getting the pain to leave me. Praying. She was petite. Really little, I'll never forget. She scared me because I was so in the zone of breathing I didn't realize she came in. She say "honey are you okay"
David is startled and wakes up.
First words out of my mouth "I need pain medication and now please. I am so uncomfortable. I can't take it anymore."
David is a little worried. "Why didn't you wake me"
I don't even answer, I am too focused on getting this contraction over with.
My nurse instructs me to lay down and she will get me some IV medication but first she needs to check me. Make sure she gives me the right thing for my pain. I lay down but here comes another pain in my back.
I was having horrible back labor.
David holds my hand and tells me to breath. My petite little nurse tries to check me.
She looks up and say "I can't for sure say but I think you are 4 or so cm dilated. I am a little too small, I'll go get someone"
I kid you not, she goes and gets this girl who was 6 foot 4. Tall as David's college best friend. I was scared, I knew this meant business.
She checks "Darling your 7 cm dilated"
David and I blank stare at her, a look like what, can you repeat that.
Without any verbal cues she says "You have gone into labor on your own, we are going to hook you up to the machines, order you an epidural and your going to have a baby by the sun rise this morning."
David and I laugh and give a silent Thank you Jesus. He answered my prayers. He knew how scared I was about being induced.
2:36 am
Let me tell you these people at McLeod move fast. Either that or they could see how much pain I was in. I was in so much pain, I could have sworn my anastealogist who was giving me the epidural works out at the Health and Fitness Center and had a 7 year old that came into the MACK all the time. Wrong, she was not even married. Wow I felt dumb.
In comes my anastealogist to give me my epidural. My favorite nurse of the night, Robin, my mid wife if you will. The one that stuck by my side from this point on out. She warned me it would hurt. But she instructed me to breath. My anastealogist was so awesome I didn't feel a thing. Not even the needle that would numb my back so she could put in the epidural. Lyman baby #2 I'll be requesting her again. She was wonderful.
Once I got my epidural it was smooth riding until 5:15.
5:15 am
I was just about to fall in a light nap when all of the sudden I felt a huge gush. My water broke. Just like that. I sit up so fast and look over to tell David to go get the nurse that when I look to his chair he is was already at the door "Umm her water broke."
And this is when the pushing began. Robin came in. I learned so much about her and she learned so much about us. She told us about all her working years and her 5 kids and how David and I were so fun to work with and much more. I loved her. She encouraged me when I couldn't do it no more. She held my hand when I was ready to quit. She helped David encourage me. She was just all around awesome.
David was AMAZING. He did everything I asked. He held my hand, he held my leg, he rubbed my head, he got me a cold rag. He did EVERYTHING. He encouraged me.
Without these 2 and my other 2 nurses, I couldn't have done it.
I pushed for so long, I remember freaking out because I thought the doctor wasn't coming. He came in at 6ish. By that time my watching the clock was not so good because I was so focused.
When he walked in I said "Okay take position this baby is coming RIGHT NOW"
He laughed, mind you he was still in his khaki's and polo from being woken. He said "I have to go change into my work clothes, give me 5 minutes"
"But I don't have 5 minutes, I need you now" This was not my doctor this was one in of the 4 in the practice.
I continued to push while he changed.
When he came back in I was no longer calm and rational, I was screaming and shouting.
Just a few of the things I said that cracked David and I up later where
"I am going to throw up everywhere" by this point I had been pushing for about an hour and 30 minutes. All the nurses stopped. No one knew what to do or say. The doctor just says someone get her a bowl. I take it and threw it, "I don't need this" I was mean.
The last thing I remember saying was "I can't (insert your choice bad word) do it anymore"
This is when they got worried. I was crying, I was so worn out, I was hurting, and I was beyond tired.
Calm and collected my doctor says "Yes Grace you can, and you will. Just keep pushing. Your doing great."
"No I can't, it hurts, I'm tired and I just want my baby, This flat out sucks"
"Do you want the vacuum?"
"Whatever will get her out, do it"
So they insert the vacuum on her head, and what they failed to mention was once they stuck the vacuum on her head and started pulling, I could NOT stop pushing. Ten STRAIGHT minutes of pushing. Little to no breaks what so ever. But it was worth every ten minutes because at
7:12 am out came my little baby Riley Danielle Lyman.
7 pounds 12 ounces
(First Family photo, don't mind my roughness)
(Daddy and baby's first picture together)
With a HEAD FULL OF HAIR.
(The first picture of Riley)
David was having him moment and I look up at him and smile. First words out my mouth "God she has FAT legs" Not really but I was just so happy to see rolls because I knew she was a healthy baby.
All the nurses start laughing. I even see the doctor crack a smile. Oh me. I am funny sometimes.
(Proud daddy)
And our lives together began.
Oh we didn't tell anyone we were in labor. We let that be a shock to EVERYONE. Even my poor sweet mom in walked in right when it was all happening. Scared her lifeless for a moment there.
If you made it this far and read the whole thing, bless your heart. Thank you for reading it. I hope you enjoyed it.
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