Long Haul

It was nearly impossible for Chris to get a decent picture of me.. I was just not cooperating... So this is what we have to work with. PAH!

I never know what to say to people when they ask, "So, did you have a natural labor?" To me, that just doesn't make sense. Did I give birth? Did I carry a child 9 (I swear it's more like 10...) months? Did I give birth to a human baby? All those questions go through my head... What do you mean??

With that said, I gave birth, once again, naturally...

With J, I got a (GASP!) epidural. I didn't really care either way, particularly. I'm not much of a tree hugger, but at the same time, I'm no druggie. I hate most medication, and will do most I can to avoid it, generally causing a lot of unnecessary pain. But, like I said, I'm no tree hugger. Moving on: my heart rate got all crazy, I was border-line seizures (not a good idea), and before I knew it, I was having a "pain-free" labor (WONDERFUL WAY TO GO!!). However, 6 hours later, the epidural came to a screeching halt, and I endured the last 10 hours of labor in hysterics, absolutely convinced I was dying. Not a pretty picture.

So, I didn't want to get an epidural this time.

I was going to go "all natural".

And that I did.

Whether I wanted to or not...


Around 9:00 AM they put me on pitocin. I had been having contractions, but they just were not doing anything (as usual). I realized my doctor must have told on me, how I had been having contractions for eons, and nothing was happening. The trader.

I really owned this labor at this point. I worked it, instead of it working me. I had replayed J's labor again and again, and knew all the things I was going to do different this time. I knew this time the bed was my enemy, and I would do my darnedest to stay out of it. So, hooked up to all my different fancy machines, my IV, and now pitocin (yuck), I hiked up my britches, and away we went walking the halls of the famous Castle Hospital.

Did I mention my nurse was a man?? Ya, totally awesome! I was way weirded out when he first walked into the room, but he was the coolest! Whenever I would ask if I could do anything, he would say, "Well, Chapman wouldn't let you, but I say go for it!!" he was THE BOMB. Oh, and he never "checked me" (Chapman always did), so, there was only admiration for this man... no weirded out-ness.

Anyway, into the halls we went. For hours on end. The pitocin contractions were a joke, totally on top of each other, but like I said, I owned this labor, and showed it who was boss. The pain came as waves, and I would just walk through them, without stopping. I learned that when I stopped, it actually has harder. It was good to physically walk through the pain, and well as mentally. I would walk for about an hour and half, then come and sit on the exercise ball for an hour and half, then back to the halls. I was really into how how well I was doing, and was told so by the different nurses who saw us cruising the hallway.

Then Chapman came in around noon. I was still a 3. Ya ya.

Back to the walking and exercise ball.

Chapman came back in around 3:00 PM. I was still a 3. Go figure.

Back to my routine.

Chapman came back in around 6:00 PM. I was still a 3. Seriously? "3 must be your number! You were stuck at a 3 with J, too!" Chapman laughed. I didn't.

She broke my water.

There is little I can think of in this life that is more physically exhausting and painful then having pitocin contractions on top of each other, after your water is broken. The really crummy thing about this point, was that Chapman told me I now had to stay in bed... BED. My worse enemy. URGH.

This was simply the start of the really ugly part.