Ty's Birth: Part 2 - Triage to Epidural

We got to the hospital around noon and Hubs dropped me off in the emergency entrance so that I could start checking in. We never did a hospital tour, but I was hoping that because I was an Emory patient (as in their OB practice) that I could just give them my name and they’d let me in. That’s pretty much how it worked. The lady took my name and insurance card, commented on how I didn’t appear to be in labor (eye roll) and asked me if I needed a wheel chair (I didn’t). Then Jase and I were escorted to what is now known to be a triage room. Here they assessed my contractions (strength, duration), the baby’s heartbeat, and my vitals. Since I was convinced they’d be sending me home, I pulled out Brew’s iPad to continue playing Tiny Tower (I looove Tiny Tower. Totally my kind of game – lol).  At this point it was a waiting game. Waiting for the doctor to check to see if I’m dilated, waiting to see the report on the baby’s heart rate, waiting to see when they’re sending me home.

The doctor came in and determined I was 3cm dilated. More than I'd thought. Right behind him comes the nurse...holding an IV kit. It was at this point that they told me they'd be keeping me. Not necessarily because of how far I'd dilated, but because the baby wasn't tolerating labor well. Specifically, his heart rate had been a little all over the place, and that it especially fell when I contracted. Not good. SO they were going to not only keep me, but induce me.  I hadn't wanted an induction, but I was willing to do whatever was necessary for Ty. It took a few nurses to find a good candidate vein for my IV but it was in my 1pm. Let me just tell you - the IV freaked me out. I'd never had one before, but I'd imagined it would be awful and it it was. I couldn't look at it for hours. After I got the IV timestamped (evidently you're not supposed to keep them in but for so long), I was rolled into a labor and delivery (L&D) room.

Once I got to L&D, I met my nurse I got hooked up to my IV cocktail (some fluids, some pitocin to jump start my labor), and tried to settle in to labor. Well, like I mentioned before I'd already spent half the day in labor so there was little relaxing. And the pitocin made it so much worse. I'd been there an hour or so before I told the nurse I needed some pain killers, and then lasted maybe another hour or so before I requested my epidural. I'd like to think that I might have made it further if I weren't induced, but I cant really be sure. Thankfully the nurse had given me a bag of fluid from the start because I needed to drain the bag (and my bladder several times) before I could get my epidural. 

Somewhere in here they decided to break my water. I was about 4cm at this point, and was on the pitocin. When they broke my water they discovered the baby had pooped in utero and proceeded to freak out. Its not a good thing when a baby poops in the womb because the fecal matter can get in their lungs and make them super sick. They couldn't really do anything about it at this point, but they had a heads up about it, and would need to take immediate action (mostly suctioning the poop out of his lungs/air cavity if its gotten there) as soon as Ty left my womb. For a reason I'm not really sure of, they decided to pump liquid back into my womb so that the baby could still have some water to float around in. Like I said, I dont really know why they did that, but it didn't hurt and I kinda forgot all about it...until the anesthesiologist arrived to give me my epidural.

In typical Patti fashion, at that moment I realized I needed to pee. But it was too late. In addition to the epi, I was getting a catheter (since I wouldn't be able to walk myself to the bathroom anymore) and they were going to insert the baby's monitor and the one that measures my contractions inside my uterus. Anyway, back to the epi. Once they explained the procedure, I was told to sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed. That's when I remembered/felt the water they'd pumped back into my uterus...as it was falling out of me! It basically felt like the bottom had fallen out of my bladder! I was so embarrassed. But I didn't have time to dwell on that because I was trying to concentrate on slouching and breathing and not moving so that I the gigantor needle they were inserting into my spine (that I was also trying NOT to concentrate on) wouldn't paralyze me. I am pleased to say it took longer for me to get into position than it did for them to actually do the procedure. Then I was told to lay down and the drugs were injected. I could feel the coolness from the injection moving through the tube (I was laying on it)... and the beginnings of another contraction... and then nothing. I couldn't feel my contractions anymore! I could finally relax. It was about 3 or 4pm.

About an hour or so after the epidural kicked in

[to be continued...]

♥