I left his office and drove to Popeyes to pick up lunch. I NEEDED TO STRESS EAT. I bought the spiciest meal they had knowing that spicy food was known to induce labor. On the way back to work I felt a cramp.... like a period cramp. Like one I would normally pop Tylenol for. When I got to work I asked my coworkers, most of which have children, if what I experienced was a contraction and they are agreed "Uhhh yea Ash, why are you even still at work?" Now since my first stress test I had been bouncing on the yoga ball at night and eating pineapples but never really imagined Id go into labor before my due date, so I believe I was in shock and that's why I finished out my work day experiencing contractions every hour or so. Once home I showered and got right back to bouncing away on my yoga ball. My husband came home, I told him about my day and the contractions and he was as cool as a cucumber about it. He stated, "I think she is coming this weekend for sure." Uhh yea still in shock total disbelief. So then my parents arrived for dinner. They caught the auto train from Florida to Virginia and drove into town. What's ironic is that their trip was planned since January to come into Baltimore September 4th, even with my due date being September 11th. My parents are soothsayers I tell you. So during dinner I shared that I was experiencing contractions. I was so calm about it I almost feel like they didn't believe it either. By the time we finished up dinner the contractions were about 45 minutes apart but they were stronger. At this point I was ready to clear out my house and let my body do what it do. Alls I know is I needed to get into the shower and I needed my parents to leave and to know that I would call them when we went to the hospital. Easier said then done because of course at this point my parents were super worried and didn't want to leave my side. But I needed them to trust my process. I went to the bathroom believing the spicy chicken from lunch had turned on me and discovered I lost my mucus plug. THIS WAS THE REAL DEAL.
I jumped into the shower and got out my contraction counter app. At this point im wondering where my husband was because I told him I was about to get into the shower and to come and assist me. Welp... my parents were not budging. Haha they were so worried and wouldn't leave. After an hour of coaxing from my husband they finally left. He then came and checked on me in the bathroom. At this point it was around 9pm, my first contraction at lunch time was around 1 pm. I assured him I was ok, my contractions were around 30 minutes apart and told him to take a nap because this baby was probably coming tonight or tomorrow and I knew he was exhausted from work. I spent the next 3 hours... yes 3 HOURS in the shower timing contractions. In 3 hours they went from 30 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart. That's when I peeled myself out of the bathtub floor and went to my kitchen to find something to eat... my last meal. For some reason I settled on a blue ICEE freeze cup of all things. After I ate that I used my Brookstone massager on my lower back. Then my contractions ramped up and I made my way to my bedroom and woke Torin up with one statement. I simply stated "ITS TIME." We were so sure I wasn't going into labor until my due date that we had nothing packed except her diaper bag. So I scrambled to pack a hospital bag for him and I while getting dressed and timing my contractions. We shuffled out to our van and were on our way to St Joseph's.
It was now 1 am. Once we arrived at the hospital I realized I had no idea what entrance or where we should go. We showed up to a part of the hospital that was pitch black, Torin ran in then ran back out after realizing that wasn't it. Then we headed to the emergency department. Once there we checked in at the front desk and they placed me in a wheelchair because the contractions were getting really REAL. I was wheeled to labor and delivery triage for the emergency department. Another woman was behind the partition next to me with her entire family. While the nurse was checking all my vitals I overheard the midwife tell the woman next to me to "Go home, you aren't dilated enough yet. Stay off your feet and return when your contractions are 3 minutes apart." My stomach sank. I did NOT want to be sent home, I was sure I was in labor. I changed into my hospital gown in the bathroom and shuffled back out to the bed. The on call midwife came and checked my cervix and I was 2 cm dilated. My belly was hooked up to a heart rate monitor and again they informed me my baby's heart rate was rising and falling. At this point she kept it straight with me. Either I was going to need to induce or possibly have a c section if the heart rate stayed this way and if I didn't dilate further in the next 2 hours. My heart sank even further. Torin was my rock though and reassured me that everything would be ok. Two hours later the midwife returned and checked my cervix I was now 5 cm dilated so they sent me to the actual labor and delivery ward.
Once there I was hooked up to the heart rate monitor for baby girl. From 4 am to 8 am my blood pressure was taken and the heart rate monitor showed her heart rate rising and falling. The doctor on staff was worried as well as my nurse. They informed me I must induce or risk having a c section. I DID NOT WANT A C SECTION so I conceded and allowed the induction. I was given Pitocin. Now I was always told that Pitocin contractions were the worst pain imaginable and boy was everyone right. Contractions...well normal ones felt like horrible period cramps, Pitocin contractions felt like the worst stomach virus you ever had in life coming every minute lasting 30 seconds each time. I withstood the Pitocin contractions for an hour and a half before I buckled and buzzed the nurse requesting... no demanding an epidural. Something I promised myself I would never do. But at this point with the knowledge of my baby's heart rate rising and falling and the Pitocin contractions I was too overwhelmed and didn't want to completely hate my birth experience. The anesthesiologist came in and administered the epidural. During the administration I experienced 2... yes 2 contractions. I was sure I was going to jerk my body and be paralyzed for life but my petite nurse held me down so that I didn't moved. Between the epidural and the contraction pain I threw up twice... and yup it was BLUE ICEE colored. Gross! For the next 4 hours I was mostly numb from my waist down and my left leg was completely numb, I had no control of it. My cervix was checked at 10 am and I was now 6 cm dilated. My nurse suggested the peanut ball to be placed between my legs to promote dilation. The peanut ball is a yoga ball shaped like a peanut. You are rotated from your left side to your right side every 20 minutes with the ball between your legs to promote dilation.
At 12 noon my nurse was checking the heart rate monitor every 20 minutes and was really alarmed at the way my baby's heart rate was rising and falling since we were checked into the hospital. She decided to hook me up to a heart rate monitor as well to see how I was doing. This is when she discovered the entire time the baby's heart rate monitor was picking up my heart rate as well. Thusly it was showing a high rate which is normal for babies and a lower rate which is normal for adults. After this revelation I felt the biggest relief of my life. I think this helped me dilate to the full 10 cm because my cervix was checked at 1:45pm and I was 10 cm dilated! At this point the midwife nurse and NICU team were ushered into the delivery room. I was assured that the NICU team was there just in case the baby was actually in distress once delivered. This entire time my water had yet to break. So at 1:55pm the doctor gave my midwife the OK to break my water. They readied Torin and my nurse into position, one on either side of me, holding my legs back and my midwife broke my water. She then instructed me to bear down and push. Now with the epidural I couldn't feel anything but they described what pushing would feel like and I guess my muscle memory kicked in because 5 pushes and my baby "shot out of my vagina" as my husband put it. She came out and was whaling immediately. She was born at 2:05 pm weighing 5 lbs 13 ounces at 19.5 inches long. I FELT AMAZING! To know she had lung capacity and she was here and she was ok. They quickly wiped her off and placed her on my chest. Best feeling ever! Then she was whisked across the room to the NICU team who was stationed in the back of the room. They made she was ok, checking all her vitals. She had a low body temperature so she had to be kept under a heat lamp for a bit and she had a touch of jaundice. I then was instructed to push out my placenta. I informed them I wanted to keep my placenta but since I had an interesting delivery I was instructed the hospital needed to study the placenta so I couldn't keep it. I was slightly crushed but nothing could kill my high of just delivering my baby girl.
My husband held Brave Amelia Matthews for the first time and wept tears of joy. I was experiencing the best part of my life and I basked in every single second. Brave's birth story was filled with curveballs and revelations but I wouldn't have it any other way. She came into the world with a bang... my brave one was here. I am a mom. We are a family.
Here are a couple of pictures and short clips of our experience...
