birth story

We woke up at 4:58, two minutes before we were supposed to be at the hospital. Whoops. I was dilated to a three and having strong contractions about 4-6 minutes apart when I got to the hospital. After explaining to the nurse that I am in painful false labor for the entire last month of my pregnancy, they gave me prostaglandin gel. Within seconds I was in hard labor. Very hard. I wanted to go get in the Japanese soaking tub, but I collapsed in pain after taking about three steps. I endured another couple hours of intense pain (including sciatic nerve pain which I had never before experienced) before giving in and getting an epidural.

Epidurals are the best invention ever. The combination of pitocin/having my water broken produces deadly pain. I'm pretty sure I would have died from pain if I didn't abandon my hopes of a natural birth during Max's delivery. Anyway, I was progressing at a couple of centimeters an hour. When I got to a six the doctor broke my water. Assuming that it would be another couple of hours, the doctor left, my nurse took her lunch break, and J-P went to the cafeteria to get lunch.

Fifteen minutes later a different nurse walked in because the baby's heart rate was dropping. As she started to put the oxygen mask on my face I told her that I was feeling a LOT of pressure. Then she checked me. I saw her eyes open wide with panic as she said "you're at a 10...DON"T PUSH!" I felt the urge to push so strongly (even through the epidural) that I couldn't stop. I started screaming and told the nurse that I couldn't stop. She turned my epidural all the way up and soon I felt nothing. Neither J-P nor the doctor answered their phones. J-P walked in as they were paging him. The doctor (luckily) decided to come check on me just in time. The page to come came through on his phone as he was sewing me up.

Upon first glance she looked just like Max, only white. Really white. Her vernix was very thick and everyone commented that she had to be more than a week early. Her apgar score was a 9.9, only because they "never give 10's".

Ava Lucia

arrived oct. 23
7 lbs 3 oz
20 3/4 inches

(see more pics HERE)

almost 39 weeks

At my appointment on Wednesday the doctor stripped my membranes before I told him that J-P was going out of town for a week, without much possibility of making it back in time for the birth (should it happen while he is gone). Stripped membranes, coupled with a baby dropped "as low as it can go", and being dilated to almost a 3 is, according to the doc, a recipe for going into labor at any second. He said that if J-P wanted to be there then we should induce before he leaves. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I never actually go into labor on my own, I just took him up on the offer.

So, today is my last day of being pregnant. I'm a little sad. I love being pregnant (aside from yucky medical compression nylons). I love little babies more though, so it's an easy trade. Wish me luck.

getting closer

I am 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant. At this point days count. This weekend we tried EVERYTHING to jump start labor (aside from castor oil and herbal potions). And it worked. I was up ALL night with painful, regular contractions. As the sun came up they got further apart...and finally they were far enough apart that I could fall asleep. And then they were gone.
Now I face the very real possibility of giving birth all alone. Not so excited about that. At all. J-P will be at Duke until my due date, so at this point all we can do is pray that this little lady doesn't make her debut until he gets back. And that she doesn't get too big in the interim.
J-P took me out to La Grande Orange on Friday since he won't be here for my birthday. I had been anticipating this date for months, as we never get the chance to go out. I spent extra time at the gym so as to be able to work up an appetite to eat whatever my little heart desired. As we stepped foot into the lovely little restaurant, the power simultaneously went out and my dreams of eating fig and prosciutto pizza were deflated.
The boys are doing great (if we don't factor in potty training, which still hasn't been accomplished). They are very helpful and sweet and respond pretty well to time-out threats. Ian sucks his thumb in his sleep (he has NEVER once sucked it while awake), and it's about to fall off. He has open sores/blisters from teeth marks and I have NO idea what to do remedy the situation. Any advice will be readily accepted. We also need some major help in the baby names department. I'm starting to worry that our impending arrival will be nameless. The names I like are SUPER popular and the non-conformist in me is preventing me from choosing a popular name. The problem: I don't like any unpopular names. So, we are at a standstill in the selection process. All advice and suggestions are eagerly accepted.