It all started on Monday, December 1oth. I went to my doctor's appointment Monday afternoon hoping it would be my last. I was 40 weeks and 3 days along, and I was definitely over being pregnant. I was swollen, huge, had a rash across my belly, and was tired of hearing labor stories from everyone at work. There had been no progression since the previous 2 appointments. I was still 2 cm. dilated. Dr. Barcio said if nothing happened before Friday, I would need to come in so they could do a nonstress test and have an ultrasound so they could check my fluid levels. She said the earliest she would be able to medically induce was the following Monday. She then asked if I would be interested in being induced before that if there was any availability at the hospital. I said "Of course", and when she asked if I had any preferences on when my response was "As soon as possible!". She called the hospital and the only availability they had before the following Monday was a stand-by spot the next day. She sent me home with instructions of no food or drink after midnight and to wait for a call from the hospital the next morning to see if they had room.
I left the Dr.'s office feeling excited but not optimistic that I was going to get induced the next day. That evening we made phone calls to family and I sent an email to work, and we actually had a very relaxing night at home, considering how close we were to Aubrey's arrival. Maybe it was better I didn't let myself believe or even imagine the next day was going to be the day because I got a full night's sleep.
Dr. Barcio had told me the hospital would call sometime between 5am and 7am to let me know if they would have a room available that day. She said if I hadn't heard from them by 7am, I could then call the hospital to check. I didn't set my alarm and slept until close to 6am. No phone ever came. 7am came and went and since I hadn't heard anything, I made the call. The nurse told me that they were planning on admitting me that day and they were trying to schedule a nurse to come in. Wow! I couldn't believe it was finally going to happen. She said they would call me back before noon to let me know what time I needed to be there. She also told me I could eat a little something, so I ate a piece of toast. I was too nervous to eat any more. Matt went to work to get his classes ready for a sub for the next week. I sent a few emails to let friends know what was going on, took a shower, and finished packing my hospital bag. The nurse called back shortly thereafter and told me to be at the hospital by 11:00.
Here's me right before we left for the hospital:
On the way to the hospital, we decided on her name. We had 3 names and we hadn't been able to pick one. I thought I would decide when I saw her. For some reason on the way there, it all finally felt real, and I knew our Aubrey was on her way. I told Matt I thought we should name her Aubrey, and he said ok.
We got to the hospital, went right up to labor and delivery, and were shown our room. The nurse quickly hooked me up to the Pitocin and the monitors, and Dr. Barcio came by on her lunch break to check on me. She broke my water and everything seemed to be going fine. The nurse told me I could request the epidural whenever I was ready for it. I waited for awhile and think it was sometime late afternoon that I finally decided I was ready. I seemed to be progressing steadily.
The rest of that day is sort of a blur to me. Our families arrived. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and Matt's parents all got on the road as soon as they learned we were going to the hospital. They spent the night in the waiting room and entertained themselves with cards and movies.
I got the epidural, then it stopped working, then they tried to re-charge it a few times, but that didn't seem to work. They finally decided to give me another one, which worked wonderfully and allowed me to sleep for a few hours. Poor Matt didn't sleep at all. In the middle of all of that, the Dr. decided that Aubrey wasn't centered and was too far on my right side, so they had me get on my hand and knees and stay like that for 30 minutes to try and her her more to the center of my belly.
I think it was sometime after 3:00 am when the nurse came in and said it was time to start pushing. So I pushed, alot, but we weren't getting anywhere. Sometime around 5:00 am, Dr. Barcio asked how I felt about a C-section. I told her whatever it took to get that baby out.
I remember fighting to keep my eyes open during the procedure, them bringing her around to show her to me, and that's it. All I wanted was to see my baby and then I was out. I am so glad we decided on the name before. I woke up an hour later in recovery.
It was all worth it. Every moment of those 18 hours that I was in the hospital waiting for her arrival and every month of my pregnancy and everything that came with it was worth it. I can't really remember what life was like before Aubrey was in it, yet it amazes me she's only been in my life for a year. She truly means the world to me and I am so blessed to have Matt and her as my family. I'm not sure what we did to deserve her, but we are so thankful at how fortunate we have been.
