Her birth was for the most part, text-book. I started laboring on the 23rd of November around 11am and noticed my contractions were stronger than they had been in the weeks before. I drank a lot of water and tried laying on my side and a bunch of other positions to see if this was false labor or the real deal. My contractions didn't go away so I let Jeremy know I was in the early stages of labor and I would keep him updated.
I had a regular OB appointment at 3:05pm that afternoon which my mom ended up having to drive me to since my contractions became a lot stronger and I couldn't drive myself. Once at the doctors, I was checked and was at a good three cm and 80% thinned and having contractions three-five minutes apart but my doctor wanted me at four cm and at least 90% thinned and contractions three minutes apart consistently before she would admit me. She suggested I go home and go for a walk to get things moving along and to call if my contractions became three minutes apart consistently and stronger.
So my mom and I headed home and the second I walked in the door my contractions became stronger and more consistent. I let Jeremy know he needed to get home quick because my contractions were way stronger and luckily he was already on his way. Around 5:30pm Jeremy got home, showered and installed the carseat and my mom, Jeremy, and I were off to the hospital again.
In triage I was still at three cm but almost at four cm. They had me go for a walk along the halls and about 30 minutes in I felt nauseous and light-headed after every contraction. We headed back into the triage room and my nurse checked me again and I had progressed almost two cm more to almost five cm dilated. My nurse gave me the good news I could be admitted and asked if I wanted an epidural to which I responded very quickly, YES!
We arrived to my room at shift change and my new nurse came in and introduced herself as Sarah and she turned out to be the most amazing nurse EVER! She got my IV in and drew my blood for the lab since the anesthesiologist wanted to make sure my platelet levels were good before giving me my epidural due to my heart palpitations. It was only supposed to take 15 minutes or so but the lab was seriously lagging and after Sarah gave them a good yelling, they got my labs done and the anesthesiologist came in the give me the magical stuff.
I was really nervous for the epidural. The thought of a giant needle going into my back freaked me out but honestly, once I was in the moment and having the most painful contractions, I didn't even care, I just wanted relief. The epidural ended up being painless and I soon felt SO much better. My mood lightened and I could make jokes and actually talk with my husband and my mom.
After my epidural was administered, the doctor on call checked me and I was already at seven cm! While we waited for me to progress even more, we watched dancing with the stars. Soon my contractions became even more painful, to the point they were overriding my epidural, and I felt the slight pressure in my back like I needed to push. Sarah checked me and I was at ten cm and ready to go!
I ended up pushing in every position imaginable. On my back, side, hands and knees, and squatting. I needed oxygen at one point since London decided she didn't like the contractions much. I pushed for two hours and finally at 1:39am, London Rose Gordon made her grand entrance into this world. I had a 2nd degree internal tear with about eight stitches and it was worth every ounce of pain I went through.
Meet our sweet London Rose
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