Claire Ann Jamison 7-25-2012

I woke up in the dark. The only light I could see was the alarm clock showing 5:40. As I lay there I felt something different. My stomach had tightend which was normal, but it was accompanied by something new. A slight pain that was deep in my low abdomen which I hadn't felt before. I instantly knew that this was a "real" contraction. I had a quick flash of both excitement and anxiety. I laid there waiting for another one to come, and I kept waiting.... finally an hour went by and I again felt this new strange contraction. I was suddenly overcome with a very peaceful, comforting warmth and a small voice saying, "everything will be okay". I didn't mention any of this to my Mom or Matt when they woke up because I didn't want to get anyone falsely excited! We had breakfast (blue berry muffins, cantaloup, and ham) after we ate I went to use the restroom when an even more surprising thing happened. I lost my mucus plug and as soon as I saw that I yelled for Matt. He came in and I told him with tears in my eyes and he just had the most excited smile and even a few tears!  We looked up on the internet what that exactly meant and it said that it could still be days even weeks. It meant that I was progressing which was good, but still could have meant I had a ways to go. We headed out for a walk (as soon as my Mom's feet hit texas soil we had been walking non stop!) It was a beautiful morning and there were some spectacular clouds in the sky, we talked about how if Claire were born today we would have to tell her about the clouds! Contractions were still coming through out the morning but not very often and not very consistently! In the middle of eating lunch my Mom's wanting of rain was granted. We grabbed our new big cammo umbrella we had bought the day before and went out to play in the rain! We went out on the dock and sat on the bench under our little bit of umbrella protection while the rain poured down around us. It had been the perfect day!

Earlier that morning the boarder collie dog named Boo had been hit by a car. He was doing alright but needed to be taken to a different vet and hour away for a procedure. It was late afternoon and Matt said he was leaving to take Boo. The contractions were about every half hour and pretty consistent at that point so I told Matt I wasn't sure he should go but he told me he would have his phone on him and he could come as soon as I needed. About a half hour after he left the contractions had gotten much closer about 7-10 minutes apart. My doctor's nurse told me to come in as soon as they were every five minutes consistently. I called Matt and he told me to try laying down, drinking water, and using the restroom, which were all things we learned at our birthing class! If that didn't slow the contractions then I was in active labor. After trying all of those methods they were still every five minutes so I called Matt and he started to head to the hospital. We packed up a few of our last minute things and Suzanne drove my Mom and me to the hospital. Not exactly how I had imagined going but I was excited none the less. The drive there was surreal, the contractions weren't extremely painful, it just didn't feel real, or that this was going to happen today! Everyone had talked about how it would be cool to have her on Pioneer Day but I did not think that it would really happen. I was almost positive that when we arrived they would send me home and say I wasn't in labor!

When we arrived I was greeted with a huge hug from Matt and we headed back to the waiting area and it was about 6 pm. They hooked me up to a few monitors, one reading contractions and one keeping track of the babies heart beat. They didn't come back for almost an hour and I was getting very impatient! I wanted to know if they were going to keep us or send us home. When they finally checked me I was 80% effaced and barely a 2. Our nurse told us that she would have us walk around the hospital (which had initially been built to be a mall so it had a great set up for walking) for 2 hours and then they would check me again. If I hadn't progressed they would send me home and if I had they would keep me. Off we went on what my mom called, "our walk to parenthood!" The cafe was closed so they took turns walking with me and sitting to eat some vending machine food. About an hour into the walk I had become extremely uncomfortable. I could barely walk through the contractions and a few of them put me into instant tears. It felt very strange to be completely fine one moment and then absolutely opposite the next. The contractions had started coming about every 2 minutes and were very intense!

So around 8:30 we headed back to get checked. Luckily and not surprising to me I had progressed to a 3 and was 90% effaced. There was a new nurse there and her name was Tip a sweet little Asian women who was slightly hard to understand. She told us they would get our room ready and I could get an epidural in 30 minutes. I was in so much pain but I figure I could do this for 30 minutes, Matt was very great with helping me try and handle the pain. I had met with an anathesiolgist a few weeks prior to find out with my back condition what would be best for labor. He told me that because the epidural would be inserted higher than my problem area I would be fine to get one if I wanted. I knew that I would want one because I do not have a very high tolerance for pain. I knew I made the right choice when my contractions had were coming every minute I could barely make it through without wanting to throw up or pass out. A half and hour had passed and Tip came back and told us the room wasn't ready and it would be another 30 minutes, I just wanted to cry. . The room we were in was separated by four curtains and there were two other women in the other beds. I felt bad that they had to listen to me struggle through my pain. When the second thirty mins passed I told my Mom to go see what was taking so long! She came back and told me they were waiting for the floors to dry because they were damp. I said through gritted teeth, "I don't care if the floors are damp just get me my room!!!" after my little fit we all started laughing and I felt very silly! Shortly after Tip came in and took us to our room.

 

 Matt and my Mom had to leave while the Annethsioligist put in my epidural. It was a very fast process, and beside the fact I was still having painful contractions the only pain was the little pinch/burn when he numbed me. The rest was just a lot of pressure and it felt a lot like my spinal injections. My nurse was surpised at how fast he had inserted it but he was in a hurry to get to a C-section. I would have been so distraught if he wouldn't of had time to see me! About ten mins later I felt a million times better!! The contractions would show on the screen but I didn't feel them. I am SO grateful for modern medicine! She checked me after my epidural was in and I had progressed to a 4 and 95% effaced, it was 10 o'clock. Now it was just a waiting game. My Dr. had just finished a C-section and was trying to snag a quick nap before I was ready. The epidural definitely slowed labor down. We all tried to get a little rest, but ya right! I was too excited, I just laid there trying to prepare myself for what was to come! Around 12:40 although I couldn't really feel my legs, I thought I felt water going down my leg. We called in the nurse and she checked me. The liquid was just reminites of my mucus plug but at that point I was an 8 and 100%. The count down had begun! A quick 40 minutes later I felt like I needed to use the restroom and that there was quite a bit of pressure! Tip checked me and sure enough I was a 10 as she was checking me my water broke and we were ready to go! I will not forget Matts face! He was so shocked that the time had was already here! Tip rushed around getting everything ready and before we knew it I had Matt holding one leg and my Mom holding the other and the pushing began.

Now I am still not sure what happened but up until the pushing I felt very comfortable, but as soon as I started I could feel everything down there. Not the contractions so much, when they came it felt like I needed to use the restroom but the intensity of the pressure and the pain was unreal! I had talked to all of my friends and when their time came to push the epidural worked and they weren't in extreme amounts of pain but more so just pressure but wow. For whatever reason I was able to feel every bit of it. Matt would count from 2 to 10 and I would hold my breath and push, then I could take a breath and we would do it two more times on every contraction. The waiting period between contractions was so hard! I was in so much pain and just wanted to push but then having to wait for the contraction to come was tourcher! I started pushing at 1:34 am and went through about four contractions before Dr. Mohan came in! She looked so sleepy! I had about four more contractions and the last three were SO hard! I was doing all I could to just not give up. I was sure the veins on my face were going to burst and my eyes were going to pop out I was pushing sooo hard! The contraction before the last she told me that she was going to need to do a small episiotomy and at that point I didn't care! I was in so much pain and after one contraction I remember saying, "Please tell me she is coming out!" and then it was our last contraction. I have never been in more pain in my entire life!! I know that sounds extremely dramatic but it was truly indescribable! Matt, my Mom and all the nurses were SO encouraging. Her head came out and I not only could feel it but I heard Matts adorable laugh/cry and I knew she was here! When her shoulders came, I am not going to lie I screamed! But as soon she her shoulders were out I instantly felt amazing!! And she was here!! As the doctor was getting her cord ready to cut, Claire reached out and grabbed matts hand! It was the sweetest thing ever! And then he cut the cord and I heard her beautiful cry! They placed her right on my chest all covered with her baby gunk and it was truly a spiritual experience.

Never has a bond formed so quickly or has a love been so instantaneous! The first time she looked into my eyes I knew I would do any and everything for this little blessing that I could now call mine. It was a moment I wish I could have frozen and one that I will never forget! They took her away for a moment to give her a little oxygen and to do all of the weighing, measuring, and apgar test. Her official stats are 8.2 lbs, 19inches, born at 1:50am in Kingwood, Texas. They gave her back to us all swaddled with a little hat and we were able to love on her and do skin to skin for a good hour. I got to feed her and she did so well! She was alert the entire time just looking around at everything. The time went by way too fast and before we knew it they took her away to the nursery and told us she would be brought back around 7 am. This was the most wonderful, amazing, tough, spiritual, and truly miraculous day! Second only to the day Matt and I were married. I am so glad my mom came earlier so she was able to be there! Her presence and encouragement helped me so much! I can't believe it is already over and that she is actually here! She is so perfect and we couldn't be more blessed or happy!