No Turning Back

Wednesday Night: I called Brian to tell him that I was admitted and he grabbed my bag and headed up to the hospital. I knew nothing was going to happen that night because I needed cervidil to make me dilate, which takes 10-12 hours to be effective. Brian took the night off work and I sent him home to get some real sleep. I knew I was going to need him the next day.

Thursday Morning: Brian got to the hospital about an hour after they started the pitocin drip. Oh pitocin... I remember you. My contractions weren't bad yet so I hadn't had any form of pain control. As with Caleb I did not want any systemic drugs, only an epidural when necessary.

My doctor, Dr Gunnarson (whom I love), was not on call. Dr Greenburg was on call and would be taking care of me. I've met her before and I was so SO happy to know that if it couldn't be Dr Gunnarson delivering that I would have Dr Greenburg there. When she walked in the room Thursday morning to say hello and go over a care plan for the delivery I felt a million pounds lift off me. Then Dr Gunnarson walked in the room! She would be in the office seeing patients just a mile up the road and would be at the hospital around lunch time for a scheduled surgery. She promised that if she was available she would leave the office and come deliver for me. And Dr Greenburg promised to call her if I needed her. I'm pretty sure I cried (because I cry a lot) just knowing that was a possibility.

The pitocin started to work and I started to get uncomfortable. I could feel contractions but nothing major and I wasn't sure I was ready for the epidural just yet. My nurse convinced me that I should get the anesthesiologist while I could because he had back to back c-sections and would be very busy. Deal.

It was quick and seemed easy for the anesthesiologist but painful for me. I had a spinal prior to the epidural with Caleb and had no idea, no one told me, how bad it would hurt. Not the needle, but as the medicine went in I could feel it traveling and every second of it was painful until he stopped pushing the meds. Brian sat in front of me, my legs hanging off the side of the bed and using his knee as a foot stool. I held on to him so tight while I tried to hold still through the pain. I kept telling myself this was so I wouldn't feel pain later.....