Happy Hump Day, loves!
Last Friday, my little munchkin turned 3 months old. I can’t believe how fast time flies!
I can’t help but to think of the day she was born, the first cry I heard and the first time I got to hold her in my arms… But let’s start from the very beginning.
Even though Sofia was born on July 16th, the story goes back all the way to July 10th, the day I had my last doctor’s appointment.
Early on, I was advised of possibility of being induced or having a cesarean. Sofia was measuring big at my ultrasound appointments.. Like many others mommies-to-be, I did my research by reading some books and simply googling online and decided that I didn’t like any of those options. My plan was to do anything in my power to give birth naturally. That being said, I was also open to anything as long as my baby was safe and healthy.
At my last appointment (at 38 weeks and 1 day), my doctor checked me and told me that everything looked great and I was already 1.5 centimeters dilated. Given my desire to progress things naturally, he decided to try to jump start my labor by swiping membranes. *OUCH!!! I had no idea what he was about to do and I actually think it was better that way! In all honesty, prior to this procedure I thought that I was ready to get that baby out, but the pain definitely put things in perspective and I got really nervous!!! Haha!* He told me that my labor could start within the next 48 hours. If not, I would be contacted the following week for an induction.
You better believe when I say it, but I was pretty much walking non stop and bouncing on a balance ball like a mad woman for the next few days!!! 
Despite my attempts, Sofia was too comfy hiccuping in my stomach!
So let me ask you a question: When someone tells you that they will call you to schedule an induction, don’t you expect to be called at least a day before? Well… I got a call on July 15th at 6.20 am to come in for 8 am. IMAGINE?!?! I was freaking out all the way! Thankfully, I was able to negotiate the time and we were at the hospital at 9.15 am.
While I was being checked (dilated: 2 cm) and hooked up to a heart rate monitor for the next half an hour, Justin went to fill out some paperwork.
My anxiety was through the roof! I had no idea what to expect. At some point I even asked for a bowl because I thought that I was going to get sick. Fortunately, my doctor came in and explained the process: I were to get a pill at 3 hour intervals (10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm) and then to have an IV set up at 6 pm. In other words, I wouldn’t be in pain for A WHILE! I felt an instantaneous relief! *No kidding!*
At around noon, I was served lunch. Since I didn’t feel any pain and couldn’t even tell if I had real contractions since they were somewhat sporadic, not painful and not too far apart, I told Justin not to worry and go out for lunch.
A nurse came in at 12.30 pm for another check up and put me on a heart rate monitor before giving me the next dose of medicine. To my surprise, she came back not even 15 minutes later. Apparently, I was having contractions every 2 minutes and she didn’t feel comfortable giving me another pill because my body responded so rapidly to the first portion of the drug.
I was ecstatic! Unlike my expectations, I didn’t feel anything at all! Things were progressing fast, so I started bouncing on the ball to help the baby descend faster. The only inconvenience was having to be connected to a heart rate monitor. So when nature called and I needed to use a washroom, I had to wait for someone to disconnect me.
As I was walking to the bathroom, I felt a gush. My membranes finally ruptured! I was scared, excited and everything in between!
I continued on bouncing on the ball for a little bit longer when all of a sudden my contractions became extremely painful. I was floored! I definitely didn’t expect that!
A nurse was trying her best to massage my lower back to alleviate the pain. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much, so she offered to try a bath. I gladly accepted. Sadly, after about half an hour of flipping in the bath tub, I couldn’t take it anymore and asked for an epidural. I simply couldn’t imagine dealing with this kind of pain for much longer as I was only 3 cm dilated.
At around 3-4 pm, after checking the severity and frequency of my contractions, the anesthesiologist made a call to proceed with a spinal which is administered slightly deeper than an epidural. Not even 5 minutes later, I was a happy trooper!
At 9 pm I was already 7 cm dilated. Justin and I were so thrilled that we told both of our families to come to the hospital. The party was on, I didn’t feel a thing, and we were all ready to meet Sofia!
Unlike our positive predictions, the nurse wasn’t as eager… When she told us to send our families back home, we were bummed…
At midnight, I was at 9.5 cm. To my biggest disappointment, a doctor came by and after checking me said that the baby wasn’t dropping and apparently wasn’t properly positioned. Despite of being head down, she had her back next to mine instead of facing my spine. He suggested a c-section… I, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to give up and asked to give me an opportunity to have a vaginal birth.
I was fully dilated sometime around 5 in the morning. I had a fever and was put on antibiotics. My doctor let me push. Justin was awesome and super supportive. However, after about 1.5 hours of pushing, Sofia still didn’t feel like coming out. I was tired and the doctor was worried about baby going into distress. For her safety, I agreed to a c-section.
What I didn’t know is that I had to be removed from all painkillers for the next 45 minutes while waiting for the surgery. *Ouch!!!* As you can only imagine, there was all kinds of moaning along with me apologizing in between. *Don’t even ask why! I just felt like I had to apologize for being in pain. LOL!*
Even though I was very apprehensive, I didn’t feel a thing during the c-section! I didn’t feel any pressure or pain. The only concern that I had was the feeling that I couldn’t swallow. So I had to try to calm down and relax. Justin definitely helped me through that.
Fun fact: I was randomly told that I virtually had no fat on my belly. It did make me feel much better! *Hehe!*
Sofia was born at 7.44 am on July 16th. She was 47.5 cm long and weighed 3,690 g (about 8 pounds 2 ounces). It was the best moment of my life to hear her first cry and to be able to kiss her tiny pretty face!
It didn’t take long for them to stitch me up, and shortly after I was wheeled into a recovery room. That’s when everything became a blur. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to the drug and had a panic attack. Poor Justin! This is, honestly, the only thing that I would change. Other than that, I really do think that my labor wasn’t that bad and was definitely worth the end result!
I was discharged 3 days later. It’s important to mention that in those first 72 challenging hours at the hospital, I fell in love with my husband even more than I ever thought I would. I am truly lucky… And so is Sofia… because she has the best loving daddy in the world!
Justin, Sofia and I were finally on our way home!
xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 