Hannah Grace Picture - 9 Hours Old

Last Thursday morning at about 1:20am when I was laying in bed trying to sleep, I felt something that felt kind of like a pop "down there." I wasn't sure if my water had broken or if it was something else that I don't want to describe on here (in case I might gross somebody out). I also started shaking a lot (from adrenaline, I guess)... and I think that's about when I probably started having some mild contractions. I went into the hospital to be checked out at 7:30am, but they sent me home to rest...

I had been having contractions all day and they were getting pretty intense as the day went on. Brian was supposed to go to a meeting down in Portland Friday with work, so I was hoping I could at least wait until Friday evening to go into the hospital (so he could be there when she was born).

As the day went on, I started to worry that I might not make it to Friday evening. My contactions had gotten to about 2 minutes apart... so I called the hospital to see if they thought I should go back in yet, but the doctor that I talked to (Dr. Kellert, who was also the same doctor who sent me home that morning) said to me "Well, you should know if you are in labor or not since this is your second baby." But I really wasn't sure if I was to the point that I needed to be admitted or not yet. She really was not very friendly and was even a little on the rude side... and told me that maybe I should stay home and rest if I am not in labor yet. I just didn't know for sure if I was. I was induced with my last baby and the experience was totally different. (This was at about 8 - 9 pm)

Anyway, I decided yhat I would try to relax... and was going to try to go to bed... but then when I just decided that I couldn't relax, Sylvia took me to the hospital. It was kind of hard getting in the door because my contractions were probably about a minute apart by this point. (This was at about 10 pm).

When I made it to the front desk, I told them that I thought I needed to be checked because I might be starting labor. I wasn't even sure if I had dialated. The previous morning, I was only dialated to 1/2 cm. The lady at the desk said "I don't think we even need to check you... we're going to go ahead and get you into a birthing room... I can tell by looking at you that you are in labor."

They immediately got me into a room and checked to see if I had dialated... and she said that I was at a 7 and fully efaced. I was just worried that they were going to tell me that I was only at a 1 or 2 and think I was just being a wimp... and send me home again... but, they immediately called the dr and anesthesiologist and told them they needed to get there NOW. Sylvia called Brian (who was going to sleep down in the apartment on the other side of Seattle, which is two hours away) and told him to get up here. I guess he was only slightly understanding what she was saying... but he got in the car and was up here in two hours... JUST in time for the pushing!

I was pretty disappointed when I heard that I was going to have Dr Kellert deliver my baby. That was the same dr who sent me home that morning and the same dr who was a little rude on the phone with me just a couple of hours earlier.

I was also worried that I was not going to be able to get an epidural because I was already at a 7! I guess the dr did not even call the anesthesiologist right away. We kept waiting for one to show up, but nobody ever came... and a nurse called the dr again to find out what was going on... and I guess one hadn't even been called yet!!! One of the nurses said something like "somebody needs to be told about this..." because we should have had someone in there by then to give me an epidural.

Soon after, a girl came in and said that she had to give me something that was fast acting. I was already dialated to a 9 by then... (my water broke and kind of exploded across the room when she went to see how far I was dialated) and soon after, Brian came in... I started pushing... had to push for about 3 hours... and finally, at 3:29am, Baby Hannah was born... sunny-side-up (so she was really difficult to push out).

When her head came out, they told me to stop pushing because the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. Luckily, it was a long cord and they were able to unwrap it pretty quickly... and then the rest of her was born.

Brian was back on the road at 4am to make it in time for the meeting in Portland... and back on the road up to Bellingham that evening to spend time with us in the hospital.