DEEGAN IS HERE! (Part 1- labor and delivery)

So it finally happened! And here's the story...

On Sunday, Sept 26th, Darrell and I took a trip to the mall and had a pretty chill day. I felt great...did not think I would be going into labor that night! Sure enough, I woke up around midnight to do my routine bathroom trip and felt funny. I was getting sharp cramps...so I went back to sleep thinking they would go away. Went to the bathroom twice more, and each trip I had more cramping. The last time was around 3:30am and I timed the contractions...4-5 minutes apart! I jumped in the shower real quick to freshen up because I knew what was happening. My contractions got much stronger and faster within minutes! At about 4:30am, I woke Darrell up and called the hospital. They told me to come right in, of course. My contractions were 3 minutes apart at that point and they were highly uncomfortable. The pain was tolerable...just uncomfy!! We get to the hospital at 5:30am and get seen by a midwife who checked me to make sure I was in true labor...I was 5cm!! So she goes "well, we're having a baby today!!". HOW EXCITING!! I was excited...yet READY for it to be over because of the contractions.

They put me in a labor and delivery room and put monitors on my tummy to monitor Deeg's heart rate. Then they ran an IV through my hand (the nurse poked me twice...grrrr!!) because I was GBS+, so I needed penicillin before my labor. The nurse drew some blood for tests and told us I could get the epidural after my test results were done. It seemed like FOREVER. She was taking her sweet time, my contractions were getting worse...it was just awful! Well guess what...SHIFT CHANGE! About an hour later...still waiting for results and pain meds...I get a new nurse who came in my room with phetenol! YES!!!! It made me feel like I had a few glasses of wine lol. Then about an hour later, I was dilated to 6cm and finally ready for my epidural! I was sooooooooooo nervous...but I didn't even care because the pain was horrible. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me a shot of lidocaine in my back to numb the area. Felt like a small pinch...and then a few minutes later, in went the epidural. Let me say...it didn't hurt AT ALL!! All I felt was pressure...and my back was hurting in the position they had me in because honestly, the guy took his time and it took a while...but it was worth it for the most part! I started getting numb in about 15minutes. PROBLEM: My right side was completely numb, but I could feel everything from my left thigh and above. Nice! It took away the pain of the contractions for the most part though. It wasn't too bad...and they gave me a dosage control that you can press every 15 minutes if the pain is too intense. Well...I pressed it a few times but wanted to save most of it for last...MISTAKE! I should've just kept pressing it because the epidural ended up wearing off towards the end. The pain was SO HORRIBLE..plus I hadn't eaten anything since 7pm Sunday night...by this time it was 3pm Monday! I was so hungry!! After the epidural, the nurses came in and put in my urine catheter...felt pressure but that was it! It was just uncomfy for the most part because I could feel it move a little when I moved my legs or when Deegan moved around. My midwife came in and checked me, I was dilated at 7cm and she broke my water. Unfortunately, there was a little bit of meconium (baby's first poop inside), which meant they would need to haul baby away fast to clear his respiratory tract to prevent him from breathing it in and getting an infection! That was scary! As for the pain, I only felt it on my left side...and it was a constant pain! It was a horrible stomach ache, like I had to take a big poop or something. It was unbearable. I was screaming, crying...poor Darrell had to see me like that lol! The anesthesiologosts came in and changed out my epidural...made it more "dense", which sadly worked for about 20minutes and then I felt the pain again. I kept telling my nurse that I had to poop...and she was like "no, that's just labor...you're ready!!". After going through a few nurses, and being put on the back burner because I wasn't fully ready (there was a small part of my cervix still in the way)...my nurse finally comes in to check at 4pm and she goes "you're ready!! and you're going to start pushing!!". I was like "omg...I will start pushing but I hope I don't poop" LOL (luckily, I didn't...)

So I started pushing with every contraction...she had me hold my own legs back and put my chin to my chest each time which killed me. My neck was on fire and I couldn't feel my legs so it was really hard to pull my legs back lol. At about 4:20pm, she brought in the midwife and the team because I was so close. The pain was awful...I can't even describe. I pushed extra hard because I just wanted him out and to be done! I remember after each pushing session, snibbling and saying "I can't do this" and "it hurts so bad" with whimpers in my voice...but the team of coaches pushed me! It was great having them there and Darrell was great too...helping me lift my neck each push! I literally felt Deegan down low...and he was on my left side which is why it was hurting so bad. The pressure was crazy...I felt like a balloon about to POP! At 4:31pm...my midwife says, "ok Destinee, if he doesn't come out this next time, I have no choice but to give you an episiotomy because he's so close". Episiotomy?? NOT ME!!! I pushed so HARD like I never have before....and out he popped at 4:33pm, weighing 10lbs 5oz and 21" long! He was beautiful...he came out screaming! They hauled him away quickly and couldn't stop talking about how big he was and that I was "super woman" for pushing him out in 30 minutes! My midwife stitched me up because I ripped a little, I had felt it a little bit but the pain was forgettable because all I could think about was my beautiful baby in tears. After they got his measurements and footprints, they brought him to me swaddled in a blanket. I remember looking at him directly in the eyes...it's the best feeling in the world. A feeling that can't even be described, you just have to experience it for yourself some day! I just couldn't help but to think "wow, I'm going to be looking into these beautiful eyes everyday for the rest of my life".