Jessalyn's Birth Story: Part 3

While the transport tech and the nurse were wheeling me back down from the MRI, I kept begging the nurse to make sure the anesthesiologist was in the room and ready by the time we got down there. In the back of my mind, I knew that wasn't possible, and I also knew that I wasn't going to get an epidural in time for Jessalyn to be born. However, I was somewhat crazy and in pain, and it was the one thing that I could focus on in all the craziness during my contractions.

When we got to the room (I think it was maybe 5 minutes from the MRI down to my room), the nurse made me move down on the bed so she could check how dilated I was. Moving during a contraction is PAINFUL, and it was like the 4th or 5th time I'd had to move, either from one bed to another bed, or to sit up, etc. At this point, I was just mad. I probably wasn't being nice to the nurse, or anybody else at this point. In fact, when I was in labor with Kara, Karina coached me through it--this time, she was silent. I asked her afterwards why she was so quiet, and she told me that she knew I just needed people not to talk to me. I don't remember who, but someone tried to touch my back and it hurt so bad and I am pretty sure I yelled at them to get their hands off of me.

When they checked me, I was dilated to a six. The anesthesiologist came down to start the epidural at that point. Unfortunately, right when he was asking me to bend over to administer the epidural (mid-contraction, I might add), I felt the need to push. I told the nurse this, and Karina said, "Well, do you want the epidural, or do you want to push?" At this point, I was just focusing on labor, so I didn't say anything. I got the epidural, was told it would take 5-10 minutes to kick in, and then laid back on the bed and told the nurse, "I need to push." At that point, I remember her racing over to the phone and telling the doctor to get there NOW. I started pushing and I think after a total of 2 pushes, Jessalyn was born. Writing this out makes it seem like it took so long, but from leaving the MRI to Jessalyn being born, I think it maybe took a total of 10 minutes. Everything happened FAST. My labor with Kara was fast, but I don't remember feeling like it was a chaotic or horrible labor. The labor with Jessalyn was HORRIBLE--I cried in the MRI because I was having to go through labor without my mom or sister there, I kept having to move around through contractions... it was just bad.

About 2 minutes after Jessalyn was born, I felt the epidural kick in and my legs go numb. Go figure.

When the doctor was delivering the placenta, she told me, "Your placenta abrupted (Which I think must mean ruptured)!" There were blood clots all over it and it had separated from the uterine wall. She figured it must have happened 20 seconds before Jessalyn was born. She told me that if I had gone home, or if it had even happened any earlier in the labor, we would have lost Jessalyn. I am SOOO grateful for yet another miracle. I can't imagine how terrible that would have been. In fact, I don't even want to think about it. To me, it's just another sign of how blessed we are, and that we were being looked out for.

So that's Jessalyn's birth story! Later, I'll write about her time in the NICU, my time in the hospital, and all the things that I've learned from the doctors about my very a-typical presentations of HELLP--the doctors were bringing residents in and talking about my case (anonymously) with other doctors because they were so shocked that I knew what was going to happen and that it happened almost EXACTLY the same way twice in a row. Hah! Glad I could help the medical community!