Kalliope's Birth Story

my internet was down...we drove the airstream into the cable running through the back yard. oops. but i'm here! so let me tell you a little about bringing my Greek goddess into the world, don't worry, i won't be graphic.

i was scheduled to be induced at 5am, monday, august 9,2010, at st. john's hospital. my previous 2 births i went into labor naturally. i knew being induced would be harder and more painful, but i figured i could do it. i was planning on having my mom, my Greek, and my girlfriend kristen there to help me through the pain. i could barely sleep sunday night and woke up about 4am monday. the girls were at their daddy's that weekend so i didn't have to worry about them. i took a shower, ate a banana with milk, and got everything ready to go to the hospital. we left home around 5:15 and got to the hospital soon after. we got our room and got settled in, i got my i.v. and monitors attached and sat in bed to watch the television. around 7am my mom in law showed up, then my mommy, and then kristen armed with her camera. my Greek took a nap while his brother, my dad, and my best friend's mom, nancy, showed up to visit. i guess when they started my i.v. they started the pitocin drip along with my antibiotic for group b strep. at 8:30 my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, and by 9am they were 2-3 min apart. i was dilated to a 2 when we started, by 10am i was at a 4 and the contractions were 1-3 min apart, i was moving slow. by then i had told my dad to go to work, told my mom in law to go eat, kristen to go put the twins down for a nap, and nancy and my bro in law had left too. i didn't think the goddess was going to make it before 3pm at the rate i was going. so, with my Greek asleep on the recliner, and my mom reading the paper we waited. i had my trusty tens unit on my back to help me make it through each contraction, i'd turn it up with each painful wave and back down after it was over. around 10:50 i'd waken the Greek up with a pillow slamming into his body. the pain had gotten pretty intense and fast, i would have a contraction then it would come down partially and have another contraction piggy backed right on top of it. when you hear that being induced is more painful than your body going into labor by itself, it's true. the difference is crazy! i almost thought i couldn't make it through all the pain. it was so fast, i went from a 4 to a 6 in an hour. at 11am i stopped counting my contractions because there was so much pain. i could not lay down, so i sat on the edge of the bed rocking myself with my mom doing counter pressure on my lower back and my Greek in front of me letting me hold onto him through the pain. i would not have been to make it through without my mom telling me to breathe, and the Greek there to hold. everything went so fast and before i knew it i was yelling for the nurse to check me, i knew i was progressing fast. most of this is a blur from this point, i know i did not want to sit back on the bed and lay down, i wanted to push, really i had no choice but to push. my body was on auto pilot. somehow my doctor appeared and i pushed 3 times and the goddess was out. i remember looking at my husband next to me grinning from head to toe when her head was visible. they put her on my tummy and we talked a little bit, i felt very lucky they did not whisk her away right away. they took her to her plastic boat to be checked out and gave her back to me while my family came in the room to visit. i am very lucky everything went the way i planned, some people don't get to have the birth they want, and i have really had 3 perfect birth experiences. i am a very lucky girl.