On Sunday, March 20th, Jill was woken up by contractions at 8:30. She told me about them as I was readying our house for some construction. Alex Meyer and I were getting ready to put recessed lighting and ceiling speakers in the kitchen and living room. It was to be a messy job, and a long one, so I made sure that it was OK to keep going. Jill said that it was, so Alex and I strategized how to do shorter easier jobs first and to split them up in case we didn't get all day like we planned. And we didn't.
Around 10:30, Alex said "Will, your wife's calling you" through the hole we had just cut in the ceiling drywall. I scurried through the attic closer to the bedroom to hear a tearful Jill tell me that her mom was on her way because the contractions had gotten stronger and rhythmic. It was a good thing too, Marilyn was a great source of advice and wisdom. She made sure that we didn't get too excited, but kept us focused. Thanks Grandma!
After a little while, we decided it was likely time to head to the hospital. Alex and I didn't have much left to do on the projects we were on, so we finished while Marilyn kept Jill company. I cleaned up the kitchen a bit and took tools back to the garage while Alex worked on the baseboard around the garage entryway. We packed our bags (yep, an hour before leaving!) and threw the carseat in the back of Jill's car and took off. Marilyn headed back home, and Alex stayed to finish the baseboard. I'm forever indebted to his willingness to finish that even after we'd left for the hospital, and then to put my car back and lock up our house! Thanks Buddy!
This is a good time to mention that we owe Holly, Alex, Bob and Marilyn a good house cleaning. Because we were mid-construction, our house was left in a state of disarray! They cleaned the kitchen (where the work had started), put furniture back in the living room where Alex & I were going next, and vacuumed all while anxiously awaiting updates. Thanks!!
When arrived at the hospital around 1:00 Jill was in good spirits and able to mozy through contractions while walking to the front door. We found out she was 4 cm dilated. We let them keep us anyway. It takes a little while to get to and from Bethesda North & home.
We got into the delivery room and had a minor "discussion" about whether or not to put in a heparin lock (an IV port). This would allow the nurses quick IV access if needed, but would be uncomfortable for Jill at times. Dr. Wall's advice was "you don't HAVE to have one, but decide what battles you want to fight." We decided it wasn't worth the battle, but in the end we never needed it. And it was obnoxious for Jill to try to reposition with full use of her right hand.
Things progressed normally from there. Jill moved around into a multitude of positions. During contractions she did a great job of breathing and rocking while I rubbed her lower back. It was just repitition of "contraction, lean over the counter, relax and smile and laugh, contraction, sit on the ball, correct my grammar when I told her she was doing "good", etc." We also tried a bath. That did not prove to be much relief as the tub was shallow and not long enough to stretch out in. And I forgot my bathing suit.
At 3:30, I sent to Holly: "No water break yet. Contractions more intense, still nothing super crazy. Secret update while she pees." Things were just progressing slowly but surely. Textbook for what we learned in Bradley classes. (Thanks Maryn!)
At 5:30 I sent to family: "Update: stronger contractions that are still 2-4 min. apart. Babies HR is great. Jill is doing great, more bored than anything. Dr. Wall checks in frequently via call / text. Water still intact. Tried a bath, moving into all different positions." We also turned on basketball (I think Michigan was one of the teams playing) as a distraction. It stayed on until the OSU game was over, at which point Jill decided it was too much of a distraction.
It was shortly after that when Cindy, our nurse, asked if Jill would like to be checked. Not wanting to be discouraged at a lack of progress, I was hesitant, but I knew it wouldn't be completely abnormal for there to be little or no progress. Cindy checked and Jill was at 7 cm.
Labor progressed further. Jill's contractions became more intense and she fought through them with a renewed resolve each time. It got to the point where we wanted the nurse and Dr. Wall to be in more. A little before 7:00 he came in and checked again and she was at 9 cm. When things got really tough, it was a godsend to have Dr. Wall, a doctor experienced in natural childbirth in the room to guide Jill.
Essentially, the rest is a blur. Things were more intense, Jill got into a zone and we all helped her move into different positions. She really deserves a medal, but I think she'll be content with Elsie. It ended up that squatting while holding the birthing bar was Jill's position of choice. She would squat while holding the bar during a contraction, then sit back and relax in-between. Eventually she felt the urge to push. Only three contractions later, she pushed and out came Elsie at 8:19. 20 inches long, 7 lbs and 3 oz.
For a solid twenty minutes, I couldn't do anything but stare at her. Holy wow.
We are very lucky that we have people in our lives who love to care for us. At 9:05 I texted the family that they could start making their way to the hospital. Bob replied "5 minutes away." But they live 30 minutes away. Either he's psychic, or some(grandma) couldn't wait any longer! I definitely can't blame anyone.
Our room was full of family soon after we got settled and that made the experience so much greater. After things calmed down we moved to the second floor postpartum rooms, which were smaller but cozy for 2 people. The nurses were all FANTASTIC. What a cool job to have, and they really enjoy what they do. Alex (a Patient Care Assistant) helped me give Elsie a bath to clean off the excess vernix. Susan was the first nurse we had. She oriented us to life on the Mother/Baby floor. Later Brenda came in and was our nurse for the majority of the stay. Katie was another PCA who came in and was very nice. Then Abby was our nurse for the last few hours. She is probably Elsie's least favorite as she is the one who did the PKU test & gave her the Vitamin K shot. But she was GREAT to us and was very very nice. And there was the nutrition lady, whose name I think is Lisa, who fits the bill as a lunch lady. Just super nice and willing to fill you up times 10. Overall a great experience.
We made it through night 1 pretty stress free. I was soo tired and felt a little useless, so I got some sleep. Jill couldn't bring herself to put Elsie down, but we were under orders to not sleep with her in our arms, so Jill stayed up most of the night with her.
The next day was more or less a constant barrage of doctors, nurses, assistants, pediatricians, lunch-ladies, photographers, etc. Part of it got annoying, but it was all in our and Elsie's best interest so we got used to it. Elsie was passing tests with flying colors, so we decided to fulfill our vision of our stay at the hospital and cut it in half. We petitioned the nurses and Dr. Wall to let us out at 24 hours after birth (the minimum stay thanks to tests that need to be given 24 hours after birth), and given how incredibly well Elsie was doing, they didn't object. In fact, when we left, Alex (the PCA who helped give her a bath the night before) said bye and then turned to another nurse and said "They're rockstars!"I think she was impressed with how well Jill did with a completely natural birth and just how well Elsie was doing. She has picked up breastfeeding very well. She's also pooping / peeing well above the average amount. Everything realy looks great on the health end.
We left the hospital at 9:46 pm on Monday and then again at 10:01 after we turned around to get the pillow and blanket I left on the bed. Now we're home to a super clean house. It's a really exciting feeling to know that I get to spend the rest of my life with this little girl. She's very lucky to come into this family. Not just Jill & I, but the people who wanted to just come and spend time with her and us. We're blessed with a really cool group of friends and family.
We're also lucky that we work with people who make this experience so easy. Obviously neither of us were prepared for this to happen when it did, but our friends at school picked up the slack for us without hesitation. Thanks!
Here we go!
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