I finally found the time to sit down and write Evelyn's birth story. I knew it would take a while, so I was intimidated by the task. Kudos to anyone who gets through the whole thing!
People say that labor gets easier with each subsequent birth, but there are exceptions to this; and Evelyn was my exception.
Before Evelyn came, I was experiencing protromal labor for weeks. Basically, I had regular contractions that never got closer together and never stopped. So, for about 2 weeks, I had contractions about every 7 minutes. Sometimes, they would get down to 5 minutes apart, but they would never progress beyond that. I was frustrating and tiring. I was told that protromal labor often leads to easier labor at the end, so I was game for that.
A week before Evelyn came, we started throwing around the idea of inducing because I was 2 weeks overdue. But, since we weren't exactly sure of my precise due date (it went from September 2nd to August 16th), we decided as long as the baby was fine, we would proceed with pregnancy. I was beyond frustrated because I was contracting, but then Tuesday August 27th, all contractions stopped with no signs they would start again. It was at this point that I decided that the baby was never coming out, and I was going to be pregnant for the rest of my life.
On Friday, August 30th, my contractions started again in the evening, but they were not very uncomfortable, and I was able to sleep. At 6:00 am, I woke up to them intensifying, and I got up and started cleaning the kitchen and packing some last minute things. By the time the girls got up at 7:30 am, I thought, "this is it!" At 9:00 am, I finally called my mom, and she and my dad headed over to get the girls. I decided to go into the hospital and just see how things were progressing, and we took everything with us. They monitored me for an hour, and found that I had made progress, but barely, so they sent me home.
We headed to the temple at this point and took a long walk, and then we went to lunch at Red Lobster which was excellent. I was exhausted after that, so we went home and relaxed and watched Parks and Recreation. My contractions stayed consistently 5 minutes apart, but they never got closer. I couldn't sleep that night because of the pain, and by the morning, the contractions had intensified but had not grown closer. I called the hospital because I was exhausted and wasn't sure if I could last through the rest of my labor, and they told me to come in for a quick check.
Justin and I headed in at about 10:00 am on Sunday, and they checked me to find progress but very little, and I was extremely discouraged at this point. I could not stand the thoughts of doing this one more day. After the nurse talked to my doctor, Doctor Chalmers, he said he'd come in and break my water to get things going. He broke my water at 1:00 pm. (He was so awesome to come in on a Sunday to help me out. He is honestly, hands down, the best doctor I've had. I had a different doctor deliver each of my kids, and he is the one I would go back to.)
He assured me that breaking my water would probably get things moving right along, and after a quick prayer, we decided this was the right thing to do. And true to his word, the contractions picked right up and went to 4 minutes apart. I was put in the natural birthing room, which is absolutely wonderful! I decided to walk for a bit to start things up, and when the contractions started to get really painful, I got into the birthing tub. (I have an intense love for baths, so this arrangement was perfect for me.) We turned the lights down and turned on the battery operated candles, and we continued our Parks and Rec marathon. They checked me an hour and a half later and found I was at a 7, and I was feeling pretty good, so things were awesome.
Then, my contractions petered out. I started walking to get them going again, but they would not restart. At this point, we opted to get some pitocin going to give the contractions a jump start. This was about 7:00 pm. They started me at 6, and it did very little, so over the next hour they kept bumping it up until my pump was at 20. Then the pain became unreal! An hour after that, I had progressed to an 8, and we discovered the baby was posterior. I experienced this with my other girls, and there is nothing more frustrating than a baby who won't turn at the end of labor. I tried some different positions and tried to remove myself from the pain as much as possible. I had never experienced pain this intense with my other 2. (Sophie was also helped by pitocin, but we didn't have to use as much.) At about 10:30 pm, I was sure I was at the transition point, but the pain kept intensifying with each contraction. My nurse Kelly was amazing, and she stayed with Justin and I to help relieve my pain with pressure points. Justin was so diligent in doing everything I needed even though I knew he was exhausted too.
This continued until 11:30 pm, and I was still at an 8, and the baby was still posterior. All this time, I kept telling myself I could do this for only another half an hour, and then when that point would pass, I would focus on the next half hour. Well, midnight seemed to loom, and I told myself I could make it to midnight but not beyond. I was thinking of all my favorite places of and on and praying the rest of the time. I tried to remain still and relaxed.
Midnight rolled around, and I was mentally done! I told them I wanted the epidural. I was beyond the point of feeling disappointed in myself. I was just so tired! I sat up, and my nurse left to round up the anesthesiologist. He was working with somewhere else, and I was told he would come soon. I got up between a contraction to go to the bathroom, and I went back to the bed and tried to make it through 1 contraction at a time. I was holding out for the epidural, and at 12:10 am, I felt the pushing urge. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it in my delerium, so I waited, but 2 minutes later I was sure! I told Justin, and he called for the nurse. Everybody rushed in including my doctor who had been hanging out for hours and checking on me because he was sure I'd go any minute. I was pushing by 12:15 am, and I was elated at the thought of meeting my little boy or girl. (We still didn't know the gender.)
My baby girl came at 12:19 am, and I was exhausted and elated and starving! She was 7 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long (exact same as Katie), and she looked just like my other girls. I was instantly in love and have been ever since. I am grateful I was able to make it to the end naturally. It was multiple more times more difficult than my other births, but I love that I went through the maximum pain possible to bring my miracle into the world. The pain and joy of labor links me with my Savior in a way I cannot fully explain. I appreciate his suffering infinitely more, and I marvel at his strength to shoulder all the pain of the world.
We were originally going to name a baby girl Rosalie, but after she came, we decided Evelyn would be her name, and it is absolutely perfect for her. She is my angel baby and my absolute love!
Best Daddy in the world!
