The Lanfranchi's: The Day You Were Born!

Friday morning finally arrived!!! It was around 7am and time for a shift change with the nurses! My night nurse was awesome so I had high hopes for the day nurse! She was amazing!!!! Around 7:30, I was hooked up to the pitocin and the contractions started coming slowly. The new nurse came in around 8:00am and pumped up the power of the pitocin so my contractions would start coming faster and stronger! She also checked my cervix to see how much I was dilated and I was only at 2 cm. She said the Doctor would be in a little later to break my water and after that things should speed up a little bit. Around 8:30am Dr. Powers came in and broke my water, that was a little uncomfortable and a MESS!!! Some time went on and my contractions were getting a little stronger and I was starting to be in a little pain. Nurse "P" came in and said she could give me something for pain until time for the epidural but it would make me really tired. I told her I wasn't interested, that I didn't want to be too tired when it was time to push so I would just breath through the pain and wait for the epidural. Another hour went by and she noticed as she pumped up the power of the poticin that I wasn't getting any time in between contractions to catch a breath so she turned it down a little bit and checked me. At this time I was dilated at 4cm. She said I could have the epidural now if I wanted it. Of course, I wanted it! Turns out I almost waited too long, I was just about to the point of no return, where I couldn't get an epidural!

Once the Anesthesiologist was called he came in to work his magic!!! Well, he finds out Paul is a PA student at EVMS and since Chesapeake Regional is a teaching hospital, he decided that it would be the perfect time to quiz Paul on the spine and proper places to stick epidurals! At one point he told Paul that if he didn't answer the next question correctly I wasn't getting the epidural! I finally asked him to stop educating my husband and do his job and give me the drugs!!!!!!! So, he finished and I was in a happy place! I could feel no pain!

By this time it was around 12:00pm and I was relaxing in my bed. Nurse "P" came in to put the catheter in (this was one of those things about pregnancy no one told me!!!). She said that once it was time for me to push she would be able to take it out! At this time she checked me and I was right at 6cm dilated! I asked the crazy question, "How many centimeters dilated would I need to be before it was time to have this baby?" Of course I got the crazy look and was told 10 cm! She told me to get some rest and she would be back in a little while to check on me. So I went to sleep and Paul was watching the news. About 15 minutes later it was about 12:30pm at this point, Nurse "P" came quickly back in the room and said that there was a huge drop in the baby's heart rate and that she called Dr. Powers to come back to the hospital so he could take a look. He told her to make sure there was an OR ready just in case he needed to do a C-section. At this point I told her that I was able to feel my left leg that the epidural wasn't as strong anymore and I could feel the catheter and I also had the urge to use the bathroom! So, she said, let me check you! I was at 8cm!!! Only 2 more and I'd be ready is all I kept saying! So she left and said she'd be back when Dr. Powers came back to the hospital from his office! Literally, 10 minutes passed and she was back in the room and said baby's heart rate dropped really low again and she was hoping Dr. Powers was on the way. Paul just happened to look out the window and saw Dr. Powers walking into the building. So once again, I told her I could feel my right leg this time so she pumped up the epidural and that I could feel the catheter and I still had the urge to use the bathroom. So she checked me and said, no wonder you feel all this, it's time to push! Dr. Powers came in the room and checked everything out and said that he would let me push and for Nurse "P" to come get him when it was time for him to catch the baby! Paul and Nurse "P" were the best coaches ever when it was time to push! I started pushing around 1:00pm and we had a baby at 2:36pm!!!! Dr. Powers came in and caught the baby, and gave me some stitches and I was ready to hold little Eli! He was 6lbs. 10oz and 20 inches long!