Rite of Passage...

It was interesting to me that having a pregnant belly was like an open invitation for other women to start up a conversation with me that ultimately led to them telling me their labor and birth stories, sometimes in great detail.  I know this bothers some women, but I enjoyed hearing all the different stories, especially since this was my first pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect.
What was interesting to me about this was that some of these women were people I had never had a previous conversation with before, they were strangers to me, but we shared a common bond.  Giving birth and becoming a mother is obviously a rite of passage, something women have been doing forever.  And back before the internet and how-to books, you learned about the birth process and what to expect from those women who came before you.  I suppose telling birth stories to young soon-to-be mothers is a carry-over of that time when it was necessary to pass along information from generation to generation.  Either way, this is the story of the birth of Kalea Jo Wendell.  I don't have any great wisdom or advice to pass on, this is really just being written purely for myself.  I am horrible at keeping a journal and this way I can record the story and have pictures to go with it.  It will probably be a long post, so I apologize.  Feel free to skip to the pictures, cause I have the most adorable baby ever!
So, to preface this, while I was pregnant I did quite a bit of research and was totally set on having a completely natural birth. Less medication and drugs seem safer and better for the baby and I really wanted to have a purely natural experience and connect with my body and use my strength to bring her into this world.  I found out at 35 weeks that I was positive for Group B Strep (a bacteria found in about 20% of women) which meant I would have to be put on an antibiotic during my entire labor, which meant an IV, which meant I was restricted in how much I could walk around and move.  I was a bit disappointed, but it was best for my baby and I am incredibly grateful for advances in technology that test for and take appropriate action to prevent serious infections like that.  Anyway, here is the rest of the story.
It all started on Monday, May 7.  I had my 38 week appointment with Dr. Olson and everything was looking great.  The week before when he checked, I was 75% effaced and dilated to 2 cm so I was hoping things had progressed a little bit within the week, but I was still the same although he said the baby was sitting a lot lower in the pelvis which was a good sign and which also meant I was really close to labor.  He asked if I wanted to have my membranes stripped (in all the books I've read, this never was mentioned so I had no clue what it meant), he explained that it helps to bring on labor, usually within 48 hours.  I was sooooo ready to be done with being pregnant, so I agreed.   It did bring on heavier contractions and all day Tuesday I was having regular contractions, which wasn't much fun. Late Tuesday night we decided they were close enough and strong enough that I must be going into labor, so we headed to the hospital.  We arrived there and got all checked in and found out that in spite of the contractions I was having, I hadn't dilated any more than before.  They made me wait in the hospital for an hour to see if anything would change, and when it hadn't they sent me home.  The next day, Wednesday, I was still having regular contractions and I noticed that I was leaking a clear fluid.  I thought that it might be amniotic fluid and got worried because once your water breaks, the chance of the baby getting infected goes up dramatically.  I'm not usually a paranoid person, but this is my baby, so I called the doctor and he said to come in and he would check.  We made the 35 minute drive down to the hospital again and he checked and said that it wasn't amniotic fluid leaking (he didn't really say what it was, and I'm still certain that it was amniotic fluid).  So, false alarm again, this was getting really old, especially cause I was still having contractions.  He checked and I still hadn't dilated any more, so we went back home.  Early Friday morning, around 2 am I noticed that  I was leaking a lot more fluid than before and it just continued to come.  It was the same fluid as before, and since we had already had to false alarms and it's kind of far to the hospital, I decided to wait until morning to see if anything would change.  Still leaking in the morning so I called the doctor again, (poor guy was probably sick of me) and we went in and sure enough, it was amniotic fluid which meant my water had broken, who knows how long ago.  Because I was positive for Group B Strep, there was a big concern for the baby's safety so we immediately went up to the hospital where they quickly put me on antibiotics.  At this point I had dilated to only 3 cm.  To decrease the chance of the baby being infected, I had to deliver her within the next few hours, so they put me on Pitocin.
During natural childbirth, the body releases a hormone called Oxytocin which causes contractions and causes the cervix to dilate and open allowing the baby to be born.  Oxytocin also causes a release of endorphins that allow your body to better cope with pain.  Pitocin is a synthetic version of oxytocin, and it causes the contractions to be much stronger and more intense and also last longer.  It also doesn't cause the release of endorphins, so they are even more painful.  Pitocin also can affect the mother's blood pressure which in turn affects the amount of oxygen supplied to the baby, so when on Pitocin, I had to have continuous monitoring of my blood pressure, her heart rate and the timing of contractions.  Which ultimately meant I was stuck in bed.   Really horrible stuff, and I really didn't want to go on Pitocin but I knew it was necessary to protect my baby.
They started me on the Pitocin around 11:30 Friday morning and I was still dilating really slowly, so they would increase the amount every half hour or so.  By around 6 that night I had only dilated to 5 cm, and the contractions were so strong and hurt so much.  Luckily I have the best husband in the world who managed to convince me that I was going to be in labor for a long time yet and that I should just get the epidural.  So, I caved and got it.  The picture below is exactly why I wanted to have a natural child birth.  Looking at it makes me cringe, all those machines and drugs and monitoring.  My blood pressure dropped when I got the epidural so they had to put me on oxygen which knocked me out.
 

Even though it makes me cringe, getting the epidural was the best decision I made that day.  I was already exhausted after over 6 hours on Pitocin and I still had 5 hours of contractions and 2 hours of pushing before my stubborn baby girl was born.  There is no way I would have had the energy to last that long and be able to push her out.  Justin was absolutely the best labor coach I could have asked for.  He was right there by my side the entire time, giving me encouragement and telling me what a good job I was doing.  He was so so so amazing and I am so lucky to have him!
Finally, at 1:54 Saturday morning our little Kalea Jo was born and it was the most spiritual experience I've ever had.  Because they were worried about infection, they cleaned her and checked her before they would let me hold her.  But the entire time they cleaned and checked her she held tight to daddy's finger.  It was the cutest thing ever.

It's indescribable, the feeling of bringing a life into this world.  Nothing even comes close and nothing can really prepare you for the instantaneous love you feel for this little person.  Like I said, it was the most spiritual experience I've ever had.

Dr. Olsen has been such an awesome doctor and we are so grateful for his help.  He was absolutely remarkable even though it was almost 2 in the morning!
Little Kalea Jo Wendell was born at 1:54 am on May 12, 2012.  She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and measured 20 inches long.  She was born completely healthy and there was no sign at all of infection.

Finally, I got to hold my little girl that I have been waiting 9 months to hold and she is the most precious thing in the world.  I absolutely adore her!

Even though nothing went according to our birth plan, I could not be any happier with how the labor and delivery turned out.  It was such an amazing experience and I am so grateful for Justin and my family, who were there through it all and who are so supportive and helpful.  I am so happy to be starting a family with my best friend.  Together we make the best team and our kids will be lucky to have us as parents!