Saturday night Rob and I went out on what would be our last date night for a while, well without a newborn attached to me. We went painting at Quench Your Pallate and he challeneged me with an intricate sugar skull pattern. 3 hours later we’re still not done with it!

We went to bed assuming I’d have at least another week or so but around 1:30 I woke up and questioned wether I peed the bed or my water broke. Rob called Hailey and I tried to time my contractions. I am really bad at that! Realizing it was my water and I was in labor, I went to bed to sleep and rest my body.

In the morning I tried to eat some oatmeal, watched some Netflix and just tried to continue to relax. Rob was sick so in the morning we called a friend to take Richie since both of us needed to rest. He went out to help his mom before the action started. He was gone maybe an hour or so and in that time Hailey came over to check on me and make sure things were moving along. I was definitely in labor. She told me to take a walk and rest as much as I could.

"Realizing it was my water and I was in labor, I went to bed to sleep and rest my body."

Around 11 AM Rob was napping and I was trying to get some more sleep and Richie was watching tv. Aleigha came over and took Richie out, for what we thought would be just a couple hours, to play with her kids. I was happy he was having fun with his friends and it took the stress off of Rob so he could rest and try to get better.

Around 1 PM Laura came over and we started to go for a walk. I suggested the causeway – I’ve been attracted to the water and beach since I got pregnant. It ended up being a great place because the contractions were even stronger and I was able to rest at the posts along the way. We sat for a while and just stared at the water and the boats going by. I was in peace and ready for Neemali to get here. I was ready to go home due to the stronger contractions and realized how hungry I was. We told Rob to order pizza at home and when we got home Hailey was there. I went to lay down after eating pizza because I was SO tired.

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"Around 1 PM Laura came over and we started to go for a walk. I suggested the causeway – I’ve been attracted to the water and beach since I got pregnant."

After a little bit and working through the contractions the pool was ready for me to get into. I was so happy to sink into the hot water. It was relaxing until the contractions started again. They were so strong and I wasn’t able to get really comfortable. I used the handles to help me handle each wave. It felt like they weren’t going to stop – ever. I alternated on my knees using handles or holding Rob and Laura’s hands or on my back using the handles as leverage.

I moved to the bed to lay down and rest as well as to try different positions. I tried laboring on my side and then moved to labor on the toilet. I sat facing the wall so I could rest on a pillow and progressed a bit. I then moved back to the pool. At some point Sara came in and she helped me through the contractions along with Laura, and Rob. The contractions at this point were really strong and I was crying without the tears. 

Sara, Laura and Rob helped me through each of them. Laura kept massaging my lower back because it was in so much pain that I was really uncomfortable. Hailey and Mary checked me periodically and told me I was close but my cervix was in the way. They suggested moving it during my next contraction. I let them but then said no – very vocally – because it hurt too much. The entire team kept telling me I could relax every time I would tell them I can’t do it anymore.

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"The entire team kept telling me I could relax every time I would tell them I can’t do it anymore."

After a bit I moved back to the bed. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. I was so exhausted. At this point Mary mentioned how laying down was probably not the best to advance labor and going to the hospital for pain relief was an option although she did not know if they would give me anything and I would have to labor in bed on my back. Rob was laying with me and after asking him he said no, you can do this. I kept repeating “I CAN RELAX” through every contraction since prior to this I was saying how I cannot relax. Laura and Sara repeated it with me. Rob kept rubbing and petting my hair. He gave me my teddy bear – Floppy Lovey – to hold as comfort. Sara had to leave to get her girls so I said goodbye.

I suggested moving to the bathroom to help progress labor again. Hailey and Laura sat in front of me in my tiny master bathroom. Hailey checked me and showed me how much more I had to help her down until my baby was crowing. We were joking around and laughing. Hailey helped me breathe down my child. My leg started to go numb and laura suggested her massaging my thigh. At some point Laura saw the baby’s head and got really excited. It not only lightened the mood but I finally knew there was an end in sight.

I finally got her to crown when Mary told me we had to get her out now. I heard urgency in her voice. I stood up and Laura held leg, Mary held the other one up and I held onto Rob’s hands while Hailey helped baby out (I found this out later, and the urgency was because baby was crying and moaning while crowning). Neemali was born at 12:23 AM. Almost 23 hrs after my water broke. I pulled her up to my chest and sat on the toilet. I was exhausted and was assisted to the bed. I lay down and baby was on my chest. Mary joked and asked if we even checked if the baby was still a girl – as per ultrasounds.

"I lay down and baby was on my chest. Mary joked and asked if we even checked if the baby was still a girl – as per ultrasounds."

As I lay on the bed I birthed the placenta and Neemali was trying to pick up my shirt to nurse as well as pooping on herself, and in turn me and Rob. We weighed her and was surprised she was 7 lb 6 oz! almost 2 times the size of her brother! She was 20.5 inches long. Mary checked me and said there was tearing and she wanted to see how bad it was.

Laura came to say goodbye and I asked her how bad the tearing was thinking she was one of the other ladies.

I slept for about 20 – 30 minutes and Mary came in to discuss our options. My tearing was bad enough to warrant a transfer to the hospitals. Rob an I discussed our options – lawnwood or tradition. Mary called Tradition and found that wasn’t and option so she called lawnwood next. She came to help me pee before leaving and I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing. She yelled for Hailey and I woke up on the bathroom floor and laughed because it was really cold.

"...I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing. She yelled for Hailey and I woke up on the bathroom floor..."

We got dressed and rushed everyone to the hospital. Once we got there the ER intake called up the L&D and they didn’t know I was coming (even though Mary clearly informed them) and so we waited in the ER waiting room for a while. I started getting ringing in my ears and feeling dizzy again so I put my feet up and Hailey started helping me stay conscious. I was finally taken back to the ER and no one was allowed to come with me. In the ER I was seen by the hospitalist and 8 other people are in there with me. They just stood around watching. One nurse was giving me an iv, the other is giving me pain meds, ones doing intake and its 3 am and I’m being asked all these questions that I know are in my chart but at 3 am I don’t remember any of it. 

I was cold and tired as well as curious as to why I wasn’t allowed to have any support in there. The hospitalist tells me all these details that I wasn’t paying attention to and then asked if I wanted my husband to come and listen to it. I say yes so Rob and Mary come in with me. He tells them/me that I may have ruptured my uterus, and I tore my entire rectum and I may get bacterial infections because my sphincter may not ever work properly. I kept my focus on Rob and Mary and thankfully Mary was shaking her head and telling me I’d be ok. I had chosen to get general anesthesia because he had told me if he gave me local I wouldn’t be able to move and every time he came near me I tried to kick him.

"I was cold and tired as well as curious as to why I wasn’t allowed to have any support in there."

I was taken up to L&D and waited more because they didn’t have me in their system and couldn’t help me until I was in it. I was rolled into the OR and asked why my husband couldn’t come in there with me. They told me because it’s a sterile environment and all I kept thinking is so scrub him up..like they did when I had a csection, in this same place.

I woke up around 10 am and Rob was sleeping and Mary and Hailey came in with Neemali. I couldn’t talk and my throat was really sore – from being intubated as well as the grunting during labor. I held Neemali and she latched immediately. It was amazing to have her back with me.

After the visit the three of us were transferred to a post partum room and the nurse kept repeating how they weren’t to help with the baby at all since she wasn’t a patient.

In the PP room I kept nursing and asked if the doctor was coming to see me. I slept some more since Neemali was sleeping as well. The doctor finally came in around 6 pm after Rob went to ask multiple times if we were going to have a visit. He told me I had to stay overnight and I asked if Neemali could stay with me. He told me he didn’t know so I mentioned that if she wasn’t allowed to stay I was walking out. 

Rob was in touch with Aleigha who still had Richie and invited her over. She came and he was thrilled to meet his baby sister! She went to talk to the nurses to convince them to bring me a basinet so Neemali could sleep in it or I was walking out. After Aleigha left with Richie to get some dinner the night nurse came in and said if we wanted the entire family could stay in the room since. She gave Richie some snacks and brought us all drinks. She also kept checking on Neemali and myself because I slept holding her in the bed as opposed to leaving her in the bassinet.

In the morning the doctor ordered that I needed blood so I had to wait to get iron checked and then the orders for a transfusion. Hailey and Mary came back to do the newborn visit as well as check on us mid transfusion. We chatted about the issues with the hospitalist that sutured me as well as why I wasn’t given blood when I came into the ER. Mary made us all smoothies and we chatted for a bit.

"Rob was in touch with Aleigha who still had Richie and invited her over. She came and he was thrilled to meet his baby sister!"

After they left Rob and Richie left to go play and run errands. I rested, hung out on facebook and enjoyed my time with my baby. After the transfusion was over I had to wait a couple hours and then retest my iron. If it was ok I was allowed to leave that night – which was my ultimate goal. We were finally released at 10 PM on Tuesday and we were so excited to finally be home. We slept immediately as a family in one bed.