On Tuesday, November 27th we had our last scheduled regular OB appointment. We went in and the doctor said we looked great and she anticipated we would go into labor within the next week. We were dilated at 1 and he had dropped into position...but we just weren't sure when the real action would start. Should we not go into labor by the following Monday, she had us schedule a non stress test and an ultrasound and planned on going over the results of those and then talking options, but was okay with us going up to 10 days past our due date waiting on him should he and I both be doing well. That evening, Tim and I were watching This Is Us when I began having contractions. They felt strong and very real - but being a first time mom I was also keeping in the back of my head that these could be Braxton Hicks contractions.
Within a couple hours, the contractions were 5 minutes apart and a minute long and had been that way for 30 minutes or so. We both thought that night would be the night - and my body felt it. I remember thinking - if this isn't real how bad is real labor going to hurt because this is pretty uncomfortable...the pain was wrapping around my back and shooting down my legs though so I was pretty certain it was real. I couldn't really get comfortable and had been mostly pacing or walking around all evening because I was more comfortable that way, but Tim encouraged me to sit down and try to sleep or relax, as he knew I'd need my rest if this was the real deal. We both decided to sleep on the couch and keep an eye on the contractions. I was able to doze off and when I woke up 30 minutes or an hour later...they had slowed down. I was now timing them at around 15-30 minutes apart. So we knew we probably weren't going to the hospital and I counted it as a fluke. However, all night they continued to inconsistently continue - just enough to keep me from getting any real sleep.
The next few days, I continued to notice them fairly consistently but they remained inconsistent in their timing. Luckily, Tim was able to work from home just in case...But I was fairly miserable. They generally stayed 15-30 minutes apart...just close enough to keep me uncomfortable. They were much better if I was on my feet or moving, as it kept me distracted. They were the worst at night - just sitting made them more noticeable and uncomfortable. So sleep became a foreign concept. By Friday, we were so ready for Griffin to just come - we were anxious to meet him and we weren't sleeping anyway!
On Friday, Tim had me call the OB office just to check and see if they knew what could be going on - were we really in early labor or was this not productive? Griffy had been moving around fine, but they had me come in for a non stress test late that afternoon just in case. Of course my contractions stopped when we got in the office, but they were able to see that Griffy was doing okay through all this. They had the doctor check me as well - and I was at 3 cm. So on the bright side this all was doing something...just really really slowly. They gave me the option of having the doctor do a membrane sweep to move the process along and we gave the ok - I was so miserable I didn't know how much longer I could take this slow process! So they did the sweep (ouch!) and we went home to wait for the contractions to progress.
Shortly after we got home, I told Tim I felt like they were progressing and I was already really uncomfortable. With his encouragement, I hopped in the shower to see if the hot water would help ease the pain. It somewhat took my mind off the contractions, but they just continued to get stronger and after I got out we started timing them consistently. By about 6 pm, we had called the hospital and they gave us the go ahead to come on in - we were 5 minutes apart, lasting a minute, for an hour...and mama was ready for this guy to arrive! We drove to the hospital and got there at about 6:30 pm and they were so full with other mama's..they didn't have a room available! My sister-in-law later said this reminded her of Mary and the nativity story..so at least we were in good company.
We waited in the waiting room (which was a little awkward), and as we sat there I remember looking at Tim and telling him I felt like my contractions were slowing again (my worst nightmare at this point). Sure enough, once they got us back in a room and hooked me up on the monitors I was right - they were too inconsistent again. Worse, when they checked me I was only at 4 cm. I had only gained 1 cm for all the extra pain I'd been in that evening. They told us we could stay for a couple hours and be monitored and see if it picked back up again. So we stayed until about 10:30 pm...walking the halls pretty much the whole time hoping that Griffy would get the memo. At 10:30 pm they checked me again...and I was still at 4 cm. We were given the option of staying and being induced or going home and letting everything continue to progress naturally. We decided to go home - to the shock of all the nurses and the doctor I think. I knew I wouldn't be able to push should they induce me now given that I hadn't slept in days and I was nervous to be given medication that would make my contractions way worse very quickly - as I was already in so much pain. Our goal: to go home and get some sleep (hopefully) before everything picked up.
So we went home and I took some Tylenol at the suggestion of the doctor and tried to lay down and get some sleep. After we got home, despite trying a heat pack, Tylenol, way too many pillows, and more other options than you can imagine, I was not able to lay down for more than 5 to 10 seconds before getting back up again due to discomfort from contractions. We hadn't been timing the contractions since we left the hospital, as I think we were both so disappointed I wasn't really progressing and didn't think it would happen anytime soon. However, after 10-15 minutes of trying to get comfortable enough to sleep (and nothing working) Tim decided it might be time to call the doctor again...mostly because we were at a loss as to what to do because of how uncomfortable I was.
We were surprised when the doctor asked us to come back in - she said she was worried I might be further along than I thought as you can progress very quickly all of a sudden after a membrane sweep. So we got back in the car and headed back, fully expecting to be sent home again but hoping not. We got there around 1:00 am and immediately got to go back (to our same room coincidentally!). However, this time when they checked me I was already at 8 cm! To say we were both shocked is an understatement. I knew I was in a lot of pain, but honestly I had been for so long and it had been so slow as far as progress that we had no idea I'd be that far along. We were definitely staying and our sweet Griffy bear would soon be making his appearance we hoped!
The nurse immediately needed to know if we wanted an epidural - as I was almost out of the window of being able to get one. We had hoped to labor naturally, but after multiple days of no sleep I opted to have one..as I knew my body needed rest if I was going to be able to push. After saying I wanted an epidural, everything became very rushed. We had the nurse and anesthesiologist in and out of the room, putting in IV's and the epidural, registering us, etc. While the epidural itself didn't scare me too much, I was nervous about staying still while they placed it - as I was actively having very intense contractions very close together! Tim was allowed to stay in the room while they placed it and he still talks about how disturbing it was to watch...medical anything is not his forte.
After the epidural was placed, the doctor came in and broke my water (as it still hadn't broke) and they placed a catheter. Then, they left us to (hopefully) rest. Tim took a nap on the couch in the room and I tried my best to rest. However, between the blood pressure cuff going off, the excitement, and them coming in to check on Griffy and I, I wasn't every able to fully get to sleep. However, it did make a world of difference for my body to have some pain relief after so many days of constantly being in pain. It was the push that I needed to be able to push.
Around 6 am, the nurse came in and said she thought we were ready to push! She checked me and we did a practice push - and I was excited when she said she thought this baby would be out in 15 minutes or less...but also tried not to get my hopes up. The doctor positioned herself outside our door just in case and we started pushing, just Tim, myself, and the nurse. Little did we know how long this would last before we would meet our little one. What we didn't know until I had pushed enough to get Griffy down to where the nurse and doctor could get a good feel on his position...was that he had turned his head sideways...making it nearly impossible for his mama to push him out. We tried repositioning me sideways on a peanut ball to turn him (as well as a variety of other things), but he just wouldn't budge. After almost four hours of pushing and trying everything we could think of to get him to turn, the doctor gave us 3 options. 1 - We could continue to push, though she really didn't feel like it would work on its own (my contractions were getting weaker and I'd already been pushing for so long I was wearing myself out). 2 - We could let her try the vacuum...She thought this would work in one or two tries and the risks were low given how close he was to being out. 3 - We could opt for a cesarean. Griffy was doing fine and our doctor wasn't worried about him thankfully, but she didn't know how much longer I could keep going given how tired I was from the last few days and how long we'd been pushing.
Honestly, is was hard not feeling a little like a failure. I was so close to being able to push him out and had worked for hard...but I just knew my body was at its limit. Thankfully, I had a wonderful labor nurse and doctor who never once made me feel this way - they continually reminded me how great I was doing and said they honestly would've been surprised if anyone could've endured pushing that long or pushed a baby out with it in that position. So, I reminded myself that the end goal was still the same - healthy baby, healthy mama...and we opted for what we thought was the best option - vacuum. Within less than 10 seconds of trying the vacuum, our sweet boy was out and the joy (and relief) we felt was indescribable. This sweet guy, who we had prayed and longed for far longer than we'd ever imagined, was finally here and in our arms. And he was perfect! From this head to his toes. The doctor and nurses even agreed - he got a 9 on his apgar which the nurse said hardly ever happens! Griffin Timothy Mosier - born 12/1/18 at 10:08 am... 7 lbs 14.2 oz in weight and 20.75" in length.
Words can't describe the love you feel when they lay your baby on your chest. It is a privilege we didn't know if we would ever get to experience and one that is not wasted on us. Sweet Griffy Bear...you have our hearts! You were worth every second of pain, heartache, and tribulation that we encountered as we waited for you both prior to getting pregnant, during pregnancy, and in labor. We would do it all over again in a heartbeat for you. You are the perfect addition to our family and exactly what God knew our hearts needed.
We pray that your life would be a sweet reminder that God is always at work, no matter the circumstances. After all, we know that God's hands were all over your life long before you were conceived.
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| 1st Family Photo |
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