Olivia Reddick's

And now for the obligatory labor and delivery story…if you are in any way squeamish about knowing the goings on of my body, I would advise you not to read any further! And with that disclaimer, here is the story (or at least what I remember of it):

Since Olivia showed no signs of wanting to emerge, I was originally scheduled to go in for an induction first thing in the morning on November 8. But after my doctor’s appointment on November 6th, Dr. McDonald wasn’t pleased with my effacement and dilation progress, so plans changed. On the evening of November 7th, Ryan and I arrived at the hospital around 8:00 for an overnight procedure that would help prepare my body for inducement the following morning by softening my cervix. We were shown to a labor and delivery room and I put on the lovely hospital gown and settled in for a long night. I was given an IV and the doctor came in to check on my dilation and insert this tampon like thing into my cervix to start softening it. I was still only 1 cm dilated, like I had been for the past 3 weeks or so. He was none to gentle and the process hurt really bad. My parents had just arrived in town that evening and they stopped by to say hi and see how I was doing. Once they left, Ryan and I settled in for the night. Poor Ryan had this uncomfortable recliner that was supposed to be his bed. The plan was for the cervix to soften overnight and then I would start receiving Pitocin in the morning to induce my labor. However, as with all best laid plans, my body had other plans….

Around 2:30 in the morning I started having these intense pains in my womb. They were fairly regular right from the beginning, never more than 5 minutes apart. I realized pretty quickly that this was it….I was going into labor. Apparently my body just needed a nudge in the right direction. My labor came on fairly fast and strong. I was not prepared for how painful the contractions were. The nurse and Ryan kept trying to make me do the correct breathing, but I quickly abandoned that. Honestly, it just felt better to yell through the pain, so that’s what I did. I started dilating fast once labor started….from 1-2 inches all the way to 5-6 in an hour. My body was so exhausted by the pain and stress of the contractions that I started falling asleep in between them, even if it was only for a few minutes at a time. At 6:30 or so Ryan started calling family to come to the hospital. My family arrived around 7:30, but as soon as they got there, everyone was ordered out of the room for my epidural.

Ah….the epidural. It was the most amazing experience. Getting it was quick and painless, which surprised me. And afterwards was sheer bliss. I felt nothing….no more agonizing pain. I even had a button I could push to self-administer more medication through the epidural whenever I wanted. It was the best decision I made! Around 11:00 am I started feeling immense pressure bearing down on my pelvis. The nurse checked me and sure enough, I was 9 cm dilated and it was about time to start pushing. I started pushing at 11:30 with the nurse and Ryan coaching me through. I had been scared that having the epidural would numb the sensation of contractions, so I wouldn’t feel them to know when to push. That turned out not to be the case. Every time I felt an increase in pressure, it turned out I was having a contraction. And pushing was not an issue either. In fact, I only ended up pushing for about 45 minutes before Olivia was born. Both Ryan and my mom were there for the delivery and they were fantastic. Olivia was pushed out at 12:09 pm and Ryan cut the umbilical cord, spraying blood everywhere…even on the walls!

She was beautiful and perfect. She barely cried, but she had Apgar scores of 8 and 9, so she was perfectly healthy. I watched her get washed and weighed while I was being sewn up….I didn’t have an episiotomy, but I did tear. The whole thing was an amazing experience. Labor was far more difficult than I thought and delivering her far easier than I thought. As I turns out, this was just the beginning of my journey. While Olivia was in perfect health and still is, my road to recovery was far more difficult and is still ongoing. But I’ll save that for a later blog. The important thing is that I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl and that I have the most wonderful, supportive, loving husband in the entire world. My love for Ryan has multiplied and deepened in ways I never thought possible. As difficult as this past month has been, I couldn’t be more grateful for my family. Not only my husband and daughter, but my family and Ryan’s family. I never dreamed there could be so much love and support and I am completely humbled by it. I am so blessed by those I have around me. Thank you to all of you…friends…family…loved ones. I would not have gotten through this without all of you…..