I have had so many people asking me about Titus' birth story so I thought I would respond in this wholesale way. If it seemed that he was inside one minute and outside the next...well that's pretty much how it happened! :-)
I woke up Sat. morning feeling good, but slightly huge and uncomfortable. Per my sister Lydia's labor inducing instructions, I pulled on my sneakers, strapped on my belly support belt, grabbed the dog and off we went for a walk in the hills surrounding our home. It was the most GEORGEOUS day we have had all summer. Overnight there was a sudden temp drop and I woke to sunshine, blue skies, and 75 degrees.
About noon I jumped on skype to talk with Lyd and started to feel something like mild menstrual cramping coming and going every 12 minutes or so...it hurt enough that I was saying "ouch ouch ouch" through them but still chatting and perky. Bloddy show when I used the potty around quarter to 1:00pm told me something might be starting up so I gave the L & D at my hospital a call. Nurse informed me that "yes, this sounded like labor" but encouraged me to stay at home and relax until things really got going. I sent Jason a text at work since he had been called in to work that day and had been gone since 5:30am. He left immediately and was home by 1:00, by which time I was tracking my contractions which were now coming at 8 or so minutes apart.
Things really started progressing quickly, though we had no real idea how quickly. I tried to lay on my left side, do the side to side sway, or pelvic tilts but each contraction was stronger and longer! Jason was talking to my mom on skype, trying to determine when my parents and Betty should leave Greenville to make it here for the delivery when I started throwing up. Not expecting this at all, we called the L & D and were told that this isn't dangerous...just contractions squeezing the belly. Nurse told us to wait till my water broke or till contractions were a consistent 5 minutes apart for an hour before coming in. I continued to throw up every third contraction or so and they were coming FAST now. I tried a warm bath to soothe and that was helpful, but by 2:30 the contractions were coming so hard and fast I felt like I needed to stand and sway to work though them. They were definitely between 5 and 6 minutes apart, but we were trying to wait an hour.
Leg cramps started right after the bath and I was having a hard time standing or straightening out my feet. I was still throwing up, but just dry heaving by this time. I finally got on my feet only to feel a "GUSH". I said to Jason, "either my water just broke or I just peed my pants!" That was about 3:00. We grabbed our bags and left in a hurry! On the 20 minutes trip to the hospital my contractions were a consistent 2 minutes apart and I couldn't talk at all. My legs were cramping like crazy and I was focused on breathing.
We pulled up to the emergency entrance and Jason ran inside to grab a wheelchair. A couple big orderlies got me out of the car and into it and we were off and running...literally. I was gripping the handles and puffing like crazy! There was momentary talk of stopping at triage to check my cervix, but the big nurse in charge took one look at me and said we had better get up to L & D! We were checked in at 3:40pm.
I was wheeled into my room where my nurse, Ann, and Jason helped me change into a gown and get in bed. Ann was already calling for Dr. Harding to be paged. In the five minutes it took to change and settle me and get an IV in, Dr. Harding arrived and checked my cervix. I was already 9cm and progressing fast. The staff went into prep mode and got the bed taken apart and the equipment ready. Another quick check and yup...I was 10cm, fully effaced and ready to push. With Jason holding my hand and Dr. Harding ordering me to "take a deep breath, hold it, and push for an eight count", we started the delivery. I went through three or four contractions with three eight-count pushes in each. My nurse Ann was coaching my breathing during and between contractions. Jason was gripping my hand, crying, and reporting encouraging things like, "I can see his head...lots of hair...all that heartburn was worth it!" :-) I had second degree tearing, not at all uncommon, but other than that all went smoothly.
Titus Matthew Corvin was born at 4:06pm on September 4th, 2010. He weighed 8lbs 13.5oz and was 20in. long!
