Claire's birth story

Before I forget the details, I thought I should record the events of Claire's birth.

On Monday, July 6th I had an appointment with my new OB, Dr. Pearson. Since I was one day away from being 42 weeks, we talked about scheduling an induction. He explained that because I was a VBAC patient and he had to be at the hospital the entire time I was laboring, it was best for him to induce me at night and not miss a day of his clinic patients. So, it was settled - we would meet at the hospital that very evening at 8pm. I had mixed feelings about this decision. I had wanted my body to start the labor process naturally, but I also feared that the size of the baby and and older, weaker placenta would lower my chances of a successful VBAC. I was nervous but also excited, filled with concerns but also peace and hope. It was all very surreal.

I left the OB office phone in hand and dialed Toby's number as I crossed the parking lot. When I couldn't get in touch with Toby on his cell, I paged him and then drove straight to his clinic. A fellow resident tracked Toby down for me and I shared the news.

I then ran a couple of errands, my mind racing with all the things I wanted to do before heading to the hospital in just a few short hours. I got home and immediately began nesting... repacking my hospital bag, cleaning up our bedroom, tidying up the house. Of course, I also made time to play with Elise, knowing that these were the last few moments we had together before adding the new dynamics of a second child.

To my disbelief I started having some pretty intense contractions at 7pm, and by the time we reached the hospital they were 3-4 minutes apart. My body was actually going into labor on its own! I was thrilled with the timing of it and my OB's willingness to let me labor naturally for a couple of hours before intervening. By 10pm I had not progressed as we had hoped, so we made the decision to have my water broken (which, I might add, is a very strange experience!). Within minutes my contractions began to intensify and become extremely painful. I had hoped to avoid pain meds, but by 1:30am, I was begging for an epidural. I remember thinking (before being in labor) that I didn't want to be numb and tingly, but once the epidural was in and working I thought it was the BEST feeling ever. I decided, "Who cares if I'm numb and tingly?! I love feeling numb and tingly! It's way better than feeling all the pain!" :) (So to all you moms out there who gave birth without pain meds... I think you are AMAZING!)

During the next few hours of painless contractions, Toby and I were both able to sleep some, which was so needed. Finally at 6am the doctor came back in to assess my progress. Unfortunately, I was stuck at 7cm. So, he went ahead and started me on low-dose pitocin. Less than two hours later I was complete and ready to push. With the best delivery team I could ask for (consisting of Toby, Dr. Pearson, and two wonderful nurses), I pushed for only 29 minutes. And so it was that 7/7/09 at 8:56am Claire Margaret Long entered the world and became our youngest daughter and Elise's little sister. :)