Just like her big brother, Everett was scheduled to arrive on the 29th day of the month which happened to fall on a Saturday. The only difference was that Everett was expected to arrive on the 29th of June and Eli was scheduled to arrive on the 29th of April. There were discussions about the option of being induced for scheduling convenience of both daddy and my doctor. I was told I could schedule an induction as early as a week prior to the due date since I had already had a spontaneous vaginal delivery with no complications. While this option was tempting and would probably have reduced my stress levels quite a bit, I just did not feel comfortable being induced. I did not want to increase the likelihood of needing a C-section and I really wanted my body to go into labor when it was ready. So, I was hesitant to commit to an induction date until my doctor informed me that she was going to be out of town the days immediately following my due date and if I went past my due date, which I did with Eli, she would not be there to deliver the baby. I reluctantly agreed to an induction date of June 30th, which was the last possible day I could have the baby if I wanted my doctor to be there. Although, I was still very hopeful that I would go into labor before that date.
My last doctors appointment was on Thursday, June 27th. At that appointment I was dilated to almost 3 cm and about 80% effaced, which was a change from the previous week. My doctor also did some membrane stripping during that visit, which she said would help get things started. Then I had my last of 8 weeks of non stress tests (NSTs) which was quick and uneventful. I returned home from my appointment, put Eli down for his nap and then worked for a few hours to wrap up any loose ends. While I was working, I felt some cramping so I laid down and after a few minutes it went away. The rest of the evening was uneventful. We had dinner, bath time and went to bed. Around 2 AM I was awakened to Eli crying. After getting him some millk and cuddling for a few minutes he went back sleep. Before returning to bed I emptied my bladder and then climbed back into bed.
It was only a few minutes after I laid back down in bed that my contractions started to come fast and strong. After only 20 minutes of laboring the pain and force was so intense I knew I needed to get the hospital quickly. I called Kelly to come to stay with Eli and texted Daddy to meet me at the hospital ASAP. Before going outside to wait for Kelly to arrive, I took one last look at my Eli who was once again in peaceful slumber and tears filled my eyes and as I realized that the precious time that he and I shared would soon be over. I was worried and anxious how he would react to having a new person taking my attention and how I could possibly find any more room in my heart to love another baby as much as I loved Eli. Then another contraction seized my body once again and I knew I did not have anymore time to spare. I grabbed my hospital bag and went to the car to wait for Kelly. I put my bag in the car and then went to the back of the car and watched for her to pull onto my street. The contractions were so strong now that my body automatically bent over and I had to hold on to something until it passed. These contractions were much different than what I had experienced with Eli and it scared me. I called Kelly again to see what was taking her so long and prayed aloud that she would hurry, hoping that my words would will her to arrive at that moment. After what seemed like an eternity, her lights appeared at the end of my street. I gave her some brief instructions about what to do if Eli woke up again and then I was off to the hospital.
I was able to breath through the contractions and make it to the University of Utah hospital pretty quickly. Daddy arrived at the same time I did and got a wheelchair to take me to the 2nd floor. After checking in the nurses checked to see that I was still only dilated to a 3. In order to be admitted you have to either be dilated to a 4 or your water has to have broken. This was very frustrating because it was very obvious that I was in full labor and the contractions were strong and steady. However, we had to wait in this exam room before they would take us to a delivery room until I was dilated to a 4. It felt best to get through each contraction standing up leaning over the bed and having daddy apply counter pressure on my lower back. I was also hoping that gravity would assist in my water breaking in the position to try and speed up the process.
Weeks earlier I had tested positive for strep B, which meant that I would need to have four hours of IV antibiotics before the baby was born so that she would not get it. The nurses decided that we should get the IV in as soon as possible. This proved very difficult because the contractions were so close together that I could not stay still long enough for them to get the IV in. After several tries interrupted by contractions, they were finally able to get the needle in.
After being in this holding room for about 1 hour it was finally time to move to the delivery room. As they nurses wheeled me across the hall to my room my whole body began to tremble and shiver uncontrollably. My body was transitioning. Things were happening so quickly and the contractions were so intense and painful I asked for an epidural as soon as we got to the room. The anesthesiologist came very quickly and with extreme concentration I was able to remain still long enough for them to get it in. The pain quickly diminished and I was able to relax a little. However, it was not long before there were other pains and discomforts to focus on. The amount of pressure on my bladder was tremendous and although I had a catheter in place I felt like I needed to pee urgently. Between the pressure on my bladder and the stinging catheter I was very uncomfortable. I finally asked if the catheter was really necessary and if it could just be removed. The nurses finally agreed to remove it.
Around 6 am my doctor was notified that I was in the labor and I was told that she would be on her way to the hospital shortly. About this same time the nurses checked to see that I was now dilated to an 8. They told me that it would be about 1 hour before I was ready to start pushing. The nurses had left the room for no more then a few minutes when I felt the intense urge to push. I called for the nurse to come back into the room to tell her that I felt like I needed to push. She asked if it felt like I needed to urinate or have a bowel movement. At that moment it felt like I needed to pee, so the nurse said to let her know when it changed and left the room. With the next push came a huge gush and my water broke. Then the feeling changed and it was time to start pushing. I could not stop myself from pushing as hard as I could and in one push I felt Everett shoot down the birth canal. I was not ready and I was not in position. I started screaming 'Help Me! Help Me!!! I am dying, I am dying!! To which, Cam told me later, got some eye rolls rom the nurses.
A team a people came rushing in, most of whom I had never met before. I was laying on my side, holding onto the side rail for dear life trying to resist the urge to push until everything was in place when I heard someone say, 'Hi Kimberlee, I am Dr. So and So and I will be delivering your baby.' I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar face directly in front of mine. I am not sure exactly what my response was, but I believe it was something like I don't care who you are just get the baby out now!! Then after only a few more pushes Everett arrived at 9:40 am. Her shoulder got stuck on the way out due to the position I was in so they had to kind of pop her out, which Cam said was rather tramautic to watch.
While Everett was being examined and cleaned up a little, there were three doctors standing around me discussing what to do next. It was evident that 2 of them were in medical school and had no idea what they were doing. The placenta had still not come out yet and one of the doctors was very gently pressing on my stomach while the other was tugging on the umbilical cord. Then the Dr. in charge came over and asked the others what they were doing. She asked me to push, so I did and the placenta popped right out which seemed to surprise the doctors in training. Then as they were cleaning me up I asked if they could numb me before stitching me up. To my surprise no stitches were needed this time around!
