Layla Sienna Armstrong: Birth Story

Layla Sienna Armstrong: Birth Story

June 4 2015, 7.4 oz, 18.5 inches long

Wednesday morning June 3rd (at 38 weeks, 6 days pregnant), the day before Layla was born I had a membrane sweep around 9am. The dr had said I was now 2 cm and ripe as well as 60% effaced and baby was at -1 station.  I knew a sweep worked with my son so I had high hopes that this would throw me into labor if my body and our sweet girl were both ready.  I had been having 'bloody show', cramping on and off and tons of braxton hicks for several days as you can see in my pregnancy updates.  After my sweep I left the dr's office and had a lot of cramping right away. Throughout the day my cramps with braxton hicks continued on and off. It basically felt like the days previous, just like regular menstrual cramps, there was no pattern to them or anything of that sort.  I went about my day as i usually would but paid close attention to how my body was feeling.  My son and i went to the park to play for a couple hours and i felt like they were still consistent around 3-4pm.  We headed home to start dinner around 530 and i noticed they were still here 8.5 hours after my sweep. 

I was texting my sisters about it around 650 and i noticed for the first time all day that i was getting them every 8 minutes now. So instead of feeling them constant or every so often, they were now coming and going forming a pattern of every 8 minutes. I also noticed for the first time that they had a peak of intensity, and that the cramps were a little painful (like a period) plus tightening like a braxton hick and pain in my back. They would start off slow and then the peak would be a little bit crampier/with pain and then they would die down and this happened every 8 mins.  At this point i started tracking them to see if they were going to pick up and how often they were coming.  They were lasting a minute long.

At 8pm they were coming steadily 5 minutes apart. Not hurting to the point where i couldn't talk or move though, they were more like strong period cramps still with an ache in my back, especially when a contraction came.  I decided to call my husband at work and tell him its time to come home "just incase this is it" (because my dr told me that morning that i would probably progress really quickly).  She had said to call when contractions were 10 mins apart. i knew from my sons birth that i was not about to go to the hospital UNTIL i couldnt talk through them, i was not up for being sent home like i was with him and then coming back an hour or two later after feeling like i was dying laboring at home.  So i waited.  My friends and family were telling me to GO and get checked. It was now around 10-11pm and i was still laboring at home with contractions that were definitely stronger but still i could talk through them..so i kept waiting, walking around and cleaning, packing, etc.  At 12am they were 2 minutes apart steadily and lasting over a minute.  My sisters were begging me to go to the hospital saying i could be progressing really quick at this point and that if i didnt want to give birth at home i should GO NOW (because 2nd babies come quicker).  I just didnt feel like they were painful enough that i couldnt talk through them, i was breathing through them because they hurt (mostly in my back and radiating down my thighs and hips), but i could still talk if someone asked me a question.   Ugh, back labor again. Or maybe this is just how my body handles contractions/labor?  I was so bummed to feel this terrible pain in my back once again, i had hoped this labor would be different then the start of how my sons was 2 years ago.  I was determined to not get sent home this time.   At this point i was certain i was in labor it was just a waiting game for the painful intensity i knew i needed to have to be admitted and for these contractions to really be dilating me. I knew i was at "about 2cm" this morning according to my doctor, and i needed to be 4cm for them to admit me right away without question... which was my goal. I didnt want to walk the halls or be sent home or uncomfortable driving back and forth in a car, so i waited and waited.

At 2am i was hurting more and more, my back was killing so i was leaning over and swaying trying to let me body open up and dilate. I was breathing through just fine but because they had been coming on since 6ish, and now just 2 mins apart for 2 hours, i decided to call the dr on call and ask her what she thought i should do.  I was able to talk to her but paused and would need to breathe through a contraction when it came.  She advised me because it was my second baby and they were steadily 2 mins apart and i had been laboring for several hours that i should head to the hospital to be "checked".  So we took our sweet time loading up the car, grabbing a snack, and calling over my in laws to stay the night with Cash at our home.

When we got in the car my husband asked me "do you want me to take the long way or the short way" and i told him "the long way" to give my body even more time to dilate. Oh boy, the minute we started driving the pain was WAY worse, i think because of sitting down and having the babys head pressing down on my back. Standing was way more bearable but i didnt have a choice for the next 15 or so minutes in the car, so i tried as hard as i could to focus on breathing and just close my eyes.

When we arrived at the hospital with my sons labor, my contractions slowed way down from the anxiety and excitement, right when i left the hospital (after being sent home) they increased and were 10x more painful. With that experience in mind I kept myself even keeled, calm, and just focused on breathing. I didnt want to allow myself any feelings of anxiety or excitement, i wanted those contractions to keep on coming and keep dilating me.  Just like with Cash, i came all ready with makeup on etc because i had it on from before labor even started.. i knew they would think "she aint in labor" so i made sure to not do any touching up, no lipstick or anything of that sort, and wore sweats and  put my hair back. TRUST me.. it makes a difference when those nurses see you all dolled up, they are less likely to be on your side and admit you if youre between 3-4 cm and they have any choice in the matter. Im not sure why that is, but they are just less likely to have sympathy or believe youre really in active labor (PAIN!).  I digress.. back to the story. So they hooked me up to the monitor and sure enough my contractions were strong and still coming 2-5 min apart lasting over a minute.  The nurse checked me and said i was "about 3 cm".  Now, let me tell ya, with my son i came in with back labor in a lot of pain and was only 2cm.  An hour and a half later i was a stretchy 3, but that hour and half felt like murder.  Back labor is no joke, it takes a lot longer to dilate you because of the babies position, but its excruciating pain and super exhausting.  Hence why i waited at home so long.  I have a ton of friends who make it to 3 cm before labor even starts, or their early labor just feels like menstrual cramps. LUCKY ladies, because when their labor starts their body goes to 4 and thats when the real pain begins.  For me that wasnt the case with either baby.  I wasnt blessed with skipping out on back labor the first or second time and early labor heading into active labor hurts like hell.

Being a stretchy 3 is when i was admitted with my first delivery, they knew i was dilating hourly so they admitted me.  With this baby because the first time they checked me i was only 3cm the nurse decided i was in "early labor and it could be weeks or days" before active labor dilated me further.  I knew i was in real labor, not the labor that is just menstrual cramps and braxton hicks. I was having to breathe through.. was this nurse high? i mean really? I should probably add, THIS nurse, was the same nurse who sent me home with my son! YEP. ANd i told her that.  We had a good laugh, but inside i was like "hmm i really dont like you lady".  I will never forget her, and now i will really really nevvver forget her. HA!

They wanted to monitor me because my contractions were so close together and i was 2cm earlier that day and now about a 3, so they told me i could stay there for an hour and they would watch.  The nurse comes back after about 20 minutes and says I have to drink some ice gold apple juice to try to wake the baby up. She said they hadnt seen any jumps in the babies heart rate and they like to see them every 20 mins or so to make sure baby is handling my contractions well.  So I drank the juice & my anxiety spiked.  I was nervous.  She had mentioned they would admit me if the baby wasnt showing any spikes in her heart rate.    .. 20 mins later..NADA.  She was "Sleeping" the nurse said but this wasnt waking her up.  So they put this little buzzer on my tummy that vibrated for a couple seconds.. NADA.  After 40-50 mins of this the nurse said i would probably be admitted and we needed to get baby out quickly. So off she went to show the dr the babies heart rate pattern from that past 50 minutes of monitoring. 

When the nurse left i felt the baby moving and waking up. I was SOOOO relieved!! AMEN! She was okay and i wouldnt need any intervention or speeding anything up. The words C section were flooding my mind, but now i knew we were safe.  The nurse came back with a big smile and said "okay she was just holding out on me! GOOD shes awake".   So lets go back to that "anxiety".  Remember how i mentioned that anxiety and stress can slow your contractions,.. so can laying down.  I realized my contractions were spacing out 5-7 mins now instead of 2-5.  I was so stressed about Layla not moving and her heart rate not having any spikes after drinking juice and the buzzer that i was slowing them down.  This made me really nervous for when the nurse was about to check me.  I sort of knew that this past 40-50 mins probably wasnt dilating me much.

And what do you know, the nurse checks me and says im still at a 3. I told her i was about a 3, and now im a 3, does that make any difference? I also said "but i  have been stressed and theyre spacing out because of that" and she said ok go walk the halls for an hour and lets see what happens.  So off we went! The contractions started coming every 5 minutes again like clockwork.  So within that hour of walking i had a good 10 contractions, i also started feeling nauseous like i was going to throw up and had diarrhea (sorry TMI) but when a big contraction came i had to run to the bathroom twice.  Thankfully this cleared me out before delivery lol.  My contractions were getting really strong and walking through them was so hard, i would have to stop and breathe and sway my hips.  I started getting so nervous that i wouldnt be to 4cm within just an hour and that my body was stuck at 3 because of the babies position and back labor taking longer.  I knew once i hit 4-5 cm thats when my labor would pick up and was so scared it would be too late if they sent me home and that i would deliver in the toilet! HA. That was my worst fear. Just thinking about sitting in the car again with even stronger contractions and now nausea and having to go to the bathroom sounded so terrible.  And not just sitting in the car ONE more time, but having to drive all the way back to the hospital a couple hours from now in EVEN More pain then now seemed like my worst nightmare. My husband kept telling me "you're going to progress, just focus on right now and lets keep walking and breathing through".  He was truly my rock and helped me stay calm.

The hour was up, my prayers were constant. Begging God to please make this labor different, please dont let them send me home again like with my son.  And out came the words "youre still 3 centimeters".  Tears flooded my eyes.  I told her i would be back, that this is exactly what she did with my son, i knew it wasnt her fault but i felt so frustrated. I wanted to vomit, i had the runs and so much bloody show, my body was clearly in labor and i couldnt believe they could send me home like that.  My pain was so bad, all i could do was cry because i felt hopeless. I was terrified that i would have to go home and labor there for an hour or two with increasing pain when i could hardly handle what i was currently enduring.  All i could think about was the pain increasing and having no option at home for any relief.  And what if my baby came.. so many what ifs!

The nurse offered me an ambien. Yep. I couldnt even believe she offered to give me a sleep aid. Especially one that makes you hallucinate if you dont sleep when taking it. Are you serious?  I knew this baby was coming, so what if i had taken that being a new mom or something and not knowing i was going to have to push a baby out soon? I cant even imagine laboring and feeling groggy and out of it.  So of course i declined.

We called my in laws and told them we were being sent home. My husband made it clear that we would be heading back to the hospital in an hour and just needed to labor at home to let my body progress.  I didnt want my son seeing me in that much pain (it was 5am now and i knew he would be up around 630am) so we went to their house to labor there and they stayed at ours.  Into the bath i went.  I had labored in the bath with my son, it was all that made my back feel better, so i knew that was the first thing i wanted to do.  The tub at their house was so small so my back wasnt really even in the water because i had to get on all fours to help the baby move off my spine and relieve my back pain a bit, so my husband had to sit next to me and pour water over my lower back each contraction, which were consistently 2 mins apart, lasting over a minute..giving me barely any break.  I was in so much pain, all i could do was close my eyes and moan.  Breathing through them but feeling so nauseous and sick.  At one point i had to jump out of the tub during a contraction, kick my husband out of the bathroom and get back on the toilet,.. my poor body was going through hell.  My hubs kept getting phone calls from my mom and texts from my doula best friend telling him to call the dr and get her to admit me.  So he called her, after being home for about 30-45 mins, she asked him a bunch of questions but i knew i needed to be the one to talk to her. So I got myself out of the tub, got on the phone and told her how i was feeling and that i was having really awful back labor, diarrhea, and felt like i could throw up any minute.  She asked if my pain was worse and i said YES.  She told us to come back and get checked and that i would probably be admitted.  I wasnt into that answer, i needed certainty if i was going to get back in that car and drive all the way there putting myself through even more pain having to sit there with the babys head right on my spine.  So I said "im not coming back unless you promise me you will admit me".. She said "hunny im 100% certain you will be admitted".  I have never heard more comforting words.  HALLELUJAH!   I threw my clothes on, my husband grabbed ours stuff, and we were about to head out when i suddenly felt this violent urge to throw up. I ran to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth and barely made it to the toilet.  After vomitting the little to nothing i had in my stomach, i was dry heaving over and over. Misery is the the only word to describe it.  We grabbed a bucket for the car and off we went back to the hospital an hour after just being there.

Going back this time was just like heading back to the hospital after i was sent home with Cash.  I was now soaking wet, hair in a bun, no makeup on, crying in pain.  A hot mess is one way to describe it. This is the women the nurses like to see. Haha, so just take note of that if youre going to deliver a baby soon. LOl. When i arrived they were switching shifts with new nurses, just like how they were when we came back with my sons birth. Im serious, i felt like i was in a twilight zone. This birth story is just way too similar to my sons. It was so bizarre!  When i looked up to see who was going to "check me" it was that same mean nurse again.  But this time, my mom met us there, and she wasnt going to take any bull from this nurse. Shes delivered 5 kids and seen a lot of births, she knew i was in labor and ready to be admitted, having her there gave me comfort, her and my husband were going to fight for me.  And i knew the dr on call had promised me i could stay.  The nurse handed me the gown and a bag for my clothes in the triage room, but this time i said screw the privacy of the bathroom im in so much pain, and i stripped down right there.. i think she knew i meant business.  When your in agony you really dont care who sees what.  The nurse checked me and i laid there praying, Lord please have mercy on me.  And just like that, i was 5 centimeters and admitted. Tears again. But this time, happy tears of sweet joy and relief. We were ready to have a baby, i was ready SO ready for that epidural.

At this point my body was shaking. I couldnt control it, i couldnt even open my eyes the pain was so intense. I knew I needed to have an IV put in so i could go through a whole bag of fluids before they would administer an epidural, so i asked for that as soon as possible.  All i could think about was the epidural. Thats all i knew i needed to make it to.  So i closed my eyes and took deep breathes and focused through this last hour of contractions.  I should probably mention my new nurse came in and it was the same nurse that admitted me with Cash and delivered him!   So the same nurse sent me home again and the same new nurse would deliver my daughter that delivered my son.  People were hooking things up, asking me questions & i couldnt even respond.  The new doctor on call came in right away and checked me and i was now already 7cm.  So basically i had left the hospital at 5am at 3cm and came back an hour later at 5cm, and about a half hour later before my epidural was 7cm..so in two hours i went from 3-7cm. I almost didnt make it to getting my epidural.  Finally the anesthesiologist was here, while he was setting everything up it felt like an eternity, but he kept reminding me you only have a few more contractions left, then the pain will be gone. So i focused on those words.  Shaking, my feet dangling off the side of the bed, bending over waiting for him to poke me with that giant shot.. the one shot that actually feels something like heaven, (kidding, kind of).  & then, Instant relief.  He administered a lighter dose of the spinal tap and a 10 for my epidural. I told him im sensitive to the initial part of the epidural so he explained he can give a lighter spinal tap which is what first gives you relief until the epidural kicks in (not sure if thats accurate but that was my understanding of it when in a tremendous amount of pain ha).   My doctor came back in to break my water, and within a half hour she came back and checked me and i was now 10cm and baby was -1, which means she was a little bit high but the doctor was confident i could push her down myself and didnt need to wait to labor down. We were ready to start pushing!! WHAT??! I just got here?.. yep. Thank God my husband had called the dr at home when he did!

They wanted to drain my bladder first so they inserted a catheter and figured that might move the baby down a little bit too.  I FELT IT.  oh boy, i knew if i could feel the catheter that i would be definitely feeling this baby come out.  I tried not to dwell on it and focused on how i was about to meet our baby girl. They set up the room and we were now ready to push.  The room was a lot more quiet then with my son, it was calm and my husband mom and sister were the only ones there this time.  No one was counting while i was pushing, no one was holding my legs this time but me.  It was just different, not good or bad but a different experience then with my son.  The doctor was so encouraging telling me "you have such good control", "push just 90% percent", "good job" etc.   Having someone talk to you and give direction is so nice.  I could feel her as i was pushing, right when she was crowing and my body was stretching was the most painful part. I didnt want to stop pushing to wait for another contraction, i wanted her out because pausing there with her hed stretching me was killing.  So i asked if i could keep pushing and the dr let me.  Out she came in just a couple pushes total. I think i pushed for maybe 4 minutes including waiting for contractions. It was soooo fast! Painful, but not like i would have imagined.  I wasnt screaming, it was just a burning pain with a lot of pressure and the feeling as though you are tearing.  But i could handle it. To me the contractions and back pain were far worse then feeling the pain of having the baby actually come out of me.  She came out with her hand next to her cheek, which is so cute because thats how she likes to sleep, with one hand swaddled out right next to her face.  She looked so much like her brother, the minute i saw her i felt like i was reliving meeting my son.  It was so surreal. I couldnt believe how similar this birth was, and now she looked just like him! They let me hold her on me for a little while and then took her to weigh her and clean her/check her out.  She was the EXACT weight and height as my son at birth, 7.4 oz and 18.5 inches.  Talk about crazy!

She is sweet perfection, we are in heaven with our little girl. She latched on right away for our miracle skin to skin hour and has been a great eater since! We opted not to do chord blood banking this time since we already did it with my son.  And I only had 2 small natural first degree tears this time around which have healed way quicker then the episiotomy cut that they gave me with Cash. 

Although the laboring at home part has been so painful with both kids, my experience after being admitted has always been pleasant and so special.  Laboring and giving birth is such a gift, my birth stories are some of my favorite memories. I am proud of what my body can do and that its created two perfectly healthy little children. I am so blessed to have been through this experience, pain and all and wouldnt change any of it.   I hope my story can encourage you in some way.

And for those of you that have asked, we will probably have one more baby in the future.  In the moment i always tell my husband NEVER again, but right when that sweet smelling precious innocent newborn is in my arms i always beg for another! You truly do forget the pain immediately.  No pain in the world could stop me from wanting a lifetime with these special little people of ours.

^^^The moment she came out they handed her to me to put her on my chest, i was in awe^^^

^^^So full of joy!.. (and side note: i had gum in my mouth because labor makes your mouth dry and they wont let you have water..lol) ^^^ 

^^^^Telling my hubs how much she reminds me of Cash^^^

 

 

 

^^^Ivory lace robe c/o Walkin On Air , my husband captured this moment as we were gearing up to go home^^^

FB: www.facebook.com/walkinonair1
Instagram: @Walkin_onair

 

^^^Home sweet home with our babies, 1 week and 22.5 months old^^^   

Read Cashs birth story here

XO.

My labor story

Labor Story

My Birth Story:

It was Friday July 19th 2013, my estimated due date.. I was 40 weeks pregnant and so ready to have our little boy.  I had been having back labor for 4 nights straight, getting no sleep and in a tremendous amount of pain.. id have contractions back to back consistently anywhere from 3-5 minutes to 5-7 minutes apart, but come morning time they would subside.. only to begin again around 8pm the next night and last all night again letting me get absolutely no rest because the pain in my back hurt so badly.    I knew this could go on for days and days and was becoming very discouraged that my body would never progress on its own and id have to be induced the following friday (7 more days of sleepless nights seemed unbearable).  

Thankfully, i was so exhausted I stopped walking and going to the gym a few days prior to my due date.. i knew id need to conserve my energy for labor.  That evening at 12am (so technically it was now Saturday morning) I was trying to go to bed and started having back labor pain again.  I woke up around 3am noticing my contractions were 3 minutes apart and so bad that i had to stay on all fours to get the babies head off my spine so i could feel some relief.  I got into the bath to see if I could make them go away (at this point I just figured they were early labor or false labor contractions again just like the last 4 nights.. so i might as well try to get rid of them).  I began to notice they were really close together and not just in my back and radiating down my thighs but also in my stomach (like braxton hicks but with a little pain).  I know you arent supposed to check your own dilation but since i knew how to (i had done "natural family planning" for a year checking  my cervix to know when i ovulated, as a natural means of birth control.. so we would abstain when i ovulated) so I figured instead of going to the hospital and being sent home for false labor id just make sure i was actually dilating. You have to be careful to make sure your water hasnt broken (due to risk of infection) and be very sterile ( i read alot of forums about how its way more sterile then intercourse so for anyone who thinks its unsafe, then they're saying sex isn't safe either).  Anyways, I felt comfortable enough to check to be sure.. I knew the previous monday at my 39 week and 3 days appointment the dr tried to stretch me a little and wrote in my file i was at 2cm, although she told me i was really 1 to one and a half cm).  When I felt my cervix i was definitely dilating.. it felt completely different than what i had felt before and i knew i was 2cm without a doubt.  I woke up my husband and told him this was it and i was really in labor.  I told him I was dilated more, we both were so excited and started to get ready for the hospital. As i took a shower and shaved and got my things together, the contractions started to slow down a bit and were less painful (I guess adrenaline and excitement/stress can do that to you).  I still tracked the contractions and they were 5 mins or so apart.  We called the dr around 430 or 5am and she told us to come in. We cleaned the house, had all of our stuff packed up in the car, i was all ready to go! When we arrived it was about 6am and my contractions were hurting way less at this point. I began to wonder if yet again, theyd soon stop all together.  They put me on a monitor and checked my cervix within 15 minutes of me being there.  The nurse told us she gets off at 7am (which means she had been working all night) we quickly realized we got the wrong nurse.. she was impatient, mean, cold, and clinical.  She checked my dilation and said you are a stretchy 2 cm.. which you were on monday at your last visit, thus you are not in active labor you are still in early labor and could be like this for weeks or days. I quickly shared with her that i was actually 1-1 1/2 cm at my last visit, i also shared i had been in so much pain the past few days from back labor... she didn't care and her response was "mothers have to pay their dues". We couldnt believe that came out of her mouth when i was on the verge of tears.  I think because I wasnt in unbearable pain like at home, and i had put makeup on and done my hair and looked too decent to be in labor she didnt believe me.. even though the monitor showed i was having regular contractions.  So they sent me home.   Didnt even have me walk the halls for an hour to see if I progressed.. i was so heart broken and discouraged. How could I possibly go another day in pain like this and with no sleep?

The moment i hit the parking lot i was in unbearable pain again.  I couldnt even walk to the car, my husband had to run and go get it for me. Once i got in I was in so much pain I started crying.. "how could they not admit us", i said in tears. "i cant do this, im in so much pain".  My poor husband didnt know what to do.  He dropped me off at our home and went to get me a smoothie and himself a bagel.  He thought maybe if I ate something Id feel better.  At this point it was now 7am..  the contractions were now 2 minutes apart and excruciating. I called him within 5 minutes of him dropping me off crying in agony. He came straight home and put me in the bath.  I labored in our bathtub for 2 1/2 hours.   He put down towel for me so i could get on all fours in the tub and rock (thats all that helped take away some of the back pain i was experiencing).  I began to feel dizzy and light headed from the heat so we tried to take me out of the bath.. bad idea.. the contractions intensified times 10! They were so bad i couldnt handle it.  I got back into the tub and my husband went and got a fan to put in the bathroom angled at my face. This helped with the nausea and dizziness a little. He tried to get me to drink some fluids like water and the smoothie he had gotten me, knowing if I went into active labor that id need energy.  He texted my aunt whos an OB and my best friend Kelly whos a Dula and asked them what to do. I was in so much pain, moaning, crying, and not able to talk that he knew I needed relief and SOON.  They both advised him that he needed to call the dr again and let her know how much pain i was in. He called and told the Dr. that hes never seen me this way and that im a strong woman and theres not way im not in labor and that they need to check me again.  The dr. told him to come in again and that shed give me a shot for the pain if i wasnt dilating still.  We got back to the hospital around 10am.  This time i had wet hair and no makeup on from laboring in the tub, my eyes were swollen from crying and i was a hot mess... lets just say, this was a completely different girl they had seen walk in just 3-4 hours ago.  This time we had a really sweet nurse named Penny, she saw me crying and took good care of us.  She monitored my contractions and within 15 minutes knew i was having really close (2-3 mins apart) and strong ones.  My husband and I were praying that theyd admit us this time, we were asking jesus for grace and to please please just admit us.  She checked my dilation and said i was 3 cm!! YAY~! This meant that my body was progressing and that theyd have to admit us! Wooohoo! I started to cry and was so happy, i thanked Penny over and over...she was the angel that helped me that day.  She took us to our room and got me all set up.  I told my husband i just wanted to rest and not have anyone come to the hospital just yet. I wanted to try to sleep so id have energy for later when id have to push.  Keep in mind i hadnt slept at all in 5 nights now.. along with being in pain, its exhausting and draining to say the least.  After getting all hooked up and calling our family, figuring out our cord blood etc, it had been an hour or two by now.  The dr. came in (Dr. Johnson.. my dr was not in that day so she wasnt able to deliver me.. its a group so its whoever is on call that day) she said she wanted to check me (I was now 4cm or so) and then she suggested breaking my water to speed things up. I said if they wanted to break my water that id like an epidural first (knowing that contractions usually get way more intense after your water breaks, and knowing the excruciating pain from back labor,.. at this point i just couldnt even bare the  thought of it). 

The anesthesiologist came in and I explained to him my families history with epidural sensitivity. My mom and sister both were numb all the way up to their neck from an epidural and had to have them turned off.  My other sister was too numb to push so they ended up turning hers off as well.  So I shared with him id like to get a very low dose and that i could always up it if i needed to. He explained to me that they start people at a higher dose and can always go down lower if its too much. He shared that most people get a level 10 to a level 15 of an epidural.  Thats the average and the norm.  So I told him i was okay with a 10 but to stay near by just incase i had a bad reaction like the rest of the women in my family.  It was instant relief.. the best feeling EVVVVER. I had been having weeks of low dull back pain and 5 nights of excruciating back pain along with crazy contractions.. my body had been through the ringer, so to feel instant relief, was heaven. It was like the first time in 9 months that i felt normal again. My body wasnt in any pain or going through any discomfort... hallelujah! About 30 minutes later i started to feel weird, my neck and chest were numb, my ears were all foggy and it was hard to hear what people were saying (as though they were plugged), and i felt like i was on drugs a little bit.  I asked the nurse if i could go down a bit on the level of the epidural they were administering. She called back in the anesthesiologist and he put it down to a 5 for me.  It stayed this way until way late into the evening when i started to feel everything again. I asked him to put me up to a 7 but he insisted to go to at least a 10 so we settled on 9.  So i was at a 9 for the remainder of my labor and delivery.  

Im unsure of the exact times because I didnt write anything down, and lets face it when you are the one in labor everything is somewhat a blur.. especially time.  I believe around 5pm "ish" i was 6.5-7 cm already. Everyone had now arrived to the hospital and came too see us (my sisters, my parents, my in laws and brother in law, and a couple of my best friends).  For the most part, i had a great labor and delivery.. there was one scary incident during labor though... the nurse was trying to empty my bladder with a catheter (since you cant walk with an epidural you cant go to the bathroom on your own) she told me to raise my butt up and hold it there while she changed the pads underneath me. I was sort of on my back (which during labor they dont want you on your back at all, they want you to stay on your sides until pushing).. next thing i know alarms are going off and my babies heart rate is dropping. She immediately calls the dr who is unavailable because shes delivering.. a bunch of people rush in to help.. one nurse puts an oxygen mask on my face, another nurse tells me shes going to inject me with something to calm my uterus so its stops contracting to give the baby a break for a second, i knew what she was giving me (i had seen my sister given this injection during her labor and knew it causes your body to start shaking uncontrollably.. thank God i had known that or I wouldve been terrified and panicked).  The other nurses were reaching in trying to see if the baby had a cord around his neck (thank god for an epidural at this point).  No one knew what happened.  Everyone asked the nurse that was in there with me prior to this happening what could have possibly changed so rapidly to cause his heart rate to drop like that.. she said she didnt put me on my back, and said i was definitely on my side .. ..which wasnt true but i didnt want to get her in trouble.. after all she was the angel that admitted me. I just left that little secret between the two of us and knew she probably learned real quick to not do that to anyone ever again, because man, that was scary.  My poor husband had been sleeping and woke up to a bunch of people rushing in, a loud alarm going off, and nurses all around me hooking me up to things, shoving oxygen on my face, and trying to feel for the baby... and then me shaking uncontrollably from the injection. He stayed strong and was calm, which was so nice because the last thing i needed was for either one of us to panic. The nurses said it helped that we both remained so calm because it helped the baby calm down.  Thank God! The dr. came in and said "that can't happen again.. if it does then we might need to rush this baby out".. implying a c-section (i think).. as if it was my fault lol.  So again we prayed that his little heart would stay strong.  And it did, it never dropped again.  Although every nurse would comment on how intense my contractions were and how i had a super strong uterus because it never gave me a break.. my contractions were 2 minutes apart lasting 1 minute my entire labor after i had been admitted that morning at 10 am.  They never slowed down and they were really intense. Its a good thing i decided to get an epidural because I dont think I could have done that! NO breaks??!!! Crazy.  They kept telling me i must have a really strong baby because he wasnt in distress at all even though he wasnt getting breaks from the contractions either.  

A couple hours later they checked me again and I was now only 8cm, so the dr. said if I didnt start progressing quicker that they might need to give me pitocin. I reallllly did not want pitocin so I asked everyone to pray that my body would start to progress on its own.  At this point i started to feel really nauseas again.  I think my body was going through transition trying to get from 8 to 10 cm.  I kept telling my mom and husband i was going to throw up but couldnt.  Finally i did. Since I hadnt eaten anything all that came up was a little stomach acid.  The nurse said they could give me zofran to help with the nausea so i didnt throw up during pushing.  I knew zofran would help since i took it for several weeks in the beginning of my pregnancy for morning sickness. I felt relief within 20 minutes of them hooking me up to Zofran via IV.  

I asked everyone to leave the room except for my mom and husband so we could sleep and get some rest since neither of us had for several nights now.  We slept for about an hour and the dr came in to check me again. I had progressed!!! Woohooo, she said i wouldnt be needing pitocin! AmEN! I told her we had all been praying for progress.. she now said okay, now lets pray then that this baby moves down on his own.  So at this point i was 9-10 cm, but baby was still at -1 i believe (they wanted him at 0 or +1 or +2 before i started to push).  The dr. told me to let her know when i started to feel a huge urge to have a bowel movement.  She also told me she wanted me to be able to feel my contractions so that I could push efficiently, so she said she didnt want me to be able to up my epidural at all or even push the button for a tiny bit extra.  I didnt think this mattered until 10 mins or so later when i began to feel every single contraction again.

I started feeling my contractions (not in my back at all but low low in my abdomen).  I couldnt feel my whole stomach contract but my lower belly and hips (especially the right hip) started to kill. I had to start breathing through my contractions again and kept asking everyone to stop talking so I could focus.  They hurt like hell and i wasnt expecting to feel that pain again after getting the epidural and now my dr was telling me she didnt want me to up it at all, even though i was at a lower dosage than average.  I felt my contractions for about an hour to and hour and half before i started to push.  I laid there just breathing through them and having my sister tell me when my next one was coming and when i was past the peak.  I never had a huge desire to push or felt like i was going to have a bowel movement, but i did start to feel a little pressure down there so i finally told the nurse to have the dr just check me.  Two other nurses came in and said we could do some practice pushes before the Dr comes in.  So next thing i know ive only done a couple practice pushes on 2 contractions and they can already see the babies head!! They tell me im a great pusher and that this baby is coming QUICK and that i need to stop pushing and wait for the Dr. to come.  The dr. comes within 5-10 mins and tells me to do a couple more pushes so she can see my progress and how im pushing.  Within a few more contractions my little boys head was right there and everyone was telling me he had brown hair! I was so excited and not feeling any pain at all. My dr. even commented during pushing "oh this is a great epidural" lol.  She told me for the next contraction only push 70%.. she said im just going to give you a tiny episiotomy.. i pushed a little and heard a snip (but didnt feel it) and next thing i know my little boy is out! It only took 15 minutes of pushing once the Dr was in there!! 30 minutes probably from when they had me do my first couple practice pushes.  Pushing actually felt so good! It made the pain from the contractions fade away since i was using the contractions to push.  I cant explain it, but it felt good! 

He came out crying right away! He had a big loud voice just like his momma! They placed him immediately on my chest as my husband cut the cord. I started crying and said "he looks just like me" haha.  He was so perfect, i remember the way he felt right there on my chest, all warm and hearing his cry made my heart so happy. I just stared at him and my husband in awe, i couldnt believe he was ours. I will never forget the moment i saw his face and the feeling i had with him laying on me skin to skin. I will never forget the way he smelled and the warmth of his body and how when i talked to him and said "its okay, its okay, its your mommy and daddy, hi sweety" over and over he seemed to calm down and know my voice. I have never experienced anything like that moment in my entire life. Its so surreal to think about and brings tears to my eyes while typing this.  He was so perfect, so tiny, but so strong and alert. We couldnt believe it.  He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz, was 18.5 inches (later we found out he was really 20.1 inches at his dr visit that week.. they said they measured him wrong or he was probably tensed up), born at 12:03am, July 21st 2013.  I almost had him on the 20th (;  So from start to finish my labor was about 24 hours.  I started on July 20th at 12am and had him july 21st at 12:03am.  

 Cash Denham Armstrong

(we had his name picked out for over 4 years, we both always loved the name Cash, my husband is a musician and Johnny Cash is one of our favorites, so it was fitting for our little family. Denham is my maiden name, my hubs wanted his middle name to be Denham just like my husband has his moms maiden name. I thought that was sweet, so it was easy to pick this little studs name). 

Seconds after his first breath