I started having pre-labor contractions off and on on Thursday, July 12. Some days I would have lots of contractions; other days only a few. They came on stronger when I was walking or lying down, and would either ease up or stop when I changed my activity. On Wednesday night (July 18), I had more contractions than I'd ever had before, and though they were more frequent, there was no real pattern or rhythm to them. I sat on the birth ball doing hip circles that evening, wondering if something might be happening but figuring it was probably more of them same.
At 12:30am Thursday, July 19, my water broke while I was sleeping! I was very thankful for that answer to our prayers, as it was my hope that my labor would begin spontaneously. (Side note: my water also broke in the middle of the night when I was pregnant with Laurel. Laurel and Juliana were both born 2 days before their respective due dates, too.) As I hopped up out of bed, I shook Jeremy's shoulder, "Babe! Babe, my water broke!" He sat up pretty quickly and we were both excited to know we'd have a baby in our arms that very day!
I called Labor and Delivery to tell them my water had broken and that it was my second baby (they say your second labor is much faster than your first). The nurse asked if I was having contractions, and I told her I wasn't, and then I asked if it would be okay if we came to the hospital in about an hour, so that my sister would have time to get to our house to babysit Laurel while we were away. She said sure, go ahead and walk around, have a snack, etc. and that she'd see us in an hour. (My total labor with Laurel was 9 hours, and so I figured "much faster" meant I was looking at about a 5 hour labor this time...little did I know, Juliana had other plans!)
Next, I called my sister, who was very out of it on the phone in the middle of the night. She missed my call, actually, and apparently hassled her husband about playing a trick on her. He convinced her that it really was me calling, and that that meant I was having the baby! She called back, still pretty out of it. I told her my water had broken. She said, "Your water broke?" I said yes, then said, I needed to go to the hospital to have the baby. "You need to go to the hospital?" Then she asked, "What do I need to do?" I said, "You need to come to my house to take care of Laurel!" By then she was a little more awake, and said she'd be on her way as soon as possible.
At about 12:45am I started having contractions that were 3 to 5 minutes apart and lasting 30 to 45 seconds each. They were definitely getting stronger, but the pain really wasn't excruciating (yet!). I would walk around, then brace myself on a dresser or desk to breathe and sway my hips through each contraction. Jeremy took a shower, and between contractions, we both added the final items to our suitcases while we waited for Val to arrive.
Val got to our house just before 1:30am and was so excited about the baby being on her way! By that time, my contractions were only about 2 minutes apart and were lasting 45 seconds or so. They were now at the point where I couldn't talk through them, and had to really focus on breathing and swaying to get through each one. It was time to go!! We had Val take a couple of pictures for us before we left, then I grabbed a bowl of watermelon (of course) to snack on on the 5-minute drive to the hospital.
Sitting in the car was SUPER uncomfortable, and I realized that standing was really the only way I was going to be able to handle the contractions, especially as they increased in strength in what I was thinking was a few more hours of labor ahead of me. Thankfully the ride was over quickly, and we headed into Labor and Delivery to check in. Jeremy filled out all the paperwork while I continued to walk, then brace and sway through my contractions. I was REALLY feeling them now, and felt myself moving toward the point of no longer having effective ways to deal with the pain. (With Laurel, I wanted to wait until that point to request my epidural, which ended up being at a time when my labor progression stalled while I was dilated to 7cm.)
They brought us back into the triage room very quickly, and I was told to change into my gown so they could measure me, get my IV started, and get in a dose of antibiotics I needed. I asked for my epidural immediately upon arrival, and they sent for the anesthesiologist. In pretty intense pain, I laid down on the bed so they could check me, and I was at an 8! That surprised me, and honestly gave me permission to FEEL in pain. The poor nurse who was trying to draw some blood and start my IV was doing so in the middle of me feeling very out of control AND having enormous contractions. Just as she was drawing her last vial of my blood, a big contraction hit, and all I could think of was dealing with the pain. I stood up from the bed to try to sway through the contraction, but didn't give her any warning, and she blew my vein. (And I now have a 6-inch-long black and blue bruise on my arm to show for it!)
As they wheeled me into the delivery room, the poor nurse from triage was calling after them, "I didn't get her IV started!" She had tried once and missed, then blown my vein on attempt #2. Apparently another nurse got it started in my other arm, because the fluids were running cool through my arm in no time. The attending OB was alerted of my arrival, and I remember some comments about "You really waited until the last possible second, didn't you?" and "I thought you weren't having any contractions when you called!"
When Dr. Sulak, the attending OB, arrived, I kind of got tunnel vision, and I only remember seeing her and Jeremy after that point (Jeremy tells me there were actually about 10 people in the room. The hospital where I delivered is a teaching hospital, so I am sure it was an assortment of residents, med students, etc. as my audience.) Dr. Sulak checked me, and I was at a 9 1/2! She told me there wouldn't be time for an epidural. I swallowed hard and turned to Jeremy, "Tell me I can do this!" He reassured me that I could, but still I asked him to tell me again. Someone suggested local anesthesia to try to ease some of my pain, but Dr. Sulak realized things were moving too fast for that, and said, "You know what? I think we should go ahead and have this baby!"
At that point, that was exactly what I needed to hear-- my body was telling me that if I could just push, I would be able to actually DO SOMETHING about all the pain I was in. I had been lying half on my back, half on my side, kind of arching my back through the contractions, and I needed relief! The back labor was INTENSE, and I was thankful to know I could push, because pushing meant it would be over soon! So, we headed into the finale medication-free.
With my first push, I let out a scream like no other scream I have ever uttered. It came from some deep part of me that I don't think I had ever dipped down to before. I made some progress with my push, but the screaming didn't help. A nurse stepped into my tunnel of vision and very firmly told me to stop screaming and to instead direct all the energy and pain into my pushing. (Part of me wanted to be mad at her, but she was right!) On the next push, I bore down and tried to follow her instructions-- wow!! I knew I was working the baby out then! Everyone began to comment on how much hair Juliana had. I worked through a few more pushes, pretty much self-directed, as I could feel each contraction so I knew when to push. Dr. Sulak had me pause at one point and give her "half a push" at another point, and before I knew it, Juliana was out! It was all over SO quickly, and I was very, very relieved.
Juliana Elise was born at 2:15am. One hour and 45 minutes after my water broke, and 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital.
Jeremy and I are so glad our new little one has joined our family, and I don't think we'll ever forget how she took us by surprise (again!) when she decided she was on her way. After a short hospital stay, we were home with BOTH of our girls, and we are so thankful for that! It is going to be a major adjustment to being a family of four, but we're excited about raising these sweet sisters! We are so grateful to God for blessing us with both of our daughters; we stand amazed at His grace and goodness toward us.
