Timeline of Avery's Birth
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
4AM: Connie woke up with cramping in her stomach. She walks
around the house for a while recording the time and duration of the cramps.
She doesn't think they are contractions because they didn't start in
her back. I later see the paper where she was recording the times and
it showed that they occurred every 5-7 minutes lasting 1-2 minutes (just
like they taught us in class - talk about major denial). Connie does
decide to take a shower in case it was the real thing. I wake up occasionally
to see what she's up to and keep thinking we can't have the baby now because
it's too early.
Later Connie goes back to sleep and is awaken by the "cramps" every several
minutes, but quickly falls asleep between them.
8AM: Well, Connie doesn't want to end up walking the halls of
a hospital all day waiting for labor to increase, so she decides to go to
work. Throughout the day the contractions continue, but never caused
her to stop working and "breathe through" one.
Throughout the day Connie says she thinks the pains went away so it must
have just been Braxton Hicks (basically false labor).
4PM: Ok, things are heating up. The contractions are more
severe, but again nothing painful or causing Connie to stop what she is doing.
She decides to leave work and come home. We had a regular weekly
doctors appointment at 5:10PM at the OB's office which is connected to the
hospital. We planned on meeting there for the appointment unless Connie
came home first.
4:20PM: Connie gets home and is having contractions that make
her have to stop and breathe through. She is finally convinced they
are contractions and she "might" have a baby today. However, she still
figures they will send her home because she's not ready.
4:30PM: Connie takes another shower for fear of stinky feet
at the hospital. She realizes I never took a shower and says I better
hurry. Uhhh... I still have some work to get done, especially if we're
having a baby and I won't be working for a couple weeks. I quickly
finish and take a spin in the shower.
4:45PM: We rush around filling a bag full of stuff for labor,
such as soap, lotion, snacks, drinks, and cameras.
4:55PM: We head out the door for the doctor. Connie is huffing
most of the way. The contractions are coming every 2 minutes.
5:07PM: We pull up to the office entrance at the hospital and
we have to sit while another contraction passes. I rush around finding
a parking spot and quickly make my way into the doctors office where I see
Connie sitting in the waiting room. Ok, I guess I'm the only one who
is getting excited.
We are soon called in by the nurse and they are surprised to find Connie
having contractions. She goes into the bathroom and the nurses start
questioning me about the contractions. I, of course, want them to be
as excited as I was so I tell them simply that she's been having contractions
all day since 4AM 5-7 minutes apart and for the last 45 minutes they have
been more intense and 2 minutes apart. It worked.
One nurse tells Connie to get undressed so the doctor can check the progress
of the labor. Then another nurse walks in and says the doctor wants
her to go right upstairs to the delivery room. Connie gets dressed
and is ready to walk up. They insist she rides in the wheelchair. Good
thing because a couple contractions on the way would have slowed her attempt
to walk.
5:30PM: We get to the third floor of Ephrata Community Hospital
and wait for a delivery room. We get in and a nurse checks Connie and
she is 7-8 cm's. That lit some fires under the nurses. That's
when we realized we were going to have a baby. The nurses were throwing
a delivery cart together. One said she didn't thing she would finish
before the baby was here. The doctor was quickly called in as well
as a student. Connie is hooked up to some monitors to watch the contractions
and the baby's heart.
I was able to tell when a contraction was starting by watching the monitor.
In class they said I would be able to tell before Connie, but it was
usually a tie. I would say, "one is starting" and Connie would agree.
I was able to tell her when the peak was before she could feel it coming
down. That was very helpful.
Time becomes a blur: Some of the highlights from the next two
hours.
- Connie does great through labor
- An epidural is offered, but Connie doesn't think it's necessary and
the doctor agrees
- After the first "Transition" contraction Connie thinks she needs Nubain
pain killer, however, it cannot be given if she is 10 cm's. Turns out
Connie is only 9+ cm's, so she gets the shot.
- Ahhh... Nubain is the wonder drug, Connie breezes through the rest
of labor.
- Ok, I almost passed out. The doctor told one of the nurses to
get me some smelling salts and a soda. The smelling salts do the trick
and I quickly place an order for a case of them.
- Connie asks for a mirror so she can watch, but after a while decides
she doesn't want to see
7:45PM: Avery Ellen Stauffer is born. Wow, what an emotional
experience seeing her for the first time. I could not stop laughing
and crying. I have never experience such joy. They place her
on Connie and I got to cut the cord. The nurses almost wrap her in
a blanket and hand her to me. She is so beautiful. Slimy, but
beautiful. I stay with Avery while she gets shots and footprints and
measurements. Connie has to finish with labor and get sewed up (minor
tear).
Connie reminded me to take some pictures. I get the camera and snap
a bunch of shots. I'm surprised that Connie even let me take a picture
of her. Cameras were going to be outlawed from the hospital until Connie
could "fix herself up."
Connie comes through the whole thing great. She even says, "I would
totally do that again." We were both so amazed how fast everything
happened. The doctor said next time not to wait so long or I will have
to deliver the baby on the way to the hospital. No thanks!
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