38 weeks and a new life!

At my 38 week appointment on Monday, my blood pressure was higher than normal (usually around 100/? but was 120/?) and I had +4 protein in my urine. The doctor said it signaled possible pre-eclampsia, so he sent me for blood tests and restricted me to part-time work. The blood work came back on Tuesday mostly normal but a few things were still tending toward pre-eclampsia. I was ordered to do a 24-hour urine collection.


I picked up my urine collection apparatus on Tuesday, planning to start the collection Wednesday morning. I relaxed at home Tuesday afternoon. A friend came by for a few hours to keep me company and Tuesday evening I relaxed on the couch with the cats, since Brandon was gone on business to Baltimore. Around 8:30 I started feeling a bit crampy, so I went upstairs to use the bathroom and take a shower. As I got ready for bed, I was having menstrual type cramps in my uterus and back every 10-15 minutes. I called Brandon's dad and Brandon, trying to determine whether these were just Braxton Hicks contractions. They were coming regularly, but the pain and contracting was mainly the lower uterus and my back and were only lasting around 30 seconds. 


By 10pm the contraction starting being 10 minutes apart, but still only lasted around 30 seconds. I talked to Brandon and called my doctor, but we weren't sure how serious the situation was. The contractions then moved to 7min apart and 30-45 seconds long. The pain was most severe in my back, so I used the kneeling position to breathe through them. I wasn't able to sleep at all because of how close the contractions were and the position I had to be in. By around 1am I was so tired and the pain was getting worse; I called Brandon and told him to drive down. He left Baltimore (about a 3 hour drive minimum) and we talked a few times while he was on the road. When he was driving through DC it started snowing. I was really getting worried because I felt like I needed him home right away, but was worried about him rushing in the weather. I talked on the phone between contractions to my doctor, to my mom, to Brandon and also to his sister Michelle. At some point I stopped being able to talk through the pain. My water had not broken and I had not seen any bloody show yet. I tried to get a few last things ready to go to the hospital. I was so relieved when Brandon arrived around 4am. The contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and lasting around 45 seconds. Brandon took care of things around the house to prepare for us being gone. He let me squeeze his hand during contractions and rubbed my back between them. The contractions then changed to 5-6 minutes apart and over a minute each. Each time I felt that I just couldn't take the pain any more. Finally, at around 6:30 am I felt like I couldn't handle it any more. I went to the bathroom one more time and there was the bloody show. Brandon loaded everything up and I let my doctor know we were on our way.


I was 5-6 cm dilated and 100% effaced and baby was at 0 station when we arrived at the hospital. 1.5 hours later I received the epidural and finally some relief! I started pushing around 10:30am. Samuel was born at 12:56pm. He showed some distress during delivery and didn't make his first cry for over minute. He was described as "shell shocked". Samuel was 5lbs 9oz, 19.5in long with a 13" head circumference. He had to spend a lot of time in the nursery to help with low blood sugar and trouble regulating his body temperature. 


After all this, we are so happy to have him with us and doing well! We had a visit from a home health nurse yesterday (Sabbath) to check on him and he weighed in at 5lbs 8oz! He had already gained weight since leaving the hospital and is practically back to birth weight. Our only problem now is that we didn't buy enough newborn or smaller sized clothes! It is so crazy to see his legs and feet swimming in tiny newborn pants and socks. 


My biggest surprises about giving birth were the back labor and how much pushing hurt even with the epidural! My biggest surprises afterwards I think have been how skinny he turned out being and how swollen I am. Best moment for us was looking down and seeing Samuel's head.


I also wanted to note that Brandon was with me through every step and I relied on his support completely. There is no way I could have made it through the contractions and pushing without him. We have been through a lot together, but this experience is probably the craziest!


ETA: Wanted to note that I had the shakes starting soon after getting to the hospital and lasting until after delivery. Also, Samuel's Apgar scores were 6 and 8.