the details - all of them...

so i have had a few people want the full story. since typing has become a one-handed endeavor, i really only want to do it once... so here it is. fair warning...its all here. haha.
so we had decided that if this girl didnt come before october 1st, we would go ahead and induce her out. october 1st was daves birthday and we figured it was a great day to be born. however, i was having serious trepidations about inducing and kept trying everything i had ever heard to get her out! since later babies have an increased risk of meconium in their amniotic fluid (which just means they injest all the late term shed hair etc and then poop it out...) they are also at an increased risk for horrible pneumonia (because they then breathe in said poop...gross i know!)however, we had worked so hard for so long to keep things natural and i really wanted a natural delivery if possible! so friday, i had my midwive strip my membranes (yeah...SUPER unpleasant...). she said that doesnt always help, especially on first pregnancies. but she also said she was SUPER rough so maybe this baby would get a clue and start making her way here. at that point, i was 3 cm dialated and 75 % effaced. so we were hopeful. but by sunday, i was getting a bit discouraged. with fridays appointment for induction scheduled, i started to get scared. 9 + months of being level headed just to get scared at the last minute! so i did yoga for 2 hours saturday and spent 2 hours monday (which happened to be the HOTTEST day of the year thus far!) at the gym walking and biking hills. i slept SO well that night :) but still no baby! so tuesday morning around 10 am, i felt something weirdy...like a wiggle that made me feel a lil sick. but it went away so i ignored it. then i felt another one a while later. so i figured that was a good sign! i had an appointment at the midwives to monitor her and make sure all was well so i figured i'd have the midwife sweep my membranes once more for good measure. baby looked good and the midwife said i was almost 4 cm and ready so she was optimistic. then, on the drive home, i started feeling contractions that were a little painful. i called dave at work and gave him a heads up. it was 3 pm and he had class so i told him to go and id call him if i needed him home. by 4:30, my contractions were about 15 min apart and i had to stop whatever i was doing to breathe through them...but they were still bearable. suddenly, about 5:30, they jumped from 15 min apart to 7 min apart. thats about when dave got home. he walked in and asked if we were gonna watch a new movie and i responded with "probably not. i think we're having a baby."
since traffic was yucky, we figured we could take our time. my friend brittany just had a baby a few weeks ago and her advice had been "use hydrotherapy!" (best advice EVER!) so i figured i'd take a shower. that felt so good! but also made the contractions come way more often!!! so they were between 4-6 min apart. we decided to go for a walk and encourage them. holy smokes! longest walk of my life! every ten steps we had to stop to breathe through another contraction! it was crazy!!! so we headed to the hospital. dave was on top of everything. loading up and taking care of me! he brought me some snacks and a popsicle - which helped keep me calm. i read a book that talked about how the attitude of mom can make or break a birth experience for all. i sincerely believe that! at first, i could see dave tense up...not with fear, but with the desire to meet my every need. so we joked around between a few contractions and that calmed us both down. he was so amazing. being where i needed him when i did and meeting my needs before i asked.
the drive to the hospital took about 30 minutes but i'm not gonna lie, the only part i really comprehended was the 15 minutes where i counted 6 contractions. we got there and slowly made our way upstairs. worst thing i remember about the whole experience was probably the contraction i had in the elevator!!! holy smokes! if you've ever been to ucsd in hillcrest, you know what i mean. their elevators are like roller coasters!!!
so we got to the birth center and got checked in. i was at 5 cm but 100 % ready. apparently this little girl had her head tipped at the wrong angle so she wasnt fully dropping. so the midwife told me to rock my hips a bit. i got on a bouncy ball and did just that. holy smokes, that hurt like crazy! probably because it was working. haha. but dave was there to hold my hand and squeeze my back to relieve pressure. about this point, our doula, Nancy, got there and helped us out. holy smokes, was she a blessing! she knew where to push and when. she had aromatherapy. she had such relaxing music, and she had such a positive attitude. with her there, dave was able to hold my hand and remind me to breathe...which is exactly where i needed him!
at that point, i asked the nurse to fill the tub and i got into the shower while it filled up. once again, incredible! not that the pain was better, but it truly is impossible to tense your body when youre in warm water! so its much easier to invite the contractions instead of fight them...which actually makes them hurt less! i promise! i'm not sure how long i was in the shower before the tub was full...but the contraction i had while moving from one to the other was worse than any i had had up until then. once in the tub, things got real intense! i had moments in the peak of a contraction where i was done. i could see why people would want to be numb. but i love that we chose to deliver in a birth center if for no other reason than tat i would have to transfer downstairs to get any medication. and that involved an elevator ride. NO WAY. ;) so i just cried and breathed through one contraction at a time. and i had the best coaches on my side. dave holding my hand and breathing with me. nancy telling me i could do it and Rita, my midwife telling me i was a "rock star..." (seemed fitting at the time...) all of a sudden, i felt like i could push so nancy went to get the midwife to stay. Rita came in and asked if i wanted her to check me. i told her no because i dint want to hear that i was at like 7 cm!!! oh man. that would have broken me. but then, on my next contraction, i felt this pop and said "i think my water just broke!" what a weirdy feeling that was! like a water balloon! Rita looked at it and got worried. they saw meconium in the water and my baby's risks went up. on that next contraction, i felt the urge to push. so after it was over, Rita checked me and i was so ready. WHAT A RELIEF! since this baby was coming, they couldnt transfer me to be monitored and instead called up the pediatric team so they could check her right away. at ucsd, they never take your baby from your room. instead, they wheeled in all they needed so they would be ready when she was.
so i moved to the bed and got to pushing her out. what a great experience! to actually feel progression and know you're SO close to holding your baby!!! i didnt have to push long...wish i could say i remembered how long...or not... but at the end, just when i thought i couldnt go on any more, i heard daves voice above the other coaching around me. he whispered to me 'i can see her! shes right there!" and i knew i could finish! and out she came! the pediatricians had to check her first (yeah kinda glad i hadnt realized there were 6 extra people in the room...) but brought her back within moments because her lungs were fine and she was healthy. i could hear her and dave was with her so i didnt mind. i was just relieved she was out and okay!
what an incredible feeling...to hold that baby girl! she was so alert and i just couldnt stop laughing! we were awestruck and in love with her instantly.
so...long story short. At 11:59 on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, our little Lydia Kay Kunz was born. She is perfect and healthy and such a little miracle.
i know it sounds crazy, but i loved everything about her arrival. the pain was intense, but i honestly thought it was going to be worse than it was. I loved where we delivered. I loved the people that helped us along the way. and i loved that this baby came safe and on her own.
so now, we are home and adjusting to life with a family of 3 instead of 2. what a crazy adjustment, but so much fun. we are loving her little noises and faces and all of the "firsts" that a baby brings with her.
and when i get a minute... i'll get some pictures of the big day up. but i think i hear someone waking up... :)