Define fast...

According to google definitions fast means "acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly". But if you notice it doesn't give an actual value because fast is relative. You are probable wondering why in the world I am interested in the actual definition of "fast". Well that goes back to a week ago when Nicole decided to join us.

At little history:
At my 37 week appt for Nicole (Jan 25th) the doc checked me and determined that I was at 2 cm and about 90% effaced. At that time she told me, "Whenever you start to feel to feel any labor symptoms don't wait just go to the hospital. You are very ready for birth so it should be fast." Hence the first mention of the word fast. Of course since I was only 37 weeks we had nothing packed, no real game plan, her news kinda freaked me out...and subsequently freaked Jeff out. We did come home from that appt and started to get things ready and the house in order.

Now at my 38 week appt (Feb 1st) the doc checked me and found that I was 4 cm and 100% effaced. Jeff had gone with me to my appt because they also did an ultrasound to determine how big Nicole was at that time. Well, when the doc told us, "You are 4 cm and 100% effaced, I will be right back." She sent Jeff into a panic. What did she need to leave for and what was she doing. When she came back into the room she said, "Well, I really don't know why you aren't in labor but when you do go into labor it is going to be fast so go immediately to the hospital." Second mention of fast.

Again go ahead another week at my 39 week appt (Feb 8th). The doctor checked me out and despite having some contraction on Jan 27th, Feb 4th, and some on Feb 7th everything checked out the same as the week before, still 4-5 cm and 100% effaced. However the nurse measured some irregularities in Nicole's heart rate so she sent us to the hospital for some monitoring. While we were at the hospital they noticed that Nicole had a lower basal heart rate which accounted for the irregularities the nurse noticed. They also were monitoring my contractions which were 3-6 minutes apart however the doc decided to send us home.

On Feb 10th I started having some more contractions (nothing new there...Jeff even mentioned that I had cried "Wolf" one too many times.) but because they didn't really hurt Nate and I just went about our usual business. The difference this time was that I took a warm bath...nothing changes, still had contraction; and then went to bed. Before when I had the contraction anytime I took a bath or laid down to rest they would slow and gradually stop. Well Friday morning I got up and after having contraction all night I decided to call my doc office and see if they could monitor me to see if things had changed. Yet again they measure me, 5 cm 100% effeced, hooked me up to the machine, contractions every 4-6 minutes (which Nate was with me and trying to entertain an almost 2 year old for over and hour while they measured the contraction was not easy!). And again they told me that when I went into labor it would be fast. So we went home once again.

By this point I was a little stressed out. It was my due date, they had been telling me for three weeks that it would be soon ("we don't think you will make your next appt.") and I was having contractions. I finally decided to go to the library and get some "fru-fru" reading material to take my mind off of the impending labor. So Friday night, after Nate went to bed I started my book and didn't focus on my contractions. Jeff and I decided to go to bed around 9 p.m. since nothing had changed. Well around 10 p.m. Nate came in looking for his "puc" (cup) for a drink of water. I also had gotten a few text messages and since I couldn't sleep I decided to get up and read some more of my book. Around 10:20 I realized that the contractions seemed to be getting more regular, still didn't hurt too bad (I figured that if everything horrible in the Bible is compared to a women in labor, I wasn't going to miss the labor part.) Around 10:40 the contractions started getting intense. I vaguely remembered them feeling about the same intensity when I asked for the drugs during Nate's delivery. I figured it might be time to get Jeff. I woke Jeff up around 10:45 and we grab the things we needed from the house (the bags were already in the car), gathered up Nate and headed to Stafford to drop off Nate. We hadn't been in the car long when I told Jeff I thought we needed to head straight to the hospital...he could drop me off then take Nate. I texted Kathryn and she texted me back saying Matt would meet us at the hospital to pick up Nate.

We reached the hospital around 11:20 p.m. and it was when we were pulling into the parking lot that I told Jeff, "I feel like I need to push." He of course reminded me that we were at the hospital and to hold on. Well, to make a long story even longer by the time I got into the maternity ward I was very ready to push. The nurses asked if it was o.k if Nate watched the birth and told me to call my husband to come up, we could worry about Nate later. Thankfully, Matt had arrived and Jeff arrived at my room shortly after they got me all hooked up to the machines. I think Jeff was in the room around 10 minutes before Nicole was born. She was born at 11:46 p.m and all in all my "real" labor was somewhere around 1 hour 30 minutes. I had wanted to try and have Nicole naturally however when the contractions got bad I changed my mind. As Jeff said, "Maybe God knew the only way you would do it naturally is if you didn't have the chance to get the drugs." Very true!

All this to say that when the docs said it would be fast I really didn't think they meant under 2 hours. This one was a little too close for comfort! The mentioned inducing me because Nate was so big...now we can add fast labor to the list of reason to be induced. (oh and the doc arrived 20 minutes after Nicole and it wasn't until about 2 hours after she arrived that I signed all the paperwork giving them permission to deliver her. :) God does have a sense of humor!