Alyssa Jaime: A Baby Story

CONFESSION: I was obsessed with going into labor. As soon as I hit the third trimester, it was always on my mind: OMG, is that a contraction? Nope, I just have gas. AAH my water broke! Ooops, nevermind – I just peed myself a little. Is morning sickness in the third trimester a sign of going into labor? Because I just vomited.  And the words “mucus plug” passed through my mind at least one time a day.

At my 36 week doctor’s appointment, the baby was still positioned really high and I was only 1 cm dilated. I was a bit discouraged and told myself to be patient over the next couple of weeks. What’s the point of obsessing when it will eventually happen when it’s meant to happen?  That Monday at work, I told my co-workers that I didn’t think the baby would come anytime soon.

Later that evening…

11/17/2014 11 p.m.

I was in bed and Arielle came to snuggle and sleep next to me. When I moved over, I felt like I peed on myself a little. Kinda gross, right? So I went to the bathroom and noticed that there was a steady trickle of water that definitely wasn’t pee. My water broke, but I wasn’t 100% sure because it was not like a GUSH of water that happens in the movies. I also hesitated because I was not feeling any contractions.

11/18/2014 1 a.m.

At around 1 a.m., I was still a leaky faucet down there (eww, I know!) so I was 95% certain that it was time to start heading to the hospital.  I was giddy and excited to meet my baby girl soon. I was also terrified because there was still that 5% chance that it was a false alarm.  How embarrassing that would be if I went to the hospital for peeing on myself?

2 a.m.

By 2 a.m., we arrived at the hospital and the nurses got me all set up in my birthing suite. Yes, they call it a “suite” and rightfully so because it was a beautiful luxury hotel hospital. They gathered my info and did a test to confirm whether I was leaking amniotic fluid. By 3 a.m. they confirmed that my water did break and that I was going to stay to have the baby SOON.

I looked over at Jeff with a sigh of relief that it wasn’t a false alarm. My giddiness faded as it occurred to me in that I was in for a long day.  They don’t call it “labor” for nothing!

I was still only 1 cm dilated, so they started me on pitocin to jump-start my labor.  I was disappointed because I really didn’t want to be induced.  When I had Arielle, they put me on pitocin and the contractions were so intense that I requested an epidural within the first hour of labor.  With Zavier, I went into labor on my own and I didn’t need an epidural. The best part about going without the epidural was that post-partum recovery was super easy. I was hoping to go without the epidural this time around.

6 a.m.

Six a.m. was when the contractions started kicking in.  The pain was tolerable so I didn’t need any pain medication.  I even ordered breakfast – sorbet, jello, and juice.  I labored away while texting my family and friends and watching the morning news.  So far, labor was easy peasy.

9 a.m. 

By 9 a.m., I was only 3 cm dilated.  I was kind of bummed that I still had 7 cm to go and the contractions were getting stronger. The nurse offered a narcotic called fentanyl to take the edge off of the pain.  It made me calm and sleepy, but it only lasted 30 minutes so I got a second dose of it at around 9:30.

10 a.m.
By 10 a.m., the nurse checked again and this time I had progressed from 3 to 6 cm dilated. The contractions were coming along stronger and I thought the pain medication had lost its magical powers. I finally requested the epidural, but Jeff said I was doing so good without it and I’ve come this far. With his encouragement, I decided to stick to the fentanyl and NOT get the epidural.

A few minutes later, I had an epic contraction. I couldn’t breathe through it and just cried out in pain. I told Jeffrey to call the nurse – but as soon as the next contraction kicked in, I started wailing from the pain (oh, the pain!) and the nurse came running in.

After a quick check, the nurse said I was 10 cm dilated and she could feel the baby’s head. It was time to have the baby!!!!

The nurses and the doctor barely got everything set up just in time for me to push. In the midst of all the hustle to transform my suite into a birthing unit, I remember Jeffrey kissing me on the forehead and saying, “You can do it! I love you, beb. You can do it.”

After one big push, our little baby girl was born.

Baby Girl Tamanio
November 18, 2014 at 10:34 a.m.
Weight: 4 pounds, 15 ounces
Length: 18.5 inches

It happened so quickly and the doctor and nurses were thrilled at how easy the delivery went. The baby girl was teeny tiny at 36 weeks and 6 days, but perfectly healthy.

We spent the next two days in the hospital and just bonded. We nursed. We slept. I studied her sweet little face. I fell in love.

We didn’t have a name for her for the first few days, and eventually Jeffrey and I finally agreed to name her “Alyssa Jaime.” Her big sister Arielle and big brother Zavier were just thrilled to meet her.

Our first family of 5 selfie!

We are so blessed to have a healthy baby girl.  She really is an angel.  I’m so excited to start this journey as a mother again, for the very last time.

Thanks for reading along!

xoxo // gracielle.