Baby: Laura Elizabeth
Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Height: 20.5 inches
Date: March 15, 1998
Time: 8:43 am
Birth: 11 hour labor with epidural.
I have been bouncing between the March and April expecting clubs as my OB due date was 4/2, but my ultrasound due date was 3/28.
I was getting really tired of being so huge, so DH and I decided to try some labor inducing techniques at 38 weeks. On Saturday, 3/14, we went for a walk, but the baby was so low I could only make it one mile! Then on Sat night we went out for Mexican food with my in-laws. We kept joking around with them that we were planning on having the baby on Sunday, but we secretly had a "feeling" that Sunday was the day. When they dropped us off after dinner, we jokingly said "we'll call you from the hospital in the morning!". This was at 6:30 p.m.
DH started our taxes that evening, and I was feeling VERY restless. I took a bath, and decided to go to bed at 9. At 10, I suddenly woke up - I felt as if I had eaten bad Mexican food (with most of the associated symptoms!). I finally got a clue that it wasn't just indigestion when the cramping continued (30-45 sec, 5 minutes apart), even though I was walking around. I finally asked DH to read about false labor vs. real labor - I was feeling the cramping mainly in my lower abdomen. As he was reading up on it, I went into the bathroom again, noticed that I had lost my mucous plug (but it wasn't bloody). When I stood up, my water broke, which was a nice confirmation that this wasn't false labor.
I called my Dr, she said to be at the hospital within an hour, DH took a shower, we grabbed my packed bag (glad I did it early!) and my favorite pillows (definitely recommended), and got to the hospital at 12:30 a.m.. The nurse indicated I was 4 cm. I got the epidural at 2:30 (it was HEAVENLY), was checked at 6:30, and was 9 cm. The Dr was called at 7 a.m. - she didn't get there until 7:30, so I had to resist the urge to push for 30 minutes. I started pushing at 7:45, and sweet Laura was born at 8:43 a.m., March 15!!! She weighed 7lb8oz, and was 20.5".
Good luck to all April Moms!