Ranaldi Way of Life

So…. I know I updated facebook the entire day but here’s my rundown of the events of Peytne Dawn Ranaldi’s Birth.

Friday April 16^th, 2010 I went into my doctor appointment and upon entering both the receptionist and the nurse looked at me and said, “ what are you still doing here?!” Thank goodness the doctor felt the same way and was under the assumption that baby Peytne was going to be rather large so she scheduled us for 7am Saturday morning, April 17^th, 2010.

Friday afternoon was such a strange time…although my other two were induced as well, neither were scheduled. So to be told in 24hrs come rain or shine…i WILL have this baby…. I couldn’t settle on an emotion. One minute I was ecstatic and thrilled that there was finally an end in sight and all the details I had been stressing about and worrying about were coming together so wonderfully. My prayers were begin answered and I was so relieved. Yet part of me was trying to savor the little bit of sadness that I felt towards the pregnancy actually being over. We are strongly considering this to be our last pregnancy and I knew this so I tried to enjoy those last few moments with her in my tummy before the morning came. I was a little nervous and scared that she would come SO quick that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the pain and handle the labor like I did with Haylee…but I knew in the end it would work out. So after cleaning the whole house top to bottom (except the kitchen floors lol) I went to bed and actually slept really well. Kaelob kept having nightmares about bugs so finally at 3am we let him just stay in bed with us, but it was still a relaxing night of restful sleep.

Saturday morning we headed out super early… early enough that we had time to drive through carls jr and get daddy some breakfast and a Monster energy drink. Then we spent about an hour waiting to be checked in to admitting at the hospital even though our appointment was at 7am. That got me ancy even though I wasn’t worried about the whole process I was anxious to get it started. Finally paperwork was submitted in the computer and we were escorted upstairs to Labor and Delivery.

Mommy and baby got all hooked up to the machinery and settled into the hospital bed while daddy made himself comfy on the large couch and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. After my IV was put in they started me on Pitocin at a 2, which is nothing when the highest dose is a 20. I was already having contractions that morning so they didn’t want to have my labor explode suddenly because they started the Pitocin too high. By 1130am I had met the wonderful doctor who came to break my water now that my IV was in and contractions were regular and fairly strong. After my water broke of course, contractions started picking up and getting stronger, they still weren’t dilating me enough so they put the pitocin up to 4. By that time the anesthesiologist was said to be in surgery. I believe I was also 5 cm. We paged him to come up as soon as he was done, which I counted down the minutes. 15 minutes felt like an hour. Eric woke up at this point because I had horrible pain in my back each contraction, which conveniently enough for me my husband is very good at applying counter pressure and helped me get through the time that passed while waiting for the epidural.

When the anesthesiologist came in all my anxiety went out the window. I knew it wouldn’t be long now because as soon as I relax my body takes over and flies through dilating like there’s no problem at all. Go figure not long after the nurse checks me before going on her lunch break and I am 7 cm. Right as she gets ready to leave I start feeling sick, but of course already got Zofran so all I get is the barf bucket and a wet washcloth on my face. Luckily I didn’t actually throw up this time but started shaking and shivering uncontrollably from the labor. I knew something was changing I just didn’t think I was that close. Conveniently enough a few minutes later the Doctor comes in to check on me and although they tell him the nurse checked me before she left he decides to check me again, and go figure I am at 10cm.

He rushes out of the room to get changed while two nurses flutter around the room taking pieces of the bed off and getting the baby incubator all set up. All the while i’m shivering and shaking like i’m in the arctic. If I still didn’t feel like puking I would have found it funny because the more I tried to control the shaking… the more I shook. One nurse puts my feet up in the ever so wonderful foot things to assume the position and laughs and says, “I’m not going to even do a practice push with you”. Gee thanks I think to myself. I could tell each time they walked past, hustling about getting things ready and would peek over at me that they were staring right at the baby’s head or something so pronounced that they looked worried the baby would pop out before the doctor got back.

Just in the nick of time the doctor came through the door in his gown and cap ready to deliver. He nodded to me and said, “this wont take more than three pushes”. I didn’t doubt him what so ever and three pushes later at 2:48pm on April 17^th, 2010 Peytne came out with the most sour expression on her face and shortly there after a very loud unhappy cry.