Mylee Marie Ewell's Birth Story

Wednesday October 23 I went into my 36/37 week appointment since my doctor had to cancel my 36 week appointment because he was getting ready to deliver a baby, this was the first appointment where he was going to check me to see if I had dilated and thinned out any.  I was thinking maybe I'd be at 1cm or so. I remember the look on his face while he was checking me and when he was finished he told me that I was already 100% thinned out and was 2cm dilated, and said the soonest I could have her would be 6 hrs!!! I was in shock and was thinking that I hope I had enough time to go back to Vernal to Josh and to grab our things.  I wasn't having any contractions that hurt though, just the same braxton-hicks that were about 10 min apart.  I then told mine and Josh's family and they all were so excited.  That night I was having the same contractions about 7 min apart but I wasn't going to go in until they started hurting, if my water broke or if they were 5 min apart for 1 hour.  I then got into the shower and they settled down a bit, I think that my anxiousness were the cause of them.  

The next couple of days were very long with the anticipation that we knew she was going to make her arrival very soon.  I still went to work and I was in my Advanced EMT class that I needed to be there Friday and Saturday, so she needed to stay in until Saturday after class.  That Saturday I woke up feeling very different, my contractions were on and off again and felt different, still not hurting but I knew they were different.  I had class that morning from 8-4:30 that was one of the most important classes.  That whole day I couldn't concentrate but still managed to get through the entire thing.  We also were practicing our IV's on each other but my instructor wouldn't let anyone stick me because the stress could put me into labor and I had to finish class on Saturday.  So since I had made it through class I decided that I would let someone try and IV on me.  When I got home that night I told Josh that we were going to take Titan and go walking at the walking park, and oh did I walk like it was nobody's business.  I was so ready for her to be here.  But the contractions still weren't hurting and would come and go, but I could just feel her getting ready to make her appearance. 

About 9:00 that night my contractions were very regular so I got an app on my phone and timed my contractions and they were about 5-6 min apart, so by 10:00 when they were still going even though they weren't hurting I decided it was time to go in and see what was going on.  I called our family to tell them what was going on but said we weren't positive I was in labor.

We got to the hospital and checked in at 10:30pm Saturday night.  I got dressed in the lovely gown and the monitors were placed on my stomach. When the nurse checked me I was 3cm, and said she would come back in an hour to check me again.  When she checked me again I was at 4cm(12:15am) and she said I was definitely in labor and she admitted me.  I was such in shock that we would be meeting our daughter really soon. 

Since my contractions weren't hurting the nurse said that it would be a good idea to walk around.  So myself, Josh, my mom, and my sister went walking around the hospital, and while we were walking we saw my grandma and the check in desk.  My grandpa was having chest pain so they brought him into the ER, he has had history and many surgeries with his heart.  I was so scared for him.  

When we got back to my room the nurse checked my again and I was only at a "loose" 4cm.  I was so discouraged.  So they hooked me back up to the monitors.  My contractions were coming and going irregularly again and still felt like braxton-hicks.  My nurse came in, said that she had talked to my doctor, and that he said to put me on pitocin if I wanted and he was leaving at 9:00 in the morning to catch a plane to go to a conference.  I wanted to go all natural so I said no to the pitocin. I asked if they could just break my water and since it was 3:00 in the morning my doctor wasn't going to come in and said that my nurse could break it if I wanted her to.  

30 min after my nurse broke my water I was at 5cm(3:52am), but my contractions were spacing out so I got on the ridiculous diapers and went walking again.  This time I felt a HUGE pop and incredible pain afterwards.  Josh helped me back to my room and my nurse checked me again and was at 6cm.  I was relieved that this process was going along more quickly.  This was now when the contractions started hurting, and oh my did they hurt.  Every time one came I couldn't hold still I need to walk, stand up, or anytime but stay still.  I tried laboring on the big giant ball and that helped alot, I also tried standing up and leaning on Josh which also helped too.  Finally I got back into bed and my nursed checked me again and was at 6.5cm this was at 6:54 in the morning and there was a nurse switch.  

The pain was finally so bad that I needed something for the pain so I decided to get a dose of fentanyl, It didn't take the pain away but instead just relaxed me and I fell right asleep, but it only lasted an hour and the contractions were back at it. At 7:45am I was still at 6.5cm, but at 8:10am I got another dose of fentanyl and checked again and was at 8cm!!! I was so close, that hour that the fentanyl was in my system I slept because I was so exhausted.  When it wore off at 9:00am my doctor, who was getting ready to leave, came in and I totally lost it, I was so sad he wasn't going to be delivering my baby and was such an emotional wreck that I just shouted I wanted an epidural.  When the anesthesiologist came in I told him that I didn't want an epidural because I didn't want a catheter put in me(not sure if they actually do that, but in my mind they did) and I always wanted to go all natural.  I then decided when I was 9cm I wanted to get a spinal, because I didn't think I was going to be able to push through all that pain.  9:10am I got the spinal and Josh passed out while I got it...sorry Josh.  I'm not sure if it was from the needle or the fact that he hadn't eaten in over 12 hours, had not slept, and was a nervous wreck. The spinal was so nice, I still felt my legs and feet and could still move them. I still felt my contractions and they still hurt but not as bad. 9:43am I was almost ready to push, I still had a little anterior lip on my cervix so I couldn't push yet.

By that time we had gotten news that they were going to fly my grandpa by helicopter to UofU Hospital so I was trying so hard to have the baby before he left.  My doctor stayed as long as he could but he had to leave.  10:00am came and I was ready to do some practice pushes, Josh was holding one leg while the CNA held the other, my sister was taking pictures and my mom was in the room as well.  The nurse finally went and got Dr. Williams who was going to deliver my baby.  I was so ready to meet her and when it was time to start the real pushes my spinal wore off.  It was the most incredible pain I had felt, after a couple pushes I felt a gush going down me and I was so embarrassed that I had pooped! I asked the doctor if it was poop or blood and he said that I had torn...luckily I didn't feel it.   A couple more pushes and some loud screams from me, Mylee Marie Ewell was born at 10:31am 6lbs 13oz and 19in long 10/27/13 and had the biggest cone head ever with lots of black hair. I could hear everyone in the room crying, and looked to see my husband who had tears rolling down his face with the biggest grin, he also got to cut the umbilical cord.  They immediately put her on me, cleaned her up and sucked her out, and we were able to do skin to skin for two hours.  She did so well that they didn't have to take her from me, they took all of her vitals and assessments with her on my chest.  The doctor had sewn me up and I felt great. No pain whatsoever! They even got to bring my grandpa in the room in a wheelchair to see his great-granddaughter before being flown out. After two hours they weighed Mylee and got her dressed, and Josh finally got to hold his baby girl for the first time!! He was a natural like he had been doing it for years. My heart felt so full and I was so in LOVE with my little family!!