It was now midnight, not much had happened since Guðrún got her water broken and we were just kept waiting. We were very frustrated but I tried to keep m calm. Still, this was stupid we were we asked to come in if nothing was to be done? Why weren't we asked to come in a day later? At least then we would have been well rested. This was the feeling both of us had and Guðrún got in a little bit of a row with the midwife who was working the reception. But of course, we knew it was not her fault. We were also just a bit frightened as we knew that after the water was broken we just had 24 hours to get the baby out (actually this was not the case but what we thought).
Finally at 00:25 we were put in the labor ward. Guðrún got a nice bed and me a comfy chair. We didn't know how long until a midwife is free so we tried to sleep or relax. The midwife came in at 01:00. She told us that she would be with us until the end of her shift at 7:30. Guðrún was again hooked up to a monitor and then if ok she would get a drip that would increase her contractions. If the baby´s heart rate was ok then the drip would go up by 20 ml every 20 minutes. As Guðrún´s placenta was on the front I had to help with the monitors. This meant adjusting the heart monitor if it lost the baby´s heart rate and pressing the contraction monitor when Guðrún felt them come on (as that was much easier then trying to adjust it). After a while got a control of the monitors. Guðrún took the contractions monitor and told me to rest so I got a quick power nap.
As I woke up the midwife was coming in, it was 2:06 and now it was time to prepare the drip. It needed two tries to get the catheter. The first in the left hand didn´t work but the one in the right was good. Of course, I couldn´t watch it go in, I´m not that brave but I found it interesting to see it flushed with water. I had never seen that done before. After this, the midwife left after and we had a couple of sandwiches, that we had warmed up on the grill before going to the hospital, with some Fanta zero. Guðrún pushed the monitor when she got contractions.
Guðrún went to the toilet which was a bit funny because she had to unplugged from all the machines and take her IV-drip to the toilet. She had to use the wrong hand which she thought was very uncomfortable but I thought was hilarious. At this time she was still losing water and we tried using a hot water bag for her lower back to ease the pain. At this time the contractions were getting worse fast. I think neither of us realized how quickly the pain got worse. We were just focused on getting the correct readings, time the contractions and relaxing in between. I started measuring the contractions both on the phone and pressing a monitor. At this time Guðrún was more than 3cm dilated so we were in active labor.
We were moved into a maternity ward room and Guðrún got worse fast. I started counting the seconds to make it easier, the contractions seemed to be about one minute and 15 seconds, so the worst was 45 seconds. We tried a bunch of different positions. It was easiest to stand next to the bed. She looked horrible like she was really sick and at one point I was sure she couldn't make it without an epidural. She went to the shower for relief, which at least gave her some comfort. In the shower, I monitored the contractions and counted the seconds while Guðrún just tried to get through the pain. The midwife was always coming and adjusting the heart monitor which at the time was super annoying but in hindsight, I know how important it was. The IV-drip can have a lot of effect on a baby, which was something we learned about a few hours later.
At around 4:15 Guðrún was measured again and the progression seemed good, she was dilated about 4-5 cm. But Guðrún was not handling the pain well. She even asked if she could request a c-section. We discussed it for awhile and decided on an epidural. It was clear that she needed it. She looked exhausted and I think everyone agreed it was necessary, she would not get through this otherwise.
The anesthesiologist came in and in between contractions she put a catheter into Guðrún´s spine. It was bone chilling. I had heard about this but witnessing it was bone chilling. It went really well, the drugs were put in and finally, she got some rest (I also got some rest). Guðrún was measured again and the midwife thought that she was almost at 6 cm dilated, so we seemed to be progressing well.
There was a shift change at 6:30 and we got 2 new midwives for the price of one. Both of them were super nice they would be our biggest help in the hours to come. They started by measuring Guðrún again at around 8:15 and they weren’t as happy with the progression. It looked like that Guðrún was only about 4-5 cm dilated still so the drip was increased by 20 ml.
It was recommended that Guðrún stand to speed things up, this was not as comfortable. She was still tired from all the pain and had been lying on her side, but she got up and tried all of the suggested positions. This seemed to work as the next measurement she was 5-6 cm. The baby got a diode on her head so Guðrún didn’t need the heart monitor on her stomach which was great. It had been bothersome from the start so it was nice to be rid of it. But the baby’s heartbeat was fluctuating too much at this time. The midwives were a bit worried and gave Guðrún something to slow down the contractions for 20 minutes or so and after that, she just fell asleep. We updated our loved ones via Facebook messenger and tried to get as much rest as possible. The midwives took great care of us and talked us through what was happening so we weren't worried about the baby.
The drip was then continued at 12:04, at the first low amount, so the contractions would start up again. I went to the 7/11 and got some bland tasting chicken for Guðrún. She didn’t want any taste. I noticed that this was the first time I had left that room for more than 6 hours, it was a strange feeling. For some reason, I always got myself a caramel frog when I went to the store. I absolutely love them and they are not sold everywhere, also I was having a baby and thought I deserved one even though my cholesterol is too high ( so in truth I should skip the candy, but that´s willpower for you).
Guðrún started to get contractions again but the midwives gave her more pain medication and some antibiotics. I tried to support as much as I could but there was a limited amount I could do. I counted the seconds when she had contractions, it felt like I was endlessly repeating 10,15,20,25,30, 35,40,45 and staring at the contraction app, but I didn´t mind at all as it seemed to help. Guðrún got more dilated until it appeared like half of her uterus was fully dilated but the other half had a while to go. The midwives thought this could be because Guðrún lay one side and not the other. So she tried different positions to get the second half fully dilated. The midwives were absolutely wonderful and got her all the way but that wasn’t enough. The baby didn’t want out. It was still not far enough down. So the doctors came in and explained our options: try for an hour more or get a c-section. We talked about it for 10 minutes. Called Maggí Guðrún’s sister who said the c-section was the way to go. I think both of agreed with that all along and just need a nudge. Guðrún was tired and in pain, so we said yes to option b, the c-section. But we talked it good over first. Of course, there was a chance that the baby would move further down with the help of the midwives but there was no certainty and we didn´t want to take any chances.
I was given scrubs, Guðrún laughed and told me to take a selfie which I of course did. It didn’t take long for the OR to be ready and we were whisked in. The midwives talked us through everything and came with us to the OR. The helped keep everything calm and I can't thanks them enough.
In the OR I was introduced to two OR nurses, the anesthesiologist and I had met the surgeons. Guðrún was put on the table that looked a like a cross and her hands were loosely tied down. The anesthesiologist and one nurse talked to her and gave her relevant drugs. She lost the feeling in the lower part of her body. She felt very sick but got a shot of black gue to make it better. She shook all over from some of the medication, she was afraid that something was wrong but the nurse told her everything was OK. A partition was raised on Guðrún´s chest so she wouldn´t see the operation. I was told that I could watch. I told the nurse that I was a bit squeamish, she smiled and asked if I had had something to drink or something sweet. I said that I was OK. I decided to give Guðrún all of my focus. She appeared scared or I thought she was, but she said she was good. I said that I would take care of her and that the doctors would take care of our baby. She smiled and was happy, as was I — I was just minutes away from becoming a dad.
The operation started. It was really fast. The nurse told me to look. I quickly peeked over the partition and there she was, my daughter. It was just a glance but enough. Her face contorted and she cried. It was like my heart was smashed into a million pieces. It was so real and I was so not prepared for the feeling. That little baby was my daughter. I was a dad. There were so many feelings and didn´t have room for all of them. Guðrún just broke down. She sobbed like a little girl. Later she said that it was because of the drugs, she just couldn't control herself. She also said that it was difficult to be stuck at the table she couldn´t touch our daughter right away.
The took the baby and to a station, the midwife led my there too. At the station, the baby was injected with vitamin K and then they handed her to me. I was still crying. I asked one of the midwives to take pictures and she took a lot, which was so great. I was led to Guðrún where I sat while they stitched her up. We cried together and looked at our daughter. The baby was weighed 3,68 kg. Then finally Guðrún was ready to take her. We thanked everyone and went with the midwives to post-op. Their Guðrún recovered for 2 hours. We hugged the midwives goodbye, as their shift was coming to an end, the two of them had been with us for more than twelve hours. We were so thankful to themþ We met a new midwife that was taking over but she said that she would just be with for an hour or two. The baby and Guðrún were checked and got a pass. We then went together to the post delivery ward, met our nurse who talked over the basics with us. I let the baby lay on my bare skin and she was so good. She is the most beautiful girl in the world. Later I learned that she was born on the same day as Julius Caesar. I then got our stuff from the labor ward and we went to sleep as a family for the first time.
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