"She is making progress"

So after our little drive to the hospital and the check in process, they placed us in a little room in the L&D.  It had a door that opened to the main hallway and a door that opened to a back hallway for privacy.  After I was outfitted with my lovely hospital gown and examined by a nurse I was told to go in the back hall and walk to get my labor started.  Not even a twinge at this point.  So we started walking.  We walked and walked, soon some pains were evident but they were in my lower back.  I would go back to the room occasionally for a rest, never on the bed, just leaning on it to relieve my back.   My husband would rub my back and after a breather off we would go again. We had done all the natural childbirth classes and I was determined to do this without drugs.  I could say idiot again.

We would take our breaks, or they would check me and say keep walking and we did.  Not sure of the time but way up in the morning they said I had progressed enough that I could get in the bed.  That almost sounds like good news.  But OMG!  I had back labor and it was vicious.  It eventually made its way ALL the way around and let me tell you there weren't any doubts then!

We did this for hours.  My husband on one side of me holding my hand, a young nurses aide on the other side of me holding my hand, and me with a big monitor belt across me in the middle of the bed.  I am sure it was a sight.  He told me later he thought I would break all the bones in his hand and wasn't sure how that girl stood it like she did.  I hope nothing was mangled in her hand!  But when one of those pains hit I didn't care what I was breaking.  Still no drugs.

The nurses made their appearance every now and then to check on things and would say "you are making progress".  One could only hope so!  They finally must have realized that we actually were going to have a baby that day, so they let my husband change into his cute little scrubs.  He was excited and nervous, I was exhausted.  One of the nurse told me I needed to let them give me something to take the edge off.  No epidural was my reply and she said, "No epidural".  They gave me something in an IV.  I still hurt like crazy, but it didn't seem quite as horrible each time that pain shot through me!

My OB came in to see how I was and he was told "she is making progress" - Ha.  He read the little tape coming from the monitor which was strapped on me.  Patted my shoulder and left.  Ok.  I don't need your help anyway, I got this.  For all I knew he was checking his stock reports on a ticker.

Sometime later he came in rather a hurry and said, we need to take the monitor off and use an internal fetal monitor.  Why?  What's happening?  Those questions rolled around in my head but I am not sure if I asked them.  Maybe my husband did.  I do remember hearing an answer as they made the change.  The baby's heart rate isn't coming back up like it should  after each contraction.  We need the fetal monitor to get a more accurate reading.  Oh, nothing is wrong, good.  It is just that clunky belt I am wearing.