And baby makes 3 - no wait, she makes 10

Fast Facts:
Jolani Gisel - born 7-25-06 at 2:17pm. She weighed 8lbs 8oz, and was 20.5 inches long.
Ok, here is the birth story. I brought a notebook with me to take notes through out the day.

The Night Before:

Oh my goodness, what a day today has been! It actually started last night. Knowing that I had to get up at 4:30 to get ready to leave by 5:00 to get to the hospital by 6:00, I had a plan to go to bed early and get a good nights sleep. Well my plan for Monday night was to go somewhere to eat with my husband, just him and I and to just enjoy the evening with him, before the baby comes and there is no time for a while. But because he got out of work late and I didn't want to drop the kids off we went by McDonalds for dinner. No problem. I ordered a grilled chiken sandwhich meal with no lettuce, no mayo, extra mustard, extra pickles. Oh yeah and a slice of American cheese. Well we got home, I got the kids settled at the table, and while Lale went to take a shower I sat down to eat. I eat my french fries, then go and get my sandwhich. And I couldn't wait to eat it. I opened the box, and looked at my sandwhich. First thing I saw was mayo and lettuce. So Iopened the top, used the lettuce to wipe off the mayo, then as I went to close the top I noticed something else. My sandwhich had came with: lettuce, mayo, mustard, pickles, swiss cheese (nope not american) but no chicken. How the hell do you get a grilled chicken sandwhich with no chicken? I looked for a receipt to call them back and let them know, but no receipt. I caled information to get the number, but because they are a franchise, they aren't listed under the name McDonalds, so I couldn't find the number. I was so frustrated and hormonal that I started to cry because I had no chicken in my sandwhich and because I couldn't get ahold of McDonalds. I don't know what was wrong with me. Then at around 9:30ish I started to get hungry seeing as how I couldn't eat my chicken sandwhich and all. Well Lale was hungry too, and he wanted pizza. So I ordered a pizza and some fried mushrooms. Once it came, I had the mushrooms and a slice of pizza, and he ate the pizza, and around midnight we went to bed. Right after we fell asleep, our houseguest from hell began his calling. He was off work and needed a ride. So he called, and called and called (since no one answered) until finally Lale got pissed enought that he got up and answered the phone, and told Fermin that he had to find his own way home, even if that meant walk, and to stop calling. So he went back to sleep (and after that, he tossed and turned most of the night and really didn't sleep much the rest of the night) and I tried to sleep, but just layed there. Then about an hour later Fermin comes in and is so mad he is slamming doors and stuff. I just layed in the bed and laughed. Anything that pisses him off is super funny to me. Anyway, so that was a little after one, and right after that I fell asleep. But I didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned and just kept waking up. Then at 3:00 I woke up with this nasty burning taste in my mouth. Ugh, now I have acid reflux. How nasty is that. I got up, drank some water, brushed my teeth again trying to get rid of the taste, but I couldn't. After that I couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up for good at 3:00Am after about an hour and half of horrible sleep. Can't wait to start the day.

Induction Day - a timeline:

• 6:00 AM - we have arrived!! We get to John Hopkins, and get all the insurance stuff and what not taken care of.
• 7:00 AM - I am in my room, and they check me to make sure that I am still ok for induction. I am now 3cm and 30% effaced - on Friday I was 2cm and 50% effaced. They hook me up to all the IV fluids and what not, and while I wait while they do shift change, me and Lale each try to get some sleep.
• 8:00 AM - still no pitocin, all hooked up and just waiting. Lale is right next to me snoring in the rocking chair - his neck is going to be killing him in a bit the way he is sleeping - I can't sleep to wel in this bed, it is uncomfortable, and the spot where my but hits the bed is super hard, so my but keeps going numb. Hopefully the pitocin comes soon.I am bored and want to get this party started. (words that will come back to haunt me)
• 9:00 AM - finally the pitocin is started, but nothing really happening. It is on its lowest dose, and will be upped every half hour or so - the burse says. I feel a bit of cramping, but that is about it.
• 9:15/9:30/10:00 AM - Pitocin is upped.
• 10:10 AM - 3-4CM and 50% effaced. Contractions are now 1.5 - 3 minutes apart, but not strong at all. Menstral cramps are more uncomfortable.
• 10:20 AM - no contractions, sitting here watching Spanish Talk shows. They check me, no change, and the midwife says that when the baby drops some they can break my water. Right now she is to high, but once they break my waters that should get things moving. Lale said that she would be born around 1:00Pm or 3:00Pm. I said 2ish.
• 10:30 or so - we begin the arguing of names that we want for this little girl. I am set on Gabriela Jolani, but I can be flexable. I also like Alma Jolani. He doesn't want to use Gabriela because Sendy's middle name is Gabriel. Names that we are discussing right now are Alma Gisel, Alma Jolani, Gabriela Gisel, Gabriela Jolani, and some crazy names that he keeps throwing in that I automatically veto, without even having to think about it.
• 11:50 AM - the baby has dropped because we had to move the monitors down to keep track of her heartrate. I ask the midwife to check me to see if they can rupture the waters. She does, they do. I also ask for the epidural, knowing that normally after they break my waters, and I get the epi, it all comes fast. The contractions immediately get stonger and I can now feel them. Good. Now things should get moving. I am ready to have this baby.
• 12:30 PM - I get the epidural. They put it in, and I begin to feel the heaviness and the numbness in my legs. Although my left leg, not so much. They tell me to roll over onto my left side to help the medicine go to the left side more.
• 12:45 - 1:00 PM - WHAT THE HELL?? This crap hurts. I am not shaking yet, so I shouldn't be in transition, although I certainly feel like it. The contractions are hurting like hell, and I feel like I need to push. When I push, there is relief on the pain. What is my dialation?? I get checked. You are a 5-6. What do you mean 5-6??
• 1:15 - 1:30 PM - contactions more painful. I can still deal with them, but man they hurt. Pushing during them is a relief though. They call the epidural guy to come out and up my dose of epidural.
• 1:30PM - Epidural is not working. Pain is crazy hurting, and even after they give me a boost, plus extra meds that work faster, the only thing that happens is my right leg goes more numb. I am having horrble contractions and Lale is trying to joke with me to make me laugh. Wrong thing to do while your wife is in pain. I have tears rolling down my face it hurts so bad, and he is calling me a crybaby trying to make me mad to help me not think of the pain. Jerk - he just makes me cry worse. Doctors are in there talking to me - I have no clue what they wanted. All I remember is telling anyone who talked to me "yeah yeah yeah, whatever. do whatever you got to do I dont care. Just shut up"
• 2:00 - 2:17 PM - Pain is unbearable. I have to throw up but as I am leaning over the bed into the trashcan here comes a contraction, and it takes my focus away from the throwing up and I have to focus on the pain. I am so mad, I yell at Lale that all I want to do is throw up so I can feel better. It wasn't until after the baby that I learned the pain from the coming contraction was causing the nausea. I am now 8cm, and have to push. I don't care, I am pushing. I am yeling and screaming and tears are rolling down my face. I am now 10 cm and they want me to push. I can't. I tell them I have to go home. I can't do this anymore. She is crowing, and I am trying to push so bad that I am pushing on the stirrups and causing my legs to close. Um, just so you know, closing your legs, doesn't help get the baby out. They grab my legs, and yank them back, Lale is pulling on my hand, so I can pull back, and she is crowning. I literaly see stars, and the pain is horrible. I am having a hard time pushing through that, and for a good 60 seconds all I feel is myself tearing in all directions. That 60 seconds felt like a good 60 minutes. (and by the way, I didn't tear at all, it just felt like it) Finally thre is a pop, and her head is out. Take a breath and do it again. Here come her shoulders and her body. WOW, what a relief. Look down at her, they keep saying. I can't I tell them. I have my head under the pillow, and I am exhausted. I only pull my head out of the pillow to ask Lale why isn't she crying? There are to many people for me to see what is wrong with her. Oh there she goes, what a beautiful sound that is. She is beautiful, she looks like Isa in the eyes, the mouth, and in her expression. And the fact that she has so much dark dark hair. 9/9 apgar stores both times.
• 2:17 - 2:30ish - What the hell are they doing down there? Stop jumping they tell me, I have been through this before. Yeah, but with an epidural, I never felt it. They are checking to make sure I didn't tear or anything, but it feels like they have a good 6 or 7 hands up there and it is raw in there, and it hurts. Please hurry up and vacate the building please. With the epidurals before I missed all of this checking and everyhitng. I knew they were doing stuff down there, but never knew nor felt what. Until today. Um yeah. OUCH. Finally they are done, and I deliver the placenta. I am so tired, I just want to look at the baby and go to sleep. But she still doesn't have a name, and the nursery lady comes in and asks, so I look at Lale and he says Jolani Gisel. I say ok, that is fine by me. So that is her name. Jolani Gisel. And she is beautiful.