Mayu's Birth: Before The Epidural

The bed had a few things on it that I'd never seen on those tv shows showing women giving birth. There was this long, wide, cushiony pad with cords coming from it and something else. As I went to the bed, the nurse put the pad around my back and on top of my belly. She told me it was to check for the baby's movements. The other thing she wrapped around was something checking my contractions.

So far, so good.

After asking me a bajillion questions, she told me I'd been having contractions every 2-3 minutes. Really? I hadn't felt them at all. The doctor came in shortly afterward to check on me and was surprised to see me smiling and so cheerful. "Good! It's so rare to see happy people here!" He said, and I laughed because...I honestly didn't expect myself to be there smiling. Like I said, I expected to be in severe pain the entire time. The kind of pain that makes you stand up, shout profanities, and throw lamps at people (like my mom...).

A nurse came in to check how dilated I was. Apparently, I was 5cms and it'd only be a few hours before it was go time. They hooked me up to this medicine that increased my contractions and I smiled as they waited.

After an hour, my contractions (thanks to the meds) were getting harder. To deal with the pressure and pain, I'd shut my eyes and clamp my teeth together silently until it went away. The process would have gone a lot better if my aunt wasn't freaking out about it.

"Tiffany? How are you feeling? What are you doing? Are you ok?" She'd ask repeatedly. It made me want to jump off that bed and punch her in the face. I knew she was concerned but I'd explained to her earlier that I needed to be quiet and concentrate to minimize the pain. Of course, she didn't listen and kept with her questions just as I entered another contraction.

Tons of blood were taken (which I didn't mind since I'm not afraid of needles or blood). Although I've never had trouble with veins in my left arm, they were sticking to using my right arm. I was a little upset as they continuously jabbed at my poor poor veins, trying to find one to draw blood from. Eventually, they were able to find one and abuse it.

From that moment on, every single time they checked to see if I was dilated, I had a massive contraction. Honestly, contractions aren't nearly as bad as people let on...until they break your water.

Suddenly, the contractions take a vicious turn. It doesn't feel like a regular cramp like I've been told. It feels more like massive pressure and a very sharp, powerful, ping in your stomach. One that lasts for a good 30seconds before relief comes. Of course, the medication to increase contractions didn't help either.

I agreed to an epidural the moment they made it available. It had always been my plan to get one, after all. Besides, my contractions were killing me.