NOVEMBER 1, 2006, 1:00AM - We walked to the hospital, and while it was only 7 blocks away, we had to stop several times during Karen's contractions. When we got there we had to wait at the examining room (triage area) for the nurse to come by and attach the fetal monitor. The wait seemed like forever and Karen's contraction kept getting more and more intense. We wanted to hold off on the epidural, but at 2AM -- and exhausted -- we were wondering how far we can go without pain medication. Karen is not used to staying up late so this is a real challenge for her. She was hungry and I gave her some Gatorade (the nurse said it's ok to give clear liquids). Bad move. She vomited twice.
The fetal monitor was placed by a charming nurse, however, her thick Jamaican accent was hardly understandable. And while we were comforted by the baby's good well-being based on the monitor, each anticipated contraction kept me at the edge of my seat. Karen took the pain and refused any medication.
When the resident OB on call finally came to examine her at around 3AM, we were disappointed to learn that Karen was still only 2 cm dilated. This means that they will not admit us unless we ask for an epidural, so the option we had was to walk around the hospital corridors (they can't send us home since her water broke already) to allow the labor contractions to progress. This seemed to me the longest hour of my life.
By 5AM, exhausted and with full intensity labor contractions, we asked for an epidural so Karen can be admitted and get some rest in preparation for pushing. Heaven knows she needs the energy for that! I left the room so the Anesthesiologist can do his job and by the time I went back in the room at 6AM, Karen was resting on the hospital bed on which she will soon deliver a baby. She had a peaceful smile on her face. Thank God for epidurals!
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