all checked in

Ash is checked back in to the Clatanoff Pavilion at AAMC and I have successfully haxxed her blog account to post this information here this morning. Due to some technical difficulties I am transmitting to the blogosphere from my Droid instead of the laptop so there are bound to be mispellings and even the occasional LOL. Momma to be is doing fine, she's hooked up to both heartrate monitor and IV bag. The contractions started early yesterday afternoon and were very irregular at first but developed into a steady pattern by the time I was poked awake at about 330am.

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The Baby Smith Situation: Day 2

There's still no baby. Sorry! Momma has been up for most of the evening with moderate to severe contraction pains, which have been made better, but not eliminated, by the epidural. The Dr. will be in sometime soon to re-assess the situation.

Full Swing

We're in full scale labor here since 10:00 pm eastern. Heavy contractions at regular intervals (like every 2 minutes), some dilation, 90% effacement, for those that are into technical terms.
Just got another shot of Stadol to try and make it through the next couple of hours.

Evening Update

Ashley has a regular Christmas Tree (or Menorah, if that's your persuasion) full of drips to the left of her bed now. The Stadol, after a brief but ferocious spout of nausea, has taken the edge off of the migraine-like headache and, now coupled with some anti-nausea medication, is lulling Ash into a sweet trance (that may even lead to some sleep)
We've been at this for 14 hours now...hopefully the parts of the anatomy that have to do certain actions in the process will accelerate that process with Ash resting. The contractions seem to be far more regular now, but probably still not at the level that indicates that the body is ready to push the baby out.

Afternoon Tea

No tea here, but it's just that time. Ashley is resting now, with the Pitocin (thanks, Caroline [ed: too many people with the same name]!) taking more of an effect. Contractions harder and closer now, but still no baby! Our nurse rotates out at 3:30pm, which means we'll likely see a third shift of nurses. Hopefully jr. will arrive before we see shift #4!

The Lunchtime Update

So we're sitting here, still lightly contracting, getting ready to grab a bite (those of us that can eat). Ashley is being very patient, drinking only the clear liquids and eating the jello and Popsicles that are allowed.
The Dr. had our nurse, Kim, start the Pertosin (which I am probably misspelling) to heighten the contractions and speed things up a bit. Ashley is now hooked up to the IV pump and the blood pressure cuff, making her look something like Darth Vader with all the tubes and whatnot coming off her. She's a trooper!

The Ins and the Outs

All the *laws are here, in and out. Both fought DC traffic fiercely and proved themselves worthy of watching Ashley squeeze little niblet out! Still having contractions, about 3-4 minutes apart, steadily increasing in intensity, but not unbearable yet.

Update and More Photos

We've just gotten back from our second set of laps around the ward. Ashley walks very fast for a pregnant person, especially taking corners! She's doing well, but no baby yet!

All photos are posted here: http://public.fotki.com/therumrunner/2009/its-ababy/

There's also a slideshow at the bottom of the page, but the full page is better!

Contraction Junction

They're about 3-4 minutes apart! 30 seconds or so long! Perfect uterine form!

Could it really be on time?

We're sitting here, Ashley is strapped to a machine monitoring contractions and the baby's heartbeat. The contractions are every 3-5 minutes, for about 30 seconds in duration. Heartbeat is 133. Just in case you are following at home. Will the baby be born today? Only time will tell!