Birth Story

One week ago today, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy, but just days before that, I was crying daily worrying about why my little boy hadn’t made his appearance yet—wondering why I had zero signs of impending labor (and I’m sure the pregnancy hormones played a large part!)  

When I expressed my concerns last Tuesday, my midwife scheduled me for an ultrasound Thursday morning as a precaution to make sure my placenta could continue to provide him nutrition while we waited for him to arrive. I think just knowing he was going to be monitored for safety was enough to put me at ease because Wednesday was the first day I woke feeling calm and didn’t cry once that day. I still had no signs of labor arriving, but I did not feel distressed for his safety.

Then, at 1:40am Thursday morning I woke up from painful contractions. I had to get out of bed and walk around our bedroom in the dark because of how painful they were, & right from the get-go already 2 min apart. After 30 min of breathing through them I realized that I was really in labor, so I woke Evan and we got ready to head to the hospital. The drive was excruciating, and when we arrived I was 5 cm dilated. They started picking up in intensity, so the nurse brought me to my room. I wanted to use the jet tub for pain relief so we went to that immediately.

When I started to overheat, I moved to the bed. At that point the pain was so intense and contractions coming so quickly that I didn’t think my body could handle it and  I asked if it was possible for me to get an epidural, but Evan reminded me to consider what choice I would be happier with when it was over. My wish was to do it drug-free, and knowing there was a chance I might not be in my normal state of mind when I went to labor land, I had told Evan to remind me of my wishes if I asked for pain relief in the moment. I’m so glad he did. The nurse checked me again and I was already 9cm. I was progressing quickly.

At that point I just wanted to keep going as I was: screaming and writhing and maneuvering my body instinctively to the pangs of the contractions. It was the most intense and painful experience of my life, and I could not have made it through without the amazing support of Evan and that nurse who were so encouraging. She told me to start pushing through the contractions. We went through different positions monitoring the baby’s response. She had called a NICU unit in just in case because his heart rate was dropping with each contraction and they worried his cord might be wrapped around his neck. Soon I started to feel that urge to push. I had read about it, but it’s hard to describe until you feel it. Your body is telling you what to do, which is so amazing.

Pushing took a lot longer than I thought it would because he was getting stuck. They told me that because I was doing a great job pushing, they would like my permission to use the vacuum instead of an emergency c-section in case things took a turn for the worst. His heart rate was going back up between pushes, but would still drop with each contraction. I didn’t end up needing the vacuum though, and pushed our baby boy into the world at 7:17am on 8/23 at 8 lbs and 20 inches. The whole labor was only a little over 5 hours, though intense from the start.
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And it turned out that the cord was not around his neck, but it was incredibly short, so he had gotten stuck trying to get out. His head was very cone-shaped and bruised, but he was healthy...and he was ours...and the whole thing was worth every uncomfortable moment and ounce of pain. I am so in love, & so grateful that I had my amazing husband by my side encouraging me the whole way. He has been so supportive throughout my pregnancy & so helpful in my recovery. I feel incredibly blessed.

Now, I cry daily looking at my baby because of how much love I feel for him, and how much love I feel for my husband. I had the birth experience I wanted, and I am so happy. ❤️❤️❤️
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