A Bump in the Road

A Bump in the Road

Life is full of challenges. I don’t know even one person who hasn’t faced any hardships in their life. Life challenges can vary from something as small as losing a sock to something as big as losing a family member or a close friend. Sure, I’ve lost a couple socks and I’ve unfortunately lost family members, but those things happen to everyone. Everyone can relate to those hardships. Uncommon life challenges on the other hand are different, because not many people can relate to them. Being pregnant in high school is definitely a good example of one.

Whenever I thought about having children in the FUTURE, I thought it would be planned with a husband and set career. God obviously had other plans for me. I found out I was pregnant at a clinic because I was sick to my stomach taking ibuprofen. I was only 16 years old. I took my birth control like I was supposed to and plus that type of thing would never happen to me. My mom and grandma thought it could’ve been my appendix or my kidney. The thought that I could be pregnant was non-existent, but the moment I found out I was so disappointed and distraught. In my mind, my life was over. My family on the other hand were very supportive.

I had broken up with Gabe a week before I found out I was pregnant. Our relationship was most likely the equivalent to rocket science. We were in that point of our breakup when it’s over, but you miss them and want nothing more than to be back together with them. After telling Gabe I was pregnant, we were instantly back together, there was no question about it. Just because we were back together, did not mean that our relationship was in a good spot. Our relationship was healing all throughout my pregnancy. Believe me, pregnancy hormones and a healing relationship is not a great combination. The thing about my story, is that Gabe and I didn’t want to be one of those pregnant teenage couples that break up. We didn’t want to be another statistic, and because of that we healed. We had to view ourselves as just parents not teenage parents. In my mind, I had to look at it this way because if I looked at myself as a teen parent, it kind of felt like it gave me the option to be that stereotypical teen mom.

Going to high school while growing a human being inside of you is exhausting! I was growing a new life into this world while my body was still growing. It was awful, every inch I moved seemed to devour my energy. I absolutely dreaded going up and down the school steps. I would grab onto that chilling blue handle every time I walked up the stairs. I know it sounds crazy, but that cold blue handle literally kept me going up those stairs. It was a refreshment against my hands because it was cold and when you’re pregnant, your body temperature is always hot. I was always moody and tired. I didn’t really want to do anything during school, but I had to for my baby. I couldn’t just give up because I wasn’t just living for myself anymore. I didn’t have a social life while I was pregnant in school. I’m sort of glad now that I didn’t, because I had all that time to focus on school and that was what was important. I was either alone or with Gabe while I was pregnant, but being and feeling alone while you’re pregnant is probably one of the worst experiences I’ve gone through. I pushed through all of it though and ended up with all A’s at the end of Junior year.

After school was out, I didn’t really do much. I would eat, sleep, and do exercises to progress the labor process. During my 37th week of pregnancy, I was just over it. I wanted her out! I just wanted to see her and wanted to be done being pregnant! I did everything I could to get labor started! I went swimming a few times, I danced, walked up and down steps, did squats, and ate pineapple! I tried so many things, but she didn’t budge. Going through false labor made me feel like an idiot, because I thought I was finally going to have my baby but I wasn’t. It also made me sad each time because I wanted to have my baby so bad! Gabe was ecstatic for our daughter to come. He would hug my belly constantly and talked to her as if she was already here. It made me beam with happiness that we were going to be a family, but it also made me feel crazy because I was tired of waiting!

After waiting for another two weeks, I was sure that I would go over my due date. I was 39 weeks and four days gestation, which was two days away from my due date. I was due on July sixth. I woke up around seven o’clock in the morning having contractions. I didn’t want to get too excited because I knew it could be another false labor. I told Gabe that I was having constant contractions, so we began to time them. My contractions were two to three minutes apart and they were getting stronger as time went on. I called my hospital and a nurse told me to come in for labor and delivery to be evaluated. I didn't think I was going to give birth that day, because I had already been through false labor and it was the Fourth of July. I was trying not to get my hopes up on the way to the hospital. I think everyone thought I was going into labor except myself.

When we arrived at the hospital, they made me sit in a lousy wheelchair. A nurse in light blue scrubs took me to my room. Her name was Breann and that woman deserves an award for having such a kind soul. I changed into my hospital gown and they hooked me up to every device that would monitor the baby’s and my health. Then, the evaluating part came. Breann checked my cervix. I won’t go into too much detail about that, but she pretty much reached inside of my body to see if I was dilated. Your cervix has to be ten centimeters dilated before you can start pushing and I was four centimeters dilated. That meant that I was definitely in labor, but for me, labor wasn’t the painful screaming and over dramatic stuff you see on television. I had a labor playlist, a yoga ball, and breathing techniques to keep me calm and collected.

Yes, labor was definitely painful but it wasn’t as awful as everyone would tell me it was going to be. This woman named Kim came in to break my water with this long yellow stick. Getting your water broken while having contractions was the worst pain out of all my labor. Her face was emotionless while she did it, I swear she was a robot. Everything she did, even delivering my baby she did without emotion. By the time I was six centimeters dilated, my contractions were so intense that I actually had a few tears streaming down my face. Gabe was right by my bedside, so every time a contraction hit me I would squeeze his hand and breath as well as I could. I was exhausted and when you’re going through contractions like I was having, there was no way to rest in between. I didn’t want to have an epidural to begin with, but I ended up getting one just so I could sleep.

Breann came in the room after I received my epidural, and asked me about my pain rate. The bottom half of my body was practically paralyzed, because I couldn’t feel a thing She gave me pitocin, which is a drug that messes with the hormones in your body to speed up labor. I fell asleep and that hour that I slept was heaven! I woke up to Breann telling me that she was going to check my cervix again. I laid there on the damp hospital bed while she checked my cervix, exhausted out of my mind until she smiled and looked at me nodding her head.

I was finally ten centimeters dilated! That meant it was go time. Breann and her colleagues assembled together the “delivery table,” when all they did was take away half of the hospital bed and put up stirrups for my legs. Gabe and my mom had to lift my legs onto the stirrups because I couldn’t move a toe if I tried. Breann had me do a practice push before Kim, the midwife, was to come. I gave one push and suddenly, I was beginning to crown. It was hell having to wait for the midwife to come in because I felt like I needed to push! Every contraction I had, my daughter would slowly move her head farther down all on her own! It was independence day after all. Kim finally came in with all her gear and tools, she even had someone put a mirror up so I could see my daughters head. Kim was still emotionless as ever, but I was ready to deliver my baby. I pushed with all my strength and might each time I was told the words “push.” Only after about 30 minutes, my daughter was born at 6:12 PM on July 4th, 2018.

As soon as I heard her cry, tears of joy flooded down my sweaty cheeks. I was so glad that she was in my arms and touching my skin. It was truly the happiest day in my entire life. I was relieved and blessed because my labor and delivery had gone so well. I kissed her little head that was full of hair, life was complete. When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought my life was over, but in that very moment my life had never felt so fulfilled. If I could give birth to my daughter, I could do anything, and what I once saw as a challenge I now view as a blessing. I am now a woman with a determined and committed mindset that I can and will do everything I can to succeed in life not only for me, but for my daughter.