My Birth Story

On December 5, 2017, at 10:00 PM, I started getting mild contractions. I had been getting those darn Braxton-Hicks on and off for the past week and I thought it was going to be another day of keeping track of my irregular contractions.

Well, this is just great, I thought to myself. I was just about ready to go to bed!

I grabbed my phone and started keeping track of how long the first contraction lasted with a timer: 45 seconds. Then it stopped and my body relaxed. Once my second contraction started, it only had been five minutes since the first one stopped: another 45 seconds. Calm for five minutes, then the third... and the fourth... and so on. My husband thought that tonight was the night... and he was right!

My midwife told me that, if my contractions were close and consistent for an hour, then I should come right to the birthing center, which was about 30 miles away from our home. I called my mom and told her we were leaving. My husband grabbed our hospital bags, loaded the car, and we drove off, with my mom following close behind in her own car.

We got to the birthing center around midnight. Since it was past "open hours," we had to talk through an intercom to get the doors open. Then we headed to the second floor where all the magic happens. After getting checked in, we were brought into a small room. The nurse put the monitor on my tummy to track my contractions, and she checked my cervix. I was only dilated about two centimeters, and supposedly my contractions weren't close enough.

Uh, what? My contractions were lasting longer and getting closer together, and I was told that I might have to be sent home. We were DESPERATE to get a room, so I got monitored for another half-hour. My cervix dilated to almost three centimeters, and the nurse called my midwife, who said I can get a room. Yay! I was already too exhausted to even think about leaving the birthing center.

It was about 1:30 AM when we got to the room, and my contractions were REALLY starting to hurt. Beforehand, they felt like period cramps, which didn't feel too terrible. Now I was feeling nauseous and in a lot of pain. I still was only at three centimeters, so the nurse on duty suggested I get into the jetted tub. That was a LIFESAVER. I even took a shower since I didn't get the chance to before I went into labor.

It was now about 2:30 AM, and I got out of the jetted tub. The pain I was in was almost unbearable, but I was barely at four centimeters. After getting hooked back up to my IV and the monitors, I tried to get as much Pitocin as I could in me. It BARELY took the edge off. The nurse then suggested I get on the bouncy ball to help with the pain. I threw my legs over the bed, stood up, and then SPLASH! My water finally broke. I got on the bouncy ball for about 15 minutes, and then I was practically begging for an epidural. My cervix was finally at four centimeters, so the nurse got in touch with the anesthesiologist. I tried to get some sleep, as did my husband, my mom, and our birth photographer.

At 4:00 AM, the anesthesiologist showed up. She woke up my husband so he could help me focus my mind off the huge needle. I felt instant relief from the pain and was finally hoping to get some rest.

At 6:00 AM, I couldn't sleep very well. All we could do at this point was wait. There was only so much we could do to entertain ourselves. With 9:00 AM on the clock, my dad and older sister showed up. My mom, dad, and birth photographer went to go get breakfast in the cafeteria, and I just tried to get a little more sleep. At this point, I was at six centimeters.

It was about 10:30 AM, and the nurse checked my cervix. My husband and older sister ran to the store to get some games since we all thought that I would be here for a while. When the nurse checked my cervix, she made a face.

"Uh, is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she smirked. "You're at a ten now and I can feel the baby's head!"

Four centimeters in an hour!? What!? It was finally time to meet our little guy!

My sister and husband were called because they were still at the store. They rushed back to the room, and my midwife came in. At about 11:00 AM, I started pushing. My husband and older sister were at my side while my mom and birth photographer took pictures. Even though I wasn't in pain due to the epidural, it was so much work. I had been pushing for about an hour, and he was not coming out. His head was finally to the point where I could touch it, and he had so much hair! Since I had been pushing for an hour, I had to get an episiotomy. Once I got snipped, I gave one last big push at 12:12 PM, and he shot out like a rocket!

He was immediately put on my chest, and I instantly fell in love. We had a golden hour of skin to skin and getting to know each other. He latched on a couple of minutes after being placed on me. During our stay, I held him as much as I could. He was worth all the changes my body went through, the painful contractions, and all the sleepless nights we've endured. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for our little man.