My Birth Story
I woke up at 6 am on Labor Day……not thinking that anything was going to be too different about this day. I usually woke up early in the morning, ate a bowl of cereal, then went back to bed. As I was sitting there, I realized that my uterus was tightening. It seemed a little rhythmic, so I started timing them just for fun. To my astonishment, they were coming about every 7 minutes. They lasted for an hour until I finally went back to bed in disbelief. I was sure that by going back to sleep, everything would stop.
I woke up a couple of hours later, and things were still happening. I was in denial since my “guess” date wasn’t for two more days. I was fully expecting to go “overdue” since I had with my 2 previous pregnancies.
I went about my day, although I did put on my “Birthing Day Affirmations track” just in case. I weeded the flower beds and played with my kids. But just before lunch time, I wondered if something really was going to happen soon. I started to let my birth team know to keep their phones on, just in case….but that this probably wasn’t it. I finally called my husband and told him to stay in cell phone service. He said he was coming home for lunch anyway.
When he got home, I took a shower to see if things would slow down. They did not. I had 6 birthing waves in the shower.
I got out and decided to get things ready. I started calling everyone and telling them that this was probably the day. Birthing waves were 5 minutes apart, even though I was completely comfortable. I was still in a little bit of denial.
Finally around 2:30, I was convinced that this could be it and that we were going to see if we might really have a baby. I went through birthing waves at home while I made arrangements for my kids and got myself ready. At 5 PM, they were 4 minutes apart, so I decided to go to the hospital, since it was an hour away.
We got there, and met my CNM who monitored me and checked me. I was at a 3. We talked about me going back home or staying a couple of hours to see if things changed. I decided to stay. I put on more Hypnobabies tracks and within 3 hours, I was dialated to a 6. They officially admitted me and I got to get in the big tub.
I stayed there for a while and really enjoyed my birthing time. Things were extremely manageable and calm. I had my husband, my mom, a doula, and three sister in laws there to support me. It was wonderful.
I loved listening to my Hypnobabies tracks. They were so calming and kept me focused. My support team was also wonderful as they continued to put their hands on my forehead and shoulders to remind me to "Relax" and "Release." I found I said "Peace" to myself at the height of a large birthing wave.
At about midnight, I got out and was checked. I was a 7, almost an eight. I was okay with that. I did some more position changes and was helped some more by my wonderful birth team. Things felt a lot easier than I had expected.
I waited for signs of transformation. My birthing waves were powerful and intensely tight, but I never felt like they hurt. I felt strong and I kept telling myself that I could do this. I was doing it!
At 2:50 am, I was checked and I was an 8. My CNM gave me a couple of ideas. She said that I was welcome to continue the way that I was, or she could break my water, and I might have my baby very quickly.
I thought about my choice for quite a while and weighed what I thought were pros and cons about the situation. At 3:45am, I decided to have her break my water.
I expected things to get very intense from there. I really focused on my Hypnobabies. I had quite a few easy contractions after that. I thought that I would probably still be laboring for quite a while.
Then literally, all of a sudden, I was pushing. I took everyone by surprise, even myself! I couldn’t believe it.
I pushed about 5 times, and he was out! I was thrilled! I could not believe how much easier the whole thing was, than I thought. Our beautiful boy was born at 4:24 am on September 6th.
I wasn’t in the position to catch him myself, but my midwife hurried and handed him to me. There was a little bit of meconium, but since he started crying right away, the nursing staff didn’t need to do anything for him. His apgars were 8 and 9.
I brought him up to my chest, while we let the cord stop pulsating. My husband and I were so happy to meet him!
Soon he started nursing and we got comfortable in the bed. About an hour an a half later, I decided I was curious as to how much he weighed, so we gave him to a nurse to weigh him. He was 8 lbs 2 ounces. Beautiful baby boy! It was a wonderful day, and such an amazing experience!
