The Birth Story

Leaving for the hospital

Confession- I actually love hearing people's birth stories. I know not everyone does, and for those people- you can skip this blog post. I find it fascinating that the miracle of birth is experienced in so many different ways and you never know what to expect. I was blessed with a great birth story of my own.
I was six days past my due date and scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, February 5th. Luckily it didn't come to that, since I'd heard mostly negative experiences with inductions. I think what really sent me into labor was the rain. They always say the hospital fills up with pregnant ladies delivering when it rains. Luckily for me, the entire church in Southern California was praying and fasting for rain because of the drought we are in. So, thank you to all those members who fasted and sent me into labor. :) Early Sunday morning I actually had some back pain and I was hoping the baby would come Sunday, but the day came and went without any more pains. That night I was feeling really anxious and couldn't sit still or get comfortable. I guess my body knew it was coming. I told Weston he'd better not stay up too late because that's when the baby would come. Sure enough, he came to bed around 2:30 and at 3:00 I started having contractions. I first noticed that I was passing the mucus plug when I got up to go to the bathroom and then had a contraction when I got back to bed. Since Weston had just gone to sleep I decided it wasn't the best time to wake him, since I knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. So I breathed through it and fell asleep. For the next couple hours I had a few more contractions, but they were very spread apart and I was able to keep sleeping until about 6:00, at which point I told Weston that we were definitely having the baby that day. Of course, neither of us could go back to sleep then. We got up and had breakfast, got ready for the day, cleaned up the house, made sure my hospital bag was packed and everything we needed was in the car.
The contractions still weren't that regular so it was easy to get things done and just take breaks when I felt one coming on. My favorite thing to do was sit on the yoga ball while breathing through them. Around 10:00 they started getting stronger and more regular. We ate lunch around 11:00 since I knew I wouldn't be able to eat while in labor at the hospital. At 11:30 we decided it was time to go. I kept asking Weston if he was sure we should go because I knew I needed to be dilated to a 3 at least to be admitted and I didn't want to be sent home. He was sure that I was in enough pain with each contraction that we had better go. And he was right. It seemed like as soon as we got into a bed in triage the contractions were even more frequent and painful. It could have also been because I was now laying in a bed and wasn't as comfortable as I had been on my yoga ball. When the nurse checked me I was dilated to a 4 and 75% effaced. Finally around 2:30 they wheeled me up into a room. I used to think the whole wheelchair thing was a little much, but I was so grateful I didn't have to walk up to my room! The first thing I saw in the room was the little baby bed/incubator with a baby blanket on it. That's when it hit me that I was going to have a baby in that room! It was a little reminder that the pain was serving a purpose.
After I got into the room and got the IV hooked up, Dr. Saffer came in to check on me. I was now dilated to a 6 and 100% effaced. He asked if I would like him to break my water, but let me know that while this would make labor speed up, it would also cause stronger contractions. Since my mom told me that she had quick labors once they broke her water, I said yes. That was a super strange feeling, as if someone had popped a giant water bubble inside of me. It didn't hurt or anything, it was just something I'd never experienced. We told the nurse in triage that I wanted to try and give birth without an epidural (depending on how quick my labor was), the nurse in my room let me know that she wouldn't ask me if I wanted any medication, but if I did want some Fentanyl in my IV I could let her know. I told her yes, please! The contractions were already a lot stronger and closer together and I wanted to take the edge off, since I was now convinced that this would be a quick labor and I could do it without the epidural. I honestly don't think the drugs in my IV did much to ease the contractions. But I do think they helped me relax in between contractions. I was all of a sudden EXHAUSTED! Soon after getting examined by the doctor, I got onto a position on the yoga ball, leaning on Weston or the edge of the hospital bed. A couple of times in between contractions I briefly fell asleep, even though it can't have been for more than 2 minutes at a time.
Weston was the best coach I could have asked for. I could not have done it without him, and I didn't need anyone else there but him. He was there for me through everything. Every contraction he would help me remember to breathe through it, he would help me relax parts of my body by reminding me specifically ("relax your face, your feet, your shoulders") when he saw where I was tensing up. When I got to the peak of each contraction he would help me recognize it and that it was almost over. He helped me move into different positions and was there for me to hold onto. I never got angry or annoyed with him. He did everything better than I could have imagined and it just made me love him so much more. The nurse told me to tell her if I started feeling the need to push and I soon got there. She checked me and this time I was dilated to an 8.5. My response was, "that's it?!" I knew I had to get to a 10 to push and I felt like I couldn't wait any longer. At this point the contractions were unbearable. Every contraction the urge to push was stronger and stronger and it got harder and harder to not push. This is the part I don't think anyone told me about, or maybe I didn't pay enough attention. But this was definitely the hardest part of labor. You know how in the movies the women scream when they're in labor? Yeah, that was me at this point. I was already breathing really loud and occasionally moaning, but when I had to try and breathe through those urges to push, screams came out of me that I didn't know were even in there. Again, Weston being the amazing coach he was, reminding me that it was okay to make any noises I needed to. That was reassuring because in my head I was thinking, "I'm a crazy person! People down the hall are going to think I'm dying!"I honestly couldn't help it though. At this point I was lying on my side in the bed with Weston holding my leg up and there was no way I had the time or energy between contractions to even think about moving to any other position (even though I'd previously thought I would want to use the squat bar to deliver).
After what seemed like too many torturous contractions and whispering to Weston, "I don't think I can do another one", the nurse checked me again and I was at a 9. Still not close enough, but she called the doctor to let him know it would be soon. I had to rotate from one side to the other a couple times because the baby's heartbeat would start getting low. Just rolling to the other side was quite a chore. Then there were more painful contractions... the nurse was a great coach as well, reminding me to breathe deep, especially when it came to the urge to push. Then she checked me again and I was at a 10. I was so relieved to hear that. It seemed like the doctor was in the room in no time and they were telling me it's time to push. Now I thought, wait- how the heck do I push?! They had me lay on my back and bend my knees. Weston held up one leg and the nurse held the other. They put an oxygen mask on me to make sure I was getting enough air. Dr. Saffer told me that once I got to the peak of the contraction I should hold my breath and push. The first time wasn't good at all. I had no idea what I was doing. The nurse told me to bring my chin to my chest and bear down while I pushed. I tried pushing for the next couple contractions but still didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. Then Dr. Saffer said he could see the baby's head and he had hair. That surprised me, but it was good to hear at least some good news. They brought the mirror over so I could see. That was weird, but good I guess, to see that his little head was coming out. I could feel how it was stuck there and was anxious to get him all the way out.
After another push, Dr. Saffer told me that the baby's heartbeat was getting low and we really needed to get him out ASAP. He said he was going to get the vacuum ready and I needed to give a really good push. I prayed with all my might that I could push that baby out and then I pushed like I never pushed before. So much pain, but I kept pushing. And then he said the head was out. I was so glad we didn't have to use the vacuum or resort to a C-section. Then the rest of the baby came out and they put him up on my stomach. He was just lying there sideways on my stomach, not moving. I was just in shock and didn't know what to think or do. The nurse was wiping him off and the doctor had Weston cut the cord. Everything happened so fast and then they took him to the little incubator bed. Apparently, a special team had come into the room because of his low heartbeat and they sprang into action. I heard one of them say he wasn't breathing. I felt like I was also holding my breath as I looked up and Weston and asked if the baby was okay. I knew it wasn't time to panic yet, but anxiously waited. Not a few minutes later, we heard a little baby cry. I could finally breathe. They wrapped him up and brought him to me.

I didn't cry like I thought I would. I think I was still in too much shock. Meanwhile, Dr. Saffer pulled out the placenta (Weston had front row seats to more than he ever wanted to see) and said I had some internal tears that he needed to stitch up (he said these heal better than external tears though). The anesthesia shots were uncomfortable, to say the least. And I still felt some of the tugging from the stitches. There was also a spot that didn't get numb so I had him give me another shot to numb it before he kept stitching. Luckily, I had my baby on my chest to take my mind off the mess of my downstairs. The nurses also had to check my bleeding a few times by pushing on my stomach; this was really uncomfortable. I had to use my labor breathing to remind myself it wasn't a big deal after what I'd just gone through. It wasn't long before that cute little baby was inching his way up my chest, probably looking for his first meal. After everything was cleaned up from labor I had the nurse assist me with nursing for the first time.

It was such a relief to be done labor and I did feel a sense of accomplishment that I did it without an epidural. The nurses and even Dr. Saffer kept complimenting me on what a good job I did. That was a relief because I thought I was a crazy person with all that screaming. But they said I was really really good at my breathing and focus throughout the contractions. That was so good to hear! By 8:00 that night we moved from the labor room to the recovery room. Weston's family came by around 9:00 to meet the newest member of the family.

We still didn't have a name for him yet and I was in no mental condition to even think about it until the next day. The rest of that night and the next day consisted of a lot of nurse visits to check on mine and the baby's vitals. They said we could stay Tuesday night as well, but both Weston and I were anxious to get home and sleep in our own bed. We left the hospital around 9:00 Tuesday night and introduced our little boy to his new home.
At this point, I don't know how anyone has more than one child. The thought of going through all of that again is just too overwhelming (even though I admit my labor was quick and amazing compared to what other women go through). Everyone says you forget all the hard stuff, and I hope that's true. I am glad that I got to experience the miracle of childbirth, and even grateful that I got to feel every bit of it. But I will say that it is as painful as everyone tells you it is, no need to sugarcoat it. All I keep thinking is, wow! I just had a baby! I look at that tiny baby and all of a sudden he seems huge when I think, that thing came out of me! Everything about it is miraculous! I'm a mom!