April 20th 2018
My story starts around 36 weeks when I start having Braxton Hicks contractions and even real contractions on and off. By 38 weeks I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced, so things were moving and shifting for birth. Going into birth starting at a 3cm is a great place to start! I was diligent to eat my dates everyday, do some exercises on the birth ball and listen to Childbirth in the Glory soundtracks to help manage the anxiety and fear of birth I was having.
With baby #4 and birth #4 ... I know what to expect and that was not helping me mentally! Some of the fears I had was that the pain of birth was going to last forever and not be manageable.
Friday afternoon I began having frequent and intense contractions that seemed to be coming pretty regularly. I took the kids to the park and brought a picnic dinner. By the time we came home and got the kids in bed, they were still coming sporadically. I was excited and felt pretty confident that this was real labor. I repacked my hospital bag. And repacked the kids overnight bag. I took a shower.
I timed the contractions but they were very sporadic. Some 1 hour apart, some 30 minutes. I was so ready for labor to begin and almost didn't want to go to sleep because I didn't want the labor to all go away. I did sleep, partly. By 5 am I got up and started moving and contractions were 10 minutes apart. We called Brenda, my mother in law, to come over. I sent her a text and within 1 minute she had replied and said she'd be over. She also apologized twice for "missing the text" haha! She didn't.
I wanted to go to Providence Hospital to get there, get settled, and zone out. Also, I didn't want to be at home when the kids woke up, ha!
We got to the labor and delivery floor which was quiet and empty that Saturday morning. After timing the contractions and checking dilation the conclusion was that I was a 4cm and contractions were still 12 minutes apart. Even though I was the ONLY mama on the labor and delivery wing, they said I wasn't enough to be admitted to a room. The nurse suggested to go on a brisk walk for 1 hour and then we'll see from there. Travis and I went out and walked laps around Providence Hospital at 7am. We walked and talked and I would frequently stop from some powerhouse contractions. At 8am we said, ok let's just go check in again and see. We walk in as I'm holding on to the wall the nurse says "Oh your countenance has changed! That's what we like to see!"
They checked for dilation and I was at 7cm and 100% effaced.
We got to a room and I called the doula to come. My doula, Ali, was there quickly. I labored by just standing and leaning on the bed with a pillow. Ali provided counter pressure during contractions and it made all the difference in the world. It almost felt good! I loved having a doula. She was the best! It felt good to know someone could coach me through this. My nurse was awesome as well. I labored for about an hour. My midwife was not on call that day but they assured me that the on-call doctor, Dr. Alavado was very supportive of natural birth. She arrived and met me. I told her that I was interested in breaking the water to speed up the birth. Let's get it done with! I was an 8 cm and she broke the water around 10:00AM. The water was nice and clear and looked good.
And then! As soon as the water broke (basically the only holding little baby back), the next contraction was so intense and painful. I could feel the head descending and felt the urge to push instantly. I was pushing because it just felt better than not pushing. I was not the pretty, calm birthing mama. I was definitely yelling and groaning and s screaming through it all. I was trying to get upright to resume the position that had felt comfortable before. Through the contractions I was literally being held up by my doula and nurse. I could no longer answer questions. I said I wanted an epidural. They all replied "NO!" I was completely leaning on my nurse (she was the closest solid thing to hold on to, sorry nurse! I'm sure she wasn't expecting that) and pushing through the contractions. She said are you pushing? I said yes.
She said "Lets get you on the bed". I managed to crawl on the bed. I reached down to check and sure enough "She's crowning!" I said. The doula and nurse both checked. "She's crowning!" they exclaimed. They were so surprised. I barely got on the bed and doctor came back in at the same time. She asked if I could turn over on my back so she could see better. I'd wanted to push on all 4's but at that point I didn't care. I turned over in the bed and her head was out. Even though I kept saying "I can't do this." My nurse said "Yes you can! Her head is out! Reach down and pull your baby out."
I remember thinking "I can do that?" So I did. I reached down and pulled the baby out! And there she was!
Purple and gloopy and beautiful.
I held her skin to skin and felt relieved and shocked that she was out and it was all over in like 3 pushes. I kept saying "Oh my God'. I wish I'd had something better to say, haha. But I was shocked that it was finally all over. Months and months and months of anticipation and she's here! And she's beautiful.
She weighed 7lbs and 10 oz and was 20 inches. (Which interestingly, I had previously put guesses on her weight, height, and time of delivery and I was exactly right on all of them! The time of delivery I was off by 30 minutes. Wow, mama knows!)
I think the birth team was all surprised at how quickly she was birthed. After the waters broke, it was like 20 minutes until she was out. They called it a precipitous birth, meaning she was delivered in less than 3 hours from the time of active labor. I'll take it!
I gently pushed to deliver the placenta and I immediately felt better and lighter physically. I tore slightly from a previous tear and was stitched up. We nursed and got cleaned up. I'm very happy with how the birth went. I remember being very aware and even conversational through the whole thing. I never got to the place where you completely zone out and are out of mind. I felt it all! I absolutely loved having a doula! That was a game changer. The anticipation and fear (lingering from the birth of my 3rd baby) was worse than the process of birth. I'm proud of myself for being able to deliver without drugs however going into I was not sure that would happen. But we did it! And I love that Eden did her hard work too. She did so great! And it was so beautiful and wonderful and I am so incredibly thankful for a perfect baby and uncomplicated birth. She is truly a gift. A birth I will always remember. It was a great experience with my last birth and baby!
