The Birth Story in it's Entirety (that means this is a LONG post)

My original due date was Tuesday, April 6, 2010, but that day came and went without any action. Each day that passed since then was filled with prayer that if she were ready, she would be able to come to earth. That week I had come down with a cold on Tuesday that hadn’t really amounted to anything. On Thursday I woke up not feeling too hot, and stayed home from work that morning to get more rest. I knew my body would need it if this baby were coming soon. Friday morning I was able to go into work, but felt very tired. I had a Doctor’s appointment that afternoon at 2:20pm. He checked me and said that I was dilated to a 2 and about 85% effaced. This was not very promising, as I had been at a 1 and 85% effaced for the last 3 weeks. I left his office feeling a little discouraged.

By that night I felt awful. I went to bed at about 4 that afternoon and slept until 9:00 that night. I was sick in bed and I felt like my body was weak and tired. I knew that there was no way I would be able to deliver my baby feeling like this. So my prayers took a different tune. I prayed that she would stay inside long enough for me to get some strength back.

The next day I woke up feeling more rejuvenated. I still felt tired and weak, but I was able to get out of bed and get around. I took it easy all day, never really doing much. Dallas spent the day doing yard work. He mowed the front and back lawns and weeded our vegetable garden. That afternoon he had practice for the softball season that was going to start on Monday. I went with him and sat in a lawn chair. Very relaxing.

When we got home from that, it was around 4:30 or 5:00. Dallas hadn’t finished weeding the garden and so we went outside and set up some chairs on the patio. As we were sitting outside (it was now about 6:00) I felt a contraction. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for the last month it seemed like, but they never amounted to anything and never kept a consistent pattern. But this contraction had some pain associated with it. I felt a tightening in my lower abdomen near my pubic area and a little pain in my lower back. I told Dallas, “Ouch, that one hurt!” He looked at me and said, “Good!” ☺ He got up and went over to the garden to finish weeding. I stayed in my chair, and about every 6-8 minutes felt another contraction that hurt. They continued through the night.

I was able to sleep that night, thank goodness. I was woken up at around 2:00am by a contraction that was strong enough to be uncomfortable. I got up, went to the bathroom, and went back to bed. Another contraction woke me up again at around 4:30am. I got up, went to the bathroom, and tried to go back to bed. I laid there for about an hour and a half and realized I could no longer sleep. The contractions were uncomfortable enough that I got up and sat in the tub. I took a shower as well. When I got out it was about 6:30 or so and I went down and made myself some toast for breakfast. I wanted to eat, but didn’t want to eat anything that would upset my stomach. I went upstairs and got ready for the day. It was Sunday, April 11, 2010. Bryce’s birthday and Dan and Shellie’s anniversary. I began to get anxious, realizing that I was most likely going to have a baby that day.

Dallas was still sleeping and asked me why in the world I was doing my makeup. I told him that there were going to be pictures of this day and I didn’t want to be looking awful. I told him our daughter would later thank me for looking decent ☺.

Dallas eventually woke up for the day as I was packing some last minute things for my hospital bag. I felt sooo anxious and nervous as I was packing. I couldn’t believe that the next time we would come home I would have a baby. We puttered around the house for a while. I did some laundry, called my mom, and ate some cereal. Dallas packed his bag and put the car seat in the car. At 10:30 we headed to Dan and Shellie’s house. I couldn’t believe we had a car seat in the car. Shellie made pancakes and I ate one. At 10:45 we went to my parent’s house and Dallas, Dan, and my Dad gave me a blessing. There were words of comfort and strength and the ability to do what I was about to encounter.

Afterward, I decided that I wanted to go to the clinic to lie on the Hydrotable and get adjusted before I gave birth. We got there around 11:00 or so. I laid on the table for probably 30-40 minutes. It felt soooo good when I had contractions, and getting adjusted offered a huge release. After I got treated we went and sat in Dallas’ office and turned on the relaxation CD that came with my Hypnobirthing book. Listening to that literally put me to sleep, so I guess it worked! About 12:45 or 1:00 I decided I was ready to leave the clinic. So we got in the car and drove up to the hospital.

We walked up to the labor and delivery floor and one of the nurses (Dawn) took us into a room, gave me a gown to change into and hooked me up to the Fetal Monitors. She asked me about my contractions and a whole bunch of medical history stuff. She checked me and told me I was a good 3 and about 95% effaced. She said she would call my Doctor to see if that was good enough to stay. A little while later she came back and said that he definitely wanted me to stay because my cervix was finally changing, especially since he had checked me on Friday. He also told the nurse he wanted to break my water. I was really nervous about this because I had heard that once your water breaks, your contractions get so much stronger and harder. I decided to talk to Dr. Freestone about my concerns when he got there. The nurse also checked my birth plan which indicated I didn’t want to have any medications, IV, or Pitocin. I wanted to be able to move around, try different positions, and labor in water. All of the nurses were very supportive of my wishes, but did tell me that I would need to be monitored for 15 minutes out of every hour. They did want to start a Saline lock (which is just the start of an IV, but not hooked to anything) just in case I would need one later in the delivery. I agreed to that.

My Doctor arrived at the hospital around 2:00pm and we talked about why it would be a good idea to break my water. He told me all it was going to do was help my labor progress. It was going to have to break sooner or later and doing it now would help speed things along. He told me it wasn’t going to put me into a stage of labor that I absolutely couldn’t handle. So I thought it sounded ok. He checked me and told me I was a tight 4 and nearly completely effaced. He broke my water at 2:10. That was a fun feeling ☺.

Before my Doctor had gotten there, Shellie and my mom had arrived at the hospital. Little did they know they were in for a long day at the hospital.

Once my water was broken and everything else was all set up, I had the nurse bring in a birthing ball and then I was left to labor. Dan showed up not much later.

The contractions were getting slowly stronger. I found that I really did need to breathe and focus my way through them. I mostly used the technique of “belly breathing.” With every breath I would breath in and engage my abdominal muscles making my belly rise. With every exhale I would focus on breathing out my bottom and lower back, allowing the back pain to subside and my cervix to open. That was my visualization anyway. I eventually sat on the birthing ball and had Dallas massage my lower back during contractions. It helped to bounce up and down, and roll forward and backward to relieve the pressure from my hips and lower back.

I labored for two hours. When the nurse came back in to check me I was at a 4.5 still 95% effaced. I had to get back on the monitors. Oddly enough, it was pretty comfortable to just sit up straight in the bed with one or both of my legs bent. Once I could get off the monitors I sat back on the ball with Dallas massaging my back.

Two more hours of labor. Dallas coached me through a lot. Reminding me to belly breath and relax. It was getting hard at this point and I was getting tired. I remember hoping that the nurse would come back and tell me I was a 6. But when she came back in, I was only at a good 5 and probably completely effaced. I’m not exactly sure at which centimeter I had completely thinned out. I remember asking the nurse if it would start to speed up now that I was at a 5. She said that once you pass that 4-5 hurdle, things pick up a little bit. That gave me some hope that this might start to speed up. I was getting very frustrated that it was taking 2 hours to go one cm, sometimes just a half cm. I was in a lot of pain and very, very exhausted. My sweet mother kept giving me hugs and kisses.

Once I had been monitored for 15 minutes when she checked me, I decided to get in the tub. My birthing suite had a nice big, jetted tub in it. I remember as soon as I sat down in the water the pressure from my back felt so much better! It was also nice because my feet could reach the other end and there was the perfect lumbar support for my back. I like pushing with my feet so I could put pressure on my back. After I was in recovery Dallas noticed some bruising on my back that we decided was from me pushing on it in the tub.

I sat for a while without the jets, and then I thought it would feel good to have them on. It was wonderful! They probably cycled for 20 min. During the second cycle of jets my contractions were very, very strong. I was having a hard time staying focused on my breathing and was getting scared and frustrated. My body was exhausted and my back hurt so badly. I was at a 6 by now. (I can’t remember when I got checked and went from a 5 to a 6. But I was a 6 by the time I was in the tub). I felt helpless, fatigued, and done. I was ready to give up. I told Dallas that I just couldn’t do it anymore. It hurt so bad and I was so tired. I wanted to get the epidural just so I could get some rest. I just wanted to go to sleep. I wanted to give up and let the medicine take everything away. Dallas was really sweet. Every time I told him I couldn’t do it he would say, “but honey, you are doing it.” He told me if I absolutely really wanted to get the epidural then I could, but he just kept encouraging me to keep going and relax and breathe through each contraction. By now I’m thinking they were about 2-3 minutes apart.

While I was in the tub my Doctor came back to the hospital and came in to check on me. He seemed happy that I was in the tub. I remember he was telling Dallas some story and it was bugging me that they were just sitting there having small talk while I was going through labor!

I learned this bit of information after I had delivered the baby, but my dad kept calling my mom throughout the day. He called during this particular hard time while I was laboring in the tub. I didn’t know it, but my mom told him how hard it was for me and that I didn’t feel like I could keep going. She asked my dad to call of my siblings and ask them to pray for me so that I would be able to keep going. This was very sweet of both of my parents.

When the second cycle of jets had finished it was time to get out and get back on the monitors. I just knew that after all of that hard labor I was going to be an 8! I had to be! It hurt so bad and I had gone through so much agony. I just knew I was going to be an 8. The nurse came in and hooked me up and checked my cervix. I was a 7. Only a 7. I asked the nurse what the “point of no return” was for the epidural. She said it was never too late, but the anesthesiologist was 30 minutes away and then it would take another 30 minutes to get any relief. That didn’t sound too appealing. I wanted instant relief! I finally got it in my head that I guess I was just going to have to do this on my own. The nurse said she would be back in an hour to check me again. When she left, my mom suggested that I get another blessing (Dan had left and come back so he was there to administer) for my body to be able to dilate. That sounded like a great idea and Dan and Dallas gave me another blessing. I was blessed with the strength and courage to continue. I was told that my body would dilate and that everything would go well. I was told that my Heavenly Father knew what I was going through and that He loved me and was proud of what I was doing. This was very comforting. I felt that now I could continue.

Dallas suggested listening to my relaxation CD. I didn’t know what I wanted. But Dallas got it out anyway and shoved the headphones in my ears. I was sitting Indian style on the bed holding Dallas’ hand. I would squeeze his fingers every time I felt a contraction. Listening to that put me into a trance. There was soft music playing in the background, and the lady’s voice on the CD was just so calming. She talked about breathing and going to some relaxation room. To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying exactly. The sound of it just really relaxed me. Everyone in the room stopped talking and was really quiet. They dimmed the lights down low and my mom sat on my other side and stroked my leg softly. Dallas did the same thing on the other side. This felt so nice. I loved the soft stroking along with the soft music from the CD. Every time a contraction came I would shake my right leg just to help take my mind off the pain. My breathing became very effective. I would breathe in through my belly and out through my bottom. I remember being at a point on the CD where the lady was talking about how good a natural labor was for the baby and how beneficial it would be. As I listened to this and really focused on it, I began to nod my head. Up and down, up and down. I was really agreeing with what I was hearing. But it also really helped with the pain. Other times I would rock my head back and forth. I did this for an hour or more. When Dan had come back he brought dinner. Hamburgers. With onions on them. Shellie was sitting right in front of me eating hers and I remember the smell was so strong and icky to me. I never said anything about it, but I do remember quietly saying once, “That stinks.” No one heard me enough to do anything. Maybe Dallas did though. I had brought snacks to munch on during labor to keep my energy up, but nothing sounded appetizing. I loved the ice chips though. They were very refreshing and I began to crave them. Dallas would feed them to me in between contractions. Soon, it was time for Dallas to eat his hamburger. He took it to the other side of the room to eat which I was grateful for. While he was gone I had my mom come to my right side so I could hold her hand and she stroked my right leg. I had Shellie come and stroke my other leg. Toward the end of this hour I remember feeling like if I were to bear down a little bit it would take some of the pressure off.

I went on like this for an hour until she came in to check me. She checked me and I was an 8. It was something like 10:30pm or so by now is what I’m thinking. I was grateful to have gone a full cm in just one hour. The blessing and prayers had worked and my body was responding. I felt like I wanted to get back in the tub. Shellie filled it up and I got right in. As I was sitting in the tub after a couple of good hard contractions I suddenly felt like I really wanted to push. It seemed as though if I were to bear down then everything would feel better. My mom went and asked the nurse about this and she said to try and not push because that would inflame the last remaining bit of cervix and then the baby wouldn’t be able to come down. She said I could bear down a little to relieve some of the pressure, but not to actually push. It took everything I had to stop from pushing. My mom said that if I felt like I absolutely had to push that I should get out of the tub and have the nurse check me again. I probably had a good 3-4 more contractions in the tub where I felt like I really needed to push. I remember putting both hands under my stomach to hold it when I would have a contraction to keep the pressure of the baby off my cervix so I wouldn’t feel the need to push so strongly. We decided by now it was time to get out.

My Doctor came back in the room at that time and checked me. He said I was completely thinned out, but just a tiny bit of a lip left before would be complete. This was only 35 minutes after I was an 8. My body really was responding! It was such a relief to be so close. My sister, Katie, had shown up at the hospital by now. Just in time for the birth! I had to labor for another hard 30 minutes holding my belly resisting the urge to push. This was probably the hardest part. I remember the baby being really active during these contractions and she would move and squirm which only increased the pressure in my lower back. The contractions were just a minute apart. Sometimes I would feel one contraction and then feel it back off a little, but not all the way before another one would come on hard and strong. It soon got to a pattern of one really hard contraction followed very closely by one that was not so hard. Then a good break in between. I was very grateful for these breaks. Sometime close to midnight the nurse came back in and checked me. She said the best words I had heard all day. “O.K. You are complete.” A smile crossed my lips for the first time in probably 6-7 hours.

The nurse from the nursery was there getting the baby’s bed and warmer ready. They brought in a delivery cart and began prepping the table. My doctor started getting all gowned up. My mom took one leg, Dallas took the other, and Katie held my head and shoulders and helped me curl up to push. They brought in a mirror so that I could watch the delivery. I had to push for 35 minutes to bring the baby’s head down below my pubic bone. I loved the relief from pushing, but it was so exhausting and my body just wanted to shut down. I almost didn’t want another contraction to come because I didn’t feel like I could keep pushing. My doctor kept telling me to push harder and more effective, more down in my bottom, or more like the last one. I felt like I was giving it everything I had, so it was a little discouraging to hear him say this. I wanted to hear everyone tell me I was pushing marvelously and very effectively. But I guess because I was so tired that some of them were not so effective. Eventually I could see her head and felt a burning sensation while it was crowning ready to come out. I wanted the relief so badly to get her out. My doctor was watching her heart rate and I guess she was dipping a little at this point because the nurse kept telling me breathe deep to get oxygen to her and the doctor even told the nurse to get the vacuum ready. I really did not want them to have to use a vacuum extraction. It was either that, or an episiotomy. I chose episiotomy. I told him to “cut me!” He got out the local anesthesia and gave me a shot in three places. I couldn’t even feel the shot due to the pressure of the baby’s head. I had to push through one more contraction before he was able to do the episiotomy and it was so hard knowing that it wasn’t really doing any good. After that contraction passed he did the episiotomy and with the next contraction, her head came out !

The next thing I knew my baby was on my chest and all of the pain and pressure from the day was instantly gone! It felt so good! Not only to finally have her out, but to see my sweet baby for the first time. I was just crying and crying. I couldn’t believe she was finally here!! It was part of our birth plan to wait until the cord stopped pulsing to cut it. While the baby was lying on my chest she pooped all over me. It was gross, but I figured it wouldn’t be the last time I’ll get poop all over me. I was also glad that she didn’t do it before she came out. Eventually her cord was cut, and we placed the baby skin on skin next to me. She immediately began looking for my breast and was very content to just lie there on me. I was content, too! My doctor got me all stitched up while they took the baby over to the warmer and cleaned her up. Dallas gave me a kiss and told me how much he loved me and how happy he was. My love for him grew ten-fold that day. I love him more than I ever have!

Time of birth was 12:52 am and the baby weighed 8 lbs 6 oz, and was 21 inches long. Dallas brought her over to me and I just loved her! Grandmas and aunt Katie all took turns holding my sweet baby. Then they gave her back to me and I just loved on her while we tried breast feeding for the first time. She did really well and seemed very interested, though she never quite latched on securely. The nurse seemed satisfied with her attempts. Katie fed me strawberries left over from everyone else’s dinner and then the nurses brought me in some nasty hospital sandwiches. They also brought me orange juice and that was heavenly! I loved it. They took the baby to the nursery to do whatever they do to her there and then brought her back to my room to bathe her. She stayed with us for about another hour and then they took her back there for the night. My nurse came and took me to our room and I was finally able to get some sleep!

We enjoyed another day in the hospital and friends and family came to see our cute little girl. All the nurses loved her, especially the cute flower we had clipped to her beanie! There’s no way a daughter of mine is not going to be the cutest little thing all the time ☺.

We left the hospital on Tuesday, April 13, 2010