My Birth Story-A Natural Birth Experience
I believe every woman's story of how they became a mom is worth telling. I also think it's important that we get to tell our stories because we can learn from each other. Our stories are what make us mom's and mom's need to stick together and support one another. I am simply telling mine in hopes that it might make a difference.
July 11th, 2015
5:00am
I woke up feeling consistent contractions 5 minutes apart. I thought maybe this was it, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to wake up my husband until I knew for sure that I was in labor. A visit to the bathroom revealed what my handbook called "bloody show" a sure sign that I had entered "real labor". I also had a significant bowel movement which seemed to be my body making room and preparing itself for labor. Just another sign that my body really does know what to do naturally. Then I decided to wake up Joshua and said, "I think I'm in labor". We hadn't even started packing our hospital bag yet! So Joshua started putting some things together and in between contractions I would point to things around the room I wanted him to pack. I had wanted to bring snacks and a water bottle, but hadn't gotten the chance to buy them, so Joshua ran to the store to get them. Meanwhile, I'm sitting on my bedroom floor practicing my breathing techniques that I learned studying hypnobirthing. I hadn't gotten around to putting music on my phone that I wanted to listen to in the hospital during my labor, so I had Joshua do that as well when he got back. We decided to call the midwives at the hospital to see if we should go in yet. They said we could go in at anytime. My initial expectation was to labor at home for some time before going in. I thought I would use the bathtub and try and stay home as long as I could. However, I didn't want my contractions to get more intense before going in and be uncomfortable in the car ride there.
9:00am
Joshua loaded the car with our bags, then with baby and me and we drove with our windows down taking in the summer breeze. It felt good to feel the wind on my face, it was a nice distraction from the contractions. Any time Joshua asked me a question and I felt a contraction coming I would have to pause mid-sentence to practice my breathing, letting it pass before continuing to talk. We parked and Joshua walked me slowly to the birth center. A nurse walking by offered me a wheelchair, but I was determined to walk. I didn't want a wheelchair because those are meant for sick or injured people and I was neither of those. I also didn't want to prolong the labor and I knew walking would help speed it up. The same nurse came back to offer me the wheelchair again and once again I declined. With every contraction I would stop and lean on Joshua until it was over and then keep going. I felt so calm, so confident and strong. We finally got checked into triage. I got to wear my own clothes and when they first checked my cervix I was already at 6-7cm! I was so happy and excited to hear that because I knew I was already getting close to having my baby! My midwife Mary told me I would for sure be having a baby that day! I was so happy that Mary was there because I had been praying that a midwife I knew well would be there for my labor and God totally answered my prayer! Mary was very kind and patient with me and supported my birth plan. I was a little concerned I hadn't completely finished my hypnobirthing training and she told me, at one of my last appointments, that some women don't need much training or classes when it comes to hypnobirthing. Joshua went to get our belongings from the car while I waited for a room to open up.
Before long they directed me to a room, I still wanted to walk. The room had a birthing tub in it just as I had wanted. Joshua met me there with our things. At this point we had already notified our families that I had gone into active labor and had them praying for us. I felt the presence of God the whole time! I had my worship music playlist going in the background as I got into the tub. The tub felt so good and warm to my body. I enjoyed Joshua's massage on my neck and back as he sat next to the tub. I tried laying on my back and I tried on all fours. The bottom of the tub was not so comfortable however, in fact I liked the feeling of my carpeted bedroom floor better. I labored in the tub for a few hours the time seemed to go by so fast. My doula, Lina, also came while I was in the tub. She helped me stay hydrated and offered me juice and water. She was so calm and attentive. Eventually I was encouraged to relieve my bladder since I hadn't peed in a while. So I got out of the tub. I remember the contractions being a mixture of very intense to less intense. Lina would remind me that what I felt was good and to not fight it, but breath into it allowing it to bring down my baby. It was such a good reminder that what I was experiencing was good and exactly what I was supposed to be experiencing. It's such a good life lesson that discomfort can be very good, its a good thing. Good doesn't mean pleasant it simply means good. I thought about the name "Tobiah" and how his name means "God is good". I truly felt God's goodness through my entire delivery.
After I relieved myself I wanted to try sitting on a birthing ball and I lay my head and arms on the bed. This is when I discovered the wonders of counter-pressure. Each contraction the doula and nurses put counter-pressure on my back and I learned to notify them when one was coming on so they were ready. I labored on the floor on hands and knees with towels. I labored hanging from Joshua's neck and shoulders as he supported me. I eventually changed out of my wet suit top because I didn't feel like going back in the tub.
Joshua was such a good support. He remained very calm and kept encouraging me by telling me I was doing a good job. When I was laboring at home I had asked him to pray and he did. My parent were praying for us and others. I could feel their prayers, I could feel God's goodness as He answered the prayers we had been praying for 9 months. I remember hearing the song "It Is Well" while I was in the tub. I knew it really was "well with my soul". My soul was so strong it was giving my body courage and strength. One of my prayers was that my delivery would be a testimony to the medical staff who were with me. My 2 hour playlist of worship music played for about 7 hours and the staff became very familiar with the songs. My midwife said she could tell that the music helped me.
Eventually I labored on the bed with the birthing ball and then tried a few other positions with a holding bar. The more that I moved around and tried different positions the faster the contractions would come. It was tempting to just sit still and avoid the pain. When it was time to push this was challenging because I had been practicing breathing through the contraction avoiding the pressure. Now I needed to embrace it and even encourage it. This took a lot of concentration as I had to feel the right timing. Hypnobreathing had taught me you aren't supposed to push on demand but "J breathe" through the contraction. I did a combination of breathing and self-guided pushing. My mid-wife told me that my baby was going to need more help than just breathing. He was in some distress during the labor and had let out some stool in the womb. It became important to speed up the pushing stage. I pushed for about an hour. With each one I was learning how to do the next contraction better. I was gaining courage and excitement to meet my baby. They even showed me the top of his head in a mirror to motivate me to push harder. From the time I saw his head it was a few more pushes. They were all cheering me on, encouraging me with every push, saying I was doing so well. It felt as if I was at the end of a long race and I could see the finish line with the big red clock counting the minutes, sprinting as hard as I could knowing it would soon be finished.
5:16pm
This is how baby finally came with on last push he was here! I couldn't believe it, it seemed he would never come after waiting 9 months. I only got to see him once at our ultrasound. He was only a dream until this moment. I kept saying, "He's here, he's here!" and "I can't believe it, I can't believe it." As I celebrated, I felt as if I were on cloud 9! I was filled with joy and adrenaline. Joshua was crying he was so happy that Tobiah was here and he just become a dad. :-) They put him on my belly right away. He cried some, but then he quieted down and was so peaceful just lying on my chest. He wasn't ugly like I had been warned and he wasn't covered in weird colored junk. He was slimy, but he was cute and he was mine :-) I stayed on this joyous high for quite a while. I had tore a bit, a level 2 they called it. They stitched me up, but I didn't mind because my baby was here, lying on my chest so peaceful and calm. My doula Lina encouraged me to let him try and breastfeed on his own. That he did! He latched on right away it was perfect latch 10/10. I was so encouraged. Little did I know this would not continue. (I have a few post-delivery woes for another time)
My family had come about an hour after Tobiah was born. I felt great and wanted them all to meet him. I wanted them all to know I was doing great. Like the after party after a big race, I wanted them to celebrate this great accomplishment with me. We got lots of pictures and told much of our story. I felt so very thankful and so blessed. My labor was a total of 12 hours long. In my experience time is not the same while in labor. It seems to go faster and longer all at the same time. It's not comparable to time as normally experienced day to day. It's simply a miracle.
July 11th, 2015
5:00am
I woke up feeling consistent contractions 5 minutes apart. I thought maybe this was it, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to wake up my husband until I knew for sure that I was in labor. A visit to the bathroom revealed what my handbook called "bloody show" a sure sign that I had entered "real labor". I also had a significant bowel movement which seemed to be my body making room and preparing itself for labor. Just another sign that my body really does know what to do naturally. Then I decided to wake up Joshua and said, "I think I'm in labor". We hadn't even started packing our hospital bag yet! So Joshua started putting some things together and in between contractions I would point to things around the room I wanted him to pack. I had wanted to bring snacks and a water bottle, but hadn't gotten the chance to buy them, so Joshua ran to the store to get them. Meanwhile, I'm sitting on my bedroom floor practicing my breathing techniques that I learned studying hypnobirthing. I hadn't gotten around to putting music on my phone that I wanted to listen to in the hospital during my labor, so I had Joshua do that as well when he got back. We decided to call the midwives at the hospital to see if we should go in yet. They said we could go in at anytime. My initial expectation was to labor at home for some time before going in. I thought I would use the bathtub and try and stay home as long as I could. However, I didn't want my contractions to get more intense before going in and be uncomfortable in the car ride there.
9:00am
Joshua loaded the car with our bags, then with baby and me and we drove with our windows down taking in the summer breeze. It felt good to feel the wind on my face, it was a nice distraction from the contractions. Any time Joshua asked me a question and I felt a contraction coming I would have to pause mid-sentence to practice my breathing, letting it pass before continuing to talk. We parked and Joshua walked me slowly to the birth center. A nurse walking by offered me a wheelchair, but I was determined to walk. I didn't want a wheelchair because those are meant for sick or injured people and I was neither of those. I also didn't want to prolong the labor and I knew walking would help speed it up. The same nurse came back to offer me the wheelchair again and once again I declined. With every contraction I would stop and lean on Joshua until it was over and then keep going. I felt so calm, so confident and strong. We finally got checked into triage. I got to wear my own clothes and when they first checked my cervix I was already at 6-7cm! I was so happy and excited to hear that because I knew I was already getting close to having my baby! My midwife Mary told me I would for sure be having a baby that day! I was so happy that Mary was there because I had been praying that a midwife I knew well would be there for my labor and God totally answered my prayer! Mary was very kind and patient with me and supported my birth plan. I was a little concerned I hadn't completely finished my hypnobirthing training and she told me, at one of my last appointments, that some women don't need much training or classes when it comes to hypnobirthing. Joshua went to get our belongings from the car while I waited for a room to open up.
Before long they directed me to a room, I still wanted to walk. The room had a birthing tub in it just as I had wanted. Joshua met me there with our things. At this point we had already notified our families that I had gone into active labor and had them praying for us. I felt the presence of God the whole time! I had my worship music playlist going in the background as I got into the tub. The tub felt so good and warm to my body. I enjoyed Joshua's massage on my neck and back as he sat next to the tub. I tried laying on my back and I tried on all fours. The bottom of the tub was not so comfortable however, in fact I liked the feeling of my carpeted bedroom floor better. I labored in the tub for a few hours the time seemed to go by so fast. My doula, Lina, also came while I was in the tub. She helped me stay hydrated and offered me juice and water. She was so calm and attentive. Eventually I was encouraged to relieve my bladder since I hadn't peed in a while. So I got out of the tub. I remember the contractions being a mixture of very intense to less intense. Lina would remind me that what I felt was good and to not fight it, but breath into it allowing it to bring down my baby. It was such a good reminder that what I was experiencing was good and exactly what I was supposed to be experiencing. It's such a good life lesson that discomfort can be very good, its a good thing. Good doesn't mean pleasant it simply means good. I thought about the name "Tobiah" and how his name means "God is good". I truly felt God's goodness through my entire delivery.
After I relieved myself I wanted to try sitting on a birthing ball and I lay my head and arms on the bed. This is when I discovered the wonders of counter-pressure. Each contraction the doula and nurses put counter-pressure on my back and I learned to notify them when one was coming on so they were ready. I labored on the floor on hands and knees with towels. I labored hanging from Joshua's neck and shoulders as he supported me. I eventually changed out of my wet suit top because I didn't feel like going back in the tub.
Joshua was such a good support. He remained very calm and kept encouraging me by telling me I was doing a good job. When I was laboring at home I had asked him to pray and he did. My parent were praying for us and others. I could feel their prayers, I could feel God's goodness as He answered the prayers we had been praying for 9 months. I remember hearing the song "It Is Well" while I was in the tub. I knew it really was "well with my soul". My soul was so strong it was giving my body courage and strength. One of my prayers was that my delivery would be a testimony to the medical staff who were with me. My 2 hour playlist of worship music played for about 7 hours and the staff became very familiar with the songs. My midwife said she could tell that the music helped me.
Eventually I labored on the bed with the birthing ball and then tried a few other positions with a holding bar. The more that I moved around and tried different positions the faster the contractions would come. It was tempting to just sit still and avoid the pain. When it was time to push this was challenging because I had been practicing breathing through the contraction avoiding the pressure. Now I needed to embrace it and even encourage it. This took a lot of concentration as I had to feel the right timing. Hypnobreathing had taught me you aren't supposed to push on demand but "J breathe" through the contraction. I did a combination of breathing and self-guided pushing. My mid-wife told me that my baby was going to need more help than just breathing. He was in some distress during the labor and had let out some stool in the womb. It became important to speed up the pushing stage. I pushed for about an hour. With each one I was learning how to do the next contraction better. I was gaining courage and excitement to meet my baby. They even showed me the top of his head in a mirror to motivate me to push harder. From the time I saw his head it was a few more pushes. They were all cheering me on, encouraging me with every push, saying I was doing so well. It felt as if I was at the end of a long race and I could see the finish line with the big red clock counting the minutes, sprinting as hard as I could knowing it would soon be finished.
5:16pm
This is how baby finally came with on last push he was here! I couldn't believe it, it seemed he would never come after waiting 9 months. I only got to see him once at our ultrasound. He was only a dream until this moment. I kept saying, "He's here, he's here!" and "I can't believe it, I can't believe it." As I celebrated, I felt as if I were on cloud 9! I was filled with joy and adrenaline. Joshua was crying he was so happy that Tobiah was here and he just become a dad. :-) They put him on my belly right away. He cried some, but then he quieted down and was so peaceful just lying on my chest. He wasn't ugly like I had been warned and he wasn't covered in weird colored junk. He was slimy, but he was cute and he was mine :-) I stayed on this joyous high for quite a while. I had tore a bit, a level 2 they called it. They stitched me up, but I didn't mind because my baby was here, lying on my chest so peaceful and calm. My doula Lina encouraged me to let him try and breastfeed on his own. That he did! He latched on right away it was perfect latch 10/10. I was so encouraged. Little did I know this would not continue. (I have a few post-delivery woes for another time)
My family had come about an hour after Tobiah was born. I felt great and wanted them all to meet him. I wanted them all to know I was doing great. Like the after party after a big race, I wanted them to celebrate this great accomplishment with me. We got lots of pictures and told much of our story. I felt so very thankful and so blessed. My labor was a total of 12 hours long. In my experience time is not the same while in labor. It seems to go faster and longer all at the same time. It's not comparable to time as normally experienced day to day. It's simply a miracle.
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