One year ago (and two days) I gave birth to my son at 8:06 am on a Friday morning. The previous day started out pretty uneventfully. I had been off work for almost one week because I decided to start my maternity leave when I was 38 weeks along (my weeks started on Friday). So that morning stared out with me throwing up shortly after I woke up and then spending some time at home being lazy because I thought I still had two more weeks (at least) until the little man showed up. My OB/GYN had been fairly adamant that I would (at least) make it to my due date of November 3rd. (Side note: my original due date, as calculated from the date of my last period, was October 25th, and believe me I knew when this was because we were trying to get pregnant). I spent time at home, maybe ran an errand or two and waited for Chris to get home. After dinner we watched some TV and I went upstairs to go to bed. The Phenergan that I took in the evenings made me pretty tired. I think I didn’t end up falling asleep until around midnight (because it wasn’t like I had somewhere to go the next day).
I can’t even describe the sensation to waking up in the middle of the night and realizing that your water has broken. I ran to the bathroom and sat on the toilet and waited for things to stop. I waited…and waited…and waited some more. I started to freak out. I was not an informed pregnant person. We did not go to a childbirth class. I bought a DVD and read some materials from the hospital. I had assumed anything I needed to know the nurses in the delivery room would tell us. Even looking back I still don’t think I needed a childbirth class and maybe you’ll soon see why.
So there I was, waiting in the bathroom and trying not to freak out. I thought when a pregnant woman’s water broke it was like a whoosh of water and then it stopped. I did not know it could be like opening a hole in a dam. I started to laugh hysterically and call for Chris. He didn’t hear me. Re-commence freaking out. I decided to try a maxi pad to help with my…situation. Yeah…no. I ran out of the bathroom to grab new underwear and wake up my husband. “Hey! It’s time to go to the hospital!” Watching his reaction was rather comical. Also it’s about 2:00 am right now. I have no idea how long I was initially in the bathroom alternating between freaking out and laughing like a crazy person.
I opted for a hand towel from the bathroom and attempted to shove that in my underwear. Problem kind of solved. While I was getting dressed Chris was gathering all our “hospital” gear and getting the car ready. We drove to the hospital in mostly silence. I believe we arrived at the hospital around 3:00 am. We attempted to go into the main entrance of the hospital (because no one told me you had to use the ER after hours.) So we walked all the way around the hospital to the ER entrance, which really wasn’t that far away. I wasn’t sure if I should start calling/texting family yet, I was fairly certain this was active labor and we would be admitted but it was still only 3:00 am. I may have texted a few people and gotten some excited texts to keep them posted. Once we found the ER we had to wait while someone came from L&D to get us. That seemed like it took FOREVER!
Our guide finally arrived and wheeled me to L&D. I filled out at least one form and then they took me to a triage room to “confirm” that my water had broken. I may have laughed, because clearly my water had broken and I felt like I was leaking a gallon of water a minute. She finally “confirmed” that my water had indeed broken and hooked me up to all kinds of things and then left us. I started to have contractions fairly regularly. My husband and I began texting the rest of the family. My uncle and my dad were flying from Cleveland, Ohio to Birmingham, Alabama to go to an Alabama game with customers from my dad’s work later that day so I knew they would both be waking up soon. My uncle didn’t believe that I was at the hospital so I sent him a picture of the curtain in our little divider room in the triage area. I was the first one bought into the triage room, very shortly after at least two other women in labor came in. One woman was scheduled for a C-section later that day but went into labor early. She was having some fairly intense contractions and I had to listen to that and was starting to get scared.
My contractions started to become a little more intense, but I didn’t start timing them or anything. I was FINALLY moved into a delivery room around four am. A doctor still hadn’t seen me, I was wondering if I would ever see one. My doctor never recommend that I write a birth plan, but I had seen What to Expect When You’re Expecting so I knew what one was. I didn’t have a plan so much as a list of “wishes”:
1. no epidural
2. no drugs
3. no C-section
4. my regular OB/GYN to deliver the baby
So now it’s around 4:00 am and I finally end up in a private delivery room and am eventually checked out by the on call doctor. However, I know that my doctor is in the office on Friday’s and she comes on at 8:00 am. I get excited because I figure I have at least eight to ten more hours of labor to go and will definitely have number four on my list happen. By the time the on call doctor comes to check me out I’m dilated six centimeters. The nurses keep asking me if this is my first child, since every thing is happening so fast. The contractions now are fairly regular and beyond painful. I’m beginning to think that my idea of no epidural and no drugs is a pretty dumb idea. I can’t possibly handle six or more hours of this pain. I don’t remember much of the time after the contractions began to get crazy. I spent most of my time with my eyes shut and holding on to my husband’s hand and squeezing like crazy. I started to say out loud that I didn’t think I would be able to do this now. I was thinking of asking for an epidural. The on call doctor came in again and checked me. I was eight centimeters dilated and even I knew that meant I couldn’t get an epidural now. It’s starting to get close to 8:00 am and I’m hoping that my doctor will be in to see me soon.
Meanwhile, back in Ohio my dad was freaking out about me being in labor and something happening while he was travelling. Apparently he was making himself sick and almost decided to cancel his trip. My sister convinced him to go and told him there was no way that I would have the baby before he landed in Alabama (with a layover in Chicago). Cut back to Texas where 8:00 am is quickly approaching. I’m vastly uncomfortable and the nurse keeps making me stay in an all fours position because when I’m on my side or back the baby’s heart rate starts to drop. My doctor has been in and checks on me one time and then leaves. I start to have the urge to push, I tell the nurse and she tells me to “bear down” when I have that urge, so I do. My doctor comes back fairly soon and checks me again. I’m fully dilated and it’s time to go.
Dr. Collins jokes that she’s never delivered a baby “upside down” so she has be flip to my back. Everything next is really a blur. They tell me to push during the contractions, I push. It HURTS. A lot. I’m really, really starting to regret not getting that epidural. All I can think is that I cannot do this. I start to vocalize that as well. They tell me I can. I don’t believe them. I push several times and feel like I’m going to be ripped apart from the inside out. I later learn that I pushed approximately ten times and for fifteen minutes. Miles decides to make his debut, and it was good he did because the doctor was getting ready to use forceps (something I forgot to put on my list). Chris cut the umbilical cord, which must have been cool for him.
It’s ridiculous how soon the pain stops once the baby comes out. They take Miles to get him cleaned up and bring him back to me. I don’t take him when they offer because I feel too weak but Chris swears that I said “aww baby” when they showed him to me. Chris takes Miles and holds him for a while until I was ready and we tried nursing. I think it went well for two newbies and then I think they took Miles for a bit and put him under the heater thing. Luckily no jaundice for Miles and he had very solid Apgar scores. They got me all squared away and then left us. Alone. With a brand new baby. And no instructions.
Everything felt pretty easy and natural. I wasn’t in an intense amount of pain and was able to get up and walking fairly easily. We made phone calls and texts and then just hung out as a new family. So there you have it. Miles’ birth story. I know it’s not the typical experience of a first time mom, but that’s how it went for us (or at least how I remember it a year later).
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