My Birth Story

My due date came and went. It was a Friday and I knew the baby was not coming that day, or over the weekend.  He seemed pretty content inside. It seemed to me that he was going to be about a week late, and I was completely okay with that. On Monday, my mom arrived and was scheduled to stay for two weeks. She had flown a red eye from Alberta the night before so our first day together consisted of a three-hour power nap and just lounging around. Little did I know how important that nap was for me. I had been going non-stop all weekend getting things done around the house and I needed the rest. 

When I saw Megan, my midwife later that afternoon, we set up an induction date for a week later. I did not want to be induced, but I also did not want my mom to miss the birth or just be here for a few days after he was born. Megan checked to see if I was dilated and we found out that I was almost 3 centimeters! She told me not to get excited though, I could still not go into labor for another week, but it was a good sign that things were progressing. 

That night when I went to bed, the thought of being induced was looming over me. I prayed that I would not have to be induced and that things would progress naturally.I woke up around 8 am the next morning. Uriah was working the evening shift that day so he was at home. I was feeling a little weird, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I felt like I was nauseous or having very subtle gas pains but I wasn’t sure. For the next hour I noticed them coming and going. I could tell when they started but couldn’t tell when they ended. I had never experienced Braxton hicks throughout my pregnancy so I really had no idea what to expect. I used an app on my phone to time them every time I felt something. It was happening sporadically, but frequently. I still wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. 

Around 11 am it was becoming obvious to me that these were contractions. They became stronger and more frequent. I could tell they were not gas pains. I finally told Mom and Uriah that I was pretty sure I was in labor but I was still not 100% convinced.

I started cleaning and tidying to keep myself distracted. I was told by my midwife to try and stay home as long as possible so that’s what I was going to do. I would clean in between contractions and then hug a pillow or rock back and forth on the bed when a contraction came. They were painful, but not unbearable. 

Around 1pm it was obvious to me that this was the real deal. The contractions were between 2-6 minutes apart, getting stronger as the hours passed. I told Uriah that he should maybe call out of work that evening. I called Ramona and told her that the baby was on his way.

I continued to distract myself by watching YouTube music videos with the lyrics so I could sing along.  A few hours later, I decided that it was time to go.  Mom was getting uneasy. I was unsure how the baby was doing inside and felt that it was a good idea to have him monitored. The contractions were painful and still bearable, but I wanted to make sure the baby was okay. We left our house in the middle of rush hour so it took a little over half an hour to get to Boston.

When I got into Triage at around 5:30 pm, they were able to monitor the baby and see that he was doing just fine. The midwife checked to see how far I was dilated and she was excited to let me know that I was almost 6 cm! Not too far to go! I was happy that I was that far along and still able to withstand the pain. My sister Ramona arrived while I was still in Triage. Now my birth support team was in place, I was ready to go.

They moved me into the delivery room where I met Nora, my nurse for the next 1.5 hours. She was AWESOME. She was so sweet and physically helpful as well. The entire time she was massaging my hands and back and offered encouraging verbal support.

7 pm brought the shift change and a new midwife and nurse were assigned to me. At this point Mom and Ramona took over Nora’s job and were on either side of me constantly massaging my arms and back, playing with my hair and just offering support. Uriah played songs for me and I tried to sing along and distract myself. The contractions were very painful at this point and I was having a hard time getting comfortable. They weren’t able to get a room with a bathtub in it so I decided to try the shower. I hated it. I had to get out immediately, which was odd because usually the shower helps me relax. However, I was just about at a turning point in my labor. I sat on the toilet and a few moments later my water broke. It was 8:15 pm. The nurse came and took a look and saw that there was meconium in the fluid, which could mean the baby was in distress. Now the baby’s heart rate had to be monitored continually until he was delivered. Within a half hour of my water breaking, I started having very, very painful and agonizing contractions.

After several super painful contractions, I told everyone that I didn’t think I could continue without the epidural. I didn’t want to feel anything anymore if the pain was going to get worse than this. Mom and Ramona told me to do what I wanted to do. Uriah assured me that I could do it without.  He had heard me the last nine months go on about how I didn’t want to get one. He said if I do get it, He didn’t want the resident out in the hallway giving it to me because he recognized him from the OR and didn’t trust him. Another resident came in to talk to me and said I would have to stay still for ten minutes while they administered the epidural. I didn’t think I would be able to stay still for that long. Also, the thought of having a needle in my back was disturbing to me.  

The midwife was called to come and check how much I was dilated and then we would make the decision about the epidural. In the meantime I worked through each painful contraction asking God for help and strength to get through them.

Finally, at 9:30 pm and what seemed like an eternity later, the midwife arrived and was pleased to tell me that I was almost ten centimeters! There was just a tiny bit left to dilate and then the baby would be coming! They told me that I could definitely do it without the epidural. Shortly after that I began feeling the urge to push. Amazingly it was a bit of a relief to push and it wasn’t as bad as the horrible contractions I experienced for a little while.

I was positioned on my back, which was not the most comfortable position to be in. I wanted to be able to move around.  However, my nurse said that the baby calls the shots from now on and it was the best way for her to monitor him. I was okay with that. She gave me her hand and said I could squeeze it as hard as I wanted.

The midwife sat sidesaddle below me. She was very calm and collected and made me feel at ease. When I first began pushing, I would make a sound like someone normally would when they were in pain. She told me to not make any sounds and hold my breath each time I pushed. When I would start to push, she would tell me to “keep going, keep going, keep going” way past the point where I would have stopped on my own. I thought my head was going to explode every time.

At my side, Mom, Uriah and Ramona were offering their emotional support. Every couple of minutes the nurse gave me ice chips for refreshment. Everyone was encouraging and told me that I was doing amazing and that I was awesome. It’s those little things that helped me go on and get through it.

As the delivery progressed, the top of his head was showing more and more with each push. I was able to rest and regain my strength in between contractions. Each break was probably about 30 seconds, which was just what I needed. The midwife was massaging the area and helping it stretch for his head to come through. 

Finally, the dreaded “Ring of Fire” came. It’s one of those things you can’t understand until you experience it yourself. Let’s just say it lives up to its name. Thankfully it didn’t last long, but it was definitely the most pain I have ever been in. That pain was worth it because right then was when my sweet little Breton made his appearance at 10:15 pm. I could see his sweet little body on the bed below me. His cord was wrapped around his leg, chest and under his arm. The midwife handed him to the pediatric team that had been waiting outside the curtain for the past few minutes because of the meconium (he pooped while still in the womb) He started to cry right away but did not inhale any meconium into his lungs. After suctioning all the meconium out of his mouth and nose, they cleaned him off and handed him to me. We couldn’t believe how cute he was. We were crazy about him right from the beginning.

I couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience.  Everyone was wonderful from the moment I walked through the doors at MGH. My birth team was incredibly supportive and played a key role in helping me achieve my natural birth. I am so grateful to have my husband, mom and sister at my side offering much needed emotional and physical support. It was the hardest thing I have ever done but definitely the most rewarding.

8 am: Contractions started

5:30 pm: Admitted to hospital, 6 cm

8:15 pm: Water broke

9:30 pm: Full dilation

10:15 pm: Born