Birth Story

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This is one post I never thought I’d be writing. Our past fertility struggles led me to believe we’d never get here. Plus, to be honest, I was convinced something was going to go wrong the entire time I was pregnant.  Lack of faith and trauma of my past kept me from planning for the future. Thankfully, our little girl is here and I’m thrilled to be able to finally share her birth story. 

Induction at 37 Weeks

Our birth story starts when the doctors made the decision to induce at 37 weeks. I know this is extremely controversial (and yes, I do know I could have declined it). At 36 weeks my blood pressure started to rise. It was not preeclampsia but it was getting higher. The risk level for preeclampsia kept rising.

On top of that, I have a blood clotting disorder and that required me to be on blood thinners my entire pregnancy. We switched them over to be able to reverse them more easily but the doctors still knew it would help if we could have more control when I went into labor. We could stop them before I went to the hospital, which would be best for me and the baby. So, for those reasons we agreed induction was the way to go.

Saturday 7/29

We were admitted to the hospital at 8pm on Saturday evening. The goal was to start meds and get some rest. We started cytotec that night and kept dosing every 4 hours. Unfortunately, it didn’t help me dilate at all. We were still at 0cm the next day. Thankfully shark week was on and I had a long phone charger to keep my phone going and stay occupied.

Sunday 7/30

We kept up on the cytotec every 4 hours but we knew we needed more to help things progress. By this time I was having contractions but not dilating. Pain with no progress. 

The doctor felt a foley balloon would be our next step to help. She was going to have to use a speculum and thread it like a needle, which I was nervous about. As soon as we got into position to insert it- my water broke! The craziest thing but ended up being the turning point in the labor. 

I still only dilated to a 1 so that evening we opted for the epidural. I didn’t want it but I’m so thankful I did it. Ask my husband, I was truly a different person afterwards! Plus, I’d need it for what was coming. 

Overnight Sunday 7/30 

The night nurse came on and was on a mission to help me. The nurse came in every 30 min to an hour to change my position. Unfortunately, the baby would have heart decelerations after each contraction on my left side or my back. 

They put internal monitors on myself and the baby to keep a closer eye on things. Around midnight the decelerations were getting so bad they talked to us about a c-section. We signed the consent paperwork and we’re sure they were going to take us for surgery. 

Then, the nurse kept me on my right side or all fours and we stabilized. This is where the epidural came in because I’ve had two knee surgeries and can’t normally be on my knees. Thankfully, we were stable long enough they could start pitocin. Early Monday we started the pitocin. We were still only at 1cm dilated.

Monday 7/31

Our birth story finally comes to an end on Monday. With the pitocin flowing we dilated to 4cm, but then stalled again. It was a slow process because the baby needed to be stable to increase the pitocin. We were now getting very anxious. With the stall, my mom and I started to discuss a c-section again. If I wasn’t progressing we wanted to call it to keep the baby safe. 

The shift change that morning took awhile and delayed our next cervical check. Suddenly, I started feeling some pressure. I told the nurse I needed to poop and she told me it was the baby. I still thought we were at 4cm and tried to poop anyways.

The next check was going to determine our path forward. I was now in pain and we thought I wasn’t progressing. Well, we were in for a surprise. At the next check the nurse said we were ready to push! In her words “you’re 10cm and the baby is right there.”

The Delivery

Unfortunately, the doctor was in another delivery so the nurse told me we had to wait. I was convinced the baby was coming out on its own! My mom was ready to track the doctor down when the resident finally came in. Time to push. 

A few contractions later, we had to stop again. Baby was coming out and residents can’t deliver on their own. 

She came in a few minutes later. 

We changed positions. 

One contraction later. 

She was here. 

With her cord around her neck twice and she had pooped in utero…Thankfully she came out totally healthy.

A Baby Girl

We didn’t find out the gender during pregnancy so we were thrilled to find out we now have a baby girl. Colin got to announce the gender and of course cut the cord before we started our golden hour. 

Majority of people guessed the gender, so we weren’t too surprised. My dad even had a dream that it was a girl too!  I’ve always envisioned myself as a girl mom and now I am. 

6lbs 8oz 21in 

What a blessing. 

In Summary: Birth Story

Our birth story is so beautiful. Yes, there was a lot of medical intervention. No, that’s not what I wanted with my low toxin lifestyle. However, it was what we needed to get this baby here healthy and for that I’ll always be grateful. I’m also the only one in my immediate family to have a natural birth. It’s an incredible experience and I’m thankful the nurses and doctors pushed us to keep going and get there. 

What we’re your births like? We’d love to hear about them in the comments.