Between 12:09 AM and 1:30 AM I had 24 contractions. I tried lying down, but there was no way I could sleep. It felt better to be up. During contractions I would lean my forearms on the counter or couch, completely relax my abdominal and pelvic region, and breathe deeply. I lit a candle and pictured my cervix becoming soft and warm and melting with the candle. In between contractions I tidied the house, put away dishes, and finished packing my bag for the hospital. I also got on Facebook and posted the following: “Been having strong contractions every 3-5 min for the past 2+ hours. I guess it’s time to wake up Bryan.”
At 2:30 AM I woke up Bryan and told him I thought I was in labor. He got up and got dressed. I then called my doula, Trine, and told her I thought I was in labor. She said she would grab some snacks and come over in a few minutes. I had Bryan time the contractions until Trine got to our house. I had 24 more contractions between 1:34 and 3:07 AM. Then we didn’t bother timing them anymore.
“This is amazing, this is wonderful, this is fantastic!” This is the mantra I repeated to myself during contractions. I truly was ecstatic to be going into labor on my own, after all the worrying that I would still be pregnant at 42 weeks. This was my first time to go into labor on my own, after all. Cytotec, prostaglandin gel, and a c-section were the precipitators for my three previous births. Trine lightly rubbed my back during contractions and told me I was doing great at relaxing.
I felt bad waking people up in the middle of the night, but I also paged my doctor, called my mom to come watch our kids, and called my sister Esther, who is training to be a nurse and really wanted to be there for the birth. Then I decided I wanted something to eat before going to the hospital. I warmed up some leftover oatmeal and ate it. Because I tested positive for Group B Strep, I was supposed to receive two doses of antibiotics, four hours apart during labor before the baby was born. So we headed to the hospital, arriving around 3:45 AM. I was looking forward to soaking in the big bath that is available for laboring women at Banner Gateway.
In triage they only allow one other support person, so Bryan came with me while Trine waited in the lobby. I told the nurse I was supposed to have antibiotics for Group B Strep, that I have a birth plan, which I handed her, and that I would like to use the bath. The nurse checked me and told me I was 4 cm and 80% effaced. I was so glad to already be at four. At my last OB appt, which was four days before, I was still at 1 cm and 50% effaced. After contacting my doctor, the nurse said they would get the IV started in triage and monitor me for the required time while they got the bath ready. She asked if I would like my doula to come back to be with me. I said, “Yes!” Since no one else was in triage and it would take about a half hour to run the Penicillin through the IV, she said they would allow her to be with me, too. I was very grateful for this since Trine’s presence was very reassuring. She seemed to know just how to touch me and just what to say to encourage me.
I think it was about 5 AM that I got into the bath. Aaaaahhhh … it felt so good. I could move around freely instead of having to awkwardly get onto my hands and knees when a contraction came. The warm water was soothing, and I stopped feeling all shaky. It took the edge off the pain and made it easier to handle. Then in between contractions I was able to rest more completely. At some point I started moaning through contractions instead of just breathing deeply. I kept my face and jaw loose, as I had practiced doing during the Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout my pregnancy, and moaned deeply. I also started doing what I think of as horse-lips, which is blowing air out through loose lips and letting them vibrate. That seemed to help my pelvis relax the most.
Bryan and Esther sat in chairs and watched, while Trine sat on the floor close by. I had a hospital gown draped over me for modesty. Using the restroom was annoying as I had to remove the gown, climb out of the tub, have a blanket wrapped around me, and then waddle down the hall. Why they don’t have a restroom attached to the spa room, I don’t know. That room seems to be designed more for looks than for practicality. And of course I got a contraction both times while in the restroom. All the moaning and breathing made my throat dry, so I took frequent sips of water. My bathroom breaks were a convenient time to let out some water from the tub and add in more hot water to keep the temperature comfortable.
Esther actually left for three hours or so since she was supposed to work that day. She had a key to the office so she could just go in early and complete her work. When she came back she and Bryan were hungry, so they went to the cafeteria for breakfast. I ate a few dried apple pieces as I was feeling like I could use a little nutrition. I said frequent prayers silently to myself, thanking my Father in Heaven for the privilege of bringing a baby into the world and asking that everything would go smoothly.
During the breaks between contractions we chatted about mundane things, and I discussed with Bryan what phone calls needed to be made and other things needed to be taken care of. Friday was to be a busy day, with an acupuncture appointment, visiting teaching appointments, parent-teacher conferences, shopping with Kayla for a different dress since the one I bought her for her birthday was itchy, and karate lessons for Jessica. Also, Kayla’s birthday party at Skateland was to be on Saturday. All I had to do to go into labor was plan things I didn’t want to miss!
There was a shift-change at 7 AM, and Trine requested a nurse that would be accommodating for a natural childbirth. I was wondering how far I was dilated, but I wasn’t ready to be checked yet. I didn’t want to be disappointed. Taking each contraction one at a time and not worrying about how much longer I had to do this for was my priority. I remember making the comment, “This is a lot of work!” Although to the people in the room it probably didn’t look like I was doing much of anything besides making a lot of noise.
After triage the monitors used for recording the baby’s heartrate and the uterine contractions were traded for wireless waterproof monitors, which I wore until the baby was born. They were a bit annoying, and they had to be adjusted a few times. The first nurse, a tall blonde woman, had me get out of the tub when the baby’s heartrate stopped tracing, and she spent like five minutes trying to get it again. That was not fun. The new nurse, Rakay, who had short brown somewhat-spiky hair, was much more relaxed about it. She just wanted to get a tracing 20 minutes out of every hour and didn’t make me get out of the tub the one time it needed adjusting. At around 8:45 Rakay said that Dr. Brass wanted me to try getting out of the tub and try walking around. I was thinking, “But you don’t even know how far dilated I am. Are you assuming I’m not making any progress?” So I told her I would much prefer to stay in the tub. I asked to be checked, and I asked when the second IV dose was supposed to be administered. I wanted to get that over with.
I was delighted to learn that I was 8 cm, 100% effaced, and my cervix was stretchy and paper thin. I’m almost there! I tried not to think about the pushing part coming up, which I was dreading. The second Penicillin dose was started I think at 9 PM. I had to keep my arm out of the water until it was finished and the line could be disconnected. The nurse said she could break my water and the baby would probably be born pretty quickly, but I would need to get out of the tub and the pain would increase. She also said Dr. Brass was about to do a c-section on another patient. I opted to stay in the tub since Dr. Brass wouldn’t be available for awhile anyway, and I felt I was barely able to handle the contractions as it was. They were getting stronger and closer together. It seemed I spent more time in them than out of them. Plus the pain persisted between contractions, so it was hard to tell when I was actually getting a break. By this time I was moaning louder and getting hot even though the water was getting cooler. Trine got a container of cold water and put cool washcloths on my neck and forehead. That felt so nice. I also started getting emotional. After a particularly difficult contraction I broke down in tears for a bit. I was just so overcome by the power and the intensity.
I complained about needing to pee. Trine and the nurse both said it was okay to just pee in the tub since I would be getting out soon anyway. So I did. But then I kept feeling like I needed to pee more and I held my breath to push out more pee. I didn’t know I had that much pee in me. It turns out my water broke, I just didn’t know it. A few minutes later they had me get out of the tub and walk to the delivery room. Actually, the nurse offered a bed on wheels for me to get on, but walking was much more appealing than being recumbent. As I followed Dr. Brass down the hallways, I was dripping more than just from being wet in the tub, although I didn’t really notice. The nurse called for housekeeping to come after me with a mop.
In the delivery room the pain reached a new intensity. I was really hoping it would be over soon. I think I started sounding more like a lion sometime during this stage of labor, which is known as transition. Guided by Trine and the nurse, I tried various positions, like hands and knees, sitting on the birth ball, and side lying. Nothing was comfortable. I remember being asked which position I preferred, and I said, “I don’t like any of them!” I was discouraged when I was checked and told I was 9 cm with an anterior lip. I wanted it to be time to start pushing. Finally at 10:50 it was time to start pushing. Then the nurse said the baby was posterior, and I was thinking the baby was never going to be born!
The squat bar was set up and a sheet was wrapped around it. I was supposed have my legs in a frog position and my chin tucked to my chest while pulling on the sheet with my hands and pushing. It was really hard. On the one hand, pushing relieved most of the pain, but on the other hand, it was such exhausting work! Coaching from the nurse and doctor was really needed to keep me motivated. I pushed so hard that my face felt like it would burst and my lips got tingly. Taking quick breaths and going right back to pushing worked best. If I paused too long then the pain was overwhelming. Fortunately the baby was rotating as I pushed, so there was hope. I was thinking; no wonder so many moms get epidurals! Now why is it that I don’t want an epidural? I know there were some good reasons, but they seem insignificant right now in the midst of all this pain. Trine helped me get focused again and remember to breathe deeply in between contractions. She was right next to me holding my hand. Then Bryan held my hand for some of the time.
Esther told me that there was bulging when I pushed. This was very encouraging because it meant the birth was close! I switched to pulling back on my knees while pushing instead of pulling on the sheet. Esther helped hold one of my legs part of the time. Finally I was told they could see the head while I pushed. I tried to feel for the head, but it wasn’t far enough down the birth canal yet. I received lots of encouragement. “I can do this!” I told myself. After a couple more contractions and hard pushing I could feel the baby’s head move lower, and suddenly I felt an intense burning sensation. I said, “It burns!” I looked down and I could see why. I reached down and touched her head. I pushed a little more gently now, as I didn’t want to push too hard and tear, and she was born! The time was 11:37 AM. Dr. Brass handed her right to me. I was so overcome with joy and relief! “You’re here! I’m so glad you’re here! I did it!” I exclaimed as I laughed and held her close. I have never felt such relief and amazement in my life! It was bliss.
After a couple minutes, Bryan got to cut the cord. I held little baby Sydney skin-to-skin, which felt wonderful. Esther had been snapping pictures the whole time. She said we could just delete any of them we didn’t like. Some were a bit graphic. The others in the room commented on Sydney’s alertness. She didn’t cry much; she just looked around contentedly. Soon the placenta came out. Dr. Brass said there was only a small tear on my perineum, and it didn’t need any stitches.
At 12 PM Sydney latched on and nursed. She’s been nursing great ever since with no problems. That first day I even was able to nurse her while lying down, which has helped me get enough rest. With my other babies it took a couple weeks to figure out how to latch the baby on while lying on my side.
A whole hour went by with Sydney and me bonding and getting to know each other. Bryan probably felt I was hogging her. So when she stopped nursing and drifted off to sleep I handed her over. I don’t think he actually got to hold her though until after a nurse bathed her, weighed her and dressed her. The scale said 6 pounds, 15.8 ounces, which gets rounded up to 7 pounds. A nurse measured her length while I was still holding her, and said she was 20 inches long. However, on Monday at the pediatrician’s office she was measured by being stretched out on the table, and she was 19 inches long. I think this second measurement is the more accurate one.
I am so happy to have my new baby: Sydney Abigail! She is a joy! I love her so much already, and I am cherishing these precious first days. The recovery so far has been very smooth. I need lots of rest, but overall I feel great. Kayla, Jessica and Chloe love their new little sister. They shower her with affection. Chloe gets jealous of Sydney sometimes, so Bryan and I have tried to give her extra attention. It’s hard to believe we have four girls! We love each one of them and feel very blessed.
