My Birth Story

2:45am

I shot up and ran to the bathroom. I had intense stomach cramps. I had Chipotle for dinner so I thought it may have been the cheese or sour cream from my burrito bowl.  In the back of my mind I did think 'Maybe I am in labor' but today is my due date and babies are never born on their due date. I still kept track of my stomach cramps and the pain was coming every 5 minutes, lasting about a minute each time. From birthing class, they tell you that that is the time you should be going to the hospital.  

Instead of listening to reason, I took a shower and washed my hair. 

The hot shower made me feel a bit better. Afterwards I blowdryed my hair and then went to bed. 

3:30am

Shot right back up and ran to the bathroom. I was literally bearing down against the bathroom sink. The mister woke up and found me on the bathroom huffing and puffing. 

'ARE YOU IN LABOR???' He asked

My contractions were now 3 minutes apart and still lasting about a minute long. 

That 10 minute car ride was the longest 10 minutes. Contractions were so painful- like you had bad sushi and couldn't get off the toilet all night pain. I was holding his hand the whole ride there and yelled at him for slowing down when it was a yellow light. He later told the nurse he didn't know I was that strong. 

Conversation on the way to the hospital:

 Me: You know when we go running and you tell me that I'm doing a great job and to keep running?

Hubby: Yes.

Me: And I tell you to shut up because it's distracting? Well, SHUT UP!

4:00am

After entering in through the ER entrance, the nurse Christine from labor and delivery came to pick me up with a wheelchair. I kept grunting and flailing in pain. After checking me thoroughly I was 6 cm dilated. 

Here is a visual aid:

Basically, an object the size of a watermelon comes out of that 10cm hole so 

YES I GOT THE EPIDURAL!!!! 

Receiving it didn't hurt as much as I imagined it to. The pain in my stomach subsided but I could still feel the pain waist down. I felt a little cheated because my sister told me I wouldn't be able to walk or feel my legs. Well, I was able to feel everything below. 

Me: It just feels like I need to poop.

Nurse: Well this is going to be the biggest poop of your life

Time went by so fast. 

I went from 6cm to 7cm to 8 cm within an hour. 

There was a pressure to push so my nurse asked the doctor to break my water. 

5:35am

Pushing didn't hurt as much as the contractions, it was more exhausting because your breathing each time you have the pressure to push. 

Nurse: "Don't scream. Try to breathe in through your nose and out through the mouth' 

Me: "BUT I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!" You just want to grunt it out. 

6:00am

The doctor comes to you when it is go time. Before then it is all nurses. The doctor mentioned that the baby had a lot of hair and I'm like how do you know?

They brought out a mirror for me to see. It was amazing.  I used it as a tool to help me push because when they tell you how great your doing,  you can't tell how far along you are. I could see the head 

come out each time I pushed and all that hair on its head!

At one point I couldn't push because I was so tired I asked them to take the baby out but it hadn't 

come out far enough. 'Can you push it back in?????' The last final pushes were the hardest but when 

it happened I heard the baby wail so loud.

6:19am

It's a boy!

He was so teeny tiny but I loved him so much. And of course the husband cut the umbilical cord.

I feel very lucky to have created this handsome little man with few problems. No 22 hour labor, no hemorrhoids... just a very healthy baby boy.

Nurse: 'Next time you have a baby, come at the 3rd contraction.' 

And that my friends is our birth story. 

Can't wait to watch him grow up.