my first birth.

I remember it like it was yesterday. At first I thought I was dehydrated from Hot Yoga, but it didn’t go away. Then I thought I got the flu, because Luis had it the week before. But then, two days later, I couldn’t smell coffee without feeling sick. That’s when I knew something was up. I told Luis to pick up a pregnancy test for me (I was working), and when I got home, I took the test. My heart stopped. How is this possible? I went out into the living room, Luis was sitting on the couch surfing the web. I started sobbing saying “I’m pregnant!!” Luis had this stupid grin on his face and I was so upset. Luis didn’t have a job, we were still living with my parents, I had a job that paid barely above minimum wage, and we didn’t have health insurance. Not the most ideal situation to be in. After about four days, I started getting excited. God was going to have to do something, because there was nothing we could do about it now.

I was about 5 weeks, though I thought I was further along (like 10 weeks). I had just gone off birth control the month before, and didn’t even “start” my period after going off of it. So much for needing to “get out of your system.” But what can I say; this family was bred to breed. We went into a Christian clinic to get an ultrasound, which confirmed I was 7 weeks along (2 weeks after we found out, for those that don’t do math well). I was in love.

I felt sick: ALL THE TIME. I threw up at least 10 times a day for the first 3 ½ months. I couldn’t eat anything that I loved: spinach, eggs, garlic, chicken, veggies. The only thing I could keep down was Cup of Noodles and yellow Gatorade (not very Paleo I know). I slept about 10-12 hours a night through my whole pregnancy. But aside from feeling exhausted, morning sickness (which was really all day sickness), and a pinched sciatic nerve about 20 weeks along, I had a super easy pregnancy. I was able to work until 2 weeks before my due date, I was on my feet for 8 hours a day at the coffee shop, and I did yoga and walked everyday, and only gained 18lbs! But lets fast forward to my actual birth, because that wasn’t as smooth.

April 24^th, 2 days after my due date I start having contractions about 15 min apart. No big deal. They got to about 5 min apart through the night, so by morning we call our midwife. She said come on down to get checked out. My contractions of course slow down to about 7 min apart once we get to the birthing center, and I’m only dilated to 2cm. She sends us home. I can barely sit down at this point because the baby’s head is SO low, riding in the car is no fun!

April 25^th, I didn’t get much sleep last night. It’s my sister’s birthday, hoping our baby will be born today. My contractions stay at about 10-12 min apart and about a min long. We walk. Walk some more. And walk some more. Contractions stay the same through the night. Still no sleep and no sitting.

April 26^th, contractions are the same. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?! I keep walking. Tried getting in some naps, but the contractions are pretty strong and I can’t sleep. By the end of the night my contractions are about 7-10 min apart, and lasting about 60- 75 seconds. Still no sleep and still no sitting.

April 27^th, surely today is the day. Contractions lasted through the night at about 6-7 min apart and 60 seconds long. I mainly just walked around downstairs all night long. By about 5pm my contractions are 5-6 min apart and last 90 seconds. We call Nancy. She stays on standby. I remember Grimm had started, because Luis always reminds me that I made him miss Grimm, but it was really our baby who did. My contractions were 4 min apart and 90 seconds long and were headed to the Birthing Center. Worst car ride, EVER!

10pm, Nancy checks me. I’m barely at 4cm and 90% effaced, but she says I’m in active labor. I labor for what seems like 5 hours, but it really was about 2 hours. My contractions are 3 min apart and at least 90 seconds long. Nancy checks me again and I had made no progress. Nancy suggests we go to the hospital because I should be making progress with the contractions, and the baby’s head was beginning to swell. Nancy said she could break my water and see if that helps, but after talking with my Mom they decide it’s best if I go to the hospital. I was upset; this is the only part of labor in which I cried. I really did not want to go to the hospital. I wanted a natural birth, at the birthing center, with no medical interventions. But Nancy only has a 4% transfer rate to the hospital, so I knew if she said we should go, to trust her.

Remember when I said the car ride to the birthing center was the worst, well I lied. The ride to St. Francis was the worst car ride ever. I had an I.V. in my arm, was in FULL ON LABOR, riding in a bouncy Subaru, down Lake Tapps Road, in the middle of the night. And, Nancy stopped for gas!! BAH! I survived.

I’m not entirely sure what time we got to the hospital, but they made me sit in a wheelchair, which was so awful. I did not want to sit. We are admitted. I get in my hospital gown, meet the nurses. One of the nurses was actually my elementary school nurse from when I was in 2^nd grade! How crazy is that! Once they check all of my vitals, they let me walk around the Maternity hall. I meet Dr. Smith (the Doctor on call). He starts talking to me in the middle of a contraction, I mean really, c’mon! I remember the nurse telling him to stop talking until my contraction was done. He starts explaining to me that they’re going to break my water, if that doesn’t work they will insert this fetal monitor to make sure the contractions are working, and if that doesn’t work, then a C-section. Stop right there. Let’s just break my water first and see what happens. I told him I don’t want a C-section.

They break my water. I instantly dilated to 5cm. Cool. I get in the tub and dilate another cm. At that point I was so tired from four days of no sleep, that I asked for meds. I really did want to have an epidural but by that point, if I didn’t get any rest, I would more than likely have a C-section. I remember asking the nurse to give me a smaller dose of an epidural and she said “Sweetie, there’s only one dose.” Well, how was I supposed to know? Anyway, by the time I got the epidural I was just about to start transition (I was about 7cm). They told me to sit (REALLY AGAIN?!?!) on the edge of the bed and not move. It is so hard not to move when you start shaking. Let me tell you. They stuck me twice with that giant needle, because the first time didn’t numb me. Thanks guys.

I think another 2 hours passed, I didn’t sleep at all, but I was able to relax a bit. Of course I remember Luis sleeping on the pull out bed. Lucky B. 9CM I’M ALMOST THERE! Guess again. They put me on Pitocin because “the lip” of my cervix wouldn’t go away, thank you Mom for that! An hour later, they took me off Pitocin because it wasn’t helping. By this point, I felt the urge to push and I couldn’t not push (I hadn’t pushed the epidural button because I actually did want to feel the birth process believe it or not. God really answered my prayer on that one, because I felt everything!)

The nurse let me push to try and get that lip out, but she basically had her hands inside me for 10 min digging at my cervix while I push. I remember wanted to kick her in the face it was so uncomfortable! The lip was finally gone and it was go time.

Dr. Smith comes in, my mom is holding my left leg, and Luis is holding my right leg. They kept asking me if I wanted a mirror. I kept saying no. Get a clue people. I remember it hurt so bad as the baby was crowning that I lost control and started screaming. The nurse got in my face and told me to shut up and stop wasting energy, that my screaming is not helping. I felt like it was helping, but ok.

 Thirty-four min of pushing and the baby came! When the baby came out it was literally the best feeling in the world. I would go through birth again just to feel that relief/high again, no joke! Since we didn’t know what we were having, we decided Luis would tell me if the baby was a boy or a girl. My favorite part about the birth beside the relief of it being over was Luis saying, “It’s a… It’s a… It’s a Zoey!!” So awesome.

They put Zoey right on my chest and Luis cut the cord once it stopped pulsing. I just starred at her for 20 min and she looked up at me and oh man, awesome. I finally decided to give her to the nurses to clean her up and weigh her. 7 lbs 13 oz, 20 ¼ inch long. A perfect baby girl.

Luis finally got to hold her, and it was just perfect. Grammie and Grampie were in the room, and Auntie Sarah and Auntie Heather came right away to visit.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.