One of the best days in my life was the day we found out that we were expecting a baby. I remember feeling bubbles in my stomach and I couldn’t stop giggling and jumping up and down. The excitement was so intense. I didn’t think I could feel happier until I actually was able to hold my baby boy.
My pregnancy was pretty good overall. Besides some nausea the first few weeks and some back pain, I thankfully had no significant problems. My husband and I took every single class we could find to prepare ourselves for birth and parenting. To be honest, I was terrified of labor. I was so scared of feeling the pain of contractions and labor that I just kept wondering if I could get an epidural the week before. As you can guess, I wanted a natural labor WITH an epidural.
In our birthing class, we learned about early labor and active labor. We downloaded the app to track contractions and I felt a little bit more prepared and “ready” for the day. On January 11, one day past my due date, I finally started feeling some contractions. I had already been dialated to 2 cm for about one week, so I was hoping it was happening in the next few days.
I went to bed but woke up around 3 am, needing to go to the bathroom. I had some contractions and after sitting on the potty for about an hour and timing my contractions, I told my husband to take me to the hospital. My contractions were 2-8 minutes apart (inconsistent) for the last hour so we called my Obgyn, who told us not to worry and relax. After 30 minutes and an episode of vomiting, I knew something was up. So, I called again and convinced the doctor to have me come in.
My husband didn’t think we needed to go and thought it would be a waste of time because my contractions were so inconsistent. Well, good thing I didn’t listen to my husband. As we were driving, my pain was getting worse. I wasn’t screaming but I definitely was not comfortable. As we arrived at the ER around 5:35 am, all the nurses were telling me to relax and take my time since it is my first baby. I repeatedly told them that I think my baby is coming. Taking their time, I was finally taken to a triage room to get checked. As I got hooked up to the monitor, strong contractions were seen. The nurse was very impressed that I wasn’t screaming yet. Next she proceeded to check how dilated I was. Her reaction was what my husband remembers most vividly until this day. Her jaw dropped and she immediately picked up the phone and called for backup, citing some kind of code. She yelled to my husband to sprint to the car to get the blood cord banking kit, saying the baby is coming. Before I could react, my husband asked the nurse when I would get an epidural. Well what the nurse said next was my biggest fear. The expression on my husband’s face was priceless. “Honey, there’s no time for an epidural. You’re at 10 cm and baby is coming NOW”, the nurse said. Immediately I was wheeled into a room. My pain was getting growing worse and worse, and I was screaming from the top of my lungs while arching my back feeling the baby coming. Apparently my husband heard my screams from the elevator.
Boy was I scared and in severe pain. As they wheeled me into the room, a doctor came telling me that my obgyn is on her way and that he would be delivering the baby. What? Everything was not going by plan. I was terrified. I kept looking for my husband. “Ok, push now” said the doctor and the 4 nurses behind him cheering me on. Screaming like there is no tomorrow, I pushed with all my strength and as my husband walked in the doctor told me to push again. I couldn’t. It hurt too much. I kept screaming “It hurts” and asked for an epidural again. The doctor was not very nice and told me that if I wanted the baby to survive I needed to push because he’s right there. Well don’t tell me twice! I pushed a couple times before I finally heard the little cry. Soon after I got to see and hold my little angel.
Less than 30 minutes had passed from the moment we walked into the hospital and until I got to hold my baby boy. I didn’t even get a chance to text my mom and sister that I was in labor. It all went so fast. It was the most pain I’ve ever felt. But the pain that I was feeling was nothing compared to the joy when I finally held James.
It was the happiest day of my life to hold my dear son, but it also was the scariest and unexpected day in my life. To all my mommy-to-bes, you can do this! The biggest tip I have for any pregnant lady is to be flexible, know that things may not go by according to plan and to keep breathing. Just keep thinking about the moment when you will get to hold your little baby. It will all be so worth it. There truly isn’t a word to describe the feeling when you finally get to meet your precious baby.
Thank you for reading my birth story and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I would love to hear about your birthing experience. Please comment below