Birth Stories

Looking back on the day your sweet little babe was born really brings back all the feels. Birth is really special because no two stories are the same. It truly is the wildest ride ever and here we share the details (that we can remember) on how it went.

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Grace

I was wrapping up my workday around 4pm on Tuesday October 11th 2022, nine days before my due date. I got up to go to the bathroom and when I sat back down at my desk in my home office I felt like I sat on a tiny water balloon. I thought I had maybe peed a little but I had just gone to the bathroom. Then it dawned on me that it could have been my water breaking. I yelled for my husband, Cody, downstairs and dropped my pants (you do weird things in a water-breaking panic haha) and fluid was still dripping out of me. I was pretty excited because I was SO ready to get this baby out of my body. I called my doctor and asked how much time we had before we needed to be there (I wasn’t sure if it was like in the movies where a woman’s water breaks and they race to the hospital). She said that we had a little bit of time if we needed to pack a bag or anything but don’t dilly dally for too long. Cody finished watching the Mariner’s game (lol) and I went and straightened my hair (also lol). After a few minutes I started gushing fluid so I was pretty uncomfortable. I threw a pad on and grabbed a towel to sit on and we made the quick trip over to the hospital. We live about 5-10 minutes away so I wasn’t worried about the drive. 

We went into triage and they tested the fluid to confirm it was in fact amniotic fluid and not pee (aka a false alarm) and got us into a room. My contractions still felt like the Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having for weeks so I wasn’t actually sure if they were real or not. I was only 2 centimeters dilated so they asked if I wanted Pitocin to get the ball rolling, which I did. I wanted to get the show on the road. I continued to gush fluid well into the night as my contractions started to ramp up. Something I learned was that when your water breaks, your body keeps making amniotic fluid until the baby is born. I had never really thought about it before and I felt dumb for not knowing that but this was my first time giving birth and I clearly know nothing about how it works haha! When I was 5cm dilated I asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist made it in pretty quickly and when I asked about how long it takes to insert the epidural he said about 10 minutes or so. Mine ended up taking ONE HOUR because apparently the discs in my back are super close together. I had about 7 holes in my back and I was so tired of sitting on the edge of the bed in the weird position you have to be in when they put it in while having contractions every few minutes. I was so afraid he was going to tell me I wasn’t a good candidate for an epidural but he eventually got it in a little bit higher than normal. Once the epidural was in it worked like a charm for me. It was the middle of the night at this point and I was finally pain free so I wanted to get some sleep. 

They are pretty much constantly checking your vitals and checking on the baby when you’re in labor so sleeping can be hard. Finally around 7am I was awake while we said goodbye to our night nurses and met the day shift nurses. Cody left to go to the cafeteria to grab himself some coffee while the new nurse asked if I wanted to see how dilated I was. I said sure why not and it turned out I was 9cm! The nurse went to grab the doctor and get set up and I realized Cody had been gone for a while. It’s getting closer and closer to time to push and he is nowhere to be found! I can’t remember why, but there was a reason I couldn’t call him to tell him to hustle back (either my phone was too far away or he had left his phone in the room). He finally gets back and tells us there was a security issue with someone so he was locked out of the labor and delivery department for a while! He quickly sets his coffee down and gets settled next to me to help me push.

I only pushed for 50 minutes but it felt like 5 minutes. It happened so fast for me. I could tell she was almost out and I stopped mid push and started crying and told the nurse and midwife that I was scared. They asked what I was scared of and I said UM HELLO I’M ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY AND IT’S REALLY HAPPENING! Now I laugh about this because duh Grace, what did you think was happening haha. They were so sweet and we all chuckled about it and they comforted and encouraged me. When Parker came out and I opened my eyes as they were putting her on my chest I couldn’t believe this was all happening. It truly is the wildest experience ever and there is nothing else like it. I ended up hemorrhaging and lost a lot of blood. I had no idea but started feeling dizzy minutes after she came out so they laid me down flat, gave Parker to Cody for skin to skin and jumped into action. I still don’t really know what happened but what I do know is that I felt safe and that I was being well taken care of. Looking around everything felt pretty chaotic to me but I could also tell that everyone knew exactly what they were doing and I was going to be ok. I asked the doctor if I tore and she hesitantly told me I had a 4th degree tear (womp wompppp). Super rare by the way so lucky me. I also had part of the placenta stuck in my uterus so the doctor had to scrape that out. All I have to say is thank god that epidural was successful because I couldn’t feel a thing. I ended up getting a blood transfusion because I felt way too out of it after losing blood and I knew I couldn’t go home the way I was feeling and try to take care of a newborn. I didn’t really want the transfusion because the idea of someone else’s blood in me really freaked me out, but looking back I am so glad I did it because I healed up faster and my milk came in sooner than if I hadn’t done it. I am so thankful for Cody being so perfect and awesome when I was in labor and for the amazing nurses and doctors we had. 

I know this was a long story, but if you’re still here reading this, thank you for taking an interest in my story. Everyone’s birth story is so different and it feels really therapeutic to share mine. 

Meesh

By the end of my pregnancy to say I was over it would be an understatement. Yes, there would be things I would miss like feeling her move around in my belly but alas, the time had come for her to get out. The last month of pregnancy, you’re likely making weekly visits to your midwife or OB (we chose a midwife and I LOVED her). Since I had a low risk pregnancy, I wanted to do a membrane sweep at 39 weeks to see if it would get things moving. My midwife told me that if she was ready to come, then the sweep would likely work and if it didn’t I could try again at 40 weeks if I wanted to. Well, the sweep didn’t work. I was a little bummed but also slightly relieved… I’m the type of person who has no patience when I’m excited about something and I’ve learned through motherhood I like to be in control of situations I have NO control over. The sweep was a way for me to control the situation. I went back for my 40 week appointment on my due date and elected for another sweep. I got a lot of questions after I had it done- what does it feel like? Did it hurt? For me, it didn't hurt at all, it felt more like a pap smear than anything- just uncomfortable! (I followed Mommy Labor Nurse throughout my pregnancy and she has a great blog post on membrane sweeps!)

My appointment was at 2pm and by 5pm I was having light cramping and they were quickly becoming regular and more powerful. For me, I was so confused on how to track contractions. My midwife told us to follow the 4-1-1 rule. Call the birthing center when contractions are coming 4 minutes apart, each one lasts at least 1 minute, for at least 1 hour. At 9pm we called the hospital! I was thinking WOW this is happening SO fast, she’s going to come anytime. When I got off the phone with the nurse I broke out into tears. My husband was caught off guard and was like WHAT’S WRONG!? All the sudden it hit me that it wasn't going to be just us anymore. Although I had been pregnant for the last 9 months and we’ve been preparing for her to come, reality hit that our lives were forever changing. Happy tears, sad tears, anxious and nervous tears, I was feeling it all. We drove the 8 minutes to the hospital ready to have a baby! I got checked into the holding room with HORRIBLE contractions by 10pm and the nurse tells me I’m only 1cm dilated and that my contractions are more like 6 minutes apart happening every 3 minutes..they need better training on for pregnant women on tracking contractions… anywhoo, they sent me home. I was surprised I wasn't more dilated because I was in so much pain! They gave me some type of morphine/sleep shot to help ease the pain and said this usually works for most women, they are able to sleep through the night and when they wake up, they're ready to go! Well for me, the morphine didn't work but the sleepy part did. I was waking up every few minutes groaning in pain but I could barely stay awake through it. My husband put me in a bath which helped a little bit but by 5am I couldn't take it anymore and off to the hospital we went. 

When we arrived, I was checked and was only 3cm! I couldn't believe it… how could I be in this much pain and only be 3cm!! Thankfully, I progressed enough to be admitted and get an epidural. My epidural was AMAZING. For those who want one- get one! I was feeling great and could finally sleep. Around 2pm the nurse broke my water, which was such a weird experience! 30 minutes later I started gaining feeling on my left side body and was able to move my leg and feel everything. My epidural had worn off on just my left side. The anesthesiologist said it’s fairly common and tried redoing my epidural but after third time, I said fuck it, I’m doing then half medicated haha. I started pushing around 4pm and pushed for a total of 3 hours. My midwife realized that Thea’s head was stuck under my pelvic bone. I felt like I was literally being torn in half. I remember thinking how do women do this without any drugs!? I was exhausted because she wasn't progressing through the birth canal. Every 15-20 minutes of pushing I had to change positions to see if it would get her moving. Finally at 7:08 Thea Michele was born!

I glazed over some of the details to keep this as short as possible so if you have any specific questions about anything I’m happy to have a discussion! Thanks for reading- I love birth stories since they are ALL different!

Mon 

I did not expect to go into labor when I did. I guess no one fully expects it but I just had it in my head that I would make it to my planned c section date. Looking back I think this was a good mentality to have because I wasn’t anxious about it. However, it did leave me in a bit of shock when one of my waters broke. My c-section was schedule for 36 weeks, and my water broke at 34 weeks in the middle of the night. At first I thought I’d peed myself but then as I stood up and realized what had happen I woke my groggy husband up. We turned on the lights and started frantically running around. Like I said I hadn’t planned to go into labor, I was going to go to my schedule appointment, so I hadn’t done any research on waters breaking or asked any questions. 

“It’s pink and looks bloody!” I screamed in panic at my husband. 

He quickly googled it and assured me it was most likely normal. We rushed to the hospital and ran in. Everyone there was so calm and reassuring and I was finally able to take a deep breath. Joey had to leave me for a Covid screener and I was taken into a room. My OBGYN was working a night shift and was there which was a huge relief. She said it was happening then and started to talk to me about the next steps and then after a few tests it was time. This is when I started to panic again. I wasn’t ready to have them out. I hadn’t reached the “over it” phase of pregnancy and just wanted them to stay safe in my belly. But whether I was ready or not it was happening. They prepped me for surgery and honestly the rest is kind of a blur. My husband said they had to pop my second water and it sprayed all over the nurses. The next thing I really remember is being extremely cold and thirsty and then the boys were out. I got to see them for a split second before they were whisked away to the NICU. I yelled at Joey, my husband, to go with them because I was worried they’d mix them up. I was really drugged up and still in a bit of shock because I don’t remember feeling any emotions at this point. The next few days in the hospital were extremely painful both emotionally and physically. I fell even more in love with Joey, through all of it he was supportive, loving, and caring. I know he was just as worried and scared as me but he was truly my rock.