Adler McIntosh Harris

Due 2/22 

Born 3/6 5:35 pm

7 lbs 4.4 oz. 20 in

At 13 days overdue my midwife had given me the go ahead to try castor oil to get labor moving. I took it at 7:30 am on Sunday 3/6 and two hours later began feeling mild contractions. They came on very fast, never more than three minutes between contractions from the beginning. By 2:00 I couldn't get comfortable even between contractions. They were still coming about every two minutes but had gotten much stronger. At that point I told my husband I didn't think I could do this anymore without an epidural. I had planned to give birth at a Birth Center (no pain meds there!). I called my midwife and she asked if I wanted to get checked before going to the hospital to see how far along I was. She said she could have someone to meet me at the birth center in 40 minutes. All I could think was it will be 40 minutes before I get checked and then another 30+ minutes if I want to go to the hospital after that. I couldn't wait that long. When my midwife mentioned she thought I may only be at 5 or 6 cm my decision was made for me. My husband and I drove to The medical center. As he wheeled me into labor and delivery I remember saying "I want an epidural" as soon as we came through the doors. They got me into a bed and checked to see how dilated I was. The nurse tells me I am already 9 cm. she asked if I still wanted the epidural. I said "yes!" If I was going to give birth in a hospital instead of the birth center I was going to get my epidural. I was then moved into the room where I would be giving birth. As I moved from one bed to the other I suddenly felt like I had peed myself. The nurse then said "don't worry, that was just your water breaking". A little after 4:00 the nurse checked me again and stated I was at 10 cm and +2. At this point the doctor told me baby had not moved down enough but that I would need to start pushing because his heart rate was dropping and she wanted him out sooner than later. I pushed for about 30 minutes with not much progress. The doctor told me if I don't push harder I was going to have to have a c section. This lit a fire in me and I pushed as hard as I possibly could. A little over an hour of pushing and Adler was finally here. Unfortunately, his umbilical cord was around his neck and abdomen when born so the doctor and nurses grabbed him and immediately gave him to the nicu unit that was on standby during my labor due to meconium being present when my water broke. His breathing was labored so after a quick "hello" he was transferred to the nicu. He stayed there for 20 hours and after his breathing, body temperature and blood sugar were where the doctors wanted them I finally had my baby with me in my room. 

Adler's delivery could not have gone any differently than I had planned. It was the most humbling experience and even though it was nothing like what I expected it happened exactly like it was supposed to.