Birth story 🤗

Long story! Detailed for my own recollection ☺️ 

Originally due 7/15, I had my son 7/1 at 38 weeks 💙🤗👶🏻

I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions, mixed with real contractions, for several weeks by now, but that Sunday it was just MORE-of everything. I knew I'd have him within a week because this was exactly how I felt the week before I had my first son. 

Anyway, real contractions several random times per day Sunday-Weds. By Weds night, they were real intense and I almost went to the hospital, but since I was able to fall asleep that night, I knew it wasn't time. 

Woke up Thursday to the same menstrual like cramping and contractions. By noon, I knew I had to get checked. 

Side note-I was supposed to have a doc appt Tuesday 6/28, but that got rescheduled to Thursday 6/30. Then THAT appt got rescheduled from Thursday morning to Thursday afternoon depending on whether or not my doc was finished with the emergency delivery he was out on. 

Not wanting to wait (in case my appt got cancelled or rescheduled AGAIN), I went to the hospital to be checked. I was 4cm, but with irregular contractions and a posterior cervix. I wasn't in active labor so they released me. 

I went to my doc appt that evening where he checked me and said I was a "loose 4cm."

Being that this was my third pregnancy, I was contracting (albeit irregularly-anywhere from every 5-30 minutes), and my contractions were happening both high in my uterus and low in my pelvis and sometimes seemed to last for 10-20 mins so timing them was difficult for me, my doc was afraid I'd miss the cue and not get to the hospital on time,so he stripped my membranes and said "I expect to see you back here tonight!"

That was around 5:30pm. By 8:30pm, the contractions were coming on hard and strong. I had to make last minute plans with a friend to watch my two older kids, as my sister AND back up sitter were both out of town for the 4th. (It was 2 weeks before my due date, and they thought 1 weekend wouldn't hurt😝). 

Got my kids to the sitter, and me and my husband went to Starbucks, walked around, then drove around, trying to labor as much before I got checked again to ensure I wouldn't be sent home! I was determined to have this baby! I was in so much pain, I was crying at the thought of going home to do this any longer 😩. 

Finally, from 8:30pm-9:30pm, the contractions were coming every 4 mins and lasting almost 2 mins, so we went to the hospital. I was in triage for about 2 hours, but still only 4 cm 😑. They could see I was having regular contractions, but wasn't dilating, so they had me walk for an hour. I was getting discouraged that I was stalling out, so I walked despite contracting every 4 mins for 2 mins. During my walk around the maternity floor, I overheard a couple of nurses discussing their patients and how many they had. The triage nurse said "I have 3 right now-2 will most likely go home, but I think the walker will be staying." I threw my arms up and loudly celebrated, "Yes! I'm the walker!" much to my husbands embarrassment. 

Once the hour was up, I got checked again. I was 4-5cm! 

Got admitted around 1:30am. My cervix went from posterior (back of baby's head) to the middle of his head, but still needed to be directly over his head, so I was given pitocin to get the contractions going a little stronger to move the cervix. 

By 2:30am, I had my epidural, and then I was happily contracting. This was my third baby and third epidural, and the best one yet. I felt the pressure of every contraction, but no pain, so it was the best of both worlds for me! . My doc came in around 5 or 6am and broke my water, then he checked me at 7am and I was about 7cm. My husband had to go get my big kids and bring them to school (my friend has her own kids and not enough room in her car for all the kids) and my doc told him "be back within an hour or two at most- baby will be here by then". Freaked my husband out to potentially miss the birth, but doc assured him he had at least an hour, so off he went and was back at 8am. 

At 9:30am, I told my nurse I felt crazy pressure, and she need to check me now-- she did and sure enough I was 9.5cm but with a lip of cervix. On my next contraction around 9:33, I said again "pressure! Crazy pressure!" And she checked me again and I was fully dilated and effaced and ready! But she told me wait, don't push, breathe through the contractions, and wait for doc. 

Doc came in at 9:55am, and asked me to do a practice push. As I did, he goes "oh, ok, nope, no more practice-you just wait while we set up and breathe through the contractions, and don't push!"

So they quickly set up, got everything into place, and I started pushing. I could feel my baby come out of me slowly but didn't feel any pain (I ❤️ epidurals) and I was so excited! But then I felt my baby get stuck in me in some way he was against my bone and it was actually a little painful. I saw my husbands semi-horrified face as he looked down there to see the progress I was making, and I was a little worried that something was wrong. I felt my doc try to move baby, but he was wedged. My doc quickly asks me "want to tear naturally or want me to cut?!" I said "just get him out! Make sure he's ok!" And so he cut-- and OMG it sounded like he was cutting cardboard. But in that instant when he cut me, baby came out. It was 10:08am. They put baby on my chest, and me and hubby bawled our eyes out with happiness. Baby was perfect 😍. They took him to clear his throat, etc, and then doc said he had to stitch me up. That lasted from 10:15-10:45am. He doesn't count stitches, but... There was a shit ton 😁. Thank God my doc is also a board certified vaginal reconstructive surgeon! He is detailed and precise and takes extra measures to get it right. I had bilateral tearing and episiotomy. (Don't know the exact terms for it all, he didn't specify and I didn't ask). 

I finally got to hold and feed my perfect baby boy at 11am on Friday July 1, and he's been attached to the boob since 😂 (and recovery hasn't been nearly as awful as I thought it would be!)

Gavin Daniel Beck 

7/1/16

10:08am

7lbs9oz

19 1/4"