5 days PP here and wanting to relive every moment..I wanted to write my birth story so I always can!

First of all birth is soooo wonderful and magical and I can’t believe my baby girl is actually here. It started Wednesday pm when I was scheduled to be induced. (I had to be induced due to low fluid). My boyfriend and I were on our way to the hospital when I received a call saying that they were full and I’d have to wait to come in...talk about a let down! I had been calm all day trying to mentally prepare for the process and learning that I’d have to wait was suuuper disappointing. It’s like I had to hype myself up/calm myself down all over again. Luckily we only waited around for about an hour and a half before they called back saying it was time!

When we got to the hospital the cervidil was placed and they told us to get some sleep but between the excitement and getting checked over every couple of hours it was nearly impossible. At about 8am i was dilated to about a 3 when the doctor came in and broke my water. Not a super comfortable process, but not as bad as I expected. They started me on pitocin right after that. Now let me tell you contractions are NO JOKE. Due to the pitocin they came on incredibly strong incredibly fast. The nurse kept asking if I was ready for an epidural but I kept thinking I needed to hold off. Which was not very long at all lol. I opted for iv pain meds for the first two hours which helped to relax my body and allowed me to actually breath through contractions, but I still felt the intensity of the pain. I got up to use the bathroom once, which was a whole process in itself. Trying to find the strength to get up and back to bed was hard. But once I did I was ready for the epidural, and by this time the pain meds had worn off. It was nearly impossible to move and/un-tense my body. There really is no comparable pain and for all you mommas that go natural YOU ARE AMAZING. Once I was in position the epidural was done fairly quickly. It is hard to stay in position for the process but other than that the epidural was nothing. For any mommas afraid there is absolutely no reason to be!! I think getting my flu shot was more painful than the epidural! The relief was close to immediate and ohhhh my god I was like a whole new person. My nurse inserted a catheter which I didn’t feel at all, and it was so nice to not have to get up to the use the bathroom!!I felt the contractions starting to return after about 15 min so they upped my dosage and I was numb again. I still could move my legs and feel pressure as baby moved down, but no pain. Basically epidurals are the shit and there is no reason to feel bad or scared about getting one.

After the epidural I was dilated to a 5 so now it was just a waiting game. The nurse expected me to dilate about a cm an hour which ended up being accurate. So when I was at a 10 and she said it was time to start pushing it felt so insane! Not like this big dramatic scene like I had expected. I had just gone from dozing in and out, watching tv, and talking with my boyfriend to all of the sudden I’m going to push out a baby! They offered a mirror so I could watch myself push and I said YES and I’m so glad I did. I was one of those people who still questioned if there really was a real, living baby inside of me. it all felt so surreal to me. So when I began pushing and could see the top of her head coming closer to being out it all became real. As soon as I felt this I wanted her out soo bad, I couldn’t wait to meet my little girl! The nurse and my boyfriend held back my legs and I pushed as hard as I could and after 15 minutes she was here💕💕💕it was so magical and I literally haven’t stopped thinking about that moment.

Reading all these birth stories helped prepare me for mine. I was incredibly lucky to have such a smooth labor and delivery. I thought for sure I would be panicky at points or maybe even faint 😂 but I never did! It’s like your momma instincts take over and you are so determined that you don’t have a chance to think about anything else. Recovery is rough and uncomfortable but you forget about it all when you hold your little one. Being induced isn’t as terrifying/unnatural/strange as I thought. Epidurals rock. Having your SO or birth partner with you is crucial. Basically there is nothing to be afraid of or worried about. You are in good hands and your body can do amazing things! Good luck to any mommas reading this who haven’t gave birth yet, I know how much these stories helped me!😊❤️

My baby girl Graysen - 5 days old💕💕💕