After my doctor appointment on May 3rd, we went on several long walks around the neighborhood in hope of getting labor started. The membrane sweep left me with a little bit of bleeding and period-like cramps which she told me to expect. It was nothing too painful so I didn’t realize this would lead to the delivery of our baby in less than 24 hours.

We went to bed early because Matthew had to work in the morning. I tried to sleep but I kept waking up. At about 1:45am I felt a pop inside- my water broke! I stood up fast and grabbed the towel I had nearby incase this happened. “Matthew! Matthew! My water broke!” I said to wake him up. He sprung out of bed and asked what we do now. I went to the bathroom and let me tell you there is SO much fluid. I put on a big overnight pad and could feel it leaking through my pants before we even left the house. He called the hospital and they asked us to come in within the hour. They told me I could shower if I wanted to but I was in a hurry to get started. 

We got to the hospital around 2:00am and they checked my cervix which was at a 4. They confirmed that my water broke and that there was some meconium (baby poop) present. This really made me nervous because I know that can be bad for baby to breath in during birth. The nurses reassured me it wasn’t anything serious. My contractions were about 7 minutes apart at this time and painful but not terrible. 

They got us situated in our birthing room and got me hooked up with an IV for fluids. They told me I could get the epidural whenever I was ready so I said let’s do it now. The anesthesiologist came and inserted my epidural around 4:30am. From what I read online I was really nervous about what the needle would feel like. It was the tiniest little pinch for me. It wasn’t bad at all. My legs started feeling really warm and my right leg was mostly numb. 

At this point we wanted to get some rest while I dilated some more. We were told that first time labor usually takes around 16 hours or so. My contractions at this point were too strong to sleep through. However, I wouldn’t say that my contractions were ever extremely painful. 

Around 6:40am the nurse came in to check my dilation and I was at a 9 and a half! We all couldn’t believe how fast I had progressed. Everyone was rushing to get the room set up for me to push. This part happened extremely fast. Before I knew it, I had an oxygen mask on and they were coaching me on how to push. At this point, I don’t think I was feeling any relief from my epidural. I truly feel like I could feel everything.

I started pushing at 6:50am in the traditional birthing position. I had a very strong urges to push with every contraction. I wish I would have asked to push on my hands and knees because the epidural wasn’t effecting the use of my legs. One of the most difficult thing about pushing for me was holding my breath. It didn’t feel natural at all. After pushing for an hour and a half they said that baby’s heart rate was dropping with every push which was worrisome. They told me it was best for them to give me an episiotomy or use the vacuum. They preferred to give the episiotomy. I was really nervous but said okay because I wanted her out so bad. 

After they preformed the episiotomy, I felt the worst pain of my life which was pushing her head out. TMI… but it felt like my butthole was ripping open and my pelvic bones were breaking! Once her head was out, the doctor pulled her body out which felt so strange. It was kind of like they we’re pulling a big octopus out of me! It sounds funny but that’s what it felt like. Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice- so they untangled her first and then set her on my chest. Matthew cut the cord and then they took her to the other side of the room to make sure she was alright.

She didn’t cry at all for over 24 hours after she was born. Matthew cried watching her get checked over and weighed. They put my stitches in and when that was done I got to hold her again. We both cried together. She looked so different from what I expected and she was so alert. It truly is indescribable how it felt to hold her. I felt so whole with her on my chest- skin to skin is the best feeling ever. 

We tried breastfeeding after I got to hold her a bit. She was so good at opening her mouth wide. She got latched a few times but wasn’t too interested yet. Matthew and her got to do skin-to-skin and that was also so beautiful to watch. 

After getting some food, we were moved up to our recovery room. We stayed until Sunday around 3:00pm. All of our doctors and nurses were really helpful in all aspects. The pain after birth was extremely reasonable. I was never hurting very bad at all. Baby was so calm and peaceful the whole time we were in the hospital. 

Overall, I had a great birth experience. I was very lucky to have Matthew by my side. Our baby girl Mitzi Lorraine is everything we could’ve hoped for and more.