How It All Went Down: Leah's Birth Story

If you've come looking for a dramatic and exciting birth story, you've come to the wrong place! Leah's birth story is a bit boring. And I am TOTALLY okay with that. "Boring" = Awesome in my book.  But since I am talking about the birth of one of my children, maybe the words "easy", "smooth", or "nothing to make you feel sorry for me happened" would be more appropriate.

I was set up to be induced at 6am on Tuesday, September 24th. Induction was for no particular reason other than the fact that I have ended up being induced for each of my children all for completely different reasons. So why not get the party started on my terms this time? No 2 days of labor this go around, thank you very much, Everett! I was dilated between a 2 and a 3 the week before at my appointment, so my doctor and I felt good about getting things going the next week.

My mom flew in the night of the 23rd to take care of the older kids. My body started contracting and doing all sorts of painful things as I was driving to pick her up at the airport. On the way back, we stopped at the grocery store and I ran in for one last-minute thing. And when I say "ran" I actually mean that as soon as I got into the store I felt like I could barely walk.  I was bent over, walking in slow motion, doing everything I could just to get out of there. People were staring at me and the check out lady kept asking me if I was okay and made a male employee walk out with me to make sure I got to the car okay. I felt really stupid, but was wondering if this was the beginning and if we might be heading in to the hospital that night. Nope. We got home, my body stopped contracting and I went to bed.

(FYI- Cute Thomas knows his wife all too well now and wrote down detailed notes for the day and took pictures all without me asking!)

5 AM: We were told to call the hospital at 5 to double check if there was enough room for me. I called and was super sad when I was told there wasn't and to call back around 9.  The plus side was that I was able to fall back to sleep for a while. 

8 AM: The hospital called me and told me to come on in! Yippy! Extra sleep AND getting to deliver my baby! (Turns out I was the only extra person to get induced that day while everybody else had to be rescheduled.)

8:45 AM: Left for the hospital and stopped at Sonic for one last meal. Made sure to get that breakfast burrito on the way TO the hospital this time as opposed to when Tom took off to get one and almost missed Claire being born.

9 AM: Arrived at the hospital, filled out paper work, headed up to the delivery room.

 

Nurses, Kirsten & Courtney. Kirsten was actually my nurse when I had Claire. I remembered her being crazy and super talkative. Not much has changed except for the added bonus of some swearing this time. :/

10 AM: The dreaded IV! I'm a total wus when it comes to IVs. With Everett, it took them 7 tries before they got a good spot and I was bruised all up and down my arms. Turns out I wouldn't make a very good druggie. This time it only took 4 tries though, so maybe there's still hope. (Tom has in his notes that I broke a 5-year, no-miss streak for one of the nurses.)

10:30 AM: Dr. Naake came in, broke my water and told me I could have my epidural whenever I wanted. I felt funny seeing as I was hardly in any pain and decided to hold off on the epidural for a bit.

11:30 AM: After an entire hour of questioning over and over again, "Really? I can have my epidural now? Won't that slow things down?"  Then constantly being reassured that no, it wouldn't affect anything, I decided to give it a go. The contractions were getting pretty strong by this point and the pain was definitely setting in. Like the don't-talk-to-me, my-eyes-are-closed, and I'm-clutching-to-the-bed-rails-expecting-it-to-take-away-some-of-the-pain sort of pain. None of that helps, by the way.  I even tried doing that Lamaze type breathing I've seen in movies and tried to let my brain "take me to another place". Umm...none of that works!

12:05 AM: But you know what does work?! Epidurals!! Blessed, blessed, epidurals! Oh, how I am so happy to be having babies in this day and age and that my body responds to them so well.

1:00 PM: Dr. Naake came in to check on me. Not much progression. Nurse Kirstin put a giant peanut pillow between my knees to try and help.

2:30 PM: Feeling some pressure. Nurse checks and only between a 4 & 5. Feeling a bit frustrated that I wasn't further along, but I then remembered how fast I go once I hit a 4.

3:15 PM: Feeling more pressure. Nurses check....between an 8 & 9! Called Dr. Naake to head on up. Apparently I must feel the need to post at least one hideous picture for each of my birth stories. I'm including this one is because it shows how I was feeling at that point. Once I realize that this is actually happening and that I'm about to meet this little person who's been growing inside of me, I get super emotional.

Nothing cooler than that feeling even if it makes you look like this!

3:30 PM:  At a 10.  Dr. Naake came in, looked at me and said, "Are you sure you're ready to push? You look way too relaxed." I was. Completely and totally comfortable. Everybody got gowned up and got everything ready to go!

This was THE most relaxed pushing-a-baby-out setting I've experienced. Dr. Naake practically looked bored (he's SUPER chill anyway) and I was laughing at one point while I was supposed to be pushing. And I've got to admit, since my last 2 babies came out in one to two pushes within the same contraction, I was feeling a bit arrogant about my pushing abilities and didn't think I'd have to try very hard. (Hey, we all pride ourselves in something. Some things are just a little weirder than others.) So pushing was a little slow-going at first, but once I realized that the baby wasn't going to slide out on her own and that I had to put a little effort into it, progression was made.

3:53 PM: Leah Cherie was here!!!

 

In the past, I've been so nervous during the weeks leading up to labor. This time I wasn't. Probably partly because I was busy and distracted, but I also think that I just always had a feeling that it would go smoothly. And it did. And for that I am so very grateful.

 

Welcome to the family, Leah! We're so happy you're here!!