Bella’s (Natural!) Birth Story

It’s possible that it’ll take longer for me to type this post up than it did for me to give birth to our Bella.  I don’t expect anyone to read the entire story, but I wanted it documented.

My last Facebook status update before welcoming Bella.

On Monday the 17th, Justin, Bryson, & I had dinner at my parents house.  Shortly after eating, my body just gave out on me.  I felt so completely exhausted that I told Justin we needed to go home immediately so I could take a bath and get in bed.  That is exactly what I did & I was in bed by 7:30P.M.  I had a couple contractions and even told Justin that I thought we’d have a baby soon.  My contractions weren’t regular or strong and I seriously only had two, but I just knew. 

I woke up around 1:30AM on Tuesday, the 18th.  I wasn’t having contractions or anything- I was just uncomfortable and felt a bit off.  I had a drink of water and went back to bed.  Sometime between 2:15 & 2:30, I woke back up and had my first contraction.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I got up, folded a load of laundry, and started another load in the washer.  I wanted to time my contractions and see if they got stronger before waking Justin & Bryson.  I cleaned up a bit and tried  to keep busy without making too much noise.  My contractions were getting stronger and were 4 minutes apart the entire time. 

After timing my contractions for one hour, I woke Justin up at 3:30AM and told him we were going to have a baby.  I then called my Dad and told him we’d be dropping Bryson off soon.  I had almost everything packed and ready, so we just had to get Bryson out of bed.  By this time, I can’t walk through the contractions.  They weren’t terribly painful, but just so that I’d have to stop until it was over.  As we were walking out the door, I remembered the load of laundry I’d left in the washer.  Justin & Bryson waited in the car while I put it in the dryer, because I didn’t want to come home to stinky clothes.  Crazy, huh?

We arrived at my parents and my dad was literally standing on the porch.  His first question was “How far apart are they?”  When I told him 4 minutes, he looked at my like I was crazy.  I guess he thought I should be freaking out, running around, but I was completely calm.  I took Bryson in, tucked him back into bed, and kissed him goodbye.  By this time, the contractions were getting stronger. 

On the way to the hospital, there was just no comfort.  Justin was barely going the speed limit at times and I thought I was going to push through the floor boards with each contraction.  I never said anything to him, because I didn’t want to freak him out about how bad I was starting to hurt.  The drive was probably around 15 or 20 minutes, but it felt like hours.

We arrived and he let me out at the emergency room and went to park.  There was no one at the front.  He had time to park and get inside before anyone came to front.  (I’m glad I was just in labor and not having a heart attack!)  Finally, we are taken into the triage room and by this time, I’m really hurting.  I can’t sit and I can’t stand still.  I tell her I’m in labor, so she sends us over to register.

My contractions are stronger now and seriously intense.  The woman doing our paperwork was taking her time and my pain was starting to go through the roof.  I was moaning with each contraction by now and they were one on top of the other.  Justin kept telling me to sit down and I couldn’t explain to him that I could not sit down.  I finally looked at her and said “I have to go up.  I have to go up.  Now.”  She looked really nervous and got right on the phone with labor & delivery.  She told them to come get me! 

A nurse from labor & delivery walked in with a wheel chair, so I finally had to sit down.  The ride up the elevator and to the L&D ward felt like it lasted days.  My contractions were one after another with no breaks.

I get to a room and am handed off to another nurse.  She’s all calm and waiting to fill our paperwork, asking me to get into a gown, pee in a cup, etc. etc.  I do as she says, but I barely talk because I’m in so much pain.  I change into the gown, Justin asks me to sit again, I tell him no again.  Then, during a contraction, my water breaks.  Right there beside the bed.  The nurse decides she should probably check me now.  Well, whadya know?  I’m dilated to a NINE.  9!  Yes, a 9. 

When she realizes that, there is a RUSH.  I’m talking people everywhere.  Most births are inductions around here, so they are not use to unexpected deliveries.  I actually lost sight of Justin at one point because there were so many people in our room.  My mom arrives, thankfully.  The doctor is on call, but he must be asleep.  I am in intense pain and telling the nurse “I can’t do this.”  As soon as the words come our of my mouth, I remember everything I’ve read and I know that I CAN do this.  I AM doing this.  My body is saying push and the nurses are asking me not to.  I finally, as politely as possible ask “Why?” as in “Why can’t I push?”  When the nurse answers because there isn’t a doctor present, I told her that was not my fault- it was his!  I push anyways, because that is what my body is telling me to do.  Two nurses are ready to deliver.

One nurse in particular kept walking by with her mouth just hanging open.  My husband and I laughed about it later, because it was as  though she had never saw a woman give birth naturally.

I’m twisting and turning and sweating like a pig.  They insert an IV into my hand for fluids, but the tape keeps coming undone because I’m sweating so much. 

Finally, Doctor Blake walks in and I think I said something to the extent of “It’s nice to see YOU.”  He asks far along I am and then asks why I haven’t be induced.  I told him I didn’t WANT to be induced.  (I wasn’t even 40 weeks!)  He asks the nurse how far I’m dilated and how many times they’ve checked me.  When they answer only once, he looks frustrated and asks why.  When he checked me, he quickly realized that they hadn’t checked me again because if they’d done so, they would have also delivered a baby. They put my legs in stirrups and within minutes, Bella is here.  I think I pushed two times total after the doctor walked in and once was her head, once was her body.

I felt like a rock star when I realized that I had just done it.  I told everyone that would listen how amazing it was. It was exactly what I wanted- everything I had prayed for.  I had just brought my baby girl into this world with no pain medication.  I reached down to feel her enter the world and as soon as she is fully delivered, I grab her.  Then, the doctor reminds me she’s still attached.  You know, the umbilical cord and all.  That slipped my mind during my excitement.  Doctor Blake asks me if I’d like to cut the cord and says I deserve it.  I tell him no, Justin is going to cut it.  So, Justin does and finally, my Bella is free to be in my arms.

While Bella is being cleaned up, I deliver the after-birth.  Doctor Blake didn’t have to massage me or anything, just a couple gentle pushes, and I seriously felt like new.  He put in just a couple stitches, but said it was just a precaution on his part.  I had no more than a scratch. 

Within about 15 minutes, I was up, walking around, going to the bathroom, and eating breakfast.  I felt 100%.  I felt ready to go home.  I felt amazing.  I felt accomplished.  We were released 36 hours later, so we only had to spend one night in the hospital.

Did I mention she was born at 5:08AM?  My first contraction was around 2:30AM.  We made it to the hospital around 4:30AM.  Talk about a fast and intense labor!  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  I would not change a thing.

Oh, and the nurse who was taking her time when we first arrived on the L&D floor?  After I gave birth, she said it was the quickest birth she’d ever witnessed.  So, I’m not sure if she thought I was just moaning for the hell of it or if maybe she just thought I had a low tolerance for pain, but she definitely didn’t think I was going to have a baby so soon!

Another fun fact is that I wasn’t officially admitted into the hospital until AFTER I had given birth.  Yep, it was that quick.  And that cup of pee the nurse wanted?  I poured it in the toilet after giving birth, because it was no longer needed, haha.

A few days after giving birth, I was talking about how Justin told me to sit down a million times.  He finally admitted that he wanted me to sit, so I didn’t push the baby out standing up, haha!