I used to not understand why people shared their birth
stories on their blogs. It used to just freak me out and make me second-guess
whether I wanted biological children or not. Giving birth sounded scary!
However, when I got pregnant and my due date began to approach, I started
seeking out those birth stories. I wanted to know all the possibilities of what
I could expect. I think I was also looking for reassurance that giving birth
wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it was. I now know that I want to write up my
daughter’s birth story so that I will always remember the details. I also know
from experience that by sharing a birth story, you are helping someone who is
preparing for their own birth story.
*On the due date*
When discussing my maternity leave with my school’s
principal, I decided that I didn’t want to work up until I went into labor. The
thought of my water breaking or going into labor while teaching definitely
scared me. Plus, I knew I’d be tired and probably very uncomfortable at that
point. On the other hand, I didn’t want to take off too much time because I
knew that babies don’t always adhere to due dates. After careful consideration,
I decided to let Friday, November 7, be my last day at work before my leave. My
due date was November 12, so this didn’t seem like an unreasonable time to take
off.
That date couldn’t have gotten there fast enough. Preparing
for a maternity leave as a teacher is no joke. No matter how prepared I was, I
kept thinking of more things I needed to do before I left. On top of my
preparations, I was bombarded with meetings that needed to get done before I
left. I had a busy few weeks leading up to my last day.
That day finally came and I settled in at home for what I
was hoping would be a few days of relaxing before the big day. Before I
continue, I have to share that I had a very easy pregnancy. I didn’t really have
any morning sickness. I had no complications. Everything was fine at all my
appointments. I was quite proud of the fact that I didn’t gain tons of weight
and I felt like I didn’t look pregnant anywhere but my belly. Besides being
tired, I wasn’t uncomfortable or in any pain as my due date approached. I
thanked God every night for blessing me with an easy pregnancy.
My first week home on leave went great. Lee and I spent a
lot of time together relaxing, preparing last minute things for baby, and walking.
I wasn’t too worried as my due date passed because I know that hardly anyone
delivers on their due dates and most first time moms go past their due date. My
second week home, I began to get restless. I was bored. I like to have a
routine and schedule to my day. I wanted to relax without being completely lazy
and I didn’t want to start any new project around the house because I didn’t
know when I’d deliver and I didn’t want to leave something halfway done. I
spent a lot of time that second week watching Netflix, completing a puzzle, and
reading.
At my 41-week appointment, we discussed with my midwife that
I would need to be induced that upcoming Wednesday if I hadn’t delivered by
then. I didn’t want to be induced, but I knew that I didn’t need to go past 42
weeks. At this point, I am 41 weeks pregnant and have not had one single
contraction or labor sign. The only things I could interpret as labor signs
were some increased cramping (nothing worse than period cramps) and some
occasional tightening in my stomach. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to go into
labor on my own
Over the weekend, I continued to do several of the things
people recommend you do to start labor naturally. I prayed that I would go into
labor on my own and not have to be induced. Monday rolled around with no such
luck. I had an appointment Monday afternoon. I had started to come to terms
with the fact that our daughter would arrive on Wednesday and would be induced
to get here. When I arrived for my appointment, they took me to a small room
where I was hooked up to some monitors and sat back in a recliner. I could hear Baby Hall's strong heartbeat. I was handed a button and instructed to push it every
time I felt her move. The nurse left me and I sat back, relaxed, read, and
watched the monitor some. A PA came in to check on me some time later and took
the printout from the machine to share with the midwife.
*very pregnant selfie*
After some more waiting, the midwife comes in. She tells me
that Baby Hall’s heart rate is a little high plus my blood pressure had been high.
Then, she said “It’s just time for this baby to be born.” She wanted me to go
right across the street to the hospital. I was shocked. It wasn’t time yet. I
was still supposed to have a couple of days to prepare for giving birth. With
an induction, my parents were going to be able to be here in time to be present
for the whole birth. Lee hadn’t gone to my appointment with me. I was alone and
scared. The midwife told me to call Lee and have him meet me at the hospital.
I walked out to the parking lot and called Lee. Then as I
was getting in the car, I called my mom and finally broke down crying. After
getting off the phone with her, I knew that Lee was gathering up the rest of
our hospital stuff and was on his way. I knew that my mom was getting up with
my dad and they both were leaving work, going home to get their stuff together,
and head our way. I knew that I was not ready for this!
While driving the short distance to the hospital, I did some
deep breathing, some praying, and some reassuring of myself. After parking, I
slowly made my way to the labor and delivery floor. I was ready for Lee to get
there so that I wasn’t alone. They got me checked in and settled in a triage
room. A nurse came in and started taking vitals and asking me questions. I found
out that both my heart rate and Baby’s heart rate were high. I also realized I
hadn’t drank very much that day. I was a little dehydrated causing our high
heart rates. They brought me a giant cup of water and told me to get busy
drinking. They wanted me to drink that one and several more.
I was so relieved when Lee got there. The midwife came in to
talk with me and so far my blood pressure and our heart rates were going back
down to levels where they needed to be. The midwife went to try and check my cervix
and had the same problem that had occurred the last time they tried to check my
cervix- they couldn’t reach it. It was very high up and probably not dilated.
She also felt my stomach and even though Baby was positioned the correct way,
she was not very far down in my pelvis. The midwife also felt that she was
going to be a large baby from the size of my stomach, what she felt, and my
recent ultrasound.
She began to discuss my options. She said they could begin
the induction process, which would have to include both softening my cervix and
giving me medication to start contractions. Because my body did not seem ready
for labor yet, she said that the induction/labor process could last 2-3 days.
On the other hand, I could have a C-section since it was looking like she was
going to be big and labor/delivery may be difficult. I was overwhelmed and my
mind was racing. I wasn’t ready to make this type of major decision. I had just
wanted labor to start naturally and I just wanted to let my body naturally do
what God had made it to do. I also wanted my parents to be there.
The midwife said that I didn’t have to make a decision yet.
She wanted me to have another ultrasound to check a few things and get an
estimated fetal weight. They also wanted me to continue to drink water since
our levels were evening out. This would give me time to think and for Lee and I
to discuss what we wanted to do.
The thought of having to be induced and labor over several
days did not appeal to me. Plus I knew that even if I went through days of
induction/labor, I could still end up having a C-section if things continued to
not progress. The thought of having a C-section also scared me. I hadn’t done a
lot of research on C-sections so I didn’t know what to expect. I talked to a
few people and Googled a few things while waiting for the ultrasound.
They took me down for the ultrasound and the technician kept
going on and on about how my amniotic fluid levels were low and they weren’t
going to let me go home like that. This did not help how I was feeling. She
estimated Baby’s weight to be about 9 lbs 14 oz. She finished the ultrasound
and then I spent a long time waiting for someone to come take me back to the
labor and delivery triage room. I don’t know how long it was, but it seemed
like forever. My mind was racing over what to do and I really had to pee from
all the water I’d been drinking.
Once I finally got back to the room, Lee and I talked about
our decision while waiting on the midwife to come back. She came back and said
that the ultrasound tech had not given them a score for the fluid levels. That
number would help them determine if I needed to deliver right away or if it
could wait. Lee and I made the decision to have the C-section and the midwife
and nurse felt like that was the best thing in our situation. They brought up a
portable ultrasound machine and determined that the fluid levels were not
dangerously low, so we could wait to have the C-section the next morning. They
also told us we could go home so we could get a good night’s rest.
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