It all started on Thursday night October 10th 2013.
I was sitting on my birth ball editing a sweet friends family pictures for about an hour when I started feeling some light contractions. Id been having these off and on so I just ignored it. Drew had just put Jude to bed so I remember it was around 8pm. When he came out of Jude's room I mentioned to him that I was having some contractions. Edited a little longer, maybe 30 mins? and noticed they were starting to pick up. Getting harder and closer together. I thought, "hmmm...I haven't showered today" <insert stay-at-home mom problem here> "I should hop in the shower just in case this is the real thing." I was only 39 weeks 1 day so it couldn't POSSIBLY BE the REAL thing.... but, just in case, I wanted to be clean, ha! I went 1 week "over due" with Jude before I had an induction so no way my body could go into labor on its own! While I knew this not to be true I still had the thought planted in the back of my mind.
While I was in the shower my contractions got farther apart, they had been every 5mins and now they were about every 8. Thank goodness for my water proof iPhone case... I was able to take it into the shower with me to continue timing them... oh the technology these days. as if I wouldn't have survived 30 minutes without timing my contractions. ;)
I got out of the shower and they immediately picked back up (i think every 4-5mins). I layed down in the bed thinking, just in case this was the real thing I definitely need to try to get some sleep. Once I laid down they REALLY picked up in intensity. I laid down for maybe 5 minutes and got up and told Drew this was it! It had to be it, because I couldn't sleep through them. I think it was about 10pm at this point.
He told me we should probably call Hope (our doula) and just tell her what is going on so she will know it would possibly be tonight. I wanted to stay home as long as possible since the reason Jude's birth ended with a c-seciton was because of "failure to wait" from the hospital staff. If you haven't read Jude's birth story you can read it by clicking here.
So Hope told me to hang out, eat, get some rest and call her when things picked up since i was still having contractions 5 mins apart.
I think it had only been 30 minutes when I called her back and said "hey, these have picked up to 2 minutes apart, should I call my mom to come watch Jude?" At this point my voice was all shaky on the phone... not from pain but I think from adrenaline in my body.. oh, hormones! She told me to go ahead and call her to come since she had about a 45 min drive.
As my mom sped over (by the way we did not have a plan for jude for if this happened at night... we weren't thinking i would go into labor at night, for some reason I always thought it would be morning! ha!) As my mom sped over, my contractions quickly got more intense, painful, closer together. I couldn't sit down at all through them and I had to really practice my relaxation techniques I had learned through hypnobabies. A couple of times I frantically made Drew call my mom to see if she was getting close because I was worried we wouldn't make it to the hospital... haha.
As soon as mom got their we hurried down to the car and were on our way. Who would have thought that we would hit a road block on hwy 280 around midnight?! Go figure! I was panicking and Drew had the flashers on and eventually the cops let us go by. All I could think was "I can't have this baby on the side of the road!!!" Ha! I think we waited an entire 2 minutes for the cops to let us through but it felt like an eternity!
While in the car my contractions slowed down again... I was SO grateful considering that at home I couldn't even SIT during a contraction and here I was on a 45 minute car ride! We made it to UAB and got checked into to our room and soon after my contractions picked right back up. Very quickly they became so painful and so close together that I was nauseated or throwing up at each one. I felt the contractions not only in my lower front but also in my lower back... boy back labor is NO JOKE. And I was only FIVE.CENTIMETERS. Yep, 5. thats all. And I had been 3-4 for weeks before that. Oy. And Im just going to be honest, they say redheads are less tolerant to pain, and I believe it!
I went into this birth wanting to go med free. I believe that part of the reason Jude didn't drop quicker was because I had an epidural and was laid up in the bed instead of moving around and helping him to drop. So, I had made Drew and Hope promise to help me stay med free.
At this point in the labor I just couldn't handle it anymore. My hypnobabies wasn't helping, I couldn't stand to listen to it during labor... I don't know why exactly but it just made me freak out even more.
So, I began praying. I prayed, "God, Please if you want me to remain med free for this birth, lesson the pain and nausea for me! I want to do your will father! I do not want to do anything that could harm my baby! Please help me know what your will is!"
The pain increased. I felt a sense of peace come over me as if God was saying, it is alright child, I am here and I will help you. This baby will be born vaginally and safely.
The nurse called in the anesthesiologist and I went over (between contractions and crying) with him my concerns. I wanted to still be able to feel and move my legs. With my epidural with Jude I couldn't do ANYTHING. Not even wiggle my toes. And if he couldn't give me feeling & movement then I didn't want it (haha yeah, right). He assured me he would give me a dose that I could still move with and feel contractions, and he did JUST THAT.
Now, if you've ever had an epidural during active labor you know just how hard it is. They make you (10 months pregnant belly and all) lean forward during back to back contractions and be still while they stick a LARGE needle in your back, in your spine, during a gut wrenching contraction.
Drew was my rock during this. At each contraction I made him look me in the eyes and I squeezed his hands. Something about the eye contact made me focused. It helped me through. His eyes said so much. They said "wow, this is my wife", "she is hurting and i can't help her", "im about to meet my son". I will never forget what his eyes looked like.
I bet if you asked him, he would never forget what my CRAAAAZY eyes looked like! hahaha!
So the epidural was in. Relief.
I don't know what time I got the epidural. Maybe 3am, 4am?
Things got quiet for hours. I sat straight up in that bed. Even though the nurse kept telling me to rest and relax I wanted Liam to drop and I knew the only way he would do that was if I sat straight up since I couldn't walk.
Dr. Jenkins came in and checked me, I guess it was about 12pm Friday 10/11. And I was 10cm, -1 station (I had been this way for 5+ hours) and my waters were still intact. He asked me to try pushing to just see what happened. He said that he thought Liam may be born in the Caul (in the water sack) and he was totally okay with that happening! Its actually an easier exit on baby anyways! Most doctors encourage artificially breaking the water to speed up labor, but I was in no hurry... I wanted Liam to come on his own when he was in the PERFECT position to do so.
When I would push Liam would come down to +1ish and so Dr. Jenkins thought I should try pushing for about 30 mins and see what would happen. He left the room and put the nurse in charge.
I pushed maybe twice and my waters broke all over that poor nurse. It was so funny... laughter filled the room!
I shot a birth a while back and the mom played the Pandora station "Laid Back Beach Music" during the pushing stage and it created such a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I decided we would have this playing at Liam's birth too.
We had so much fun! Giggling, everyone cheering me & Liam on! I will never forget it!
Immediately after my water broke Liam came on down the birth canal even more. It wasn't but maybe 30mins? later that he was crowning and they were calling in Dr. Hoover! I couldn't believe it! I was pushing my baby out! A former doctor had told me my pelvis was "too small to push a baby out" but I was doing it!!
I pushed out a 7lb 6oz 20inches long beautiful baby boy at 2pm 10/11/13!!!!
I want to thank Dr. Kimberly Hoover for believing in me. For believing that birth is a natural thing, something women were CREATED to do! For being patient, for listening to me and understanding that I knew my body and knowing that being at 10cm does not mean you are ready to push.
I want to thank Dr. Jenkins for being the on-call doctor that was so supportive of my birth plan and let me do anything I wanted. He never once pushed any form of induction those long 17 hours and I will forever be grateful that he never even mentioned them.
I want to thank UAB and their wonderful facility, staff, and nurses! I truly felt like their top priority during my whole stay.
I want to thank my doula Hope for believing in me. For cheering me on my whole pregnancy and the day I had Liam. For coming with me to ICAN meetings. For coming to visit me after he was born and for becoming my friend.
I want to thank my good friend Heather for taking these beautiful birth photos. For staying up all night with me and waiting patiently on my birth process. I will forever treasure these photos (and our friendship) more than you know!
I want to thank Dr. Jessica Dietrich-Marsh, my chiropractor, for seeing me throughout my pregnancy, helping me with my gallbladder problems, and making sure Liam was in an optimal position for delivery. For taking my wee hours of the morning Facebook messages and always being available!
And most importantly, I want to thank my husband. For loving me unconditionally. For believing in me. For believing a woman can birth her own baby. For holding my hair while I puked my whole pregnancy because of my gall bladder and bringing me apple cider vinegar in the shower while I was sick.. haha
For keeping me steady. For being my rock. And for loving me and our boys.
I love you, and Jude, and Liam with my whole heart and Im so thankful for you all, my boys!!
<3 momma
beautiful birth photography by my friend Heather Campbell of My Only Sunshine Photography
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