Let me start off by saying I am not a writer. I am not one to sit down and write about anything; however, after giving birth to my daughter Audrey, I feel compelled to sit down and write her birth story.
When I found out I was pregnant with Audrey I was ecstatic. I had a fairly easy pregnancy with no real problems minus the awful heartburn I had everyday. As I got further and further along in my pregnancy reality started to sink in that I in fact was going to have to give birth to this child. That thought alone was terrifying to me. Audrey is my first child and I was really becoming fearful of the thought of childbirth simply because I did not know what to expect. At the beginning of my pregnancy I thought for SURE I wanted an epidural. I thought I wanted this to be as easy and pain free as possible. As I went through my child birthing class and did some researching and reading of my own, I decided maybe natural childbirth was the way to go. Now of course that was a terrifying thought but I prayed about it and made up my mind that I wanted to give birth to Audrey naturally and that's what I was going to do!
As my due date got closer and closer I started trying to prepare myself mentally and spiritually to give natural child birth. I knew a lot of it was in my head of course and that the more I feared this the worse it would be. I prayed for God to give me the strength to do this because of course this is what he made my body to be able to do. I discussed my decision with my parents and of course Alex. My mom wrote down some verses on note cards for me to read while in labor to comfort me and assure me that I could do it. I even had all my breathing techniques, laboring positions and music on my ipad ready to go so when I went to the hospital I would be prepared!
I don't think anything could have prepared me for the way Audrey's birth actually happened. Tuesday night, September 17, I started having some contractions around 9 o clock. I didn't think much of the contractions because I had been having irregular contractions on and off for over a week. That being said I did have a weird feeling about that night. I wasn't feeling quite myself so I ended up trying to go to sleep around 9:30. Alex checked on me around 10 and asked if I was still having contractions and I was. The contractions were very mild and still seemed random so I kept trying to sleep through them. Before falling asleep I remember praying and asking God to prepare me if I was going to have this baby tonight. At 2 o clock I woke up to use the bathroom. As I laid back down to try and go back to sleep I felt a slight pop and a gush of water. My water had broken. I woke up Alex and told him that my water broke to which he was a little panicky and asked a few times if I was sure. I told him to go ahead and start getting our stuff together to go to the hospital. I got up and did my hair and put on a little make up. I was feeling really calm to have had my water just break. Alex was more worried about me calling my doctor and getting to the hospital. I could tell he was having some anxiety about it all as I looked in the bedroom to see him with his head down on the bed trying to take it all in. As I was getting ready to go to the hospital I started to time my contractions. They started about 8 minutes apart and with every contraction they were getting closer and closer together. Around 2:30 we left the house to head to the hospital. The contractions were strong on the way but I was still feeling pretty calm about everything. I would breathe through the bad contractions and then keep talking to Alex in between. I remember talking to him about how his Grandma Barbara was right about Audrey being born around the full moon. Thursday night would have been the full moon. Around 2:50 we arrived at the ER. Alex parked the car and I got out to begin walking into the ER. I had two very painful contractions that stopped me in my place while walking in. The last one was so intense I had to grab onto the side of the building and I felt the need to vomit. I walked into the ER and told them I was going to vomit and they handed me a bag to do so. Then they put me into a wheel chair and took me into the office to begin trying to admit me. As the lady was talking to me and trying to get all my information, I started to slightly freak out. I told her I couldn't sit and I needed to stand up and walk around to try and relieve some of the pain of my contractions. I suppose this girl was curious about child birth because she started asking me what my contractions felt like and where the pain was because "she had never had a baby before". At this point I was in NO shape to be carrying on a casual conversation about child birth. I stood up and started pacing the floor when I started gushing more fluids. They knew at this point, I was pretty far along and that they needed to get me upstairs. Without even admitting me, they put me back in the wheelchair and rushed me to the labor and delivery wing. When we got to the delivery room they got me stripped down and in my hospital gown. I was still pacing the floor when I asked the nurses if I could please use the bathroom. They told me that I could go to the bathroom but then decided they better ask what I needed to do. I told them I really, really needed to poop! The nurse then flipped out on me and told me absolutely not and to lay down on the bed immediately where she could check me and see how far I was dilated. I explained to her that I was having a strong contraction and I couldn't lay down that I needed to walk it off. She then proceeded to scream at me that I needed to lay down and be checked NOW! After her and Alex both yelling at me and telling me I needed to lay down, I finally did. The nurse proceeded to check me only to say "Alright we are having a baby!" as she ran out of the room to get a doctor. Apparently that strong feeling of me needing to "poop" was really just the pressure of Audrey about to come out! Next thing I knew there were about 4 nurses in my room and then Dr. Markley (thank GOD!) walked in. Dr. Markley has been my OBGYN for almost 7 years and I had prayed that she would be on call when it came time for me to deliver Audrey. Prayer answered! As soon as Dr. Markley walked in everyone started grabbing my legs and telling me when I was ready to push. Next thing I knew Alex was letting go of my leg and walking away. I heard him off to the side throwing up. Apparently all the excitement and his sinuses were all too much for him. He made it back to my side though. At this point I was so overwhelmed by how fast things had happened. The nurses and Dr. Markley kept telling me I was doing so good but I surely didn't feel like it. I pushed 5-6 good times and the next thing I knew the nurses were screaming with excitement as Dr. Markley handed me my beautiful little girl. So at 3:20 AM only 30 minutes after pulling into the ER parking lot I was holding my daughter. Alex and I were filled with so much joy. All the pain I had felt was immediately relieved. Alex cut the umbilical cord and the nurses took Audrey to weigh her and clean her off.
I don't know how I got lucky enough to only have suffered through labor for roughly an hour and 20 minutes but I thank the good Lord that it happened that way. I believe it was an answered prayer for me. I knew I wanted a natural child birth and prayed that I would be able to do it. By the time I arrived at the hospital not only did I not have a choice but it happened so fast that I didn't suffer too much. I am so thankful for that. I could not have asked for a better child birthing experience.
Audrey is such a blessing to us and already brings us so much joy. I cannot wait to see what a beautiful girl she will become.
