My husband and I got married July 2006 and our first daughter arrived just in time to help us celebrate our one year anniversary. We were both elated to become parents. I was overjoyed to become a mom. I’m a bookworm so to prepare for the grand event I read every book I could get my hands on. I read non-stop. I took notes. I created a binder. I believed this level of organization would be the secret to dealing with the pains of labor and having the natural childbirth I’d envisioned.
My pregnancy was pretty much smooth sailing until shortly before my due date. I noticed a few less kicks from my baby girl. Concerned, I called my obgyn and she had me go into Kent Hospital to be monitored. I discovered I was having contractions but only mildly so I couldn’t feel a thing. They told me all was well and to head home. We went to visit my husband’s grandmother and went for a stroll around the neighborhood. Soon after, my contractions came on pretty regularly and I just remember this excitement running through me. This was it! After timing my contractions, we realized we were still far from show time.
We headed home and hit the sack for the night trying to rest ourselves for what lay ahead. After several hours, the contractions were severely uncomfortable and I was doing lots of squirming in bed to manage the pain. In the middle of the night, husband sound asleep, I got up to use the bathroom and half way there had a pop/burst sensation and water trickling down my leg. I remember waking my husband and telling him to hurry and get ready. Getting out of the house is a big blur and I just remember riding in the car sitting sideways because my contractions were seriously uncomfortable at this stage.
Once at the hospital we do some paper work and head up to our delivery room. While I’m waiting, someone asks if I’d like an epidural. Despite all my natural childbirth studies, I opted to get the epidural. Once I got the epidural everything felt like a dream. I’d sleep in between contractions and sip on apple juice waiting for our baby to join the world. I was amazed at how relaxed childbirth could be.
After a good handful of hours, it was time to push! I was so numb from the waste down that I couldn’t really feel a thing. I pushed, I moaned, I cried – 2 hours straight. The doctor was concerned with the baby’s heartbeat dropping so we agreed to move forward with a c-section.
The surgery flew by and I was finally able to hold my daughter. I was groggy and foggy, shaky even. Shaky is actually what I remember. I was so shaky I was afraid to hold our baby girl. My labor did not go as planned. I dreaded a c-sectoin but got just that. Like all moms, I was just excited for both of us to be alive and well.
In retrospect, my labor seems long and short at the same time. I didn’t have a natural birth and all the note taking I did, did not prepare me for the unexpected. We went ahead with the c-section and in retrospect I realize now my first birth led me to my second – a successful VBAC. I have no regrets from my first childbirthing experience; it’s the journey meant for her, the perfect journey to bring her from the womb into my arms.
~Carla~