My Birth Story

WARNING: This post is going to be long.

When I became pregnant, I decided to receive prenatal care at a birthing center that my sis-in-law recommended. ***For those who don't know, you cannot get ANY pains meds at a birthing center, they are all naturale baby.*** I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted to do it natural again (I had with Caydon, but mostly because it happened so fast. Read his birth story here), but their office was close to home and I really liked the midwives there. A little over halfway through my pregnancy I began to wonder "Why am I choosing to torture myself? I know what it feels like, do I want to do it again??" But as my due date fastly approached, I could not get myself to change care. I had grown to love the midwives and felt very comfortable and safe in their hands.

With that being said...my due date came and went. I was getting bigger and more uncomfortable by the day. Thursday (March 18th) rolls around and it's a normal day. I went to the chiro (who specializes in prego mommies) and begged her to push the pressure points that were supposed to help you go into labor. She did and told me to go on a walk after. I did. The day carried on, and I was having contractions but nothing consistent. That night as we got ready for bed, I went to the bathroom and had my "bloody show." I didn't think it meant anything, but I called the midwife nonetheless and she said to go to bed and hopefully I'd wake up and be in labor. It was my favorite midwife so I REALLY hoped I would go into labor so that she would be delivering my baby. So, we called Kempton's mom and told her and she immediately jumped in her car and drove down. By then I was having more painful contractions, but still not very often and not for very long. At 1:30am we decided to go to bed. I could not sleep b/c every once in awhile I'd get a painful contraction, so I got up and took a bath. Then I decided to get ready for the day, just in case. So I curled my hair, and right as I was about to put on mascara, I get a strong contraction and my water breaks. I practically yell at Kempton..."my water broke!!!" so he calls the midwife and she says she'll meet us at the birthing center. It's 3:30am now. We frantically pack our things, and by 4am we are on our way to the birthing center. I am now having painful contractions and more often (every 2 minutes), but still only lasting for a max of 15-25 seconds. We get to the birthing center at 4:20am. They check me, say I'm a seven, and that they are filling up the tub. (I planned to have a water birth, or at least labor in the tub during active labor). By now my contractions were REALLY painful, and I was dying to get in that tub. So I do, and have a couple contractions and the midwife tells me that if I feel the urge to push, to go for it. So....after three strong pushes....out pops out Dallas. He was born at 4:48am...28 minutes after we got to the birthing center. Talk about cutting it close! And the midwife and birthing assistant were VERY surprised how big he was. All along they'd been telling me my baby would probably be a little over 8 pounds...ha ha. Surprise surprise! Looks like all the goodies I ate went straight to the baby! Ha ha.

I couldn't have planned it any better, I was able to labor at home (not knowing I was in active labor) and show up at the birthing center just in time to push. And my midwife was awesome and encouraging me the whole time saying "you can do it....you're doing awesome!" She had such a calming presence. I was so happy everything turned out the way it did.

We were released from the birthing center at 7:45 am....just in time to come home, get in our own beds and rest before Caydon woke up and came in our room saying "Baby....out!" It was so cute. I LOVED recovering at home. Definitely a pro of a birthing center.

So....would I do it all over again? I don't know. A part of me wonders what it would be like to NOT feel pain (because it is VERY painful at times)....but also apart of me likes having control over my labor and delivery, as opposed to being paralyzed like Pollyanna in a hospital bed. I really loved my midwives and think I'd do it again natural just to have them be my doctors again. And it helps that my labors are so short. The pain is manageable when it is not for very long.

Anyways, we're happy everything turned out the way it did and that we have a healthy nine pound baby boy!!!