The LONGEST birth story but the EASIEST birth!

It all began on a Thursday morning but I was unaware. I woke up and had the “feeling” you know, the feeling you just can’t describe. I went into work telling my co-workers that I would be in labor by the weekend but I just didn’t feel like I was in labor yet. I felt like I should go ahead and have everything prepared at work for my fill-in “just in case”. I worked steadily all day generating reports, helping in a dental sedation and I even managed to do a cleaning with my big ol’ belly while I felt it was impossible to even sit down from the pressure I was feeling. It was a very busy day. We had to grab a quick lunch so we stopped by Panera. For some reason I felt like I needed pasta for carbs and green tea so that I would have the energy I needed for if I were to go into labor that night.

Around the end of the work day I still had the “feeling” but was feeling absolutely nothing but low pressure that I had been feeling for weeks. I had just accepted the fact today wasn’t the day. I stopped by my Grams to see her and my mom. I tried to sit outside to talk but I was feeling so much pressure sitting I decided I would grab dinner and go home. 9:00PM rolled around and my husband and I decided we would go ahead and go to bed since we both had work the next day.

As we went to bed I started feeling what felt like light menstrual cramps so once again I just assumed it was nothing. Around 11:00PM I was still feeling them but it wasn’t ever too strong so I still didn’t feel like it was anything (not even Braxton Hicks). I had begun to pay more attention because I noticed they weren’t going away and it felt like they were coming in waves. At this point my husband was sound asleep and had no idea I was even up, or feeling the slightest bit like I could be in labor.  I decided I would just download a contraction counter app on my phone to see if they were timeable. To my surprise for the 30 minute span I timed they were 5-7 minutes apart lasting for about 45 seconds.

I still felt like there was NO WAY I was in labor so I decided to take a bath to see if they’d stop. NOPE! They become even closer together. I laid in the tub and timed them until about 12:15AM and they were only getting closer together, 3-5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. I still felt very light cramps so I decided I would just lay in the bath and take a nap until they went away. Out of NOWHERE I was awoken by a “POPPING” sound. Yep, my water definitely broke!!! (YAY!) I stayed calm and didn’t let myself get too excited or nervous because I was afraid of stalling my labor.

I woke up my husband and called my midwife, Kim, which she was awesome!! Of course since I was a first time mom and I was able to talk through my pressure waves (Hypnobabies term for contraction) she advised me it would probably be a while so I could stay home; which is what I had planned anyways. At that time my pressure waves were about 3-4 minutes apart and still lasting for a minute but I could still walk and talk through them while doing last minute packing. I told my husband to go back to bed because everything was ready and I would wake him up when I felt like I needed some help. To pass the time and to ease the few pressure waves I felt, I would alternate the bath and shower while running some of my birth affirmations in my head. I decided not to listen to my Hypnobabies track but use everything I had learned so that I could be more in tune with what my body was feeling and just enjoy the moment.

Around 5:00AM my pressure waves were 2-3 minutes apart and still lasting 1 minute. I kept feeling like all I wanted to do was push through them- so I did! I decided to wake Tyler up and call Kim back to update her because I had a feeling it was time to get to the hospital. Of course, she told me to stay home longer because she couldn’t tell I was having a pressure wave through the phone since I was so calm and quiet. I quickly let her know I didn’t think I should stay home because if I pushed hard enough my baby would turn from a hospital waterbirth to a home waterbirth!! She then agreed it was definitely time.

We had about a 30 minute drive to the hospital. Which, might I add, was the LONGEST 30 minutes of my life. We finally arrive to Greenville Memorial Hospital where I would deliver at about 6:00AM. I decided I was still comfortable enough to walk to labor and delivery. Keep in mind, my pressure waves are 2 minutes apart lasting 1 minute during this time. I walked through all the halls, stopping to “ride a pressure wave.” Julie had once mentioned to think of it like a roller coaster and act like your pressure waves are that roller coaster- once you hit the peak, it’s all downhill.  And that’s just what I did! I waited them out, smiled at all the strangers asking my husband if I needed a wheel chair and I kept on walking to Labor and Delivery.

When we got to triage I signed myself in, had a pressure wave at the check in and was told it would be a while before they got to be because I didn’t seem to be in “too much pain”. I politely told them I was a Hypnobabies mom and I would be having my child in the triage bathroom if they didn’t get me to a tub of water ASAP! Obviously they didn’t believe me. After about 15 minutes no one had come to check on me so I changed into my cute gown I had packed and I headed for the bathroom. My husband, obviously panicking and begging me not to, went to find a nurse so that I wouldn’t give birth in a bathroom (insert laughing emoji here). Finally the nurse came and agreed to check me. I was at 8-9cm!!!!

They rushed me to the waterbirth suite, quickly monitored until Kim arrived and checked me- I was at 9cm! I decided to get in the tub and asked how long it would be before I could push. Once again, “it’ll probably be awhile since you’re a new mom”. Within 10 minutes of being in water I felt a slight burning. I could not feel any of my pressure waves and honestly felt GREAT but I knew it was time to push. Kim said we could try but to not get discouraged if it didn’t happen right then. Since I was so comfortable and couldn’t feel pressure waves she told me to push when I felt like I might could feel something, so I did! Within 10 minutes of pushing we welcomed our Beautiful 8lb 3oz Julia Claire into this world at 7:06AM!! Everyone had said for 9 months I would never be able to have a natural, waterbirth and in that moment I could finally say “I DID IT!!!” If I could do it over a million times, I would. Thanks to God and Hypnobabies I had an easy, comfortable waterbirth that I’ll never forget!

Thank you, Julie, for teaching women the beauty of Hypnobabies and natural childbirth!!